István Kenyeres

István started his career as a researcher at the Budapest Technical University, focusing on bioreactor and artificial ecosystem design and bio-refinery processes. After 15 years he left academia, founded and led several successful companies, including Organica Water Inc., which – having introduced an entirely new paradigm to the industry based on his inventions – has become a global player at the cutting edge of the water treatment market. He holds the Silver Merit Cross of the President of the Republic of Hungary for his contribution to the modern environmental industry in Hungary. István closely collaborates with the European Space Agency in its Melissa project, a key initiative to develop closed habitat life support system alternatives both for space and terrestrial applications. His experience in water recycling, resource recovery, and engineered ecosystem design is instrumental both in developing innovative solutions and in the mentoring of the project’s ecosystem design community.