Dr. Edward Kosior received a Bachelor of Applied Chemistry and Diploma of Education from Melbourne. University and Masters of Engineering Science in Polymer Engineering from Monash University Australia. He then worked at RMIT University, in Melbourne, Australia from 1975 to 1997, reaching the level of Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering teaching polymer engineering and supervising PhD and MEng students. He was the inaugural Director of the RMIT Polymer Technology Centre that conducted industry focused polymer research into recycling.He joined Visy Industries in 1997 and was based in Melbourne and Sydney in Australia where he was the Senior Research and Development Manager for Visy Recycling. He then set up Nextek Ltd in London in 2005 as the inaugural Managing Director. This involved overall management of the business and responsibility for the research and development activities of Nextek. Australia and New Zealand– Design and commissioning a large new plastic recycling facilities food grade PET and food grade HDPE He is a Fellow of The Society of Plastics Engineers (FSPE), Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (FMMM), and a Fellow of Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (FRSA). His most recent award was the Prince Philp Medal for “Polymers in the service of Man”. He holds several patents for the recycling plastics and been instrumental in the introduction of recycled plastics into food packaging in Europe and Australia (PET, HDPE and PP).

Dr. Marcinko has over 35 years of industrial R&D, research management, and academic experience. His interests and expertise are in the areas of, bio-polymers, polyurethane chemistry, adhesion science, wood composites, polymer characterization, solid-state NMR spectroscopy, and polymer structure-property relationships. He is an adjunct professor and a developer of industrial short courses related to bio-polymer adhesives and coatings, polyurethane and polymer chemistry, adhesion science and industrial problem solving. Dr. Marcinko has authored over 50 peer reviewed publications, and has 21 patents and 2 patents pending.

Dr. Oscar Vernaez, Polymer Specialist with PhD in Chemistry from the Pau University in France and a PhD in Engineering from the Simon Bolivar University in Venezuela. After 12 years as researcher and Project manager in the Technological Center INTEVEP of the national petroleum company in Venezuela (PDVSA), he worked three years as group leader of Material development in the bioplastic department of Fraunhofer UMSICHT in Germany. Currently is working as Research and Development manager for Chemicals and Materials at Neste. His team brings technical support to Neste’s business unit of Renewable Polymers and Chemicals and the innovation business platforms

Geoffrey Mitchell is Professor and Coordinator Researcher at the Centre for Rapid and Sustainable Product Development at the Polytechnic of Leiria in Portugal. He is Adjunct Professor at the Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering, in Mysore India and Visiting Medical Physicist, Oxford University Hospitals Trust, Oxford UK. His eclectic research work bridges physics, biology, chemistry and technology and he is passionate about the opportunities which arise from merging quantitative experimental procedures with Manufacturing Technology. He has pioneered the development of in-situ time-resolving neutron and x-ray scattering procedures to evaluate the structural and morphological transformations involved during manufacturing including Reaction Injection Moulding. He has applied this approach to 3D printing to develop the concept of morphology mapping. He is currently in the middle of a project which is applying time-resolving x-ray scattering techniques to the process of injection moulding semi-crystalline thermoplastic polymers and biopolymers. He has edited a number of books, the most recent “Controlling the Morphology of Polymers” and “Electrospinning – Principles, Practise and Possibilities” with a second edition to be published in 2024. He currently writing a book in partnership with Professor Mahadevappa Kariduraganavar at Karnatak University in Dharwad India on “Design, Processing and Degradation of Plastics”.

