Toledo Filho is a full professor of materials and structures at Coppe-Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (PEC/COPPE/UFRJ), Brazil. He is a member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, of the National Academy of Engineering, Researcher 1A with the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), and a senior scientist of the Carlos Chagas Foundation (FAPERJ), Rio de Janeiro State. He is the CEO of the Science Park of UFRJ, head of the Sustainability Center for Research and Education on Environmental Friendly Materials and Technologies (NUMATS) of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, member of the INBAR construction task force and vice-president of the Brazilian Society for Non-Conventional Materials (ABMTENC). He has conducted extensive research on sustainable materials for construction, decarbonisation of the construction industry, vegetable fibre-reinforced cement composites, bamboo materials characterization, and structural use, cement replacement by bioashes and the use of waste materials in the construction industry.

Tyagi joined the Chemistry Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), in 1986 through the BARC Training School. He obtained his PhD in 1992, then did postdoctoral research at Max Planck Institute, Stuttgart, Germany (1995–96). Presently, he is Dean and Senior professor at HBNI, Mumbai; and honorary professor at JNCASR, Bengaluru. His research interests are in the field of nanomaterials, and also functional, metastable, and hybrid materials. He has published about 680 papers in international journals and 16 books and supervised 40 students for their PhD. He has received many prestigious awards including the DAE-Homi Bhabha Science and Technology Award, MRSI Medal; MRSI-ICSC Materials Science Senior Award; MRSI-CNR Rao Prize in Advanced Materials; CRSI Bronze Medal; CRSI-CNR Rao National Prize in Chemical Sciences; CRSI-Silver Medal; Rajib Goyal Prize in Chemical Sciences; Metallurgist of the Year award from Ministry of Steel, GoI; National Prize in Solid State and Materials Chemistry; ISCA Acharya PC Ray Memorial Award and NETZSCH – ITAS Award by Indian Thermal Analysis Society, Lifetime Achievement Award from REAI and Vigyan Shri award from Government of India.

Wonkam is a professor of genetic medicine, and director of the McKusick-Nathans Institute and Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, US. He is also director of GeneMAP (Genetic Medicine of African Populations), and immediate past-deputy dean of research at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, South Africa. After an MD training with the Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Cameroon, he has completed a doctorate in medical sciences (cell biology) at the University of Geneva, Switzerland, and a PhD in human genetics at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Wonkam also trained as a medical geneticist in genetic medicine at the University of Geneva. His scientific results are reflected in more than 230 peer-reviewed publications. His research focuses on genetic and genomic variations in the African population with a focus on 1) Genomics modifiers of Sickle Cell Disease (SCD); 2) Genetics of hearing Impairment, and 3) Ethical, Equity, and Educational Issues in Genetic Medicine Research. Wonkam is president of the African Society of Human Genetics.

Prof. Dr. Xiyun Yan (CAS Engineering Laboratory for Nanozyme, Institute of Biophysics Chinese Academy of Sciences) is a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, focusing on precision cancer treatment. She introduced the concept of "Nanozyme" and used nano-materials as enzyme mimics to create new methods for tumor diagnosis and nanozyme-strip for rapid local detection of infectious diseases. She has also established the standard for determining nanozyme catalytic activity, founded Nanozyme Academic Subgroup of Biophysical Society of China and developed world's first nanozyme product. Dr. Yan's original research on nanozyme has paved the way for the emergence of the interdisciplinary field of nanozymes, bridging the disciplines of enzymology, chemistry, materials science, biology, and medicine. Now, more than 1,000 nanozymes have been reported by 490 laboratories across 40 countries. The significance of nanozymes has been acknowledged by Clarivate, which designated it as a "key hot frontier" in 2022. Additionally, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) recognized Nanozyme as one of the top ten new technologies in 2022.

Agrawal is dean of the Center for BioSciences and Health Research, Trivedi School of Biosciences, Ashoka University (India), and a former director of the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, a national laboratory of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India. After completing his medical education at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, he further trained in internal medicine, pulmonary disease and critical care at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston (US), earning a PhD in physiology from Delhi University. His primary research is in respiratory biology, with other interests in a new vision of health and healthcare seen through the lenses of emerging technologies. He serves on numerous national and global advisory groups, most recently chairing the World Health Organization technical advisory group for viral evolution. He received the Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar Prize in 2014, the Sun Pharma Foundation award in 2020, and is a Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy, National Academy of Science, Indian Academy of Science, and the National Academy of Medical Sciences.

