Karel Kellens serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering within the Faculty of Engineering Technology at KU Leuven. He holds dual campus appointments at Diepenbeek and Leuven, coordinating research and education initiatives for Materials and Mechanical Engineering across both Geel and Diepenbeek campuses. As a senior academic staff member, he participates in the Council of the Faculty of Engineering Technology and the Mechanical Engineering Department Council, contributing to institutional governance and academic strategy. His research centers on Human-Robot Interaction , Automated Assembly and Disassembly , and Energy-Efficient Manufacturing , with particular emphasis on flexible gripper systems and circular economy applications. Current projects span robotic demanufacturing of batteries (AUDRI, DEMAN), 3D concrete printing (3D4WALL), and high-speed aseptic filling lines (ISOLATOR5.0_IRVA), demonstrating strong industry alignment in sustainable manufacturing and waste valorization. Analysis of his recent publications reveals a dominant focus on waste sorting automation and battery remanufacturing , with technical contributions in multi-robot coordination algorithms, adaptive gripper design, and radiation mapping for hazardous environments. His work consistently bridges theoretical robotics with industrial implementation, particularly in pharmaceutical and recycling sectors. Kellens actively supervises doctoral candidates including Engelen, Peeters, and Cramer, with current grants totaling over €10 million in collaborative European and national projects. He leads the Robotics, Automation and Mechatronics (RAM) research unit at Diepenbeek Campus, which operates specialized laboratories for robotic disassembly, gripper development, and sustainable manufacturing validation. Future research directions emphasize autonomous demanufacturing systems and resource-efficient circular production models.