Simon PODKOLZIN received his undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering in Moscow, Russia. He continued his studies at the graduate level at the University of London in England. After receiving a graduate diploma in 1991, he worked for UOP in Guildford, Surrey, England and in Des Plaines, Illinois, USA. In 2001, Simon PODKOLZIN completed his Ph.D. studies at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, USA and joined the Corporate Research of The Dow Chemical Company in Midland, Michigan, USA. Simon PODKOLZIN joined the faculty of Stevens Institute of Technology in 2009. He teaches both graduate and undergraduate Chemical Engineering and Materials Science courses. His research group focuses on molecular understanding of heterogeneous catalysts. Prof. PODKOLZIN is currently on sabbatical at Princeton University, New Jersey, USA.
Dr. Felix HANKE is a Senior Scientific Software Developer and Fellow of the BIOVIA Science Council at Dassault Systèmes. He primarily focuses on developing workflows to model chemical reactions, reaction networks, and battery materials from first principles.
Felix completed his doctorate in statistical physics and did postdoctoral work in DFT development and surface science before joining Dassault Systèmes BIOVIA in 2012.