The Program Committee is composed of international glass experts from industry, design, engineering and academia. Their main task is to assess the incoming author contributions and ensure a balanced and appealing conference program. The Program Committee members also act as ambassadors of the Glass Performance Days, so if you have any queries, don’t hesitate to reach out!
Jan Belis is Professor at the Magnel-Vandepitte Laboratory at the Department of Structural Engineering and Building Materials of Ghent University. He has a wide expertise in glass engineering and research. Jan Belis is Editor-in-Chief of the peer-reviewed journal Glass Structures & Engineering and co-organiser of multiple international conferences in the field, and has been internationally active in standardisation committees.
Attending GPD since: 2003
Bertrand Cazes is the Secretary General of Glass for Europe, the trade association for Europe’s flat glass sector.
Bertrand is actively involved in all policy and regulatory issues affecting the flat glass sector at European level, be in terms of manufacturing, decarbonisation, energy-efficiency, sustainability and product policy. With over 15 years at the helm of Glass for Europe, Bertrand has a strong insider knowledge of the flat glass sector in Europe and a unique overview over the challenges faced by the industry.
Bertrand is a graduate in political science and holds two master’s degree in the management of European Affairs from universities in Paris and London. Bertrand is a native French and speaks fluent English.
Attending GPD since: 2011
Valérie Hayez is Principal Technical Service & Development Scientist for Dow Building Science. In her role, Valérie provides technical service to the construction design community, including façade system manufacturers, architects and engineers. She has developed a broad expertise in façade engineering, covering aspects such as structural performance, fire safety, thermal or acoustic insulation. Valérie is responsible for identifying and communicating industry needs to Dow‘s Research and Development Community and supporting the development and commercialization of new products. Finally she is also active at standardization level. She holds an MSc and a PhD in Applied Sciences (electronics and optics).
Attending GPD since: 2007 (but not every edition)
Urmilla Jokhu-Sowell, P.E., is the Technical and Advocacy Director for the National Glass Association (NGA), the largest glass and glazing trade organization in North America. Urmilla received both a bachelors and master’s degrees in civil engineering from Texas Tech University and is a registered Professional Engineer. Urmilla advocates for and promotes the use of glass in buildings and collaborates with several global organizations on developing industry standards, best practices, and technical education.
Attending GPD since:
Christian Louter is Professor of Structural Design & Building Engineering at the Faculty of Civil Engineering & Geosciences at TU Delft. Christian holds a PhD degree from TU Delft on the topic of Structural Glass and has worked at EPFL, TU Delft and TU Dresden, before re-joining TU Delft in 2022.
Next to his research and teaching activities, Christian is an Editor-in-Chief of the Glass Structures & Engineering journal (Springer), an Organiser of the international Challenging Glass Conference series, and member of several international (glass) committees. For Glass Performance Days 2025, Christian is moderator of the Program Committee.
Attending GPD since: 2005
Marko Mökkönen leads Sustainability at Glaston, driving sustainability initiatives Group-wide. He holds a degree in Environmental Management and brings 25 years of experience in glass processing and performance of glazed windows, doors, and curtain walls. Marko rejoined Glaston in 2020 after 17 years, having worked in technical positions with glass processors and window manufacturers. Throughout his career, he has been involved in activities in sales, production, product management, and R&D. Marko has been leading the GPD Team since GPD 2023.
Attending GPD since: 2001 (but not every edition)
Sophie holds 15 yrs of experience in the design of complex structures and facades. With Enclos since 2018, she has steered select Sales and Design Assist scopes and R&D topics including Ultra-thin glass, Acoustics and Embodied Carbon. Her prior experience includes Arup NY, SHoP Construction and RFR Paris. In 2010 through the industry-academia partnership IAPP ARC she developed cold bent glass analysis tools. Sophie authored several papers on structural glass and has been involved with the development of US glass codes with ASTM, the Journal of Architectural Engineering as Associate Editor and in 2021 joined FTI’s Board of Directors.
Attending GPD since:
Saverio is Head of Façades at Skanska U.K., a leading construction company and developer, where he provides façade technical leadership at all project stages. He acts as a focal point for clients, designers and suppliers alike for all matters related to the discipline.
He is a Chartered Engineer, holds an MSc in Façade Engineering and has three decades of varied and international experience in the industry.