Wei Gao is a fellow in Analytical Science, Corporate Research, and Development, at the Dow Chemical Company. She received her BS degree from Fudan University and Ph.D. in Polymer Chemistry and Physics from Peking University. She then worked as a postdoctoral fellow and an Associate Professor in the Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Employment at the NSF-I/UCRC center for Biocatalyisis and Bioprocessing of Macromolecules at Polytechnic University (Now NYU Tandon School of Engineering) followed in 2000, and in 2005 she became a Research Assistant Professor. In 2006, Wei joined Rohm and Haas/Dow. She intensively works on polymer and particle characterization, the synthesis−structure−property relationship of polymeric and colloidal systems, and sustainable polymers. As an active member and alternate council for Polymer Division of American Chemical Society (ACS), she has organized ACS symposia in the areas of separation and characterization of macromolecules and particles, polymer sciences for everyday things, polymer colloids, and Industrial Innovation of Polymer Science. She is a lifetime member of the Chinese American Chemical Society (CACS) member. Strenger Scientists’ Award from Dow (2019), ACS Polymer Chemistry Division (POLY) fellow (2021), and ACS Philadelphia section Industrial Chemist Award (2021). In addition to sustainable product development, her current role is expended to lead the advanced bio dg/bioderived capability development in Dow for the future biodegradable and bioderived material design and development.

Dr. Rudolf Pfaendner studied chemistry at the University of Bayreuth in Germany and received his PhD in 1985 with a thesis on electrically conductive Polymers. During 25 years he held different positions in R&D at the specialty chemicals company “Ciba” inter alia as Global Head of Research for the business segment “Plastic Additives” and as Senior Research Fellow. Rudolf is now Division Director Plastics of the Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability LBF and Honorary Professor at the Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany. He has over thirty years of experience in polymer synthesis, plastics and coatings additives, stabilizers, recycling, reactive extrusion, nanocomposites, flame retardants and innovation management including numerous patents and publications.

Dr. Dimitrios Meimaroglou is currently an associate professor in the Chemical Engineering department (ENSIC) of the University of Lorraine. He has been awarded the Chair of Excellence in polymer reaction engineering from 2011 to 2016. His main research interests, within the group of "Product Engineering" of the Laboratory of Reactions and Chemical Engineering (LRGP), are focused on modelling the microstructure of polymers and investigating its effects on their final end-use properties and functionalities. Both knowledge-based and data-driven techniques are implemented in this sense, with a special emphasis on the use of stochastic Monte Carlo algorithms and Machine Learning methods.

Eng Liliana Rubio Chemical Engineer, Master in Project Management, MBA in Business Administration, MBA in Innovation Management, Specialist in polymer; over 20 years’ experience working on new business, R&D and marketing. Lecturer on innovation & sustainability at universities and the main trade fairs of polymer Industry in Latin America, EUA and Asia. Author of several articles that have been published in technology and business magazines. Founder of PMO Polymer Business Intelligence is a Project Management Office, located in Sao Paulo-Brazil, dedicated to project management consulting, mentoring, covering project planning, implementation and execution through a front-to-end creative quantification approach and circuçlar economy. Founder of Smart Tex Hub ecosystem for the value chain of textile Industry and final applications. Sponsor and Finalist in the competitions “Acelera Brasil” and “SUSTEX Tunisia” with the projects about Smart and Sustainable Fashion "S-Textil”

Sharina’s current professional corporate roles revolve around her Utopia Model owned and operated companies. All formed to strategically launch her vision for creating and developing sustainable solutions across global platforms. These include CEO (Chief Executive Officer) Utopia Genetics, LLC; CEO Eden Grow, LLC, Managing Partner Utopia Solutions, LLC; and Managing Partner Utopia Wellness, LLC. Sharina is the Founder/Inventor of Utopia Plastix, a patented plastic alternative formulated into compounded plantbased resins using agricultural crops. Sharina is also the creator and developer of the Utopia Model, a sustainable eco-system business model. She went on to become the only African American female owned company in the industry and was in the Top 5 MDU/FTG providers and a Top 10 Public/Private provider.. Utopia Plastix was recently featured on Advancements TV on Bloomerberg TV hosted by Ted Danson as a solution to plastic waste. Sharina was featured in the April/May 2022 issue of Womans Day Magazine as an Eco-Hero.