Ahmad is a globally recognized plant scientist with expertise in agro-biological resources, biodiversity, biotechnology, and biomass energy. He has authored over 1,000 publications, including 60 international books and book chapters, with approximately 23,050 citations and an H-index of 75. A dedicated mentor, he has supervised 48 postdoctoral researchers and PhD students, and over 185 scholars across all levels. He is the recipient of awards from prestigious organizations, including: the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, National Academy of Sciences (US), Asian Federation of Biotechnology (Japan), President’s International Fellowship Initiative–Chinese Academy of Sciences, Medicinal Plant Networks (UK), Pakistan Academy of Sciences, NWAFU China, HEC, MOST, PBS, BSP (Pakistan), The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye, and Mevlana Exchange Program (Türkiye). His honours include: Honorary Professorship in China and Uzbekistan, Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (Pakistan’s Highest Civil Award). He is ranked among the top 2% scientists in the world (US).

Ali is the honorary chief scientist and advisor of the Pothikrit Institute of Health Studies (PIHS) in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and the chair of Pothikrit Foundation, a PIHS parent nonprofit organisation working for socioeconomic development and liberal cultural environment. He earned his PhD in 1990 from Uppsala University, Sweden. He was a professor of medical biochemistry and cell biology in institutes at Dhaka University, vice-chancellor at Bangladesh University of Health Sciences, president of the Bangladesh Society of Medical Biochemists, secretary-general of the Bangladesh Endocrine Society, a public health advisor of the government during COVID-19 pandemic, and a reviewer-designer of the 4th and 5th health sector programmes. As a short-term consultant, he has served various organizations like WHO, UNICEF, and USID. He is now an expert member of the Primary Health Care Forum of WHO-SEARO, and a distinguished visiting scientist of COMSTECH-OIC. He has been honoured by organizations like the Bangladesh Academy of Sciences, Islamic World Academy of Sciences, Indian Public Health Association, and Indian Association for the Study of Asian Traditional Medicine.

Aris is a senior professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Technology, Universiti Putra Malaysia. His research focuses on hydrochemistry, environmental chemistry, and environmental forensics—with special emphasis on the development of analytical methods and the identification, behaviour, remediation, and health implications of metals and emerging pollutants in the environment. In recognition of his contributions, he has received numerous awards, including Malaysia Scopus Research Excellence Awards (Groundbreaking Contributions) 2024 and Malaysia Winner for ASPIRE - APEC Science Prize for Innovation, Research, and Education (2022, 2019). His pioneering work has shaped environmental policies and guidelines both at national and international level, in areas related to water quality, public health, and environmental forensics. Zaharin leads multidisciplinary research initiatives and environmental translational research, working closely with policymakers to turn scientific findings into outcomes through public engagement. He also serves actively as an advisor, chair, and member of various governmental and private-sector committees at local and international levels.

Aziz is a professor at the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University—which he chaired from 2016–2021, and the head of MARC Bioscience Research Laboratories in Giza, Egypt. From 2021–2024, he has directed the Microbiology and Immunology Research Programme at the Children’s Cancer Hospital of Egypt. In 2005, he received his PhD in microbiology and immunology from the University of Tennessee, Health Science Center in Memphis, and carried out postdoctoral research at the University of Chicago, San Diego State University, and UCSD (2008–2013). He collaborates with the Argonne National Laboratory. His research spans microbiology and immunology, genomics of microbial pathogens and phages, and microbiomics. He is a pioneer of pharmacomicrobiomics, a discipline that studies drug-microbiome interactions. He has published more than 120 peer-reviewed articles, a book, nine book sections, and is maintaining two bioinformatics databases. His work has been nationally and internationally acknowledged through awards from TWAS, COMSTECH, and Shoman Awards. He is ranked among the 1% most productive authors in the SCOPUS database (based on c-score).

