About The Network

Dr. Jay Golden is the inaugural Pontarelli Professor of Environmental Sustainability and Finance at Syracuse University. An internationally recognised scholar, his research focuses on the global sustainability transition, examining its risks, opportunities and implications for markets, policy and national security. He is the author of Dynamic Sustainability: Implications for Markets, Policy and National Security.

Derek O’Brien is Executive Director of BiOrbic, Ireland’s National Bioeconomy Research Centre, where he leads the Centre’s strategic development, partnerships, operations and stakeholder engagement. Since helping establish BiOrbic in 2017, he has played a leading role in building Ireland’s bioeconomy ecosystem, bringing together researchers, industry, policymakers, producers, investors and communities to accelerate the transition to a sustainable circular bioeconomy.

Cathy Keenan is Partnerships Manager at BiOrbic, Ireland’s National Bioeconomy Research Centre, where she leads the development of strategic partnerships across academia, industry, government and international networks. She works to build collaborative initiatives that strengthen Ireland’s bioeconomy ecosystem, accelerate innovation, and create opportunities for research to deliver real-world environmental, economic and societal impact.

Dr Janire Pascual-Gonzalez is a Research Assistant Professor in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and Managing Director of the Dynamic Sustainability Lab at Syracuse University. Her research focuses on supply chain dynamics, sustainable transitions, and expanding the U.S. biobased economy across energy, chemicals, and consumer goods. Holding a Ph.D. in Chemical, Environmental, and Processes Engineering from Universitat Rovira i Virgili, she leads major research projects for government and industry clients analysing the economic and employment impacts of emerging green technologies.

Timothy A. Volk is a Professor and Associate Chair in the Department of Sustainable Resources Management at SUNY ESF, bringing over 30 years of expertise in forestry, bioenergy, and sustainable bioeconomy development. His research integrates field studies, life cycle assessments, and supply-chain analysis to evaluate sustainable woody biomass systems—particularly shrub willow and forests—for bioenergy, bioproducts, and environmental applications like phytoremediation. Having secured over $50 million in external research funding, he collaborates across international academic, government, and industry networks to advance resilient biobased supply chains and foster transatlantic bioeconomy partnerships.

Dr. Joseph Sweeney is an Assistant Professor in the School of Biosystems and Food Engineering, UCD. He possesses a multidisciplinary background consisting of an undergraduate degree in Industrial microbiology, a MSc in Computer science and PhD in Biosystems Engineering. He has been able to merge these contrasting fields to develop novel genetically engineered E. coli – based biosensor platform technologies which he has developed for a number of bioprocesses including Anaerobic Digestion and Green Biorefinery.

Professor Kevin O’Connor is Full Professor of Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology at University College Dublin (UCD) and Director of BiOrbic, Ireland’s Research Ireland Centre for Bioeconomy. He is internationally recognised for his leadership in the circular bioeconomy, industrial biotechnology and sustainable innovation, developing technologies that convert renewable biological resources and waste into high-value, sustainable products.

Dr. Deepak Kumar is an Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering at SUNY-ESF, where he leads the Sustainable Bioprocessing and Bioproducts Laboratory. His research converts biomass and waste into sustainable materials, chemicals, and fuels, with expertise in bioplastics, biomaterials, bio-based composites, and biorefineries. He combines experimental research, process modeling, and techno-economic analysis to advance scalable solutions for a circular bioeconomy.

Professor Holden’s research is on the sustainability of agriculture and food chains, with a focus on: (i) Life Cycle Assessment; (ii) Soil Quality (Sensing and Visual) methods; and (iii) Agricultural Systems Technology. As a member of the Biosystems Engineering discipline since 1998, he teaches life cycle assessment, green technology projects, precision agriculture and research and teaching methods. Nick is head of subject for Agricultural Systems Technology and has recently led the introduction of a new BAgrSc degree in this area. He is also the school Head of Teaching and Learning. He supervises graduate and post-doctoral research as part of the activity of his research group.

John Pickering is the founding Chief Behavioral Scientist of Evidn and specializes in the analysis and modification of human behavior at a population level. John leads and manages behavioral change projects across both Australia and the United States, has published extensively in the areas of agri-environmental behavior change, and is the Project Director of multiple large-scale programs to drive practice change and adoption outcomes. John is the Co-Chair of the Nature Sustainability Expert Panel on Behavioral Science, Design and Sustainability and a member of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) expert steering group on agri-environmental behavior economics. John holds academic appointments at The University of Queensland, Princeton University, and the University of Michigan.

Tristan Brown, J.D., Ph.D. is Director of the Bioeconomy Development Institute and Professor of Energy Resource Economics in the Department of Sustainable Resources Management at the SUNY College of Environmental Science in Syracuse, New York. His research focuses on techno-economic and policy analyses of the bioeconomy, with a focus on the production of fuel and non-fuel products from lignocellulosic feedstocks. He served on the New York State Climate Action Council’s Energy-Intensive and Trade-Exposed Industries advisory panel, in which capacity he helped develop the “Climate-Focused Bioeconomy” section of the Council’s 2022 Scoping Plan. He is currently engaged in international bioeconomy policy development with collaborators in the European Union, Asia, and the Americas.

Paul Crovella is an Associate Professor of Construction Management at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF), where his work focuses on advancing the forest-based bioeconomy through research, education, and industry collaboration. His research bridges sustainable forestry, wood products manufacturing, and the built environment, with an emphasis on increasing the value of underutilized forest resources through innovative mass timber products, engineered wood systems, and regional manufacturing strategies. His work seeks to strengthen domestic forest product supply chains while reducing the environmental impacts of construction through renewable, low-carbon building materials.

Prof. Lee W. McKnight is a Syracuse University scholar, researcher and innovation advisor specialising in information policy, internet governance, cloud computing, cybersecurity and emerging technologies. He has taught at Harvard, MIT and Tufts, co-founded the OECD’s CSISAC, and has contributed to the UN Internet Governance Forum since before its founding. In 2024, he was recognised by the ITU as a ‘Champion for Ethical Dimensions of the Information Society.’

Dr. Andrew L. Vander Yacht is an Assistant Professor of Applied Forest and Fire Ecology in the Department of Sustainable Resources Management at SUNY ESF in Syracuse, New York. He teaches silviculture, fire ecology and management, and forest management for wildlife. His research spans similar topics – exploring the premise that disturbance, particularly fire, is the key to forest resource resilience. Dr. Vander Yacht earned a B.S. in Biology at Hope College in Holland, MI, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from The University of Tennessee Knoxville, and worked 4 years at Michigan State University.

Dr. Ankita Juneja is an Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering at SUNY-ESF, where she leads the AWESOME (Advanced Waste to Energy Solutions to Mitigate Environmental Concerns) Lab. Her research focuses on developing sustainable technologies for biomass and waste valorization through the integration of thermochemical and biochemical conversion processes. Her work spans hydrothermal processing, bioactive and smart biodegradable packaging, microalgal valorization, biofuels and bioproducts, biochar-based environmental applications, nutrient recovery, and AI/ML-assisted process optimization.