Awards & Recognition

Title: Researcher | NREL Intern
Colorado State University, USA

About:Smith Pittman is a Ph.D. candidate in Mechanical Engineering at Colorado State University, where her research focuses on mathematical modeling and process design of electrodialysis and biorefinery systems that convert waste into sustainable fuels and chemicals. She is currently an intern at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, developing a deacetylation model for a digital twin project. She earned her B.S. in Environmental Engineering from Arizona State University, where she researched wastewater treatment and biomass anaerobic digestion.

Title:Postdoctoral Associate,University of Maryland, USA

About: Anga Awonke Hackula is a Research Fellow and Postdoctoral Associate in Environmental Science and Technology at the University of Maryland, College Park. He holds a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from University College Cork, where his research focused on decarbonizing industrial systems through anaerobic digestion and biorefinery concepts. His work centers on dark fermentation, anaerobic digestion, and circular bioeconomy strategies, with a growing emphasis on saline and marine bioenergy systems. He has authored multiple peer-reviewed publications and has presented internationally on waste valorization, volatile fatty acid production, and sustainable energy recovery technologies.

Title: Massachusetts Institute of Technology , USA

About:Chiara Berretta is a visiting student at MIT and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. at EPFL and the Paul Scherrer Institute, Switzerland, in chemical reaction engineering. Her research focuses on the development of fluidized-bed reactors for renewable methanol production. At MIT, she contributes to a broader Energy Initiative project on the conversion of cellulosic biomass into biofuels. Combining academic expertise in chemical engineering with industry experience in construction engineering, she is committed to advancing cleaner industrial processes.