Bansal earned his PhD in 1988 from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), India, and carried out his postdoctorate at Harvard University (US), in 1992. He is adjunct professor at the Centre for Crop and Food Innovation, Murdoch University, in Perth, Australia, and serves on the board of directors of the Global Plant Council, the board of trustees of the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation, Chennai, and the research advisory council of IARI, New Delhi. He is the first recipient of the Norman Borlaug Chair, in 2010. He served as elected secretary of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, India from 2021 to 2023, as the director of the premier ICAR institute, National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, Department of Agricultural Research and Education, Government of India, New Delhi from 2010–2016, and as elected vice-chair from Asia for the 15th regular session of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture of the United Nations (2013–2015). He played a visionary and key role in formulating the World Bank project on National Agricultural Higher Education, which has been implemented across 75 agricultural universities in the country, since 2017.

Bello Pérez has a strong academic foundation in computer science, complemented by doctoral studies in mathematics. A member of the Cuban Academy of Sciences, Bello Pérez serves as a faculty member in the Department of Computer Sciences, where they lead the PhD Programme in computer sciences and informatics. He teaches courses in artificial intelligence (AI) at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and has authored over 300 scientific papers published in national and international journals, as well as several books. Their ongoing research focuses on advancing the field of AI, with current interests focused on explainable AI (XAI), responsible AI, and other emerging AI methodologies.

Besada Pérez is a professor and coordinator of master's degree courses in mass spectrometry, biochemistry and proteomics at University of Havana and the Technological University Jose Antonio Echeverria. He earned a PhD in 1995 from the University of Havana, with a thesis on Characterization of recombinant proteins by mass spectrometry. Recently, he was involved in the characterization of the Cuban COVID-19 vaccines. He has organized international meetings, courses and workshops in Cuba. He collaborates with laboratories in Europe, Asia and South America, has co-authored more than 100 publications, and is the owner of more than 10 patents. His work has also supported projects at major Cuban biotechnological institutions like the Centre for Neurosciences of Cuba, National Centre for Scientific Research, National Centre for Bioproducts, University of Havana, Centre for Engineering and Industrial Development, Institute of Pharmacy and Food, and Institute of Agricultural and Forestry Development. He has been awarded almost 15 times by the Cuban Academy of Science, and has received the Carlos J. Finlay Medal (2016), Order Lázaro Peña (first level) and the Hombres de Ciencia Medal.

Bin Abdul Rahman is a senior professor of chemistry at Universiti Putra Malaysia, who was appointed as a distinguished visiting scholar at the University of California, Berkeley. He received his PhD in catalysis chemistry (at Southampton University) and was a post-doctoral Fellow in structural biology (Edinburgh University). He has secured more than 32 million Malaysian Ringgit worth of research grants worldwide in biocatalysis, computational chemistry and nanodelivery. Additionally he has published more than 300 papers, presented over 450 papers, graduated more than 80 postgraduates. To his credit he also more than 25 patents and more than 100 awards. He has received recognitions as a young scientist from international bodies and was named the Face of Science at Malaysia for his contribution to engaging youth in science. He was the founding chairman of the Malaysian Young Scientists Network and held positions like deanship and directorship at various institutions. He is currently the chair of ISTIC-UNESCO governing board, and coordinates and mentors in professional academic training, and in STEM and sustainability outreach activities nationwide and globally.

Boldrin Zanoni is a full professor at the Institute of Chemistry, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Araraquara, Brazil. She earned her master’s degree and PhD in chemical sciences from the University of São Paulo in 1985 and 1989, respectively, specializing in environmental electrochemistry. She completed her postdoctoral fellowships in chemistry at the University of Loughborough, UK (1992–1994), and the University of Wisconsin, Madison, US (2002), and was an academic visitor at Oxford University, in 2008. From 2010 to 2018, she served as an advisor for research development at UNESP. She is a member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences and the Brazilian Academy of the State of São Paulo. Since 2021, she has served as vice-president for graduate studies at UNESP. Throughout her career, she has received numerous awards and honours that confirm her outstanding contributions to chemistry. Her scientific expertise includes the detection and treatment of micropollutants and CO₂ reduction. To date, she has supervised more than 75 master’s, PhD, and postdoctoral researchers, and has published 321 papers, 5 books, and 14 book chapters.

Carlini earned her PhD from the Federal University of São Paulo, Brazil, in 1985. She was appointed professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, and was a senior researcher at the Brain Institute of the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul. After her retirement, in 2022, she worked as an invited professor at UFRGS and the Federal University of Health Sciences, Porto Alegre. She is a member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences and a research productivity fellow of the Brazilian CNPq. Carlini was a pioneer in proving the non-enzymatic properties of ureases, including their insecticidal, antifungal, and pro-inflammatory, and neurotoxic effects in rodents. Now, she studies how the ureases produced by Helicobacter pylori and Proteus mirabilis might contribute to the onset of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. She was a referee for more than 60 international journals, science and technology funding agencies, and a member of the editorial board of Toxicon for 20 years, section editor of the Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research. Since 2020, she is an executive editor of Current Neuropharmacology.