Dr. Dieter E. Kaufmann: Studying chemistry at the University of Göttingen, Germany.Diploma and Doctorate in Physical and Synthetic Organic Chemistry.Postdoctorate at IBM, Silicon Valley, San José (CA, US) in organic conductive materials.Habilitation at the University of Hamburg in Organoboron Chemistry (LAs for Homogenous Catalysis).Head of the Department of Homogenous Catalysis at BAYER AG, Leverkusen.Professor of Organic Chemistry and Homogenous Catalysis at Clausthal University of Technology, Germany. His Actual Research fields are: Organic synthesis of bioactive heterocycles for Medicinal Chemistry and plant protection, Design of low energy synthetic methods with mechanochemistry and ionic liquids, Boron materials: LEDs and chiral catalysts, New materials: surface tuning through modification of wood and natural fibers, Complete chemical recycling of synthetic polymers and fiber reinforced composite materials.

Professor Zhongwei Guan is Executive Director of Advanced Materials Research Centre of Technology Innovation Institute in Abu Dhabi. He received his first degree on Solid Mechanics in Sichuan University China in 1982 and was awarded PhD on Structural Behaviour of Polymeric Pipelining in University of Bradford UK in 1993. He was Reader in Lightweight Composite Materials and Structures at the University of Liverpool. He has published more than 170 SCI papers in refereed leading international journals on lightweight composite structures subjected to extreme loading conditions such as projectile impact and blast, covering fibre metal laminates, PVC foam-based sandwiches and SLM lattice structures, corrugated sandwiches, timber structures, high temperature TP prepreg, etc., with a h-index of 40 in Google Scholar and citation more than 5200. Prof Guan is ranked as world top 2 % scientists by Stanford University. He was Chairman of the 5th International Conference on Computational Methods held in Cambridge in 2014. He is a member of editorial board of International Journal of Impact Engineering, Applied Composite Materials and Advanced Materials Letter. He also serves as a scientific committee member of more than 20 international conferences and has given more than 20 keynotes, thematic and plenary speeches.

Dr. Alessandra D’Anna is currently the R&D Scientist and Compound Expert of Roboze, an Italian/USA based 3D printing company. She has received a Master in Chemical Engineering of Sustainable Processes and a PhD in Material Science and Technology in Politecnico di Torino. During her PhD career, Dr. D’Anna assumed specific competencies in the chemistry of biodegradable and bio-based polymer blends with a specific focus on the study of the interfacial adhesion between the phases and, also, an in-depth knowledge on the influence of process parameters during the production of polymeric materials, using co-rotating twin screw extruder and single screw extruder. In Roboze, Dr. D’Anna has been able to apply her knowledge in the world of additive manufacturing. Her interests and expertise are in the areas of development of innovative materials, the process, characterization and application of thermoplastic polymers. Her R&D successes and academic research are well represented by reviewed publications and pending patents.

Iryna Savych received her PhD degree from Rostock University in organic chemistry in 2015. In her thesis she worked on synthesis of novel 3-substituted chromones as convenient building blocks for the design and characterization of new bioactive heterocycles for medicinal chemistry. In the period from 2015 to 2018 she worked at Clausthal University of Technology in cooperation with Novaled GmbH/Samsung and designed a novel Organic Semiconducting Materials based on Organoboron Compounds (US Patent US11239431B2). In 2018 she moved to GXC Coatings GmbH and successfully worked as R&D chemist for development of new UV-curable anti-dirt and scratch resistant coating based on poly(meth)acrylate (DE Patent DE102019124648A1) and a broadband antireflective coating prepared by sol-gel method for photovoltaic application (GoPV, EU Horizon 2020). Since 2020, she works as Head of Material development and Process Engineering at BBC Cellpack Electrical Products GmbH. The main tasks are formulation and production process development of different materials for electrical insulation application, such as cast resins based on polyurethanes, polybutadienes and silicones, and polyolefins for heat shrink technology using extrusion & expansion production process. Reviewed publications and pending patents well represent her R&D successes and academic research.

