Meet our EGATEC Committee Members
Programme Committee
The Programme Committee defines the high-level objectives of EGATEC. The small group of selected MARCOGAZ, GERG, DVGW and ERIG Members supports creating the focus topics and programme of the conference.
Chairman of the Programme Committee
Liam Nolan
Vice President, MARCOGAZ, Head of Technical Development & Technical Training, Gas Networks Ireland
Liam Nolan
Vice President, MARCOGAZ, Head of Technical Development & Technical Training, Gas Networks Ireland
“EGATEC is at the cutting edge of the technical changes happening in our industry today. Now more than ever we need to understand these changes and the roadmap to a decarbonised European gas industry.”
Liam Nolan is Vice President of Marcogaz and Head of Head of Technical Development & Technical Training at Gas Networks Ireland, which owns, operates and develops the national gas infrastructure in Ireland.
Liam is the Chair of the Gas Central Committee of the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI), responsible for the overseeing the national gas infrastructure and gas utilisation standardisation committees covering natural gas, renewable gas and hydrogen. He is also a board member of the Register of Gas Installers of Ireland (RGII) and the Chair of the Pipeline Industries Guild, Irish Branch. He represents Ireland on the International Gas Union (IGU) Council.
A Mechanical Engineer, Liam has 30 years’ experience in the gas sector and has worked in many areas including gas distribution, network design, construction, operations, market opening and health & safety.
Manuel Coxe
Secretary General, MARCOGAZ
Manuel Coxe
Secretary General, MARCOGAZ
"EGATEC2022 will provide a great opportunity to the gas industry’s managers and experts and to interested professionals to exchange expertise on priority technical and research topics on conventional and renewable gases. The event will allow creating valuable network to help accelerating the decarbonization of the sector in Europe."
Manuel Coxe is the Secretary General of MARCOGAZ, where he works very closely with the President, the Vice President and the Executive Board members while managing a small-sized secretariat.
With more than 20 years of professional experience in the energy sector, Manuel Coxe held different technical and management positions before joining MARCOGAZ. Manuel worked for European associations and intergovernmental organisations, power utility companies and academia, spanning different countries, including Portugal, Germany, United Arab Emirates and Belgium.
Power and gas systems management, energy policy and energy markets are among his interests and expertise.
His education background includes Energy Systems Engineering, Economics and Business Administration, Management Law and Communication, obtained, respectively, from University of Lisbon in Portugal, Durham University in the UK, Université Libre de Bruxelles in Belgium, Harvard University in the US, and University of Western Ontario in Canada.
Dr Frank Graf
Chairman of the Standing Committee New Gases, MARCOGAZ
Dr Frank Graf
Chairman of the Standing Committee New Gases, MARCOGAZ
"EGATEC is the most important technology driven gas conference in Europe dedicated to research and development, innovation and communication in the European gas industry."
Frank Graf graduated in 2001 from the Technical University of Karlsruhe in Process Engineering and received his PhD from the Technical University of Karlsruhe in 2007.
Since 2005 he is employed at DVGW-EBI: 2005 - 2010 he headed the department Gas Technology Consulting.
Since 2010 he is responsible for the division Gas Technology. Besides, he is head of the group “Physical-chemical fuel processing technologies” at Engler-Bunte-Institute, KIT. His current R&D work at KIT and DVGW focus on the production and utilization of gases from renewable sources. Important research activities in this field are biogas production and upgrading as well as PtG technologies.
Furthermore, he is expert for gas transport and distribution topics like gas quality aspects, injection of renewable gases, odorisation.
He is member of various national and international research and standardization committees.
Dr Robert Judd
Secretary General, GERG
Dr Robert Judd
Secretary General, GERG
"The EGATEC Conference, as well as demonstrating the progress made by our industry in rising to the demands of technology and innovation in an era of constant change, is a great showcase for cooperation. Marcogaz and GERG have been strong partners for many decades, and this conference always illustrates how this close cooperation can bear fruit. Marcogaz and GERG occupy subtly but importantly different spaces in the value chain of European Associations. EGATEC allows us to show to our members and the wider community how this synergistic relationship supports the needs of an industry transitioning to a low carbon future."
