Silva-Filho earned his PhD in 1994 from the University of Louvain, Belgium. He is a professor of genetics at the Luiz de Queiroz School of Agriculture, University of São Paulo (USP), Brazil, and a former director of international relations and graduate programs at the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES), the Brazilian federal agency responsible for supporting and evaluating graduate education. He also served as dean of graduate studies at USP, and currently serves as scientific director of the São Paulo Research Foundation. His honors include the National Order of Scientific Merit, Commander Class. He is a member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, the São Paulo Academy of Sciences, and a Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society. As a leading scientist in plant genetics, particularly in plant–multitrophic interactions, he has made groundbreaking contributions to elucidating the complex relationships among plants, herbivorous insects, and fungal pathogens from a holistic perspective. His pioneering work has demonstrated how fungal phytopathogens manipulate plants, their primary insect pests, and their microbiomes to enhance their transmission.

Simis is an emeritus full professor at the Federal U. of Pernambuco, Brazil. He is a First Class research grant recipient from the Brazilian Research Council. He earned his PhD from Queen's U., Canada. In Brazil, he was a professor at IMPA in Rio de Janeiro until 1980. He was president of the Brazilian Mathematical Society and has been a member, on several occasions, of international commissions of the IMU and TWAS. He has been director of 3 workshops in his field at the ICTP. He is a recipient of the Natl. Medal Grã-Cruz for Scientific Merit, Min. of Science and Technology, and was a JS Guggenheim Fellow. He has been awarded other fellowships from the Max-Planck-Institut, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and the Istituto Nazionale di Alta Matematica. He is a member of the Brazilian Acad. of Sciences and serves on several committees in Brazil. His mathematical work concerns the interlacing of commutative algebra and algebraic geometry.

Soares is a senior researcher at the Gonçalo Moniz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, and a full professor at Senai Cimatec in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. She earned her Bachelor of Science in genetics and her PhD in immunology from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, completing a visiting fellowship at Harvard University. She is a senior research Fellow of the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development, a member of the Academy of Sciences of Bahia, and the Brazilian Academy of Sciences. Her research focuses on translational medicine, with the goal of developing new diagnostic tools, therapeutic drugs, and advanced therapeutic products. Her work primarily targets neglected and unmet medical needs, including Chagas disease, leishmaniasis, and spinal cord injury. A pioneer in the field of ATMPs in Brazil, Soares was an expert advisor with the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency and the Ministry of Health. In her career, she has led collaborative research with national and international institutions, mentoring a new generation of researchers and health professionals, making a significant contribution to scientific capacity-building in Brazil.

Souza Filho was born in 1975, in Jucás, Brazil, and received his doctorate in physics from the Federal University of Ceará (UFC), Fortaleza, Brazil, in 2001. In 2000, he joined the group of Prof. Mildred Dresselhaus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a PhD visiting student, where he worked on single carbon nanotube resonance Raman spectroscopy. He has authored and co-authored about 270 papers in refereed international journals including review articles, book chapters, and books. He is currently a full professor of physics at the Federal University of Ceará, Brazil. He was one of the recipients of the 2009 Sômiya Prize awarded by the International Union of Materials Research Societies (IUMRS) and elected fellow of the Brazilian Academy of Science in 2018. His main research interests are the electronic and optical properties of nanomaterials with emphasis on carbon nanostructures.

Teixeira graduated in biological sciences, and obtained a MS degree in molecular biology at University of Brasília (1986). She received her PhD in Biochemistry in 1990 from the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, and did postdoctoral training on molecular parasitology at the University of Iowa, in the US. In 1997, she became an Assistant Professor at the Department of Biochemistry and Immunology of the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, where she became a Full Professor in 2013. In 2005, she was awarded an international grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. She acted as Vice-Head and Head of the Department of Biochemistry and Immunology at UFMG and President of the Brazilian Society of Protozoology (SBPz). She also acted as Head of the Centre for Vaccine Technology at UFMG (CTVacinas) where she is currently Vice-Director. For more than 30 years, she has studied genome, gene expression and host-parasites interactions involving Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania species with the aim of developing new treatments and methods to control Chagas disease and leishmaniasis.