Dr Nacho Martin-Fabiani is a UKRI Future Leaders Fellow and Senior Lecturer in Materials Science in the Department of Materials at Loughborough University (UK). He leads a research group working in the fields of colloid, interface, and soft matter science. Current research lines include the development of a new generation of functional coatings - including antibacterial and abrasion resistant surfaces – and experimental and computational methods to aid soft materials formulation. He has received awards and honours for his work, including a Vice-Chancellor’s Research Fellowship at Loughborough University (2016), the Polymer Lecture Exchange Award by the Institute of Physics and the American Physical Society (2019), and a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship (2020). He sits on the Joint Colloids Group committee from the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Society of Chemical Industry and is Associate editor of Frontiers in Soft Matter.

Dr. Haider Raad currently serves as the director of the Engineering Physics program and the Wearable Electronics Research Center at Xavier University in Ohio, USA. He was previously affiliated with California State University and the University of Arkansas between 2008 and 2015. He teaches undergraduate and graduate level courses such as Electronic Circuits, Communication Systems, Electromagnetics, Microcontrollers, and Control Systems. Haider received the Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Systems Engineering, specializing in RF Telecommunication systems from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR), and the M.S. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from New York Institute of Technology. Haider is also the author of the first textbook on Wearable Technology and IoT, published by Wiley and IEEE. He also authored several other books on wireless systems and telemedicine, and over 100 peer reviewed journal and conference papers on research fields of his interest which include: Flexible and Wearable Wireless Systems, Telemedicine and Wireless Body Area Networks, Metamaterials, MIMO, and IoT. Haider is also the recipient of the Center for Population Health Fellowship, the Outstanding Teaching Award, SSU Research Award, and AAMI/TEAMS Academic Excellence Award.

Dr. René Saint-Loup French, 47 y.o, Manager of technical teams for Performance Materials and Cosmetic Ingredients, Lestrem Research Center, France. 1999- Graduated from Chemistry High School of Montpellier, specialty- Polymer chemistry.99-2002: PhD Degree in Polymer Chemistry-polycondensation field-Synthesis of Thermoplastic elastomers from Poly(ethylene terephthalate) chemical recycling. 2003 : Post-Doctoral fellowship in Warwick university (Pr. Haddleton Polymer group)-Synthesis of amphiphilic (meth)acrylate compounds through catalytic chain transfer polymerization. 2004 : Researcher in Flamel Technology-2005-2007- Post-doctoral fellowship in INSA Lyon-synthesis of isosorbide containing poly(ethylene terephthalate) 2008-2018: Polymer chemistry Research manager of Roquette dealing with three main domains-Manager of technical teams for Performance Materials and Cosmetic Ingredients.Publications and reviews-27 in peer-reviewed journals. Patents, more than 60 published patents.

Dr. Henrich H. Paradies is Professor of Materials Science, Chemical Physics, Chemistry & Biochemistry (Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences Südwestfalen, Iserlohn, Germany), now at the Jacobs University in the Department of Chemistry and Life Sciences (Bremen, Germany) and Salford University (Manchester, UK) since 1999-. He holds an MD, a Ph.D. in Medicine and Biochemistry, a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the Wilhelm’s University Münster (Germany) and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and Institute of Physics (UK). Previously, he served as a Professor of Plant Biochemistry and Director of the Institute of Plant Physiology (1974-1984) at the Free University Berlin (Germany), Guest and Visiting Professor at Cornell University, Ohio State University, Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge) and Montpellier (France). He is Elected life member of The Charles Darwin Club, New York Academy of Arts and Sciences (1992) and Active Member of the New York Academy of Arts and Science since 1981. He has received Albert-Einstein Academy Bronze Medal, Truman Foundation, (1986) and honoris causa doctorates (Biochemistry & Chemistry) from the Albert Einstein International Academy Foundation; (1990). Dr. Sc. (honoris causa) in Biochemistry, Royal Crown of Spain, Madrid, Spain (1998). Together with his colleague Prof. Fischer they directed the consortium of marine and microbial-induced copper corrosion including countermeasures for the European, the US and UK projects supported by the EU (Bruxelles), London (Water Thames, UK) and the US (Copper Research Organization, New York). His group continued studies on design of bio-inspired, smart and natural occurring multi-scale materials with defined structures of chiral cationic lipids, their biodegradation, and cyclic peptides as components in antiviral, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antifungal ingredients. A pivotal role play bio-inspired far-from equilibrium materials like the lipid A-phosphates, cyclic peptides like surfactin, daptomycin derivatives, and their approximants as antagonist against inflammation, harnessing innate immunity, allergens, and resistance against antibiotics.