Over a 30-year career Robert has worked on a diverse portfolio of gas and energy projects, with focus on innovation and driving solutions to emerging industry challenges. Robert worked for over 20 years in the technology arm of the UK gas industry and has managed technical teams and projects in the UK, Europe and worldwide, including extensive experience in Asia. As Secretary General of European Gas Research Group, he manages an Association of 30 major European companies and research organisations, realigning strategic research priorities with Europe’s clean energy agenda while building relationships with stakeholders and policy makers at all levels.
He is leading a number of technical and regulatory initiatives at European level including Roadmap lead (Gas Networks) for Hydrogen Europe’s Strategic Innovation Agenda, convening a European Taskforce on Hydrogen standardisation (CEN /EC) and is managing flagship European Commission projects on hydrogen and biomethane on behalf of GERG. Robert has published extensively on a range of energy technology issues, and has been invited to present a European perspective in several recent international fora.
Robert also recently chaired the Singapore Gas Markets Advisory Panel for their energy regulator (EMA), is a member of the Singapore International Advisory Panel on Energy, and served on EMA’s Gas research expert panel.
Robert has BSc and PhD degrees from London University in Physical Chemistry, worked for 5 years as on Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Cambridge University Chemical Laboratories and is a Chartered Chemical Engineer.
Alexandra Kostereva
Project Manager, GERG
Alexandra Kostereva
Project Manager, GERG
"Today, all professionals in the energy and gas sector are working in a fast-moving environment and setting themselves ambitious objectives to make our energy system cleaner and more efficient. Communication between R&D, technology providers, standardisation experts, decision makers, etc. is essential to reach those objectives; EGATEC provides this opportunity for meeting experts of the sector and sharing the most recent advances and innovations. We are also very excited to support the voice of the next generation of researchers through this platform, with the organisation of the GERG Young Researchers’ Awards."
Alexandra joined the European Gas Research Group team in 2019, and has since been actively involved in all research activities of the Group, on hydrogen, LNG, biomethane, and methane emissions topics. She has participated in project management and communication strategy implementation for several European-funded projects. In 2020, Alexandra expanded her knowledge of the European Energy system by completing a Blue Book internship at the Directorate General for Energy of the European Commission, working on the European Methane Emissions Strategy. She is passionate about innovative solutions for clean Energy, youth participation to strategy debates, and access to science education.
Alexandra has an Engineering (Master’s level) degree from the French Grande Ecole Centrale Lille, with a specialisation in Energy, and a Master’s degree in Economics of Energy from Université Paris-Saclay.
Prof. Dr Gerald Linke
CEO, DVGW and President, ERIG
Prof. Dr Gerald Linke
CEO, DVGW and President, ERIG
“The energy transition is a European, or even global issue. The communication and exchange of technologies and experiences all over Europe with a broad audience therefore is key for the success of the future decarbonized gas system. Egatech 2022 will be an excellent and outstanding platform where all stakeholders involved in energy can share their knowledge and learn from each other.”
Gerald Linke is the CEO of the German Gas & Water Association, the national standard setting body and R&D organization for gas and water.
Prior to this position, he worked at E.ON as Senior Vice President Global Engineering and as Managing Director of KGNR, a grid operator for the transport of hythane in the industrial Ruhr area.
Professor Linke served at different leading positions in the E.ON Ruhrgas group, such as Senior Vice President Research & Development or Director of the Northern German Region being responsible for several thousands of kilometres of high-pressure natural pipeline grid.
Professor Linke is a graduate in Mathematical Physics of the Technical University of Braunschweig and has a doctor degree in physics. In 2014 he was appointed honorary Professor at the Ruhr University Bochum.