Teixeira (MD) is full professor at the Department of Biochemistry and Immunology at the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG). He obtained his PhD in 1994 at the National Heart and Lung Institute, University of London. He was president of the Brazilian Society of Pharmacology (SBFTE, 2011-14) and Inflammation (SBIN, 2018-20). Member of the Brazilian Academy of Science and Commander of the National Order of Scientific Merit. He is currently President of the International Association of Inflammation Societies (IAIS, 2023-2026). Teixeira demonstrated the crucial role of the microbiota and microbial-derived products in controlling inflammatory and behavioural responses, and the relevance of inflammation in mediating tissue damage and lethality during infectious diseases, especially arboviral infections. This knowledge has led to mechanistic molecular studies which have led to new targets for anti-inflammatory drug development, specially for the induction of the resolution of inflammation. He has participated actively in clinical studies which led to the approval of vaccines for COVID-19, Dengue and Chikungunya.

Tenenblat obtained her MSc (1969) at the Univ. of Michigan and PhD (1972) at the Instituto de Matemática Pura e Aplicada, Rio de Janeiro. She has served in various capacities at the Univ. de Brasilia, Brazilian Mathematical Society, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Science and Technology (Brazil) and other organizations and committees. She is professor emeritus of mathematics at the Univ. de Brasilia. An expert in differential geometry, she has advanced understanding of the interaction between differential geometry and partial differential equations. With S.S. Chern and other collaborators, she helped develop the classification of systems of differential equations that describe pseudo-spherical surfaces. Her membership includes: Brazilian Mathematical Society; American Mathematical Society; Brazilian Academy of Science; and Brazilian Society for the Advancement of Science. She received the Comendador de Ordem Nacional do Merito Cientifico from the President of Brazil in 1996.

Tenório de Carvalho earned his PhD from Paris Dauphine University, in 1992, and is now a full professor at the Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil. He received the Scientific Merit Award from the Brazilian Computer Society in 2021, and is now classified as a level 1A researcher—the highest category—by the Brazilian National Research Council. He is a Fellow of the following institutions: Science Academy of the State of Pernambuco-APC, Brazil (2020), Brazilian Academy of Sciences (2023), Core Academy (2024), Asia-Pacific Artificial Intelligence Association (2024). He was a visiting professor at many European universities and research centres. He supervised 25 master’s and 14 doctoral theses, and authored more than 240 articles in high-impact journals and conferences. Now his h-index scores at 35 (Google Scholar), 27 (Scopus), and 24 (Web of Science). He is in the range of 2% of the most influential scientists in the world in the area of Artificial Intelligence. He is also a member of the Computer Science Advisory Committee of CNPq (2017–2020 and 2023–2026), and a member of the council of the International Association for Statistical Computing (2009–2013).

Ticianelli obtained his BSc degree in 1976 and his PhD in 1985 in Physical Chemistry at University of São Paulo. He developed his full academic carrier at the Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos (IQSC) and in November 2025 reached the category of Senior Professor. Ticianelli was head of the Department of Physical Chemistry of Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos for four years and the Director of this Institute from 2006 to 2010. He is member of the São Paulo Academy of Science and of the Brazilian Academy of Science. He collaborated in the writing of two textbooks in the Electrochemistry area. Publication of scientific research includes 270 scientific papers in journals listed in several indexing platforms. He has given several plenary conferences and has presented tenths of invited lectures and keynotes in national/international scientific meetings. He has acted as advisor for over 50 MSc and PhD theses in the Post-Graduation programmes at the Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos. He is an expert in fuel cells, particularly the proton exchange membrane alkaline and solid oxide systems.

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.