Dominique Hourdet is Professor in Polymer Science at Sorbonne University, Dominique Hourdet is currently working in the Lab. of Soft Matter Sciences and Engineering at ESPCI Paris. He has developed his research activities in the field of responsive assemblies in aqueous media with a special attention dedicated to synthesis-structure-properties relationships. Current researches focus on viscoelastic properties of macromolecular architectures synthesized from synthetic and natural polymers, as well as hybrid hydrogels with particular interest in mechanical reinforcement strategies.

Dr. Sabrina Belbekhouche is an associate professor working at the East Paris Institute of Chemistry and Materials (East Paris University, France). Her core expertise is in polymer science, macromolecular assembly and surface modification. This includes the polymer modification, the study of the physical chemistry of surfaces/interfaces; and the use of controlled assembly at the sub-micrometer scale (nanoparticle, nanocapsule...) as well as stimuli-responsive systems. Current applications of her research are mainly for biological application.

Dr. Fabien Salaün is a professor in the Ecole Nationale des Arts et Industries Textiles (ENSAIT) at Lille University, where he has been since 2006. He received the MS degree in Organic and Macromolecular science in 2001 from the Lille University, and the PhD degree in Organic and Macromolecular science from the University of Lille 1, France, in 2004. He is at the Head of Multifunctional and Processes research group of GEMTEX since January 2022. Scientific coordinator of several regional and national research project, and also member of Editorial Bords of different scientific journal. Professor Salaün is author of more than 100 scientific articles (ISI Web of science referred, book chapters, conference proceedings and patents). His research interests cover the area of textile surface functionalization, wet and melt spinning fibers, microencapsulation formulation system, smart textile structures, and thermal comfort.

Dr. Biao HU is currently an Assistant Professor at the College of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Shenzhen University, P.R. China. He obtained his Ph.D. from the City University of Hong Kongin 2017. His main research focuses on composite materials & structures, structural retrofitting, and sustainable construction materials. He has published some40 technical papers in international journals and conference proceedings (including 32 SCI papers), and these worksreceived more than 600 citations recorded in Google Scholar. He is the principal investigator of 4 research projects and the co-investigator of more than 10 research projects. He serves as the editorial board member of several journals (Journal of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering,Building Technology Research and Construction Progress) and the guest editor of a SCI journal (Polymers). He is a regular reviewer of more than 30 peer-reviewed international SCI journals. He received the Moisseiff Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) in 2018.

