Contributers

Prof. Dr. Holslag is co-founder of the Brussels Institute of Contemporary China Studies and a lecturer on international relations at the Vrije Universiteit Brussels. He is one of the most eminent specialists in Asian Affairs in Europe and an expert in the field of geopolitics. He has written several respected books on China as an emerging super power. His book "The Power of Paradise" provides an outline for an EU response to the changing world order.

Prof. Dr. van Ypersele is a professor in climate and environmental science at UCLouvain and is the former vice-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. He will set the scene of the current trends with respect to climate change, the world’s greatest challenge.

Prof. Dr. Gavin M. Mudd is an associate professor in the Department of Environmental Engineering at RMIT University, Australia. Prof. Dr. Mudd's research interests include environmental impacts, management of mine wastes, acid mine drainage, sustainability frameworks, life cycle assessment modelling and mine rehabilitation.

Prof. Dr. Pirard is a professor of Georesources at ULiege. He is the academic coordinator of the European Master in Resources Engineering program, a labelled master program that is part of the European Institute of Technology’s Raw Materials Academy. He is an expert in the energy transition and the circular economy.

Prof. Dr. Ali is a Blue and Gold Distinguished Professor of Energy and the Environment at the University of Delaware. Prof. Ali's research interests are in the causes and consequences of environmental conflicts in the mineral sector. He teaches environmental planning, conflict resolution and industrial ecology. Prof. Dr. Ali recently co-authored a paper on the life cycle climate change impacts of producing battery metals from land ores versus deep-sea polymetallic nodules.

Prof. Dr. Dewulf works with at the Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, UGent, Belgium. He focuses on clean production with a focus on resources, relying mainly on thermodynamic principles and life cycle thinking. Prof. Dr. Dewulf and his team have recently been working on a life cycle assessment comparing land-based ores with polymetallic nodule ores.

Prof. ir. Mazijn has a rich experience in multidisciplinary research on the theme of sustainable development. He is one of the founders of the Centre for Sustainable Development at Ghent University. Furthermore, he has also been involved in preparing and evaluating sustainable development policies at different levels (regional, federal, international) throughout his career. He is also one of the pioneers of the methodology of analysing life cycles on the basis of social aspects. While still teaching and guiding master thesis at Ghent University, in October 2020, Bernard Mazijn became chief of staff for the cabinet of the Minister for Climate, Environment, Sustainable Development and Green Deal in the Belgian federal government.

Prof. Dr. Van der Voet is an Associate Professor by Leiden University at the Department Industrial Ecology of the Institute of Environmental Sciences, CML. Within the field of Industrial Ecology, she specialises in methodology development: life-cycle assessment, material flow analysis, substance flow analysis, natural resource accounting, and indicator development. Prof. Dr. Van der Voet was the lead-author on a paper on the environmental implications of future demand scenarios for seven major metals.

Prof. Em. Dr. Vande Lanotte was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and the North Sea between 2011 and 2014. He is professor emeritus of constitutional law at Ghent University and currently a senior legal counsel at a law firm. He laid the policy foundation of the offshore wind energy industry spearheading Belgium. Through Ghent University, Prof. Em. Dr. Vande Lanotte, has been involved with the International Seabed Authority’s workings since 2018.

Mrs. Dasgupta is an energy analyst and modeller at the International Energy Agency (IEA), with an in-depth knowledge of and research experience in the renewables and solar PV sector, working on questions of the global clean energy transition. Mrs. Dasgupta is a physicist and engineer alumnus of EPFL, École Polytechnique (l'X) and KTH Royal Institute of Technology

Mr. Handley is Head of the Resource Efficiency and Raw Materials Unit in the European Commission's Directorate-General for Growth. He was previously Head of the Resource Efficiency Unit at the Secretariat-General, where he was responsible for coordination of Energy Union, 2030 climate and energy package, low emission mobility strategy and the circular economy.

Secretary General, Mr. Lodge, received his LLB from the University of East Anglia and has an MSc in marine policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He is a barrister of Gray’s Inn, London. Prior to his election as Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority in July 2016, he had served as Deputy to the Secretary-General and Legal Counsel. Mr. Lodge has extensive knowledge of the United Nations and other international organizations. Mr. Lodge has facilitated high-level multilateral and bilateral negotiations at international and regional level. His significant achievements include his pivotal role in the ISA from its inception in 1996 and in helping to create and implement the first international regulatory regime for seabed mining. In this introduction we intend to provide a short introduction in the workings of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) and its mission.

Mr. Nelen is a senior researcher on sustainable resources management, contributing to the development and implementation of strategies for waste and materials management in a circular economy. His current research topics focus on urban mining, recycling, life cycle and value chain sustainability assessment, industrial ecology and industrial symbiosis. Mr. Nelen is involved in a number of initiatives driven by European wide partnerships.

Dr. Wouters is the CEO of BlueBridge, which facilitates growth in the Blue Economy. At the heart of Ostend Science Park, Bluebridge enables the potential of entrepreneurship, open innovation between start-ups, corporates, knowledge institutions, public partners, and civil society.

Dr. Vandeputte joined Umicore in 1997. In 2003 he moved to a technical marketing role for cobalt containing products used in the Li-ion battery supply chain. After several leadership assignments in marketing, research, sales and production he was appointed Senior Vice President of Umicore Rechargeable Battery Materials Business Unit in 2017. Since October 2020, he is appointed SVP global Government Affairs of Umicore.

Dr. Rühleman is a marine geologist at the German Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) and is the project manager for the exploration of manganese nodules in the German license area. He has participated in more than 20 ocean-going expeditions.