Chakravortty is a professor in the Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore, India. Dipshikha received her PhD from the DBT-National Center of Cell, Pune in 1999. She worked at Aichi University, Japan, and later received a Humboldt Fellowship to work at Friedrich Alexander University, Germany. Her research focuses on molecular pathogenesis, infectious diseases, vaccine development and novel delivery systems. She has received many awards, including Prof. Rustom Choksi Award for Excellence in Research in Science/Engineering, DAE Outstanding Investigator award, Astra Chair Professorship, DBT-National Bioscience Award, NASI-Reliance Industries Platinum Jubilee award, Tata Innovation Fellowship, P.A. Kurup Endowment Award by the Society of Biological Chemists (India), Yogmaya Devi Award for Research in Biomedical Science for outstanding work, S.K Chatterjee Award of IIT. She is a Fellow of the National Academy of Science, India, Indian National Science Academy, Delhi, and Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore. To date, she has mentored 28 PhD students, who are now reputed faculty members.

Chaudhuri is a K.N. Bajaj chair professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay. He earned his Bachelor of Technology in electronics and communication engineering at IIT Kharagpur (1985), his Master of Science at the University of Calgar (1987) and his PhD (1990), both in electrical engineering, at the University of California, San Diego. For his research excellence, he has received major national awards including the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, Swarnajayanti Fellowship, J.C. Bose National Fellowship, G.D. Birla Award and the NASI-Reliance Award. Chaudhuri was honoured with the title of TUM Ambassador by Technical University Munich, Germany. He is a Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy, Indian Academy of Sciences, Indian National Academy of Engineering, National Academy of Science India, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (US). He has been recognized as a distinguished alumnus of IIT Kharagpur and UCSD. He has received a Doctor of Science degree (honoris causa) by Burdwan University. His areas of research include computer vision, machine learning and computational haptics.

Dajani is currently a Yidan Global Fellow at Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a professor of molecular biology at the Hashemite University, in Jordan. Her area of expertise is epigenetics and biomarkers of trauma among refugees. Through her leadership, she has introduced national and regional stem cell laws and presided over numerous scientific boards and United Nations councils, most recently as the president of the Society for the Advancement of Science and Technology in the Arab World. She has held visiting professor positions at Harvard, Yale, MIT, Jepson School of Leadership and Cambridge, and is an advocate for building indigenous research capabilities in the developing world, and for creating a mentoring programme to support women scholars in STEM that was recognized by the National Academy of Sciences. Rana is a social entrepreneur and a global thought leader. She is the founder of We Love Reading, a grassroots initiative to create changemakers in underserved communities by fostering a lifelong love of reading. A recipient of the UNESCO International Literacy Prize, We Love Reading has established more than 8,000 locally run libraries in over 70 countries.

Dellagostin obtained his PhD in 1995, from the University of Surrey (UK), and is now full professor of biotechnology at the Federal University of Pelotas, Brazil. His research focuses on the development of recombinant vaccines and biotechnological innovations for the prevention of infectious diseases in animals. He has trained numerous Master of Science and PhD students and led high-impact research projects. He is currently president of the Research Foundation of the State of Rio Grande do Sul and chair of the board of directors of the Centre for Strategic Studies and Management. He served two terms as president of the Brazilian National Council of State Research Funding Agencies, where he played a leading role in shaping public policy for science, technology and innovation in Brazil. He has represented Brazil in international scientific partnerships and serves on advisory boards and evaluation committees nationally and abroad. In 2018, he was elected to the Brazilian Academy of Science for his contributions to science and policy in Latin America.

Drissi is a Moroccan African scientist who has made significant achievements in quantum science, exploring critical phases of matter and quantum fields with a focus on nanostructures for advanced energy, environment, health, and spintronics applications. A resident member of the prestigious Hassan II Academy of Science and Technology, she leads African efforts in advanced materials and physics education reform, chairing an African nanotech network and representing Morocco in the African Strategy for Fundamental and Applied Physics. Drissi is deeply engaged in mentoring, teaching, and coordinating degree programmes, and in the organization of high-impact scientific events. As lead coordinator of Morocco’s Falling Walls Lab, she empowers young Moroccan innovators. Her research work has earned national honors, besides international awards, including membership at the International Centre of Theoretical Physics in Italy, membership in the Arab-German Young Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Germany, the Georg Forster Research award by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, and the Guardian of Sciences award for a research security tour with Harvard University.

