Ib Chorkendoff is professor in Heterogeneous Catalysis and director of the Danish National Research Foundation "Center for Individual Nanoparticle Functionality". He has been author and co-author of more than 100 scientific papers and a patent (see also www.physik.ttu.dk/~ibchork/). He has been awarded the Brinch Award and is an elected member of the Danish Academy of Natural Sciences (DNA) and the Academy for Technical Sciences (ATV).

Hans Niemantsverdriet is professor in Physical Chemistry of Surfaces, director of the Schuit Institute of Catalysis and dean of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry. He is (co)author of about 185 scientific papers and of 3 books (see also www.catalysis.nl). H. Niemantsverdriet has been editor of the Journal of Catalysis since 1996, and served as managing editor of CaTTech between 1996 and 2001. He is member of the editorial boards of Applied Surface Science, and Physical Chemistry - Chemical Physics. He served as chairman of the Netherlands Vacuum Society NEVAC (1997-2000) and as president of the European Federation of Catalysis Societies, EFCATS (1999-2001).