Meet Our Advisory Board Members

Bing Zhu is Director of the Institute for Circular Economy and Professor in Department of Chemical Engineering at Tsinghua University, China. He is also Member of International Resource Panel (IRP) of United Nations Environment Programme and Member of Inter-Ministerial Panel of China on Circular Economy. His research interests include resource efficiency analysis and resource management decisions, circular economy assessment, industrial ecology, and chemical and energy techno-economics.

What they bring to CircEUlar?

Bing brings an international viewpoint to the project along with that unique perspective at the nexus of policy and research when it comes to material efficiency. Given his background, he can guide the project through both the micro-level data collection and the macro-level pathway developments.

Juan Manuel is the Head of EU Sustainability Policy at Amazon and leads the implementation of the CE advocacy strategy for Amazon in Europe. He is also registered as External Expert for the European Commission (DG REGIO) on Environment, Circular Economy and Resource efficiency, Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Fundamental Rights. He is also collaborating as Mentor with the University of Helsinki in their Biosphere program and visiting lecturer at the University of Carlos III. Juan Manuel holds a Diploma in International Relations at the London School of Economics (LSE) & Univ. of London, a Master’s degree in Environmental Education and a second one in European Studies and a Bachelor Degree in Psychology from the Univ. of Granada.  

What they bring to CircEUlar?

Juan brings a fresh public policy perspective on resource efficiency, compliance know-how in material and product development for various firm sizes as well as practical and regulatory expertise on implementing more circular business practices in the digitalisation field. 

Melanie Jaeger-Erben is Professor for Sociology of Technology and the Environment at Brandenburg University of Technology. Melanie does research in systems and practices of sustainable consumption and production, socioscientific technology research, social innovation and sustainability transformation. Her current projects cover issues like social practices of repair and DIY, sufficiency-oriented circular businesses, circular literacy and the role of open source hardware in a circular economy.

What they bring to CircEUlar?

As a transformation researcher, Melanie brings a critical and systems perspective on whether technology and digitalisation truly drive the circular economy. She encourages the consortium to look beyond techno fixes and emphasises a deeper rethinking of societal dynamics for real, lasting change.

Philip Nuss is a researcher at the German Environment Agency (UBA), specialising in sustainable resource use, circular economy indicators, and pathways. He contributes to the European Topic Centre on Circular Economy and Resource Use (ETC CE) and supports the science-policy interface by providing evidence-based policy advice to the German Federal Government. Philip has a background in chemistry and industrial ecology. 

What they bring to CircEUlar?

Philip supports the CircEUlar project by bridging its results with broader policy and research efforts on circular economy, sustainable resource use, and scenario development. His expertise ensures that the project’s insights contribute to evidence-based policymaking at both national and European levels. 

Tamar Makov investigates how new business models, technologies, and innovation can help address social and environmental challenges. Adopting a systems approach, she combines big data analysis with behavioral experiments and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to answer open questions regarding digitalization, sustainable food systems, and alternative consumption models. Makov is currently a Senior Lecturer (Assistant Professor equivalent) at the Guilford Glazer Faculty of Business and Management and the Sonnenfeldt School for Sustainability at Climate change at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. She holds a PhD and MA in Environmental Management from Yale University, and a B.Sc. in Nutrition science from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

What they bring to CircEUlar?

With a unique blend of expertise in behavioural insights and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Tamar ensures that both qualitative and quantitative research are given due weight in the project. Her practical know-how of business models will provide the team with crucial insights into how to better encourage businesses to take up more circular practices.

Vered Blass is an Associate Professor at Tel Aviv University, Israel. She established and currently leads the Innovation in Industrial Ecology research lab at Tel Aviv University. Her research has focused on using industrial ecology and systems analysis tools for management and policy decisions. Her research focuses on life cycle thinking and evaluating the environmental impacts of new business models, new technologies, production, and consumption patterns using a variety of advanced modelling tools. Her research domains are diverse and include the mobility-energy nexus, demand for materials, e-waste, innovation in a circular economy, construction, agriculture and water, Green IT, environmental assessment of early-stage technologies, and sustainable consumption.

What they bring to CircEUlar?

With research experience both in the USA, EU and Israel, Vered brings a valuable international perspective to the CircEUlar project. Her expertise in advanced modeling techniques, and her deep knowledge of electronic waste and mobility systems will be paramount in shaping the development of circular pathways.