Eleuch is a professor of physics and a leader of the quantum information, quantum simulation, and quantum processing research group at the University of Sharjah, UAE. He received his PhD in quantum physics in 1998, from Kastler Brossel Laboratory at the École Normale Supérieure and the University Pierre and Marie Curie (Paris), France. He has visited and worked at several prestigious institutions such as Texas A&M University, Max Planck Institute, Princeton University, McGill University, the University of Auckland, and the University of Montreal. Eleuch has authored more than 300 papers and holds 19 US patents. He has received fellowships from the Fulbright Foundation, the Max Planck Society, and the International Center for Theoretical Physics. He is a Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences, a member of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Honor Society (US), and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Academy of Scientists. He has been ranked among the top 2% of scientists, according to Stanford University's rankings, both in career-long and annual categorises, since 2019. In 2024, he received the Abdul Hameed Shoman Prize for Arab Researchers in Science.

Ezzinbi is a Moroccan scholar whose research focuses on differential equations and dynamical systems. He works in the laboratory of mathematics and population dynamics of the Faculty of Sciences Semlalia, Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakech, Morocco. He earned his PhD in partial functional differential equations in 1997, at Cadi Ayyad University. His current areas of interest cover differential equations, dynamical systems, evolution equations, partial functional differential equations, operator theory, and control theory. His works have inspired many researchers and influenced many publications worldwide. Ezzinbi wrote more than 250 papers that were published in well-established journals, two books and several chapters. He has been a visiting professor at numerous universities in Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. He is leading several groups at many universities in Africa. He has supervised more than 40 PhD students, many of them in countries including Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, China, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, Tchad, and Tunisia. He has been elected a member of the African Academy of Sciences in 2009.

Fan is a K.C. Wong Chair professor, new cornerstone investigator and dean in the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and the executive dean of the National Center for Translational Medicine. He is a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Royal Society of Chemistry, American Institute of Medical and biological Engineering, and International Society of Electrochemistry. He is an associate editor of JACS Au, and serves as a co-chair in the editorial board of ChemPlusChem and as an editorial board member of more than 10 journals including Angewadte Chemie, Accounts of Chemical Research and American Chemical Society Nano.

Ghogho received his PhD in signal processing from the National Polytechnic Institute of Toulouse (1997). He was a research fellow at the University of Strathclyde (1997–2001) before joining the University of Leeds where he was promoted to full professor and head of the Signal Processing and Communications Group, in 2008. In 2010, still affiliated with the University of Leeds, he joined the International University of Rabat where he served as ICT research drector and dean of the College of Doctoral Studies. In March 2025, he joined the College of Computing at Mohammed VI Polytechnic University. He is a recipient of prestigious awards, including the Royal Academy of Engineering Fellowship (2000), IBM Faculty Award (2013), and was elected a Fellow of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (2018), and American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (2021). His work focuses on machine learning and statistical signal processing, with applications in wireless communications, robotics, cybersecurity, and healthcare. He has published over 450 papers, supervised over 50 PhD students, and led over 20 research projects, serving as editor for many journals.

Goodman has been studying different aspects of the Malagasy fauna for more than three decades, focusing in particular on mammals and birds, publishing more than 700 scientific articles and books on different subjects, most of them centered on the island’s fauna. He holds the post of MacArthur Field Biologist at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago and is the vice-president of the Association Vahatra in Antananarivo, of which he is one of the founding members. Goodman earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan, his PhD from the University of Hamburg, and his habilitation from the University of Paris. He has worked on Madagascar’s fauna for close to 40 years, living on the island during most of the past 35 years. Goodman has received numerous international awards for his research and conservation related work. In recognition of his work, the University of Antananarivo awarded him an honorary doctorate (Doctor Honoris Causa).