Saverio is the Chairman of leading industry body CWCT, he is a Fellow of CIBSE, and also a Fellow of the SFE of which he has been Chairman.
Attending GPD since: 2013
Jens Schneider is a full professor for structural engineering at the Institute of Structural Mechanics and Design, TU Darmstadt, Germany. After his studies in civil engineering in Darmstadt and Coimbra, Portugal, Jens received his PhD from TU Darmstadt in 2001 in a topic about structural glass design and impact loading. From 2001-2005, Jens worked at the engineering office Schlaich, Bergermann and Partner where he was involved in the structural design of complex steel, glass and concrete structures. In 2006, Jens was appointed as an authorized sworn expert on glass structures, in 2007 to the position of a professor for structural engineering in Frankfurt. and in 2009 to his current position at TU Darmstadt, where Jens is currently Vice President for Transfer and International Affairs. Since 2011, Jens is also partner in his engineering office SGS GmbH in Heusenstamm in Frankfurt, Germany. Since 2015, Jens leads the European project group for the preparation of the new Eurocode 11 „Structural Glass“. From October 2023, he will serve as the new rector of TU Wien in Vienna, Austria. Jens is specialized in structural mechanics of glass & polymers, façade structures, structural design and synergetic, energy-efficient design of façades and buildings.
Attending GPD since:
Stephen Selkowitz is an internationally recognized building scientist with over 50 years of experience, who has applied research, development and demonstration strategies to advance the science, technology and market impact of energy-efficient, sustainable glazing and façade solutions, including technologies (e.g. low-E coatings, smart glass) and software (WINDOW, THERM, Radiance, IGDB) that is used globally. He has authored or coauthored over 200 publications, 5 books and holds 3 patents.
At Berkeley Lab he served in various capacities as Group Leader, Windows and Building Envelope Materials, Department Head for Building Technologies and as Senior Advisor for Building Science until his retirement in 2016. He has lectured at 3 architecture/design schools and now operates a small consultancy that serves building industry clients globally. He is a Fellow and member of the Board of Directors of the Façade Tectonics Institute; is an honorary member of the National Glass Association and has served on numerous project review panels and scientific boards globally in the field of glazing, fenestration and sustainable buildings. In 2012 he was the recipient of the first LBNL Lifetime Achievement Award for Societal Impact and in 2014 won McGraw Hill/ENR’s prestigious Award of Excellence for “relentlessly working to reduce the carbon footprint of buildings and for moving the nation towards better building performance.”
He holds an MFA in Environmental Design, School of Design, California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, CA and a BA Physics, Harvard College, Cambridge, MA
Attending GPD since: 1999
Francis Serruys, MSc. Eng. is working for more than 35 years for Saint-Gobain holding various technical and management positions. Francis has been involved in multiple projects all around the world. He has also worked at the research and development centre in France where he was at the basis of several new solutions for glass façades applications. Actually he is working as Senior Expert High Security Glazing for Vetrotech Saint-Gobain Int’l.
Attending GPD since: 1995
Ingo Stelzer is a Senior Technical Program Manager of the Kuraray / AIS Division.
With 25 years of professional experience in the glass and facade industry he has been involved into the realization of many glass construction projects and related R&D activities worldwide. He is an active member of DIN, EN & ISO Code Work Groups and other industry associations.
Since 2023 he is the President of the FKG e.V. association for structural glass constructions, a group with leading design specialist, researchers, manufacturer and material suppliers.
In year 2000 he received his engineering degree at the University of Hanover. Positions before joining Kuraray have been at DuPont de Nemours as a Senior Consultant and the SEELE-Group as the head of the glass processing division SEDAK.
Attending GPD since: 2005
Wim Stevels is responsible for technical support for Saflex and Vanceva interlayers for architectural glazing applications in Europe. The role comprises indirect value chain connect, downstream product support and product approvals in the area. He has a particular interest in the use of interlayers for structural glass applications, and interlayer physical characterization methods and rheology. He is an active member of the CEN committees on Laminated Glass (TC129/WG3) and Design of Glass Structures (TC250/SC11).
Attending GPD since:
Miika Äppelqvist has hold different management positions in architectural glass. Specialized in tempering, lamination and insulated glass applications.
Attending GPD since: 2008
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