S. A. Abbasi, presently Distinguished Professor, School of Advanced Engineering, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), Dehradun, has earlier been a full university professor and director (1987- 2015), and Emeritus Professor (2015-2024) at the Centre for Pollution Control and Environmental Engineering, Pondicherry University. Prior to it he was the founder Head of the Water Quality & Environment Division at the Centre for Water Resources, Kozhikode (1979-87), and a Visiting-cum-adjunct Professor at California State University (1984- 1987). He has also been a Visiting Professor at the universities of Minnesota, Florida, Nevada, California−Berkeley, Malaya and Al-Ahsa.Prof Abbasi is considered among the world’s foremost experts in the fields of bioprocess engineering, process safety, and environmental engineering. Among numerous coveted honours and awards received by Prof Abbasi are the National Design Award in Environmental Engineering, the IPCL award for Safety and Hazard Management in Petroleum Industries, the National Hydrology Award, the International Desalination Association’s prize, The Trever Kletz award, and fellowships of the National Academy of Sciences and the Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers. Naseer Hussain is an Assistant Professor at B.S. Abdur Rahman Crescent Institute of Science and Technology (BSARCIS&T), Chennai, India. He took his MSc degree in Botany from Barkatullah University and earned his MPhil and PhD degrees in Environmental Technology from Pondicherry University. He then held prestigious postdoctoral positions at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, and McGill University, Canada, before joining BSARCIS&T, Chennai, as an Assistant Professor in 2022.Dr Hussain’s research work has addressed contemporary challenges of microplastic management, and greenhouse gas mitigation associated with agriculture and the valorization of organic waste.A recipient of coveted awards, including the Indian Overseas Postdoctoral Fellowship (DBT, India) and the AgroPhytoSciences Postdoctoral Fellowship (Centre SEVE, Canada), Dr Hussain actively mentors postgraduate students and serves as a peer reviewer for leading environmental science journals. He has also been actively involved in faculty development programs, interdisciplinary research collaborations, and international conferences, contributing to the advancement of sustainable environmental practices. He continues to explore innovative solutions for organic waste recycling and soil restoration. Tabassum-Abbasi has received her BTech, MTech, and PhD degrees in instrumentation and control engineering, environmental engineering, and environmental technology, respectively – all from Pondicherry University. She too has been a class topper throughout, receiving gold medals. She has been working as Assistant Professor at the University ofPetroleum & Energy Studies, Dehradun since January 2019, attaining senior grade (Level 2) in 2022, and selection grade (Level 3) recently. She has spent an year (2023- 24) in post-doctoral research at the University of Edinburgh as a British Council Women in Science Fellow. Besides research papers on bioprocess engineering and sustainability in highly cited journals, she has received three patents, and has registered another two.