Toma is prof., Inst. of Chem., U. of Sao Paulo, Brazil. He obtained his PhD in 1974 in a program sponsored by the US Natl. Acad. of Sci. and the Conselho Nacional de Pesquisas, Brazil, under J. M. Malin and H. Taube, and postdoc, CALTECH (1979). His publ. include 360 papers and reviews in intl. j., with +6700 citations, 13 books, 25 patents. He has been responsible for the Supramolecular NanotechLab, and is head of the USP Center on Nanotech. and Nanosci.. He has advised over 60 PhD and MS theses. His honours include: Henrich-Rheinboldt Prize, 1987; TWAS Chem. Prize, 1996; Simao Mathias Medal, 1997; Guggenheim Fellow Awd., 1999; Fritz-Feigl Prize, 2001; Abrafati-Petrobras Prize, 1996; Grã-Cruz Medal, Braz. Pres. of Republic, 2006; Innovation Prize from Petrobras, 2011; Innovation Prize, Braz. Chem. Soc., 2012, Jabuti Literature Prize, 2014. He is member of the Braz. Acad. of Sci., and IUPAC.

Trindade is a full professor at the University of São Paulo, where he served as vice-director and director of the Institute of Astronomy, Geophysics and Atmospheric Sciences. He coordinates the USP-China Center, fostering institutional collaboration with Chinese partners. He holds a BSc in geology from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (1995) and a PhD in geophysics from the University of São Paulo (1999). His research focuses on rock magnetism, paleomagnetism, and archeomagnetism, with emphasis on paleoenvironmental changes throughout Earth’s history, including the Neoproterozoic-Cambrian transition, Phanerozoic biotic crises, and recent geomagnetic field behaviour across the South Atlantic Magnetic Anomaly. He authored more than 200 peer-reviewed articles, and is among Brazil’s most cited geophysicists (h-index 50 on Google Scholar). He leads major national and international projects and has supervised more than 40 graduate and postdoctoral researchers. He is a member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, Secretary of the International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy, and a voting member of the International Commission on Stratigraphy.

Nísia Trindade Lima holds a Master’s degree in Political Science (1989) and a PhD in Sociology (1997) from the University Research Institute of Rio de Janeiro, now the Institute of Social and Political Studies. Her career is rooted in the social sciences, with academic work focused on Brazilian social thought, the history of ideas in public health, the history of development in Brazil, and the history of the social sciences in health. She is the author of Um Sertão Chamado Brasil, a book based on her award-winning doctoral thesis. She is an Emeritus Researcher at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Fiocruz, and a faculty member of the Graduate Program in the History of Sciences and Health. She is also a collaborating professor in the Graduate Program in Sociology at IESP/UERJ and an Adjunct Professor of Sociology at the State University of Rio de Janeiro. She served as Brazil’s Minister of Health from January 2023 to March 2025. During her tenure, she led the institutional rebuilding of the Brazilian Unified Health System in the post-pandemic period and helped reposition Brazil as a leading actor in global health.

Tsai's research is grounded in soil microbiology and microbial ecology, a central theme guiding her career, leading to significant scientific achievements in sustainable agriculture through the management of agroecosystems using bio-inputs. Her work focuses primarily on environmental studies, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable agricultural production, as well as the development of technologies to certify the safety of agricultural products for export. Elected a full member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences and TWAS in 2018. She has authored or co-authored 277 articles in national and international journals, two books, and 26 book chapters, and is listed among the world's most influential scientists in Agricultural Sciences. She served on the Steering Committee of the Brazilian Agribusiness Fund and as member of the CNPq Committee. Recipient of the Scientific and Technological Merit Medal, USP Merit Award, Scopus-Elsevier Latin America Award, Agronomist Engineer of the Year Award , the Challenge 2050 FAO Award, Friend of the Navy Medal, recognition as one of the 100 Most Powerful Women in Agribusiness by Forbes. Formed 105 graduate students with many academic awards.

Ugarte (PhD, 1990, Université Paris-Sud) is professor, Instituto de Física Gleb Wataghin, Campinas, Brazil. His activities have been related to the experimental study of structural and electronic properties of nanoscale systems (nanoparticles, nanotubes, nanowires, etc.), using high spatial resolution techniques associated with electron microscopy. He designed and implemented the Brazilian Electron Microscopy Facility, which was opened in 1999; this microscopy lab was the seed to the subsequent creation of the Brazilian National Nanotechnology Lab in 2011. His prizes include Latsis Prize, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland; Guggenheim Fellowship, USA; Scopus Prize, Brazil; TWAS Prize in Physics. His is a member of the Brazilian science academy.

