WFI 2026 Annual Virtual Conference
Future of Filtration: Why Filtration Matters
AI • Data Centers • Energy • Biopharma • Sustainability • Manufacturing
December 8–9, 2026 | 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET
Limited to 500 registrants. Students and academic faculty: eligibility and registration are below.
Welcome from WFI 2026 Chairs
On behalf of the WFI 2026 organizing committee and all the distinguished speakers, we invite you to join us at the World Filtration Institute 2026 Annual Conference (WFI 2026), December 8–9, 2026, 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM ET. The theme of this year’s conference is “Future of Filtration: Why Filtration Matters.” Our distinguished international experts will explore the latest advances, emerging opportunities, and strategic importance of filtration and separation technologies across data centers, healthcare, energy systems, sustainability, advanced materials, digitalization, and next-generation industrial applications.
As the world rapidly evolves through artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, energy diversification, and sustainability initiatives, filtration has become more important than ever. Filtration is no longer viewed simply as a supporting technology — it is a critical enabler of reliability, efficiency, contamination control, equipment protection, human health, sustainability, and innovation across countless industries.
The virtual conference will feature the following six sessions:
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Data Center Cooling and Advanced Filtration
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Biopharmaceutical and Life Science Filtration
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Filtration Advances in the Energy Sector
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Sustainable Filtration and Circular Economy
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Filter Media Innovation and Future Technologies
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AI, Digitalization, and Smart Filtration
WFI 2026 brings together global experts, industry and academic leaders, researchers, innovators, and professionals to share insights, technologies, and strategies shaping the future of filtration and separation. Whether your focus is energy, AI infrastructure, healthcare, manufacturing, sustainability, clean air, water, or advanced materials, this event will provide a unique global platform to learn, connect, collaborate, and inspire innovation.
We believe the future of filtration will increasingly depend on interdisciplinary collaboration, global partnerships, and innovative technologies that address some of the world’s most important industrial, environmental, and societal challenges. Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to engage with the forefront of filtration innovation and discover why filtration matters more than ever before.
We look forward to welcoming and seeing you online at WFI 2026!
Sincerely,
WFI 2026 Chairs
Dr. Christine Sun
President
WFI, US
Mr. Greg Hoverson
VP & CTO
Atmus, US
Mr. Richard Lydon
Secretary-General,
Filtration Society, UK
Mr. Tyler Smith
Vice President
Johnson Controls, US
Conference Secretary: Ms. Camilla Gomes
Contact: admin@wfius.org
Organizing Committee
Dr. Christine Sun
President
WFI, US
Mr. Mike Clark
President, Filtration Division, H&V, US
Mr. Tobias Zimmer
Sr. Vice President
Camfil, SE
Dr. John McKeon
CEO
iAIR Group, IE
Greg Hoverson
Vice President and CTO
Atmus, US
Dr. Martin Lehmann
Principal Expert
Mann + Hummel, DE
Mr. Paul Marold
CEO
Aeristus, Inc., US
Dr. Vincent Hu
Exec. Director, Taiwan Filtration Society, TW
Mr. Richard Lydon
Secretary-General,
The Filtration Society, UK
Dr. Wu Chen
Chair, AFS Education Committee, US
Dr. Swarna Agarwal
Sr. Scientist
PTI Technologies, US
Dr. Nicolas PETILLON
CTO
IFTS, FR
Mr. Tyler Smith
Vice President,
Johnson Controls, US
Dr. Stephanie Taylor, MD
Chief Medical Officer
ThinkLite Air, US
Mr. Nick Agopian
President
Reviveaire, US
Dr. Yun Liang
Secretary-General, China Filtration Society, CN
Schedule at a Glance
Data Center Cooling and Advanced Filtration
Chaired by Tyler Smith
December 8, 2026
8:10–9:20 AM ET
Sustainable Filtration and Circular Economy
Chaired by Richard Lydon
December 9, 2026
8:10–9:20 AM ET
Biopharmaceutical and Life Science Filtration
Chaired by Wu Chen
December 8, 2026
9:25–10:35 AM ET
Filter Media Innovation and Future Technologies
Chaired by Mike Clark
December 9, 2026
9:25–10:35 AM ET
