Dr. Dmitri Bessarabov joined DST HySA Infrastructure Center of Competence at NWU and CSIR in 2010. He is an internationally recognized scientist with academic and industrial decision-making experience in the area of hydrogen and electro-catalytic membrane systems for energy applications and fuel cells. Dmitri has over fifteen years of progressively increasing responsibility in academic and industrial R&D environment and leadership roles in the hydrogen energy sector in Canada and South Africa. His current responsibilities include Leadership in the National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Program (HySA). He is currently also leading PEM electrolyzer development projects at HySA Infrastructure, which includes establishment of technology platforms for electrolyzer development, related characterization tools, electrochemical hydrogen compression, and hydrogen production using renewables.
Dmitri received his fundamental training in chemistry at the renowned Lomonosov Moscow State University in Russia (MSc, 1991). He continued to improve his qualifications at the Russian Academy of Sciences in membrane gas separations at the Topchiev Institute of Petrochemical Synthesis of Russian Academy of Sciences. In 1993 he joined the PhD program at the Institute for Polymer Science, University of Stellenbosch in South Africa. He received his PhD in 1996 specializing in membrane technology for gas separation. His post-doctoral research at the University of Stellenbosch was in the area of electro-catalytic membrane systems and electrochemical ozone generation (1997–1998), for which NRF granted him "Y" rating. In 1999 Dmitri was appointed senior lecturer at the University of Stellenbosch at Chemistry Department. In 2001 Dmitri joined Aker Kvaerner Chemetics in Vancouver, Canada, to work in the area of membrane technology for chlor-alkali industry. In 2006 Dmitri joined Ballard Power Systems in Canada (and afterwards AFCC–Automotive Fuel Cell Cooperation Corp) where he was leading an R&D group on MEA Integration and Evaluation.
His main areas of professional interest include fuel cells, PEM Electrolysis, hydrogen energy, hydrogen storage, hydrogen infrastructure, membranes, separations, applied electrochemistry, applied polymer science, environmental technologies, and water treatment. To date, he has published over 160 journal papers, fourteen conference papers, and has been issued three patents.
Dr. Haijiang Wang is a senior research officer and project manager in the National Research Council of Canada (NRC). He has been with NRC for ten years. His research covers PEM fuel cell, electrolyzer, metal-air battery, microbial fuel cell, and lithium-sulfur battery. Dr. Wang received his PhD in electrochemistry from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1993. He then joined Dr. Vernon Parker’s research group at Utah State University as a postdoctoral researcher to study electrochemically generated anion and cation radicals. In 1997 he began working with Natural Resources Canada as a research scientist to carry out research on fuel cell technology. In 1999 he joined Ballard Power Systems as a senior research scientist to continue his investigations. After spending five years with Ballard Power Systems, he joined NRC in 2004. He is currently adjunct professors at five universities, including the University of British Columbia and the University of Waterloo. Dr. Wang has thirty years’ professional research experience in electrochemistry and fuel cell technology. To date, he has published over 160 journal papers, three books, ten book chapters, forty industrial reports, and thirty conference papers or presentations, and has been issued five patents.