Hasna earned a PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities (2003) and has over than 25 years of academic experience. At Qatar University, he served as head of Electrical Engineering Department, dean of College of Engineering, and vice-president and chief academic officer. Hasna was a founding member of the Society of Qatari Engineers, IEEE Qatar section, and co-established the Qatar Mobility Innovation Center at Qatar Science and Technology Park. As a prolific researcher, he has published more than 250 publications with a total of over 10,000 citations. He was the first from Qatar to be included in Thomson Reuters' highly-cited list of researchers, in 2015. His research focuses on wireless communication, including a project with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to establish an affordable network connecting the Comoros Islands. Hasna serves on senior committees: the National Education Excellence Award's Board of Trustees and the Energy and Industry Qatarization Awards Advisory Committee. He represents Qatar in the Arabian Gulf University's Board of Trustees since 2014.

He is a professor at the Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). He earned his Master of Science degree in plant genetics and breeding and completed his PhD in plant pathology at Zhejiang University (formerly Zhejiang Agriculture University). Following his graduate studies, he pursued postdoctoral research with the Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology laboratory at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, and the Department of Plant Pathology, at the University of California, Davis. In December 2000, he was appointed as a full professor and principal investigator at the Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, CAS. His research focuses on understanding the mechanisms of disease resistance to ensure better crop production, while reducing the use of fungicides and promoting environmentally friendly agriculture. His research interests include functional genomics, mechanisms and application of plant disease resistance, in particular broad-spectrum disease resistance genes, and the cross-talk between plant defense and growth/yield.

Ibrahim is a senior professor and former dean of the Faculty of Design and Architecture, at Universiti Putra Malaysia. A Stanford University alumna, she is a design scientist and a Fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia. She leads the Built Environment and Life (BE-Life) informatics research group, which focuses on innovating products and processes that preserve and enhance the human cultural behavior. Her research expands her doctoral work on discontinuity in organizations beyond property development, applying it to broader societal and environmental challenges. A strong advocate for integrating local traditional knowledge into modern technology and product development, she emphasizes the value of cultural context in innovation. Her transdisciplinary and translational research approaches have led to numerous award-winning inventions that serve vulnerable communities. Notably, the United Nations recognized her work on the ISTP wastewater treatment system as an SDG Good Practice project. Ibrahim is currently a distinguished professor at the Purple Pottery College (formerly the Faculty of Arts), Honghe University, Yunnan Province, China.

Jagessar obtained his Bachelor of Science with distinction in chemistry–biology from the University of Guyana (1992) and his PhD from Oxford University, UK (1995). He served as an assistant lecturer at the University of Guyana, from 1991 to 1992. From 1996 to 1999, he held three postdoctoral research fellowships: at the University of South Carolina, Columbia, and Wichita State University, Kansas (both in US), and at the University of the West Indies. In 2022, he also earned a Diploma in Education (DiPEd) with distinction in higher education from the University of Guyana. Jagessar has received several international honours: he was designated a chartered chemist, and elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK). He is also a recipient of the Guyana Innovation Prize and a Fellow of the Caribbean Academy of Sciences. His research interests span pure and applied chemistry, chemical biology, and pharmaceutical chemistry. He has published over 100 research articles, five book chapters, one book, three e-books, and has presented at over 100 conferences locally, regionally, and internationally.

Jia is a chair professor and vice-dean of the School of Physics and Astronomy at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and acting vice-president of the Southern University of Science and Technology. He graduated in 1987 and received his PhD in condensed matter physics in 1992, both from from Peking University. In 2021, he was elected as an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Jia is an experimental physicist specializing in condensed matter physics. His main research interests include topological superconductors, quantum materials, and quantum phenomena in nanostructures. He has authored more than 340 scientific papers, including 6 in Science, 3 in Nature, 4 in Nature Physics, 3 in Nature Materials, and 30 in Physical Review Letters, with over 24,000 citations. He has received numerous honors, including the National Prize for Advancement in Natural Science (second class, 2004), the National Prize for Advancement in Natural Science (second class, 2011), the Group Award for Outstanding Science and Technology Achievement from the Qiu Shi Science and Technologies Foundation of Hong Kong (2011), and the National Prize for Advancement in Natural Science (second class, 2019).