Val has been investigating environmental adaptations of fish of the Amazon, their use for food security, and fish farming for the last 40 years. He contributed to personnel training in the Amazon and headed the National Institute for Amazonian Research for 8 years. He is an accredited professor at the Graduate School of the University of Laval, Canada, and in local schools. He maintains intense international collaboration and is member of the Canadian Society of Zoology, the American Fisheries Society, the Society for Experimental Biology (UK) and of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, acting as its Vice-President for the Amazon. He was awarded: Commendation of the National Order of Scientific Merit (Class Commander, 2002, and Grand Cross Class, 2013), American Fisheries Society's Excellence Award (2004); Grand Order of Legislative Merit of the State of Amazonas (2008); Citizenship Award of the State of Amazonas (2015); the prestigious Anísio Teixeira Prize for Higher Education (2016); Fundação Bunge Lifetime Achievement Award (2023); and the Le Cren Medal of the Fisheries Society of the British Isles (FSBI, UK) (2026).

Van Sluys (PhD in genetics and microbiology, 1989) is a full professor at the Universidade de São Paulo. Her research focuses on plant-microbe interaction relevant to agriculture and the natural environment, emphasizing genome evolution and how transposable elements may account for genetic diversity. She contributed to spreading biotechnology and genomics in Brazil and supervised over 50 students working in the field, now based in Brazil or abroad. Among other activities, she also contributed to organizing the Plant Molecular Biology research community in Brazil. She published over 100 papers, attended scientific meetings as a speaker, and organized multiple symposia and conferences. Van Sluys served as life-science adjunct panel member at FAPESP (São Paulo Research Foundation) for 15 years, and at the Brazilian Research Council (CNPq) for 4 years. She served on international scientific panels, including the National Academies, USA. Van Sluys has been a member of the São Paulo Academy of Sciences (ACIESP) since 2015, presently Vice President and was elected to the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (ABC) in 2016. Acting on Strategic Committees from ABC, ACIESP, SBPC (Br) and IRD (Fr).

Vasconcelos is a senior research scientist at Brazil’s National Laboratory for Scientific Computing, the first bioinformatician to be elected to the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, a scientist of the State of Rio de Janeiro, and a Fellow of the International Society for Computational Biology. In recognition of her contributions, she has received the Medal of Academic and Scientific Merit from the Brazilian Society of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology. She coordinates the Bioinformatics Laboratory and the Computational Genomics Unit. Her research focuses on developing computational methods for analyzing high-throughput sequencing data to address challenges in genetics, with applications in human and animal health, agriculture, the environment, and biotechnology. She has mentored dozens of students and made significant contributions to the advancement of bioinformatics in Brazil and Latin America. In addition to her scientific work, she serves on the board of the Brazilian Society for the Advancement of Science and previously served as vice-president of INTERCIENCIA, an association dedicated to advancing science across the Americas.

Viana is professor of mathematics at IMPA, Rio de Janeiro, where he has been a researcher since his doctorate in 1990. He has written over eighty research papers and books, covering several topics of dynamical systems and ergodic theory, and supervised thirty six doctoral students. He was plenary speaker, International Congress of Mathematicians, Berlin, 1998; invited speaker, ICM, Zurich, 1994; plenary speaker, International Congress of Mathematical Physics, Paris, 1994; plenary speaker, Latin American Congress of Mathematicians, Córdoba, 2012. He was awarded the TWAS Award in Mathematics; Latin American Mathematical Union Award; Grand Croix of Scientific Merit, President of Brazil; Ramanujan Prize, ICTP/IMU; Grand Prix Scientifique Louis D. Institut de France. He is member of the Brazilian, Portuguese and Chilean Academies of Sciences, and was the Scientific Coordinator of the Latin American Mathematical Union (UMALCA), the president of the Brazilian Mathematical Society and a vice-president of the International Mathematical Union (IMU). He is the director of IMPA and the head organizer of the International Congress of Mathematicians ICM 2018.

