consultants

With over 25 years of experience in precision instruments business, Filip Francqui is the managing director of Granutools. He worked in semiconductor industry, electronic microscopy and powder technology where he held various roles in R&D, operations, sales and general management; in both Europe and Asia. Filip holds a Master Degree in Applied Physics from the Free University of Brussels (Belgium) and an MBA from INSEAD (Singapore). He has numerous publications in scientific journals and holds multiple patents.

Jim Michaels is an experienced particle technologist with extensive experience in pharmaceutical development, commercialization, and manufacturing support. He worked at Merck & Co. for twenty one years, retiring in 2014 as Scientific Associate Vice President. At Merck, he established and directed an industry leading center of excellence in materials science and particle technology. This department supported all product sectors, including small molecules, vaccines and biologics, sterile products, consumer care, and animal health. Jim is globally recognized for his expertise in materials characterization, particle design, and powder processing.

He is currently Professor of Practice in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Delaware, where he is co-director of the Master of Engineering program in Particle Technology. He is also Vice President of the International Fine Particle Research Institute, responsible for administering IFPRI’s global research program.

Jim received B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of California, Berkeley and a Sc.D. from M.I.T., all in chemical engineering.

Dr. Navin Venugopal is a Senior Research Scientist in the Science & Technology Division at Corning Incorporated.  He received a B.Sc. in Ceramic Engineering and a Ph.D. in Materials Science & Engineering, both from Rutgers University in 2002 and 2007 respectively.  Prior to joining Corning, from 2007 to 2011 he worked with The Dow Chemical Company's Core R&D Materials Science and Engineering group. Since 2011 he has been a research scientist and the lab supervisor for particle and pore size characterization of Corning Incorporated's Powder Science and Engineering subgroup of Corning's Science & Technology Division.

Simon currently serves as IFPRI’s Chair of the Board and Technical Chair, to ensure a strong and balanced portfolio of projects in particle technology.

Simon, an experienced engineer with over 28 years at Procter & Gamble, specializing in characterization and bulk solids handling. Currently working in Corporate Engineering, driving the application of innovative technologies across the company. Enthusiastic about developing others, Simon serves as a key trainer, coach, and mentor within the global process & engineering community. Known for gaining mechanistic understanding of processing challenges, from front-end innovation to in-plant operational improvements.

Simon is married with three children, enjoys following their soccer journeys, lifelong supporter of Newcastle United Football Club, and is an avid reader.

Ninna Halberg Jokil is a R&D Director in the Global Innovation, Strategy and Venture Organization at Topsoe.

She has worked for Topsoe for more than 30 years primarily focusing on development and production of catalyst and processes such as precipitation, spray drying, mixing and extrusion, tableting and coating.

She is currently responsible for catalyst scale-up and manufacturing development.

She has a degree in chemical engineering from the Technical University of Denmark.

Isabelle Déléris is a Senior Scientist at Cargill’s Core R&D, with over 25 years of experience in food and material science. Her expertise lies in particle and powder technology, mass transfer, and the physicochemical behavior of ingredients. Isabelle has led multidisciplinary research on ingredient functionality, flavor release, and powder performance, with a focus on caking, agglomeration, and flowability. She has authored multiple scientific publications, co-supervised PhD students, and contributed to patents and product innovations. As an active contributor to IFPRI’s collaborative research ecosystem, she applies both experimental and modeling approaches to drive industrial impact and scientific advancement.

As the CEO and Founder of the AVEKA Group, Willie guides the vision and direction of the organization. He is passionate about growing the company and exploring the new emerging markets. His vision of “anything is possible” leads the business to discover new innovative solutions. Willie graduated from St. Olaf College with a BA in Chemistry and Mathematics and received a PhD from the University of Florida in Organometallic Chemistry. Willie has led IFPRI for 13 years very succesfully, and stepped down in June 2025, he remains a very dedicated supporter of the organisation. He holds an Adjunct Professorship at the University of Minnesota. He is an avid reader, birdwatcher and loves Belgian Beer.

Michel Louge obtained his PhD from Stanford University in 1985. After a year as Process Development Engineer at Shell in the Netherlands, he joined the faculty of Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, where he is now a full professor. Prof. Louge's research interest includes experimental and theoretical studies of gas-solid and granular flows, unsaturated porous media, desert geophysics, and the design of advanced instrumentation for dense suspensions. He is an associate editor of Journal of Geophysical Research, and of Mechanics Research Communications. He received the Award for Best Environmental Research of the Year by the Qatar Foundation in 2011, and he is a Distinguished Visiting Fellow of the UK Royal Academy of Engineering (2014). He was a Visiting Professorship at Tsinghua University in the Fall 2017 and 2018. He currently advises Merck on measurements of density and moisture in pharmaceutical powders, and he serves the International Particle Research Institute as Powder Flow consultant.

Eric M. Furst serves as Professor and Department Chair of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Delaware. Furst received his BS with University Honors in Chemical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and his PhD from Stanford University. Prior to joining the faculty at Delaware, he studied biophysics as a postdoctoral fellow at Institut Curie, Paris. His research interests span a range of topics in soft matter science and engineering, but focus in particular on colloid science and rheology. He recently co-authored the book Microrheology for Oxford University Press. He is the recipient of the 2013 Soft Matter Lectureship Award, the NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal, and is a Fellow of the American Chemical Society.

Paul Mort recently joined Materials Engineering faculty in support of Purdue’s Center for Particulate Products and Processes (CP3).  He is a 24-year veteran of the Procter & Gamble Company and is globally recognized as an expert in particulate processing and powder technology.  He has a demonstrated history of product innovation and driving process efficiency in the consumer goods industry.  Paul is an Editor for Powder Technology journal and consultant with the International Fine Particle Research Institute (IFPRI), working to develop a pipeline of perspective articles for the journal.  He is active in linking particle technology with adjacent technical communities including pharmaceutical processing, materials science and engineering, and process control.

(University of Edinburgh)