Holds a PhD in Applied Biological Sciences from Ghent University, Belgium. In academia, Dr Amulen is a lecturer at Makerere University (Uganda) and team leader of RTC Pollinator Protection and Insect Research group. In the community engagement, she is the CEO and Co-Founder of Center for Insect Research and Development (CIRD) https://cird.co.ug/. A social enterprise at the forefront of farmer mobilization toward Black Soldier Fly farming in Uganda. Since 2019, her team has trained over 5,000 farmers in and outside Uganda, set up 320 insect farms in Uganda. Key areas of focus have been mobilization of smallholder farmers and training in BSF and bee farming, BSF business development, market linkage for smallholder BSF farms and action research and development aimed at improving on-farm processes. Some of work can be found on (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rJxLuEIbdk&t=37s). She has collaborated with Icipe, Michigan State University, Earth Beat Foundation and Government of Uganda (Ministry of Agriculture).
Piotr Barczak is the Circular Economy Program Manager at the Africa Circular Foundation and serves as a Team Leader in the BUGS-Africa project. He previously worked on waste policies with the European Environmental Bureau (2013–2023) and Polish Humanitarian Action (2012–2013). With a strong network rooted in the environmental justice movement, he has collaborated with a wide range of organizations across Europe, Asia, and Africa, contributing to initiatives that advance sustainable and circular economy practices.
Trin Rujiravanich is the Founder of BetterFly Thailand, a climate technology social enterprise based in Bangkok developing patented Black Soldier Fly (BSF) bioreactor systems for organic waste conversion. With over 15 years of experience across sustainable development and circular economy ventures, Trin holds degrees from Chulalongkorn University. BetterFly's approach is rooted in decentralization and community ownership — deploying BSF technology in island ecosystems, urban temples, military learning centers, and retail waste streams across Thailand. Its patented bioreactor converts organic waste into protein meal, organic fertilizer (frass), and bio-oils within a Triple Closed Loop model. Current deployments include a Low Carbon Circular Community on an island of Koh Tao and a BSF learning center within a Thai military camp.
Felipe Chamizo is a Bioeconomy Specialist at FAO’s Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment (FAO OCB). He coordinates and supports projects and initiatives on sustainable bioeconomy, ecosystem restoration, biodiversity action, and other activities that promote sustainable and resilient agriculture, including the overall management of the Scaling Up Bioeconomy Innovations for Agrifood System Transformation (ScalingUpBio) initiative.
Felipe is a Forestry Engineer, Master in Geography, and also specializes in Integrated Systems and ESG matters.
Arthur de Dinechin is an Entrepreneur and Co-Founder of Living Soils, a NGO developing circular and integrated farming models. Since 2021, he has led projects across West and Central Africa, including in Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, and the Republic of Congo, where Living Soils supports farmers in transforming organic waste through Black Soldier Fly larvae solutions. His approach goes beyond insect production alone: he sees larvae and frass as tools within a broader system designed to improve farm resilience, profitability, and working conditions. Drawing on hands-on field experience, Arthur brings a practical perspective on how innovation can help build more sustainable and inclusive food systems.
Stefan Diener is a biologist specializing in circular solutions for organic waste management. He holds an MSc in Biology and a PhD from ETH Zurich, where his research focused on upcycling organic waste using the Black Soldier Fly. He is Co-Founder and CEO of Eclose, a spin-off from Eawag, the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology. Through Eclose, he supports operators and organizations worldwide in planning and improving BSF facilities and circular waste management systems.
Daniela A. Peguero is a postdoctoral researcher at the Department Sanitation, Water and Solid Waste for Development, at the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag). In 2023, she completed her Doctorate at ETH Zurich, where her research concentrated on enhancing the efficiency of black soldier fly larvae in processing fibrous biowastes. With extensive experience in managing environmental projects, Daniela’s interests primarily focus on the improvement of solid waste management through the use of black soldier fly larvae across various low- and middle-income countries. She has led several international projects and her work with BSFL has culminated in the publication of many scientific articles. She currently serves as associate editor for the Journal of Insects as Food and Feed.
Joyous Pious is a mechanical engineering graduate from NIT Surat and a technical team member at Vyuuham Sustainables. He works on decentralized waste management using Black Soldier Fly bioconversion, with experience in designing and implementing on-ground waste processing systems in India. His focus is on developing low-cost, scalable solutions tailored to local conditions in urban and peri urban areas of India.
Herwig A. Ragossnig is the Founder and Managing Partner of CARBON TURNAROUND – a specialized consulting engineering company in the field of circular economy, decarbonization and sustainability transformation. Special focus of his activities is organic waste management in developing nations to contribute to efficient methane emission reduction by diverting organic waste from landfilling by applying the BSF insect technology. Herwig has a 25-year-long professional track record in business - and project development in the sustainability, climate change and renewable energy sphere.
Anja Schwetje is a Senior Scientific Officer at the German Environment Agency (UBA) with more than 30 years of international experience in waste management and circular economy. Since 2014 she works on Waste Technology Transfer in relation to climate protection and methane mitigation. In that function she is Co-Lead of the Waste Hub of Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) and Co-Chair of the Organic Waste Working Group of PREVENT Waste Alliance.
Martin Tenywa is the Co-Founder and CEO of Ento Organic Farm Uganda Ltd, a youth led initiative turning Kampala’s organic waste burden as a resource to save the planet and employ the future. He has 10 years of experience in Black Soldier Fly and Solid waste Management, previously working for the Kampala Capital City Authority Waste Recycling Plant.
Dorte Verner is the Lead Economist in Food and Agriculture at the World Bank. Dorte has developed knowledge products and innovation, developed projects, and published books and academic papers in the areas of food system transformation, alternative protein, climate-smart agriculture, climate change adaptation and mitigation, jobs and labor markets, and poverty reduction. Dorte previously worked in the private sector in Brazil, OECD, IDB, European University Institute, and Paris 1 University.
Konstantin von Hoerner is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Bioconvision (Uganda) Ltd. Since 2023, he has been building the company into a commercial insect farming operation that converts organic waste into high-quality agricultural inputs in Eastern Uganda. Before founding Bioconvision, Konstantin worked for over a decade as a wealth planning specialist in Switzerland. He holds degrees in Business Administration and Economics and combines financial expertise with hands-on experience in building scalable and sustainable operations.
Christian Zurbrügg currently heads the Solid Waste Management research group as senior researcher and Group Leader, at the Department Sanitation, Water and Solid Waste for Development, at the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag). Besides his position at Eawag, he is also adjunct professor at the Department of Energy and Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in Uppsala, Sweden. His current research interests lie in the interdisciplinary approach of upgrading infrastructure and services in urban areas of low- and middle-income countries - with a special focus on solid waste management and sanitation and particular interest in resource recovery options. He has led several international programs and projects, published many scientific articles and book chapters on appropriate technology and enabling environments in low-income settings, and serves on many international committees, task forces and juries.