Dr. Nevin Karamahmut Mermer is a R&D Senior Engineer-Applied Research at Kalekim Chemicals Co. INC., Turkey from 2019 to till now. In 2013 – 2015 she was a Research and Development Engineer at Seranit Porcelain, Turkey and developed various projects relating to construction materials, such as odor-absorbing plaster, thermal insulation plaster and high-tech ceramics, Was instrumental in helping to secure 11 patents on behalf of the company. We were the most patented company in the construction sector in 2014-2015.She has a Research Experience during her master’s and Ph.D. studies at Yildiz Technical University, financially supported by the university as 2014 – 2018. Synthesis of amine-supported mesoporous silica adsorbents for CO2 adsorption 2014 – 2018 Reuse of waste solution obtained from the synthesis of zeolites from fly ash. Some of the Presentations, Papers and Posters by her are: Karamahmut Mermer, N., Ugur, N., Inceoglu, F., Kuzgun, F., Bakar, B., Unlu Pinar, E., Development of Non- VOC Interior Paint With Formaldehyde Removal Properties, November 10-13, 2022, Antalya, International Conference on Studies in Engineering, Science, and Technology (ICSEST). Karamahmut Mermer, N., Özkan, M.A., Genc, D., Unlu Pinar, E., Sustainable act for construction chemicals by using recycled biopolymer in cementitious tile adhesive, Oct04-05, 2022 London, 2nd Global Conference on Polymers, Plastics and Composites(PPC-2022). Karamahmut Mermer, N., Inceoglu, F., Ugur, N., Kuzgun, F., Cinar, F., Unlu Pinar, E., Eco-friendly Interior Wall Coating Improving Indoor Air Quality, 08-09 December 2021, Paintistanbul & Turkcoat 2021. Karamahmut Mermer, N., Inceoglu, F., Unlu Pinar, E., The Impact of Sand Moisture Content on the Microstructure and Performance of Cement-Based Ceramic Tile Adhesives, 15 September 2022, Istanbul, 7th Central and South European Drymix Mortar Conference.

Born in Terrassa, Spain. BSc in Chemical Engineering in the Engineering Scholl of Terrassa, MSc in Industrial and Textile Engineering in the Aeronautics Engineering School of UPC (Barcelona). Since 1992, member of INTEXTER (Textile Research Institute Terrassa) where he has developed a PhD Thesis about the mathematical treatment of diffusion phenomena involved in the dyeing of Tencel fibers. In the post-doctoral stage, he spent 6 months in the Chemical Engineering Department of Twente University (NL) under the supervision of Prof Dr Marijin Warmoeskerchen. The year 1984, accepted as a Teacher in Industrial Chemistry, and since 1986 staff member of the Engineering School of Terrassa focused on to Chemical Reaction Engineering field of work. Promoted to Associate Professor in 2008 and, since 2019 Head of the Surface Science Laboratory of INTEXTER. Author of more than one hundred research articles in international magazines, responsible for more than one thousand industrial reports for companies, and participating in more than ten Research and Companies related projects. Author of more than six Book Chapters and of more than one hundred fifty BSc and MSc final reports of international and national students. Member of the AOCS, the Textile Institute, and AEQCT. Since 1996, honorary member of the Latin American Association of Textile Chemists and Colourists and collaborated on different Editorial Boards.

Olivier joined Hitachi Hitachi High-Tech Analytical Science Ltd. in September 2019 as the thermal analysis sales manager for EMEA. He has since taken ownership of the global thermal analysis product manager role. Before joining Hitachi, Olivier worked as a material characterization application specialist for PerkinElmer UK and Canada. He obtained his baccalaureate in chemistry (B.SC.) from Université Laval (Québec City, Québec) in 2002, and his master in polymer chemistry (M.SC.) from Simon Fraser University (Burnaby, British Columbia) working with Prof. Steven Holdcroft. In his thesis he worked on the synthesis and characterization of novel sulfonated polyimides for high temperature proton exchange member fuel cells.

Ms. Isabel Vital-Vilchis was born and raised in Mexico where she became aware and interested in environmental research projects. Ms. Isabel Vital-Vilchis made her bachelor’s degree in biotechnology in the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara and then went on to get a masters in plant genetic enhancement where she made her thesis on ornamental sunflower colonization of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi for heavy metal bioremediation of mine tailings. In 2019 she moved to Sheffield where she is currently pursuing her PhD working on metabolic engineering of bacteria to produce bioplastics.