Victora (MD, 1976, Rio Grande do Sul; PhD, 1983, London) is Emeritus Professor, Federal University of Pelotas, Brazil; past-president, International Epidemiological Association; member, Brazilian Academy of Science and Fellow of the Royal Society. He held honorary faculty appointments at Harvard, Oxford and Johns Hopkins Universities, and an Honoris Causa Doctorate from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. His prizes include the Gairdner Global Health Award (Canada); Carlos Slim Prize (Mexico); Conrado Wessel Prize (Brazil); and National Order of Merit Medals in Medicine and in Science (Brazil). He has conducted extensive research in maternal and child health and nutrition, birth cohort studies, inequalities in health, and on the evaluation of the impact of major global health programs in a large number of countries. He coordinates the International Center for Equity in Health, which produces disaggregated analyses of indicators on women’s and children’s health and nutrition for several international agencies. He has over 800 peer-reviewed publications and serves on the editorial boards of several journals, including The Lancet.

Villa is an Associate Professor at the Department of Radiology and Oncology of the Faculdade de Medicina of the Universidade de São Paulo (USP) and Head of the Innovation in Cancer Research of the Center for Translational Research in Oncology of the Instituto do Câncer do Estado de São Paulo (ICESP), São Paulo, Brazil. She graduated in Biological Sciences, USP and has a PhD in Sciences from the Institute of Chemistry of USP (1978). She was a researcher at the São Paulo branch of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research from 1983 to 2011, and was its director from 2006 to 2010. She is a full member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences. In 2018 she received the Biology Prize from The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) in Trieste, Italy. Her research involves studies about human papillomavirus (HPV), cervical cancer, anogenital cancer, head and neck cancer, HPV infections in women and men, prophylactic HPV vaccines. As of end-2019, she had published 334 scientific articles (h-index: WOS 60). She made more than 500 presentations as invited speaker in meetings throughout the world. She has mentored 13 MSc, 20 PhD students and 8 Pos-Doctoral fellows.

Wyse (PhD, 1995, Porto Alegre, Brazil) is full professor of Biochemistry of the Institute of Basic Health Sciences at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences. Her prizes include CAPES-Elsevier Award 2014, Pesquisador Gaúcho Award 2018 from the State Research Foundation and Scientist of the Year 2020 Award from International Achievements Research Center, USA. Her research work is focused on the neurotoxic mechanisms of homocysteine and neurometabolic and neurodegenerative diseases, as well as on neurobiology of menopause and neuroprotection, encompassing multiple experimental approach ranging from neurochemistry to behavior. Her studies have contributed to the understanding of biomolecule damage in hyperhomocysteinemic and homocystinuric patients and show potential to improve medical practice. She has published more than 400 scientific papers and has advised more than 70 masters and PhDs. Convinced that access to science and education are pillars to citizenship, she has launched a social project for underprivileged children of the public school system from the outskirts of her town, Porto Alegre. She published a book of poetry.

Zanotto holds a PhD in Glass Technology from Sheffield University, UK (1982). He is a professor of Materials Science and Engineering and director of the Center for Research, Technology and Education in Glass at UFSCar. He is interested in fundamental studies of glass crystallization and development of glass-ceramics with improved functionalities. He has published about 450 original and review papers, 30 book chapters, 2 books and has filed 29 patents. He has served as an editor of the Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids and as a board member of nine other scientific journals. He is a member of the World Academy of Ceramics, the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, the São Paulo State Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, a fellow of the SGT (UK), the American Ceramic Society, the Brazilian Ceramic Society, and TWAS. He has received over 65 awards, including the Brazilian Order of Scientific Merit, Grã-Cruz, A^3 Prize, TWAS Engineering Prize, and six important glass research awards: Zachariasen Award 1990, Gottardi Prize 1993, George W. Morey Award 2012, ICG President's Award, Cooper Lecture, Turner Lecture and S. Schooles Lecture. Zanotto is a Council of 5 institutes.

Shabani (PhD, 1986, Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium) is professor of mathematics and mathematical physics, University of Burundi (UB); president, Burundi Academy of Sciences; past vice-president, African Academy of Sciences and African Mathematical Union. He is president of the Burundi National Commission for higher education; and director of the University of Burundi Doctoral School. He was director of the UNESCO Harare Cluster Office and representative to several African countries and regional economic commissions. He was vice-rector of UB; deputy secretary general of the Association of African Universities. He is president of the International Advisory Board of the Africa Centre of Excellence on Innovative and Transformative STEM Education at Lagos State University, Nigeria (funded by the World Bank); president of the International Conference on Quality Assurance in Higher Education in Africa; member of the Executive Committee of the Global University Network for Innovation, Barcelona, Spain; member of the High Level Panel of the Pan African University; coordinator of the African Union quality assurance cluster; member of African Academy of Sciences.