Professor Linke is the German association representative in the International Gas Union. From 2018 to 2020 he was the President of MARCOGAZ, the technical and scientific EU association of the gas industry. Since June 22nd , 2020 he is the President of ERIG (European Research Institute for Gas and Energy Innovation).
Hans Rasmusson
Secretary General, ERIG
Hans Rasmusson
Secretary General, ERIG
„ERIG is an association based on research with the aim to advance a sustainable, climate neutral Europe with gas innovation. We are proud to be part of EGATEC that offers the opportunity to share forefront knowledge and experiences and to work together to achieve this"
Hans Rasmusson is Secretary General of ERIG - European Research Institute of Gas and Energy Innovation.
He has led the organization from an informal network to a registered international non-profit association based in Brussels. It has the objective to guide gas in the transition towards a future renewable based energy system by cooperation in research and innovation in the field of sustainable and innovative gas technologies and the use of gas in combination with renewable energies.
Hans Rasmusson holds a master’s degree in mechanical engineering (2004) from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, including a two-year scholarship specializing in Integrated Product Development at KIT in Karlsruhe, Germany.
Since then, he has always been dedicated to innovation, gas and energy, starting his career with founding and operating his own business in Germany. In 2010 Hans Rasmusson joined DVGW, the German Technical and Scientific Association for Gas and Water, where he is now Managing Head for Project Portfolio Management/ERIG within the department of Technology and Innovation Management. He is Secretary General of ERIG since its foundation in 2019.
Prof. Horst Steinmüller
Chairman Scientific Advisory Board, ERIG
Prof. Horst Steinmüller
Chairman Scientific Advisory Board, ERIG
„Austria as a central energy storage region, hub in energy transport and an important location for renewable energy sources, is perfectly suited to demonstrate an Austrian energy flagship region that illustrates the conversion of the system to renewable hydrogen in a highly networked manner.“
Studies of Technical Chemistry at the Graz University of Technology, Dissertation at the Institute of Biotechnology of the TU Graz.
Dr. Horst Steinmüller was employed at Voest-Alpine industrial plant engineering as project engineer and later as head of Department Biomass Utilization.
At the Austrian Association for Agricultural Research (ÖVAF), he was responsible as managing director for several studies and projects in the field of environmental protection, research, development and sustainability.
In addition, he taught as a lecturer at Johannes Kepler University in Linz and at University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria.
From 2001 to 2020 Horst Steinmüller was CEO at the Energy Institute of the JKU Linz, which deals with about 80 R&D projects annually, with the task of further developing an energy system that positively influences economic and environmental areas, strengthens the European economies and reduces fossil fuels.
He is also chairman of the scientific advisory board of ERIG and Austrian representative at IEA TCP Hydrogen and Mission Hydrogen.
Horst Steinmüller is Managing Director of WIVA P&G. In his function, he ensures the optimal framework conditions for the flagship region WIVA P&G and its members.
Dr Murès Zarea
President, GERG, Lead Scientific Advisor, Global Expert, ENGIE Research
Dr Murès Zarea
President, GERG, Lead Scientific Advisor, Global Expert, ENGIE Research
"EGATEC has always been a great place to liaise with a wide industry cross-section bringing together several complementary communities: Research & Innovation, technology providers, technical and operational decision makers, etc. Today the gas industry faces more demanding challenges than ever, to adapt the industry towards sustainable contributions to the net zero energy transition. Marcogaz and GERG continue to contribute the technical and scientific perspectives in this increasingly urgent structural evolution. This calls for a highly collaborative approach to accelerate technology market penetration and disseminate corresponding lessons learned throughout the industry and other stakeholders. EGATEC is a critical forum to discuss today all the practical ways for the gas industry to contribute to the energy transition."
During his 30+ years of experience in the gas and energy industry, Murès has contributed from the R&D and innovation side to a large panel of research areas: gas flow, industrial safety, pipeline integrity & inspection, resistance to external interference and natural forces, gas migration in soils, digital platforms for the gas industry, emerging technologies like drones, methane emissions, etc.