Filtration Advances in the Energy Sector
Chaired by Martin Lehmann
December 8, 2026
10:40–11:50 AM ET
AI, Digitalization, and Smart Filtration
Chaired by Greg Hoverson
December 9, 2026
10:40–11:50 AM ET
Distinguished Speakers
Dr. Andrew Zydney
Bayard D. Kunkle Chair
Penn State Univ., US
Dr. Raquel García-Pacheco
CEO & Founder
Ecomemb, ES
Dr. Cédric Vallet
Head BDPM
Ahlstrom, FR
Mr. Brian Schwandt
Director, Res & Tech
Atmus, US
Dr. Lu Liu
Engineering Fellow
Parker, US
Mr. Chris Muller
Global Director, Gas Phase
AAF International, US
Dr. Thomas Peters
Sr. Director, Dr. Peters Consulting, DE
Dr. Marc Schmidt
Vice President
AAF International, DE
Dr. Imran Latif
Global VP, Data Center
Johnson Controls, US
Mr. Matt Koukl
ASHRAE TC 9.9 Past Chair
Principal, AEI, US
Mr. Paul Flanagan
Director, EMEA West
Camfil, IE
Dr. Saeed Khandan Siar
Lead Product Engineer
MANN+HUMMEL, DE
Mr. Michael Rohr
Sales Engineer
GEA, US
Mr. Arun Ramaratnam
Data Science Manager
Atmus, US
Mr. Scott Yeager
CTO, XF2 Water Technologies, US
Dr. Mélanie Caron
Laboratory Manager
Atmus, FR
Dr. Trevor Sparks
Principal
Kipinat Ltd., UK
Dr. Rigoberto Advincula
Governor's Chair Professor
ORNL/UTK, US
Dr. Purv Purohit
Sales Director
Alkegen, DE
Ms. Emily Peterson
Director, R&D
H&V, US
Mr. Michael Corbat
VP, Engineering
Rensa Filtration, US
Dr. Swarna Agarwal
Sr. Scientist, PTI Technologies, US
Mr. Martin Klein
Sr. Vice President
MANN+HUMMEL, DE
Mr. Ryan Pastrana
VP, Technology & Innovation
Parker Hannifin, US
Dr. Thomas Caesar
Vice President
Freudenberg, DE
Dr. Andreas Wiegmann
CEO
Math2Market, DE
Mr. Jaime De Souza
Sr. Scientist
MilliporeSigma, US
Mr. Stanton Wong
Executive Director
RESET Standard, CA
Dr. Jatin Khanpara
Sr. Vice President
AprilAire, US
Dr. Samuel Li
Vice President
Freudenberg Filtration, CN
Dr. Fabian Fritze
Director, R&D
Gessner, DE
Ms. Sophie Bélanger
VP Americas
Camfil Power Systems, CA
Technical Program
Tuesday, December 8, 2026, 8:00AM–12:00PM ET
8:00–8:10 Welcome Introduction
8:10–9:20 Session 1: Data Center Cooling and Advanced Filtration
Chaired by Mr. Tyler A. Smith, Vice President, Global Service Product Management, Johnson Controls, US
8:10–8:25 1.1 From Chip to Chiller: LLM Agents as the Next Efficiency Lever in AI Data Centers
Presented by Dr. Imran Latif, Global VP, Data Center, Johnson Controls, US
8:25–8:40 1.2 Advanced Clean Cooling: Filtration for Next Generation of Data Centers
Presented by Mr. Matt Koukl, Principal, AEI, Past Chair, AHRAE TC 9.9, US
8:40–8:55 1.3 Optimizing Filtration for Data Centers: Performance, Energy Efficiency, and Sustainability
Presented by Mr. Paul Flanagan, Director, EMEA West, Camfil, Ireland
8:55–9:20 Round Table Panel Discussion
Panelists: Dr. Wu Chen, Dow Fellow (Ret.) and AFS Education Committee Chair, US
Mr. Michael Corbat, VP, Engineering, Rensa Filtration, US
Mr. Chris Muller, Global Director, Gas Phase, AAF International, US
9:20–9:25 Coffee break
9:25–10:35 Session 2: Biopharmaceutical and Life Science Filtration
Chaired by Dr. Wu Chen, Dow Fellow (Ret.) and AFS Education Committee Chair, US
9:25–9:40 2.1 New Challenges and Opportunities in the Sterile Filtration of Biopharmaceuticals
Presented by Dr. Andrew L. Zydney, Bayard D. Kunkle Chair and Professor, Penn State University, US
9:40–9:55 2.2 Latest Designs and Applications of Modern Sanitary Centrifuges for the Biopharmaceutical Industry
Presented by Mr. Michael Rohr, Sales Engineer – Chem/Pharm/Biotech, GEA, US
9:55–10:10 2.3 Virus Filtration in Downstream Bioprocessing: Prefilter Strategies and Next-Generation Membrane Technology
Presented by Mr. Jaime De Souza, Sr. Process Development Scientist, MilliporeSigma, US
10:10–10:35 Round Table Panel Discussion
Panelists: Mr. Scott Yaeger, CTO, XF2 Water Technologies, US
Dr. Mélanie Caron, Laboratory Manager, Atmus Filtration Technologies, FA
10:35–10:40 Coffee break
10:40–11:50 Session 3: Filtration Advances in the Energy Sector
Chaired by Dr. Martin Lehmann, Principal Expert, Mann + Hummel, DE
10:40–10:55 3.1 New Test Methods Enable Optimized Water Retention in Turbomachinery Air Intake Systems
Presented by Dr. Thomas Caesar, Vice President Global Filter Engineering, Freudenberg Filtration Technologies, DE
10:55–11:10 3.2 Design and Scale-Up of Air Path Balance-of-Plant Components for High-Power PEM Fuel Cells
Presented by Dr. Saeed Khandan Siar, Lead Product Engineer Fuel Cell Humidifiers, MANN+HUMMEL, DE
11:10–11:25 3.3 From Fuel Economy to Energy Efficiency: Filtration Through the Power Transition for Vehicles and Equipment