Dr. NajlaTrabelsi obtained her Master degree in Biology in October 2007, her PhD in Biological Sciences in September 2012 and her HDRin Biological Sciences in November 2022 from the University of Tunis El Manar.She is currently an Assistant Professor in the center of Biotechnology of BorjCédria (CBBC) with expertise in extraction and bioactivities of natural substances for medical,food and agricultural interest in collaboration with different research teams in Tunisia and around the word. Her current project is “Flavouring olive oil and their efficiency for food conservation”, “Valorization of Bio-waste from agri-food chain” and “Extraction of bio-polymer (Chitosan) from different natural sources”. She is a member of international project: Development of anti-arthritic remedy with olive by-products, Tunisian and South Korean cooperation, (2017-2019). She is a national coordinator of Prima project “FrEshfooD sustainable PacKaging In The circular economy: FEDKITO” (2020-2023).She is reviewer several ISI and non-ISI scientific journals and she is author and co-author of 53 papers published on international peer-reviewed journals with a total h-index of 23 (Scopus).

Amir Bzainia is a PhD student at the Faculty of Engineering – University of Porto (Portugal).His research focuses on the synthesis of molecularly imprinted polymers for the valorisation of phenolic compounds present in winemaking residues.Amir obtained his master’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança (Portugal) in 2019. In the same year, he acquired his Diplôme d’ingénieur form the Université Libre de Tunis (Tunisia).In 2016, Amir obtained his bachelor’s degree in Industrial Chemistry from the National Institute for Applied Sciences and Technology (INSAT, Tunisia). He is eager to learn and always ready for new challenges.

Jake Adams is an undergraduate engineer in the haircare research team at Dyson. He is in his final year of a degree apprenticeship with the University of Warwick. Jake has a keen interest in haircare research and has pursued a fundamental understanding of hair over the past 18 months to inspire innovative new haircare products at Dyson. With a passion for engineering and a commitment to innovation, Jake is looking to broaden his horizons into the biosciences after he graduates. Outside of the lab he is a keen Korfball player and runner.

Dr. Cristian Zavala is an NRC postdoctoral associate at the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD) where he works on high performance renewable fuels and polymeric technologies. He obtained his PhD from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville in 2022 working on the development of novel Rh(II) paddlewheel complexes for diazo-mediated carbene transfer reactions. His BS in Biochemistry was awarded in 2017 from Florida International University where he worked on the synthesis of selenol selective probes and algal toxin composition studies. Cristian is a former NIH PEER fellow and current Secretary for the ACS Mojave Desert local sectionpdated Soon...

Catarina Gomes is a phD student at the Faculty of Engineering-University of Porto (Portugal). Her phD focuses on the development of hybrid adsorbents to valorize bioactive compounds present in agriculture waste. Since 2016, her research is based on the synthesis and characterization of molecularly imprinted polymers. She completed his master’s in chemical engineering in 2014 at Instituto Politécnico de Bragança in collaboration with University of the Basque Country, San Sebastian, Spain. She is author of 7 articles in international journal and four chapters’s books.

Dr. Diana PORTAN is an Academic Fellow at the University of Patras, Dept. of Mech. Eng. & Aeronautics, Greece and a Researcher at the Center for Advanced Medical and Pharmaceutical Research of the University of Medicine & Pharmacy of Tg. Mures, Romania. Dr. Portan obtained one MSc and two engineering PhD diplomas in the biomedical area. Her scientific interest is related to biomaterials, biomimetics and biology, while her expertise is on biocompatibility studies. Her profile is highly interdisciplinary and aims at the manufacturing of innovative biomaterials, followed by evaluation of their overall properties and validation with primary human cell cultures. She has published more than 35 papers in peer-review international scientific journals, over 40 presentations in international conferences, she has been the General Secretary of 4 international conferences and she the principal investigator in 4 National Hellenic projects and 4 National Romanian projects. She is the consortium leader on National Hellenic level within a KDT-JU project. The highlights are: she introduced the course of Biomimetics in Greece, and she also teaches in Greeks and English the courses of Biomedical Engineering and Biomaterials, she had more than 3 invitations to train research groups on performing biocompatibility studies with primary human bone cells, her expertise is in engineering of materials and in vitro biology, allowing her to perform complete studies which involve steps starting from the surgery room, to the manufacturing part as well as the in vitro process, with perspectives in commercialization of new biomedical products.

