Professor Ashok Pandey, MSc, PhD

Ashok is currently Head of the Biotechnology Division, Regional Research Laboratory, CSIR, Trivandrum, India. He graduated from the University of Kanpur and took his Master''s degree with a first class in Chemistry. He followed this with a PhD in Microbiology from the University of Allahabad. Then he worked as scientist in the National Sugar Institute, Kanpur and Suddeutsche Zucker AG, Germany. He joined the Regional Research Laboratory, CSIR at Trivandrum in 1987. He has been Visiting Professor to UFPR- Brazil, UBP- France and UNESCO Professor. Ashok has strong research interest in the area of Industrial Biotechnology, especially in Bioprocess Technology. During the past 28 years of his career, the research carried out has credited him with five patents, 17 books, 12 technical reports and about 200 papers. He has supervised five PhDs and 57 Master''s students. He has won several awards, which include Best Scientific Work Achievement award from the Cuban Govt, Raman Research Fellowship Award, GBF, Germany and CNRS, France Fellowships, Young Scientist Award, etc. He occupies the Chair (F&H) of the International Society of Food, Agriculture and Environment (Finland), President of Biotech Research Society of India, President of the Association of Microbiologists of India (Trivandrum chapter), Vice-Chairman (Kerala) of the All India Biotech Association- SC and life-member of the National Academy of Sciences (I), Society of Biological Chemists (I), Association of Food Scientists & Technologists (I), and Association of Microbiologists of India. He serves as the Editor of Bioresource Technology and is also on the Editorial Board of four other international and five Indian journals. He has also edited an Encyclopaedia published by Haworth Press, USA. His current R&D efforts are on mainly on Bioconversion of biomass, solid-state fermentation, biotechnological application agro-industrial residues for value addition,etc.

Professor Colin Webb, BSc, PhD, CEng, CSci, FIChemE, FIAFoST

Colin is currently Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology in the UK. He is also Director of the Satake Centre for Grain Process Engineering, which he founded within the Department of Chemical Engineering in 1994. He joined UMIST in 1979 after graduating with a first class degree in Chemical Engineering and a PhD in Biochemical Engineering from the University of Aston. During his time in Manchester, Colin has supervised 75 higher degree theses including 25 PhDs. Publications include seven books, more than 160 research papers and three patents. He has been Editor of Elsevier''s Biochemical Engineering Journal since its launch and serves on the editorial boards of four other international journals. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers and a member of the American Association of Cereal Chemists. In 1999, Colin was honoured by being elected founding Fellow of the International Academy of Food Science and Technology. His research interests are largely directed towards the application of process engineering concepts to grain processing systems, particularly in the area of bioconversion of cereal products. He is currently working on a range of projects to establish cereals as a viable renewable resource for chemicals production.

Professor Carlos Ricardo Soccol, PhD

Carlos is currently Head of the Process Biotechnology Laboratory and Co-ordinator of the PhD programme in Biotechnology at the Federal University of Parana (UFPR), Curitiba, Brazil. He obtained his graduate and Master''s degree in Chemical Engineering and Professor Titular thesis in Industrial Biotechnology from UFPR, followed by the PhD degree in Biotechnology from the Technological University of Compiegne, France. He has spent a stage as post-doctoral fellow at ORSTOM, Montpellier. Carlos has beeninstrumental in creating two major courses in UFPR, viz. PhD programme in Biotechnology and a degree programme on Bioprocess Engineering and Biotechnology in UFPR. He also obtained Professor HDR from the University of Provence (AiX-MARSEILLE I) The research carried out till-date has credited him with 8 patents 6 books and 148 papers. He has won several awards which include First Best Work award in 10th Symposium of the International Society for Tropical Tuber Crops, Best Scientific Work award in First Latin-American Seminar on Potato Culture, Science & Technology award of the Govt. of Parana, Best Scientific Work award, VI and VII South Regional Meeting of Food Science & Technology, etc. He is Editor of the Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology since 1997. He also holds the position of scientist of the CNPq, Brazil. He is currently working on a number of projects in the areas of enzyme and fermentation technology and solid-state fermentation.

Professor Christian Larroche, PhD

Christian is Head of the Biochemical Engineering Department of CUST, a School of Engineering of Blaise Pascal University, Clermont-Ferrand, France, since 2001. He is also Head of the Department "Study and development of processes involving micro-organisms" of the platform for technological development "Biotechnology - Material Engineering" of Blaise Pascal University. He is a graduate in Biochemical Engineering from INSA Toulouse, Docteur-Ingénieur in Organic Chemistry from Paul Sabatier - Toulouse III University, and Docteur ès Sciences (PhD) in Biochemical Engineering from Blaise Pascal University. He is author of about 60 articles and two patents and has supervised seven PhD students and 20 Master''s project. He is member of the French Society for Process Engineering and Chair of the subsection Food Chemistry and Biochemistry of the International Society of Food, Agriculture and Environment. His skills are related to the study anddevelopment of special processes for use of micro-organisms. This includes fungal spores production by solid-state cultivations and design and optimisation of biotransformations involving hydrophobic compounds