Dr. Jon Rajala is the R&D Manager for AAF International based out of their Clean AIR Center for global research and development in Jeffersonville, Indiana. In his 10 years with AAF, Jon has supported development of filtration products, filter media, and application development for Total Cost of Ownership Diagnostic, SAAF Tech Tools, and VisionAir Clean software tools to support sales. He also manages the Clean AIR Center test labs and participates in filtration related standard committees for ASHRAE (current chair for GPC 35P and voting member of SSPC 52.2), ISO (Past Chair of US TAG to ISO/TC 142) and serves on the executive committee of AFS as past chair. Prior to joining AAF, Jon earned his PhD from the chemical engineering department at The University of Akron working in Professor George Chase’s research group with a focus on electrospun nanofibers for filtration applications.

Panelists

Mr. Kent Williamson is the Head of Product Development for Ahlstrom, Americas, with over 30 years of experience in the global filtration industry. His expertise spans mobile engine and industrial applications, with a strong emphasis on quality, technical customer service, and product development.

Throughout his career at Ahlstrom, Kent has held various roles focusing on fibers, chemistry, and processes related to a wide range of filtration media products. He is an innovator, holding four patents and numerous trade secrets. Kent earned his BS degree in Pulp and Paper Engineering from North Carolina State University and is an active member of AFS and TAPPI. He currently resides in Nashville, TN.

Mr. Nick Agopian is President of Reviveaire, USA. With 30+ years of Filtration, HVAC & energy-recovery experience, Nick focuses on Indoor Air Quality and improving the human condition indoors. Nick’s has held executive positions of VP for various businesses like Circul-Aire, Dectron Internationale, President and General Manager at SEMCO, a Fläkt Woods company, and Vice President at RenewAire. Nick is highly involved with ASHRAE,where he sits on numerous technical committees, such as ASHRAE 62.1 & 62.2, ASHRAE Position Document - Human Health and Wellness in the Built Environment, TC 2.3, SPC 145P, TRG4.IAQP, TG 9, etc. He’s also served on a special board for filtration part of the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), Additionally, he served on the Board of Directors for the Missouri Innovation Center’s Life Sciences Business Incubator, Board of the local Chamber of Commerce, and Chairman of the Board for the Home Ventilating Institute. A committed lifelong learner, Nick’s undergrad was in Mechanical Systems Engineering from Vanier, Quebec, Canada, and an International M.B.A. from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.

Dr. Christine Sun, President of the World Filtration Institute (WFI), is a globally renowned technical and market expert in the filtration industry. With 30+ years of experience in academia and industry, she has 100+ publications and patents with deep expertise in technology innovation and business development. Dr. Sun chaired the American Filtration and Separation Society (AFS) (2016–2017) and received the AFS Fellow Award (2019). She served as Technology Director at Donaldson (2011–2013), R&D Manager at Freudenberg Filtration Technologies (2004–2011), and Research Professor at the University of Tennessee (1995–2024). She earned her BS, MS, and PhD in Chemical Engineering from Tsinghua University, China, and an Executive Certificate from the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, USA. Dr. Sun serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Industrial Textiles and Textile Science & Research Journal.

Dr. Thomas Caesar is a renowned air filtration expert with over 25 years of experience in the global filtration industry. He received a diploma in Chemical Engineering from the Technical University of Karlsruhe and his doctorate degree in thermodynamics and fluid dynamics from the University of Aachen (RWTH). Since 1999, Dr. Caesar has been employed by Freudenberg Filtration Technologies, a globally leading manufacturer of filtration solutions, where he has held various positions in sales and engineering. As Vice President Global Filter Engineering Industrial, he is currently responsible for the global technical product management and filter engineering in industrial filtration. Dr. Caesar is actively contributing to industry guidelines at VDI, VDMA, and Eurovent. He co-authors various European standards at CEN and international standards at ISO. In ISO, he serves as Convenor of WG12 “Sustainability” and was as project leader of part 1, intensely involved in the development of ISO 16890. Dr. Caesar is Chairman of the Product Committee “Air Filters” at Eurovent Certita Certification and Vice Chairman of the Product Group “Air Filter” at Eurovent Association.

Dr. Fabian Fritze studied Chemistry at Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen–Nuremberg and earned his PhD in Organic Chemistry from the University of Ulm. He has more than eight years of experience in the filtration and specialty materials industry and currently serves as Director of Research and Development at Gessner. In this role, he leads teams focused on the development of advanced filter media and material technologies. Dr. Fritze’s work spans applications in transportation, water and air filtration, industrial processing, and life sciences. His research interests include filtration performance, material innovation, and sustainability topics such as product carbon footprint reduction and environmentally responsible material design. He is actively engaged in advancing next-generation filtration technologies and contributing to industry discussions on sustainable filtration solutions.