Williams (PhD, 1972, University of La Plata, Argentina) is Researcher of the National Research Council (CONICET) since 1977, in the field of thermosetting polymers. Co-author of 2 books, 17 book chapters and 233 scientific articles. He gave opening, plenary and keynote lectures in international symposia held in the Americas and Europe. He was Professor at the Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Mar del Plata (1976-2016). He was organizer (1982) and first director (1982-86, 1988-94) of the Institute of Materials Science and Technology (INTEMA). Member of the Directory Board of CONICET (1997-99). He is Fellow of the National Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences (ANCEFN, Argentina), since 2009, President of the Engineering Section (2012-16) and President of the Academy since 2016. In 2011, he received the Presidential Award (Investigador de la Nación), the maximum distinction given to a scientist in Argentina.

Zaritzky has received the degree of Chemical Engineer, Faculty of Engineering, University of La Plata, (UNLP) Argentina in 1971 and PhD degree in Chemical Sciences from the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences (University of Buenos Aires, Argentina), in 1984. She has carried out an extensive original work of scientific research and technological development in Food and Environmental Engineering, and is internationally considered among the core of recognized specialists, reaching the highest research category in Argentina (Superior Researcher of the Scientific and Technological National Research Council, CONICET). Full Professor of Transport Phenomena- Chemical Engineering Department - UNLP, she also specialized in Food Preservation. Professor Emeritus since 2016, Zaritzky has focused her research interests in the application of Chemical Engineering principles to the design and optimization of food processing and preservation, and waste-water treatments. Author of 247 publications in international peer-reviewed journals and 50 book chapters, she has also 6 approved patents. She participated in more than 70 technical works contributing to technology transfer.

Benmouna was educated at the Univ. of Algiers, School of Engineering, Paris, the Univ. of Michigan and the Univ. of Strasbourg (PhD, 1984). He is professor of physics at the University of Tlemcen in Algeria, and co-director of the Laboratoire International Associé of the Université des Science et Technologies de Lille in France and the Université de Tlemcen in Algeria. His previous positions include visiting professorships at: Max-Planck-Institut für Polymerforschung in Mainz; universities of Lille, Dunkerque, East Anglia, Tulane; Food Research Inst.; Univ. of Konstanz; Centre de Recherche sur les Macromolécules Végétales in Grenoble; Natl. Inst. of Science and Technology in Gaithersburg, Maryland and Ctr. de Recherche sur les Macromolécules, Strasbourg. His membership includes the Académie FrancoPhone d’Ingénieurs, UNESCO, New York Academy of Sciences and the African Academy of Sciences.

Djeffal is professor, University of Batna-2, Batna, Algeria. His contributions to materials science, solid-state devices and artificial intelligence (AI) have gained substantial research acclaim in the field of electronic device modeling and fabrication, specifically in the area of development of new high-performance and low cost microelectronic devices for renewable energy and environmental sensing applications, as evidenced by the number of citations for his published papers in a short span of time. In the context of microelectronic devices for renewable energy and environmental sensing applications, Djeffal has successfully developed new approaches and design techniques of microelectronic devices using soft-computing and AI-based methods. These approaches are now widely used by several scientific centers. He has published more than 300 journal articles and conference papers and is the author of some books and book-chapters in the field of photovoltaic devices/environmental sensors and soft-computing. Member of the African Academy of Sciences, he has received the Shoman Award for Arab Researchers, Africa Award for Young Researchers and Microsoft-TWAS-AAS Award, among others.