These diverse topics were progressed by managing projects and fostering collaboration, in many cases at the international level. Murès continues to hold many leading positions in national & international R&D industry associations and commissions: GERG (European Gas Research Group), EPRG (European Pipeline Research Group), PRCI (Pipeline Research Council Intl.), EASE (EU Association for the Storage of Energy), Scientific Advisory of INERIS (French Research Institute on Industrial Safety). He has participated in many collaborative projects with EU & other public co-funding: IntegRisk, Defender, etc., and lectured in several universities.
Murès holds an Engineering, Master’s and PhD Degrees from Ecole Centrale de Paris / CentraleSupelec (FR).
Poster Selection Committee
The small group of selected MARCOGAZ, GERG and ERIG members evaluates and comments on the poster submissions.
Chairman of the Poster Selection Committee
Christian Copin
Vice President, GERG, Scientific Adviser, GRTgaz
Christian Copin
Vice President, GERG, Scientific Adviser, GRTgaz
"In industry, and of course in the gas industry, progress is made when science, technology, standardization and business are perfectly in line and cooperate in an efficient way. The EGATEC Conference is a perfect example of this powerful value chain that can change the world and lead us to a clean and affordable future. This is why supporting EGATEC is a natural choice."
Christian has been working for more than 30 years in the French gas industry, mainly in the Research, Development, and Innovation activities.
After 10 first years dedicated to the optimization of gas utilisation in industrial applications, such as furnaces or other processes, his career expanded and his job included marketing aspects (as the gas market opened to competitors), and proposal of technical services to customers, mainly focused on sustainability and coupling between gas and renewable energy.
In 2008, Christian joined GRTgaz, French gas TSO, to explore innovative subjects like biomethane, power-to-gas, hydrogen and CCUS (Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage). He has participated to different projects and professional networks at the European level, such as HIPS-NET, SFEM WG H2 ou Hyready.
Christian has an Engineering degree (Masters) from Ecole de Mines de Nancy.
Benjamin de Ville de Goyet
Senior Technical Advisor, MARCOGAZ
Benjamin de Ville de Goyet
Senior Technical Advisor, MARCOGAZ
“EGATEC is a great technical conference to attend for anyone interested in the gas business. This is clearly the place to talk about the technical challenges to be addressed by our sector to contribute making the energy transition sucessful. I already had the pleasure to contribute to the preparation of the 3 previous sessions of the conference and to speak at the last one in Groningen. EGATEC is also the perfect opportunity to learn from experienced gas professionals and to exchange with them. That’s why I would strongly recommend people to join us in Hamburg in 2022.”
Trained as an Electro-mechanical Engineer, B. de Ville de Goyet started his career in 2003 as Mechanical Engineer in the electronic industry. In 2005, he joined FLUXYS, the Belgian TSO, as Operations Staff Engineer to help further establish and develop processes aiming at increasing the pipeline safety and integrity. Benjamin has been appointed Senior Technical Advisor to MARCOGAZ, the Technical Association of the European Gas Industry, where he is in charge to prepare gas industry’s technical positions on different topics in the field of sustainability, safety, infrastructures, utilisations and new gases. He is also in charge to represent the gas industry towards the EU institutions for some specific technical topics.
Dr Frank Graf
Chairman of the Standing Committee New Gases, MARCOGAZ
Dr Frank Graf
Chairman of the Standing Committee New Gases, MARCOGAZ
"EGATEC is the most important technology driven gas conference in Europe dedicated to research and development, innovation and communication in the European gas industry."
Frank Graf graduated in 2001 from the Technical University of Karlsruhe in Process Engineering and received his PhD from the Technical University of Karlsruhe in 2007.
Since 2005 he is employed at DVGW-EBI: 2005 - 2010 he headed the department Gas Technology Consulting.