Presented by Mr. Brian Schwandt, Director, Research & Technologies, Atmus, US
11:25–11:50 Round Table Panel Discussion
Panelists: Dr. Marc Schmidt, Vice President, AAF International, DE
Ms. Sophie Bélanger, VP Americas, Camfil Power Systems, CA
11:50–12:00 2026 Product of the Year Award Ceremony
Presented by Mr. Mike Malloy, Communications Director, WFI, US
Wednesday, December 9, 2026, 8:00AM–12:00PM ET
8:00–8:10 Welcome Introduction
8:10–9:20 Session 4: Sustainable Filtration and Circular Economy
Chaired by Mr. Richard Lydon, Secretary-General, The Filtration Society, UK
8:10–8:25 4.1 From Waste to Energy: Advanced Filtration Materials for Cleaner, Circular Energy Recovery
Presented by Dr. Purv Purohit, Sales Director, Industrial Filtration, Alkegen, DE
8:25–8:40 4.2 Safer Storage of Mine Waste, Water Recovery and Unlocking Tailings Reprocessing
Presented by Dr. Trevor Sparks, Principal, Kipinat Ltd., UK
8:40–8:55 4.3 Ecomembranes: Recovered Reverse Osmosis Membranes for Reuse in Industrial Water Treatment
Presented by Dr. Raquel García-Pacheco, CEO & Founder, Ecomemb, ES
8:55–9:20 Round Table Panel Discussion
Panelists: Dr. Swarna Agarwal, Sr. Scientist, PTI Technologies, US
Dr. Thomas Peters, Sr. Director, Dr. Peters Consulting, DE
Mr. Scott Yaeger, CTO, XF2 Water Technologies, US
9:20–9:25 Coffee break
9:25–10:35 Session 5: Filter Media Innovation and Future Technologies
Chaired by Mr. Mike Clark, President, Filtration Division, H&V, US
9:25–9:40 5.1 Functionalized Filtration Media: When Filter Media Become Process Solutions
Presented by Dr. Cédric Vallet, Head of Business Development and Product Management, Ahlstrom, FA
9:40–9:55 5.2 Nanofiber Technology for a more Sustainable Filtration Process
Presented by Ms. Emily Peterson, Director, R&D, H&V, US
9:55–10:10 5.3 From Best Media to Best Filter
Presented by Dr. Lu Liu, Engineering Fellow, Parker, US
10:10–10:35 Round Table Panel Discussion
Panelists: Dr. Samuel Li, Vice President, Freudenberg Filtration Technologies, CN
Mr. Martin Klein, Sr. Vice President, MANN+HUMMEL, DE
Dr. Fabian Fritze, Director, Research & Development, Gessner, DE
10:35–10:40 Coffee break
10:40–11:50 Session 6: AI, Digitalization, and Smart Filtration
Chaired by Greg Hoverson, Vice President and CTO, Atmus, US
10:40–10:55 6.1 Measuring Air Accessibility: The Next Evolution in Real-Time Air Cleaning Performance
Presented by Mr. Stanton Wong, Executive Director, RESET Standard, CA
10:55–11:10 6.2 Combining AI and Physics-Based Simulation to Design Next Generation Filter Media
Presented by Dr. Andreas Wiegmann, MATH2MARKET GmbH, DE
11:10–11:25 6.3 AI/ML Driven High-Performance Materials and Advanced Filtration and Separations
Presented by Dr. Rigoberto Advincula, Governor's Chair Professor, ORNL/UTK, US
11:25–11:50 Round Table Panel Discussion
Panelists: Dr. Jatin Khanpara, Sr. Vice President, Engineering & Technology, AprilAire. US
Mr. Arun Ramaratnam , Data Science Manager, Atmus, US
Mr. Ryan Pastrana, VP, Technology & Innovation, Parker Hannifin, US
11:50–12:00 CFSS 2026 Class Graduation Ceremony
Presented by Dr. Christine Sun, President, WFI, US
Experience WFI 2026 – Wherever You Are
See highlights from WFI 2025 and what our live event looks like.
Register
By October 8, 2026: $398/day, $648 for 2 days
By November 8, 2026: $448/day, $698 for 2 days
After November 8, 2026: $498/day, $748 for 2 days
50% discount for WFI Members
Registration is limited to 500 participants worldwide. Register early to secure your spot!
Special Opportunity for Academia — Complimentary Registration!
Thanks to the generous support of Johnson Controls and Camfil, WFI is proud to offer complimentary registration to up to 100 university professors and students worldwide. Complimentary spots are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
About Us
The World Filtration Institute (WFI) is a global non-profit organization dedicated to propelling the filtration and separation industry towards a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable future. Through our comprehensive education programs and robust industry support, we equip individuals with the knowledge, creativity, and skills to drive innovation and excellence. We offer a broad spectrum of resources, from cutting-edge research on filtration technologies to professional certification and networking opportunities. At WFI, we're bridging the gap between academia and industry to advance filtration and separation processes worldwide. Join us in our mission to create a better world through innovative filtration solutions.
