The Research and Innovation (R&I) working group of the ISWA Young Professional Group (YPG) was founded during the world congress in 2016 in Serbia. The R&I WG includes some of the best and brightest young researchers in waste and resource management towards a CIRCULAR ECONOMY. The R&I WG strives towards learning and developing knowledge on the contentious and critical issues in waste management at local, regional, national & international levels in order to provide credible and relevant analyses of the different current & future challenges facing our societies. The main objective of this WG is to share knowledge and expertise about various research in innovative topics and actively engage in international research projects.
Amani Maalouf
Chair
PROFILE
Dr. Amani Maalouf is the head of the research department at D-Waste company in Greece. She has a Ph.D. degree in Environmental Engineering and was a postdoctoral researcher in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of waste management systems at the University of Perugia, Italy. She has more than 30 publications in international peer-reviewed scientific journals, conferences, and book chapters related to waste management and was an invited speaker in leading international conferences. Dr. Maalouf is the Lead Author of the “Status of Waste Management” Chapter of the Global Waste Management Outlook 2 scientific UNEP-ISWA report. She worked as senior expert and team leader on multiple national and international solid waste projects funded by international organizations, including EU, EIB, EEA, WB, EC, UNEP, UNDP, SIDA, SIWI, FES, WTERT, and IDRC.
Azijul Islam
Vice Chair
PROFILE
Dr. Md Azijul Islam is currently working as an Assistant Professor of Instruction at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA). He earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s in Civil Engineering from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology. He completed his Ph.D. from UTA focusing on the effectiveness of Recycled Plastic Pins in improving the bearing capacity of embankments. His research interests lie mainly in geotechnical engineering, sustainable waste management, pavement materials, and disaster management. Dr. Islam has more than 7 years of professional, teaching and research experience in geotechnical and geo-environmental engineering. He has been involved in ISWA-SWIS Winter School as an organizer and speaker since 2019.
Publications & Reports
Look at the latest and past reports published by the Research & Innovation WG!
The R&I WG is active in supporting the YPG for elaborating data and writing reports related to solid waste management issues at a global level! Here you can find the reports and articles of the past works implemented by the YPG.
In 2017, the ISWA YPG would identify and map the world’s biggest waste challenges. The results revealed the state of waste management across the globe in 2018! It is a contribution for assessing past and future challanges towards a sustainable development and a circular economy!
This year, we published the conference book of the 6th ISWA YPG Online Conference! Have a look!
Objectives of the Working Group
The main R&I activities are related to the organization of the annual ISWA YPG online conference and the dissemination of scientific and research skills through different online sessions. In addition, the group suggests new lines of research involving the members of the group, collecting data, and analyzing the information gathered in cooperation with the international and multidisciplinary network forming part of the group.
The group also aims to share information about:
- Various research opportunities
- Calls for Journals’ Special Issues
- Newly published scientific papers & scientific reports, research projects
- Funding programs and scholarships
- Online training courses, schools & other educational programs related to waste management
Members of the Working Group
The R&I is an international Working Group with members from countries all over the globe! Our mission is to connect people, knowledge, and ideas from around the world to improve research activities in relation to waste and resource management practices towards a Circular Economy.
The list of the members of the working group is reported here.
Be part of our international group!
# Members
# Countries
Activities
The working group suggests research & innovation activities related to the support of a circular economy at an international level through publications, workshops, conferences, and online sessions.
International Blog Competition
International young researchers are called for publishing blogs, posts, or short communications on online platforms and social networks, spreading the knowledge related to sustainable production and consumption. The objective of the Blog competition is to share ideas among students and young practitioners, involving citizens all around the world.
Look at the program and the winners of the Blog Competition 2020!
Research activities
The wide knowledge and the international experiences of the members are the golden power of the WG. The information available inside the group is gathered and developed in order to publish reports and scientific articles that can be used by the international audience for spreading consciousness towards a circular economy.
Some research interests of the group are related to:
- Solid waste management and planning
- Life cycle assessment
- Waste recycling and recovery
- Social inclusion in waste selective collection
- Landfill management
- Composting and biomass valorization
- Inclusion of the informal sector
Workshops and Online Sessions
The WG organizes online events inviting international speakers involved in solid waste management and planning. The goal is to disseminate knowledge and new capacities among the young international audience, inspiring the new generation of circular thinkers towards a sustainable development.
Online Conferences
The WG organizes a free Online Conference annually that welcomes participation from everyone all around the world! The most recent one is the 6th Online Conference on 22nd July 2023. For more information, please visit the online conference page here.