Joshi is an agricultural scientist with a PhD in agricultural science earned in Japan, and over 25 years of experience in the field. He has been at the forefront of agrobiodiversity conservation, developing and promoting more than 100 innovative methods and best practices for managing agrobiodiversity. His interventions comprise crops, livestock, forages, agro-insects, agro-microbes, and aquatic agricultural genetic resources. His pioneering efforts include genetic enhancement of landraces, biotechnology applications, GIS, climate analog tools, participatory and evolutionary plant breeding, and agricultural policy development. Joshi has published more than 600 articles, edited 25 books, and served as editor-in-chief for two scientific journals. He has taught plant breeding, genetics, biotechnology, and statistics at various universities and was a resource person in international training. He received 12 awards and serves as president of the Plant Breeding and Genetic Society of Nepal. A life member of many scientific organizations, his motto is to make agricultural genetic resources competent and dynamic, emphasizing ecological yield, food health index, and ecological agriculture.

Karimipour began his studies in electrical engineering before switching to physics and earning his PhD from Sharif University of Technology, where he has been a faculty member since 1993, and is now a physics professor. His early research focused on quantum groups and integrable models, later expanding to exactly solvable models in statistical mechanics, particularly reaction-diffusion systems. As a contribution to this field, he developed an algebraic model for particles overtaking each other in a line and related it to traffic flow. Since 2001, he works in quantum computation and quantum information, mentoring many students who now work in Iran and abroad. His work covers various areas of quantum information theory, and is restricted to formal and mathematical aspects, like entanglement theory, and capacity of quantum channels. He was a regular associate of ICTP (1998–2013) and a Simons Associate (2015–2023). He served on the editorial board of the European Physical Journal D (2019–2024) and was named an outstanding referee by the American Physical Society, in 2013. Since 2007, he co-founded and co-organized the biennial IICQI conference series and contributed to ICTP schools.

Khakhar is currently an emeritus Fellow in chemical engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. His research interests include the mechanics of granular materials and polymer processing, all fields where he has currently published more than 150 papers. For his research achievements, he has received several national awards, including the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize (1997), the Swarnajayanti Fellowship (1998) and the J. C. Bose Fellowship (2010). Khakhar is also a recipient of IIT Bombay's Excellence in Teaching Award, and the Mathur Award for Research Excellence. He is a Fellow of all three science academies of India and the Indian National Academy of Engineering, and currently the Indian National Academy of Engineering chair professor. From January 2009 to April 2019, Khakhar served as the director of IIT Bombay. He has been a member of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board since 2011, and currently serves on the Governing Body of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. He is also the chairman of the governing board of the Technology Information Forecasting and Assessment Council, the Department of Science and Technology and the Bose Institute, Kolkata.

Khan serves as vice-chancellor, University of Shangla, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. He remained as chairman, Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of Peshawar (UOP), Pakistan, as vice-chancellor of Kohat University of Science and Technology, and director, Directorate of Advanced Studies at UOP. He also holds adjunct positions at Hunan Agricultural University, China and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He was elected a Fellow of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences (2021). He has authored over 200 peer-reviewed research papers, with an impact factor exceeding 960, and a total citation count of 25,325. His current h-index is 71. He has published 1 book and 6 international book chapters, and supervised 35 PhD and 28 Master of Philosophy students. Khan has developed and patented a biochar-based organic fertilizer, and successfully recovered high-purity food-grade calcium carbonate from marble waste, for which he received a patent from the Intellectual Property Organization of Pakistan. He earned many awards, including the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, the Gold Medal from Pakistan Academy of Sciences, the Young International Scientist Award, and the Best University Teacher Award.

Knobel serves as executive director of TWAS, a position he assumed in December 2024. A distinguished physicist and science advocate, Knobel brings more than three decades of experience in higher education leadership, scientific research, and science communication. He previously served as rector of the University of Campinas (Unicamp) in Brazil from 2017 to 2021, where he has been a faculty member for 30 years. With more than 300 scientific publications and numerous prestigious awards—including Brazil's most distinguished science and technology honour—Knobel is internationally recognized for his contributions to physics research, educational innovation, and science popularization. For his contributions he has received prestigious awards, including the 2022 CBMM Prize on Science and Technology (Brazil's most prestigious science and technology award), the 2019 José Reis Science Popularization Prize, and the 2013 Peter Muranyí Prize in Education. He is a Commander of the Order of Scientific Merit (Brazil) and holds a Doctor Honoris Causa from Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, Plurinational State of Bolivia.

