Chem4Energy 2026

Keynote Speakers 

Prof. Ivan Parkin - University College London, UK

Dr Ricardo Grau-Crespo - Queen Mary University of London, UK

Dr Saeedeh S. Tafreshi - Amirkabir University of Science & Technology, Tehran

Dr. Saeedeh Sarabadani Tafreshi is a researcher in computational chemistry and materials science, working on advanced catalysts for sustainable energy. Her research employs density functional theory (DFT) and multiscale modelling to study CO₂ capture, conversion, electrochemical reduction, as well as materials like perovskites and MXenes. She has published on catalytic mechanisms, structure–property relationships, and collaborates internationally to bridge theoretical insights and experimental validation in carbon-neutral energy research.

Prof. Veikko Uahengo - University of Namibia, Namibia

Veikko received his Ph. D in Inorganic Chemistry at the Wuhan University, China, in 2013, after spending time pursuing MSc and Ph. D in Chemistry. Upon completing his Ph. D, he rejoined the University of Namibia (UNAM) as a lecturer in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. He was appointed as the HoD of Chemistry and Biochemistry in 2014, until 2017, the same year promoted to senior lecturer. He remained involved in administrative duties to date. In 2020, he was promoted to an Associate Professor position until March 2024, before he was promoted to a Full Professor position in May 2024. Additionally, he has been actively involved in research projects and collaboration with both local and international partners, in the areas of catalysis and energy materials. He was a co-principal investigator in the 5 universities consortium project (CU, UB, BIUST, KNUST, UNAM) with Royal Society – DFID Capacity building programme, 2016-2021, which gave birth to the Chem4Energy Conference.

Lately, he is involved as a PI in a Green Hydrogen (GH2) Project for the Daures Villages, 2023 – 2025. The GH2 project is looking into developing a wide range of materials for water splitting for GH2 production, which involved MSc and PhD students. In addition to using metal oxides (or composite metal oxides) as photocatalysts for water splitting, he is exploring metal complexes by exploiting parameters such as antenna effects and molecular engineering for applications in solar materials for optimized photon harvesting. In addition to the dye sensitizers for solar cells, lately his focus is focused on catalytic systems based on composite metal oxides (CuO, Cu2O, ZnS, ZnO, Cu4O3) employing biosynthesis methods for applications in water splitting for GH2, degradation of organic matters for water treatment, water purification and conversion of CO2 into other useful components such as CO, MeOH and Urea.

Prof. Neerish Revaprasadu - University of Zululand, South Africa

Prof. Neerish Revaprasadu, FRSC  is a Senior Professor in the Department of  Chemistry at the University of Zululand. He obtained his B.Sc (Hons) from University of Natal, South Africa in 1994 and Ph.D from Imperial College, London, UK in 2000.  He has published 285 research articles and 35 book chapters. He has more than 8000 citations with an H-index of 48. He has given more than 85 lectures at national and international conferences. He has worked on developing routes for the delivery of high-quality functional materials. The current focus is on earth abundant materials using metal complexes as single source precursors via solventless, hot injection and chemical vapour deposition routes.  

The functional materials are used for application in energy generation and storage. He is also involved in developing reliable synthesis protocols for quantum dots that exhibit minimal or no blinking; an essential requirement for their use as single-photon emitters in quantum and quantum-inspired technologies. Another area of interest is the preparation of an effective composite material combining a topological insulator and a superconductor. Our group have established robust and reproducible synthetic protocols tailored to each component. He is a member of the South African Academy of Science (MASSAF) and Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC). He is the current associate editor of the Special Periodic Reports (SPR) on Nanoscience published by the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Prof. Wendy Maxakato-Dingilizwe - University of Johannesburg, South Africa

Programme 

The full programme will be available later.