Since 2010 he is responsible for the division Gas Technology. Besides, he is head of the group “Physical-chemical fuel processing technologies” at Engler-Bunte-Institute, KIT. His current R&D work at KIT and DVGW focus on the production and utilization of gases from renewable sources. Important research activities in this field are biogas production and upgrading as well as PtG technologies.
Furthermore, he is expert for gas transport and distribution topics like gas quality aspects, injection of renewable gases, odorisation.
He is member of various national and international research and standardization committees.
Dr Robert Judd
Secretary General, GERG
Dr Robert Judd
Secretary General, GERG
"The EGATEC Conference, as well as demonstrating the progress made by our industry in rising to the demands of technology and innovation in an era of constant change, is a great showcase for cooperation. Marcogaz and GERG have been strong partners for many decades, and this conference always illustrates how this close cooperation can bear fruit. Marcogaz and GERG occupy subtly but importantly different spaces in the value chain of European Associations. EGATEC allows us to show to our members and the wider community how this synergistic relationship supports the needs of an industry transitioning to a low carbon future."
Over a 30-year career Robert has worked on a diverse portfolio of gas and energy projects, with focus on innovation and driving solutions to emerging industry challenges. Robert worked for over 20 years in the technology arm of the UK gas industry and has managed technical teams and projects in the UK, Europe and worldwide, including extensive experience in Asia. As Secretary General of European Gas Research Group, he manages an Association of 30 major European companies and research organisations, realigning strategic research priorities with Europe’s clean energy agenda while building relationships with stakeholders and policy makers at all levels.
He is leading a number of technical and regulatory initiatives at European level including Roadmap lead (Gas Networks) for Hydrogen Europe’s Strategic Innovation Agenda, convening a European Taskforce on Hydrogen standardisation (CEN /EC) and is managing flagship European Commission projects on hydrogen and biomethane on behalf of GERG. Robert has published extensively on a range of energy technology issues, and has been invited to present a European perspective in several recent international fora.
Robert also recently chaired the Singapore Gas Markets Advisory Panel for their energy regulator (EMA), is a member of the Singapore International Advisory Panel on Energy, and served on EMA’s Gas research expert panel.
Robert has BSc and PhD degrees from London University in Physical Chemistry, worked for 5 years as on Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Cambridge University Chemical Laboratories and is a Chartered Chemical Engineer.
Alexandra Kostereva
Project Manager, GERG
Alexandra Kostereva
Project Manager, GERG
"Today, all professionals in the energy and gas sector are working in a fast-moving environment and setting themselves ambitious objectives to make our energy system cleaner and more efficient. Communication between R&D, technology providers, standardisation experts, decision makers, etc. is essential to reach those objectives; EGATEC provides this opportunity for meeting experts of the sector and sharing the most recent advances and innovations. We are also very excited to support the voice of the next generation of researchers through this platform, with the organisation of the GERG Young Researchers’ Awards."
Alexandra joined the European Gas Research Group team in 2019, and has since been actively involved in all research activities of the Group, on hydrogen, LNG, biomethane, and methane emissions topics. She has participated in project management and communication strategy implementation for several European-funded projects. In 2020, Alexandra expanded her knowledge of the European Energy system by completing a Blue Book internship at the Directorate General for Energy of the European Commission, working on the European Methane Emissions Strategy. She is passionate about innovative solutions for clean Energy, youth participation to strategy debates, and access to science education.
Alexandra has an Engineering (Master’s level) degree from the French Grande Ecole Centrale Lille, with a specialisation in Energy, and a Master’s degree in Economics of Energy from Université Paris-Saclay.
Hans Rasmusson
Secretary General, ERIG
Hans Rasmusson
Secretary General, ERIG
„ERIG is an association based on research with the aim to advance a sustainable, climate neutral Europe with gas innovation. We are proud to be part of EGATEC that offers the opportunity to share forefront knowledge and experiences and to work together to achieve this"
Hans Rasmusson is Secretary General of ERIG - European Research Institute of Gas and Energy Innovation.
