Session chairs

Prof. Gin-ya Adachi (gadachi@fj8.so-net.ne.jp)
Osaka University, Osaka, Japan

Director, Juri Institute of Educational Institute, Osaka, Japan
Professor emeritus, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
Honorary member, The Rare earth society of Japan
Honorary Editor, Journal of Alloys and Compounds, Elsevier
Editorial Advisory Board Member, Handbook on The Physics and Chemistry of Rare Earths, Elsevier
Fellow, The Chemical society of Japan

1967 Ph.D (Applied Chemistry) Osaka University
1988 Professor, Department of Applied Chemistry, Osaka University
2001 Professor emeritus, Osaka University
2001 Principal, College of Analytical Chemistry, Osaka, Japan
2006 Honorary Principal, College of Analytical Chemistry
1990 The Rare earth society of Japan Award (Shiokawa Award)
1995 The Chemical Society of Japan(CSJ) Award

Prof. Koen Binnemans (born 1970) obtained his M.Sc. (1992) and Ph.D. (1996) in Chemistry at the Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium). In the period 1999–2005, he was a postdoctoral fellow of the Fund for Scientific Research Flanders (Belgium). He did postdoctoral work with Prof. Jacques Lucas (Rennes, France) and Prof. Duncan W. Bruce (Exeter, U.K.). From 2002 until 2005, he was (part time) associate professor, and from 2005 until 2010 professor. Presently, he is full professor of chemistry at the Catholic University of Leuven. His current research interests are metal- containing liquid crystals (metallomesogens), lanthanide spectroscopy, luminescent molecular materials, MRI contrast agents, ionic liquids, recycling and separation of rare earths. Prof. Binnemans has published about 200 papers on rare earths. In 2000, he received the first ERES (European Rare-Earth and Actinide Society) Junior Award. He is the vice-chair of ERES.