Kulkarni earned his PhD from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore in 1992, where he also conducted postdoctoral research. He moved to Cardiff University to work on a project funded by Unilever. In 1995, he joined the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) as a faculty Fellow, serving there as a professor since 2008. Until 2011, he chaired the Materials Science Unit at JNCASR and held key administrative roles including dean of academic affairs and dean of faculty affairs. He later joined the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS) as its director. In 2020, he returned to JNCASR as president, while continuing to serve as an adjunct professor at CeNS. Kulkarni has been a visiting scientist and professor at several prestigious institutions, including Cardiff University, the University of Tokyo, TASC-INFM in Trieste, Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa, Purdue University, and the Institute of Molecular Sciences of Orsay at Université Paris-Sud. He also served as an adjunct professor at the Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University (2009–2011), and held an international senior fellowship from the University of Bayreuth (2016–2018).

Lewis is the dean of the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment at the University of Cape Town (UCT), where she previously served as head of the Department of Chemical Engineering. She is the first woman to hold the position of dean in the faculty's history. She holds a Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, and a PhD in chemical engineering, all from the University of Cape Town. During her academic career, she has supervised more than 200 master’s, PhD, and honours students. In addition, she is the co-author of more 160 peer-reviewed scientific articles. Lewis is a registered professional engineer (PrEng), an international member of the US National Academy of Engineering—one of only five African members—and a Fellow of both the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) and the UCT College of Fellows.Her many accolades include the Distinguished Woman Scientist award from South Africa’s Ministry of Science and Technology (receive in 2012 and 2015), the Rockefeller Fellowship (2018), and the Water Research Commission Legends Award (2021).

Maji is a professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore, India. He earned his PhD from the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, in Kolkata (2002). His research focuses on the design and functionalization of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and porous organic polymers (POPs), of which he explores the applications in energy storage and conversion, and cost-effective adsorptive separation and purification of feedstocks. He developed MOFs and POPs for CO2 capture, and photo and electrocatalytic conversion of CO2 to fuels and green H2 production by water splitting. His research also extends to metal-organic “soft” materials for catalysis and optoelectronics, and his achievements are well reflected in the more than 285 publications to his credit. Maji is a recipient of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in chemical sciences (2019), the Scopus Young Scientist Award, and the Senior Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship (Germany). His accolades include the Bronze Medal from the Chemical Research Society of India and the Materials Research Society of India. He is a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences and the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Michel López’s distinguished career reflects a profound commitment to academic research, teaching, and cultural heritage preservation. He founded Bolivia’s first salvage archaeology company, Empresa Consultora de Arqueología ECOAR and possesses extensive knowledge of Bolivia’s protected areas. From 2005 to 2011, as the director of the Institute of Anthropological and Archaeological Research at San Andrés University in La Paz, he spearheaded groundbreaking research and mentored future generations of scholars. His dedication to education has enriched academic discourse, ensuring the transmission of knowledge. From 2011 to 2015, as director-general of the Cultural Heritage at Bolivia’s Ministry of Cultures and Tourism, he led initiatives that secured UNESCO’s World Heritage status for the Ichapekene Piesta of San Ignacio de Moxos (2012), the Qhapaq Ñan (Andean Road System) and the intangible heritage of the Pujllay Ayarichi (2014). He also championed Bolivia’s Cultural Heritage Law (530), enacted in 2014. His academic contributions span diverse topics, including the pre-Columbian settlement of Tarija, ancient hydraulic systems in Beni, and the Inca conquest of Bolivia.

Morshed is a leading authority in microbiology, specializing in zoonotic and vector-borne diseases, diagnostic microbiology and public health. With over 150 scientific publications and $20 million in research funding, he has addressed a broad range of topics, including SARS-CoV-2, and syphilis. His career began at the Teknaf Dysentery Project, where he established a microbiology laboratory in a remote, power-deprived area using innovative methods. He helped establish microbiology labs in Dhaka Children Hospital and Jahangirnagar University, which later was turned into a full department. Before moving to Canada, he pursued a PhD in Japan. He has been a key scientist at the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control and University of British Columbia, mentoring students and managing outbreaks like SARS-CoV-2 and West Nile Virus. He has delivered over 50 international lectures. His accolades include UBC’s Excellence in Education (2023), the Distinguished Microbiologist Award (2018), Top 25 Canadian Immigrants People’s Choice Award (2017) and Excellence in Clinical Services Award from UBC (2016). Morshed’s contributions highlight resilience and dedication in public health.