He has led the organization from an informal network to a registered international non-profit association based in Brussels. It has the objective to guide gas in the transition towards a future renewable based energy system by cooperation in research and innovation in the field of sustainable and innovative gas technologies and the use of gas in combination with renewable energies.
Hans Rasmusson holds a master’s degree in mechanical engineering (2004) from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, including a two-year scholarship specializing in Integrated Product Development at KIT in Karlsruhe, Germany.
Since then, he has always been dedicated to innovation, gas and energy, starting his career with founding and operating his own business in Germany. In 2010 Hans Rasmusson joined DVGW, the German Technical and Scientific Association for Gas and Water, where he is now Managing Head for Project Portfolio Management/ERIG within the department of Technology and Innovation Management. He is Secretary General of ERIG since its foundation in 2019.
Prof. Horst Steinmüller
Chairman Scientific Advisory Board, ERIG
Prof. Horst Steinmüller
Chairman Scientific Advisory Board, ERIG
„Austria as a central energy storage region, hub in energy transport and an important location for renewable energy sources, is perfectly suited to demonstrate an Austrian energy flagship region that illustrates the conversion of the system to renewable hydrogen in a highly networked manner.“
Studies of Technical Chemistry at the Graz University of Technology, Dissertation at the Institute of Biotechnology of the TU Graz.
Dr. Horst Steinmüller was employed at Voest-Alpine industrial plant engineering as project engineer and later as head of Department Biomass Utilization.
At the Austrian Association for Agricultural Research (ÖVAF), he was responsible as managing director for several studies and projects in the field of environmental protection, research, development and sustainability.
In addition, he taught as a lecturer at Johannes Kepler University in Linz and at University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria.
From 2001 to 2020 Horst Steinmüller was CEO at the Energy Institute of the JKU Linz, which deals with about 80 R&D projects annually, with the task of further developing an energy system that positively influences economic and environmental areas, strengthens the European economies and reduces fossil fuels.
He is also chairman of the scientific advisory board of ERIG and Austrian representative at IEA TCP Hydrogen and Mission Hydrogen.
Horst Steinmüller is Managing Director of WIVA P&G. In his function, he ensures the optimal framework conditions for the flagship region WIVA P&G and its members.
Dr Murès Zarea
President, GERG, Lead Scientific Advisor, Global Expert, ENGIE Research
Dr Murès Zarea
President, GERG, Lead Scientific Advisor, Global Expert, ENGIE Research
"EGATEC has always been a great place to liaise with a wide industry cross-section bringing together several complementary communities: Research & Innovation, technology providers, technical and operational decision makers, etc. Today the gas industry faces more demanding challenges than ever, to adapt the industry towards sustainable contributions to the net zero energy transition. Marcogaz and GERG continue to contribute the technical and scientific perspectives in this increasingly urgent structural evolution. This calls for a highly collaborative approach to accelerate technology market penetration and disseminate corresponding lessons learned throughout the industry and other stakeholders. EGATEC is a critical forum to discuss today all the practical ways for the gas industry to contribute to the energy transition."
During his 30+ years of experience in the gas and energy industry, Murès has contributed from the R&D and innovation side to a large panel of research areas: gas flow, industrial safety, pipeline integrity & inspection, resistance to external interference and natural forces, gas migration in soils, digital platforms for the gas industry, emerging technologies like drones, methane emissions, etc.
These diverse topics were progressed by managing projects and fostering collaboration, in many cases at the international level. Murès continues to hold many leading positions in national & international R&D industry associations and commissions: GERG (European Gas Research Group), EPRG (European Pipeline Research Group), PRCI (Pipeline Research Council Intl.), EASE (EU Association for the Storage of Energy), Scientific Advisory of INERIS (French Research Institute on Industrial Safety). He has participated in many collaborative projects with EU & other public co-funding: IntegRisk, Defender, etc., and lectured in several universities.
Murès holds an Engineering, Master’s and PhD Degrees from Ecole Centrale de Paris / CentraleSupelec (FR).