W Verstraete graduated in 1968 from the Gent University as a Bio-Engineer. He completed a summer course on Soil Microbiology at the Pasteur Institute of Paris. In 1971, he obtained a PhD degree in the field of microbiology at the Cornell University, Ithaca (USA). Since 1971, he has been working at the Gent University, first as an Assistant and since 1979 as a Professor and Head of the Laboratory of Microbial Ecology and Technology (LabMET - Faculty of Bioscience Engineering). Since October 2011, he has become Emeritus Professor. His R&D has as central theme: Microbial Resource Management, i.e., the design, operation and control of processes mediated by mixed microbial cultures. He has field experience with respect to drinking water production plants (slow sand filtration), aerobic waste-water treatment (in particular, with respect to nitrification-denitrification), anaerobic digestion of waste-waters and sludges, solid state fermentation of organic residues and bioremediation processes of soils and sediments. He has also gained experience in various aspects of pre and probiotics used in human and animal nutrition and in systems which simulate the latter. He received the National Intermediair Prize in 1975 for a review article entitled “Environmental hygiene from a microbial-ecological perspective”, Belgium. In 1976, he received from the Comité of the International Association for Water Quality (IAWQ), the prize for the design of a treatment plant dealing with concentrated wastewaters. In 1982, he received the prize of the Technological Institute of the Royal Society of Flemish Engineers for his work in the field of anaerobic digestion. W Verstraete graduated in 1968 from the Gent University as a Bio-Engineer. He completed a summer course on Soil Microbiology at the Pasteur Institute of Paris. In 1971, he obtained a PhD degree in the field of microbiology at the Cornell University, Ithaca (USA). Since 1971, he has been working at the Gent University, first as an Assistant and since 1979 as a Professor and Head of the Laboratory of Microbial Ecology and Technology (LabMET - Faculty of Bioscience Engineering). Since October 2011, he has become Emeritus Professor. His R&D has as central theme: Microbial Resource Management, i.e., the design, operation and control of processes mediated by mixed microbial cultures. He has field experience with respect to drinking water production plants (slow sand filtration), aerobic waste-water treatment (in particular, with respect to nitrification-denitrification), anaerobic digestion of waste-waters and sludges, solid state fermentation of organic residues and bioremediation processes of soils and sediments. He has also gained experience in various aspects of pre and probiotics used in human and animal nutrition and in systems which simulate the latter. He received the National Intermediair Prize in 1975 for a review article entitled “Environmental hygiene from a microbial-ecological perspective”, Belgium. In 1976, he received from the Comité of the International Association for Water Quality (IAWQ), the prize for the design of a treatment plant dealing with concentrated wastewaters. In 1982, he received the prize of the Technological Institute of the Royal Society of Flemish Engineers for his work in the field of anaerobic digestion.

rinking water production plants (slow sand filtration), aerobic waste-water treatment (in particular, with respect to nitrification-denitrification), anaerobic digestion of waste-waters and sludges, solid state fermentation of organic residues and bioremediation processes of soils and sediments