Mr. Christopher G. P. Miller is a PhD candidate at Northumbria University with a BSc in biochemistry from the University of Leeds and an MSc in Material science and engineering from the University of Birmingham. I am an interdisciplinary researcher in the area of biomaterials. My masters project was on the creation of a hydroxyapatite glass composite to aid in bone healing and regeneration, my current PhD research is on the modification of bacterial cellulose via in situ modification of the growth media and the effects this has on the bacteria. I have a passion for biologically derived materials and wish to pursue research in the field of biomaterials modification and engineering of biological organisms.

Naveen Tiwari recently started a new position as Marie-Curie Fellow at University of Santiago de Compostela before he is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Engineering Science and Mechanics department at The Pennsylvania State University, State College, USA. He received his Ph.D. degree from School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University Singapore. Recently, he has received the most prestigious Marie-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship. His research interests mainly includes self-healing material, stretchable/soft electronics, wearable sensors and biomimetic/bio-inspired based TENG.

Joost Brancart is a postdoctoral researcher and part-time research professor at Vrije Universiteit Brussel. He received the Solvay award for his PhD in 2017 and obtained two postdoctoral grants from the national science foundation FWO to continue the fundamental study of the structure-property relations of self-healing polymers and reversible covalent networks in general. Much of the research attention goes to robotic applications in collaboration with the robotics group in Brussels. They coordinate 3 EU-funded projects on self-healing and other smart materials for soft robotic applications, including the recently concluded SHERO project and the running innovative training network SMART.

Prof. Gulshan Kumar is Master Degree from Guru Jambheshwar University, Hisar, (Haryana) India, with specialization in Polymer Science. Completed Ph.D in polymer science in the year 2004 from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, NCT of Delhi, India having the topic of synthesis & characterization of co-polymers of Alkyl-ita-conates with Styrene. Joined Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, NCT of Delhi, India as Assistant Professor during the year 2005. Till now having teaching & research experience of more than seventeen years. Immensely contributed in the field of polymer science, having number of publications in National and International Journals and also presented papers in various conferences in India and abroad like USA, UK, South Korea, Portugal, Italy, Finland, France etc. Presently research work is being carried out in the field of Green Composites and nano composites. Some students are also pursuing their Ph.D and four students had already been awarded degree. Recently awarded with the best State Teacher’s award for the year 2020-21 by the Directorate of Higher Education, Govt. of NCT of Delhi.

Dr. Shristy Gautam received the B.Sc (Zoology Honours) from University of Delhi, India and M.Sc. (Biotechnology) from Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar University, Agra, India. She has done her Ph.D (Biotechnology) from Deenbandhu ChhotuRam University of Science and Technology, Murthal, Sonipat, Haryana, India. She has worked as an Assistant Professor for 3.5 years at the department of Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering, School of Bioengineering and Biosciences, Lovely Professional University, Punjab, India. She has worked on diatoms (algae), bio-based dye sensitized solar cell, biofuels, DNA barcoding, heavy metal stress, growth study of diatoms, taxonomical analysis & its screening, physical and chemical analysis of waterbodies, omega-3 fatty acids, carotenoids, effect of aquatic toxicities on diatoms and their molecular analysis, bioplastic and molecular analysis of stress induced genes. She has published 23 research articles, 8 book chapters and 1 book. She has tutored three PhDs and 18 masters/graduate students under her guidance. With an experience of three years as the assistant professor, she is now focusing on societal applications of Bio-energy systems to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Currently, she is the interim-General Manager at Indian Youth Nuclear Society (IYNS).