Björn Zethræus - Växjö, Sweden (bjorn.zethraeus@itn.vxu.se)
Professor Björn Zethræus graduated in 1979 with M.Sc. in Process metallurgy at the Royal Technical High School in Stockholm (KTH). In 1986 he obtained his PhD in the department of Heat and Furnace Technology/KTH. And worked as Ass. Professor (docent) Chemical Technology prior to becoming Professor in Bioenergy Technology, Chem.Tech/KTH in 1998.

In 1999 he was appointed full professor in Bioenergy Technology with Växjö university and the Royal Inst. Of Technology in Stochkholm

He is a member of the Combustion Institute (the Swedish section) and is presently Chairman of the Swedish National Committee of the IFRF. In this role he is the SFRC member of the IFRF Joint Committee

Bengt-Johan Skrifvars - Torku, Finland (bjskrifv@abo.fi)
Dr. Bengt-Johan Skrifvars (Ph.D. Chem. Eng.) presently works at Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland, in the Combustion Chemistry Research Group as Research Manager for projects dealing with ash chemistry, slagging, fouling and corrosion in combustion and gasification.

Author or co-author of some 15 refereed publications and 60 technical papers and reports.

Pia Kilpinen - Torku, Finland (pia.kilpinen@abo.fi)
Dr. Pia Kilpinen (Ph.D. Chem.eng.), presently working at Åbo Akademi University in the Combustion Chemistry Research Group as docent (Ph.D. Chem. Eng. Associated professor in kinetics in combustion).

Author or co-author of some 15 refereed publications and 40 technical papers and reports.

Pia is a members of the IFRF NET Scientific and Technical Advisory Group - STAG

Hartmut Spliethoff - Stuttgart, Germany (spliethoff@ivd.uni-stuttgart.de)
Dr.-Ing. Hartmut Spliethoff studied mechanical engineering at the Universities of Kaiserslautern and Stuttgart. In 1986 he graduated from the Technical University of Stuttgart and joined the Institut for Verfahrenstechnik and Dampfkesselwesen as scientific assistant. In 1992 he finished his PhD on the topic "Large scale trials of reburning at a slag tap furnace".

In 1991 he was appointed head of the Boiler Technology department, which operates several test facilities ranging from laboratory- to pilot scale for fuel preparation, combustion and gasification.. He is responsible for various national and international projects, including the co-ordination several multi-partner European research projects.

Hartmut is a members of the IFRF NET Scientific and Technical Advisory Group - STAG

Volker Siegle - Stuttgart, Germany (siegle@ivd.uni-stuttgart.de)
Dipl.-Ing. Volker Siegle studied process engineering at the University of Stuttgart. In 1993 he graduated and joined the Institute for Process Engineering and Power Plant, IVD, as an scientific assistant. His field of research is the biomass preparation and combustion in firing systems, the characterisation of biofuels for industrial application and especially for co-combustion in coal fired boilers. He is the head of the analytical laboratory.

In 1999 he will finish his PhD on the topic "Influence of biomass composition and preparation to the combustion process".

Jean-Bernard Michel - Neuchâtel, Switzerland (Web address: http://www.csem.ch/systemeng/icontrol/, jean-bernard.michel@csem.ch)
Dr. Jean-Bernard Michel is French and completed his studies at the Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble (France) where he obtained an engineering diploma in Fluid Mechanics in 1976.

He worked in the IFRF research station team up to 1981 where he participated the "Long Coal Flame" trials, which formed the basis of his PhD (Valenciennes University, 1984). He was also heavily involved in low calorific value gas combustion research and mathematical modelling development.

He worked for a period at Batelle in Geneva prior to joining the Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology in Neuchâtel, a private R&D company in 1990.

Jean-Bernard is a members of the IFRF NET Scientific and Technical Advisory Group - STAG

Peter Roberts - IJmuiden, Netherlands (peter.roberts@ifrf.net)
Peter Roberts is a graduate of the University of Leeds (Fuel Science) and is a Chartered Engineer (Inst. Eng.). He has worked in the Iron and Steel Industry in the UK, undertaking field research in iron and steel process heating, and as an energy utilisation consultant in the Irish Republic. He joined the IFRF in 1978 and has worked in various capacities including that of Executive Director - IFRF.

Since March 1998, he has been executing the role of Project manager, responsible for the development of the new IFRF Information Exchange concept - IFRF NET.