Leke Gana Fomban Rose is Professor of Immunology and Parasitology, Fellow, Cameroon Academy of Sciences, Chair Board of Directors of the National Medical Research Institute, IMPM, Vice President of the Scientific Committee of Cameroon First Lady’s Research Centre (CIRCB). Until March 2013, she was Head of Department, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaounde 1, and Director of the Biotechnology Centre. She was 2014 Aggrey-Fraser-Guggisberg Memorial Lecturer, University of Ghana and awarded Doctor Honoris Causa. One of six women awarded the 2011 African Union Kwame Nkrumah Scientific Award for Women, received the 2012 award for Excellence in Science from The Cameroon Professional Society (CPS), elected International Honorary Fellow of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, ASTMH, 2015. Has and still serves as consultant on many WHO committees. Chair of the African Regional commission for Polio eradication, member of the Global Commission. Was Vice-Chair of the (TERG),The Global Fund, is Chair of the MIM Secretariat Initiator of HIGHER Women Cameroon, a consortium of women researchers, she works to empower and mentor young female scientists.

Mbacham is a Titular Professor of Public Health Biotechnology. He obtained a Doctorat de Specialité in Molecular Parasitology from the University of Yaoundé I, Cameroon (1989), and a PhD in Tropical Public Health from Harvard, USA (1997). His research focuses on host and pathogen genomics and the interaction between communicable and non-communicable diseases at the University of Yaoundé I. He has served in leadership positions in many national and international programmes. He has developed a philosophical approach to Professionalizing Planning Actions in Science & Technology Education & University-based Research (Pro-P.A.S.T.E.U.R.) that integrates platforms for bioscience, physical sciences and research-uptake. He won the 2017 TWAS Regional Prizes in Public Understanding and Popularization of Science for sub-Saharan Africa. He was elected Chair of the Programme Management Committee of the International Atomic Energy Agency-AFRA programme of 41 African member states (2015–2021). He has supervised some 95 graduates and 25 PhD students with more than 180 publications. He founded the Fobang Institutes for Innovations in Science and Technology (FINISTECH), Cameroon.

Titanji is an emeritus Professor of Biochemistry and Biotechnology and an Honorary Dean at the Faculty of Science University of Buea. He is also the Vice-Chancellor of the LMUI . He served as Vice-chancellor, Cameroon Christian U. (2015-2019), vice-chancellor of the University of Buea (2002-2012) and pioneer coordinator, Biotechnology center, University of Yaounde1(1986-1997),Coordinator of Biotechnology Unit U. of Buea (1996-2012), Cameroon. He focuses on infectious diseases (malaria, river blindness, tuberculosis ,COVID-19) and protein phosphorylation as a regulatory mechanism in Onchocerca volvulus, the parasite causing River Blindness in humans. He discovered, cloned and characterized new antigens, employed for diagnosis and potential vaccines, in Onchocerca volvulus. He also works on immune responses to malaria and has discovered new vaccine candidates (UB05-09) and drug leads from med. plants for malaria intervention strategies. He is past pres. and member, Council of Fed. of Afr. Socs. of Biochem. and Mol. Biol., and received the IFS/DANIDA Prize and Cameroon Knight Order of Valour. He is fellow of the Cameroon Acad. of Sciences, Afr. Acad. of Sciences, and Inst.

Woafo, a professor at the University of Yaoundé I, Cameroon, holds a third-cycle doctorate and a state doctorate in nonlinear physics. His research group on modeling and simulation in engineering, biomimetics and prototypes conducts both basic and applied research. He is a member of scientific academies and societies including the Cameroon Academy of Sciences, the Cameroon Physical Society, the African Physical Society, the European Physical Society, and a Fellow of the American Physical Society. He is also a Humboldtian, and has been an associate member of the ICTP in Trieste, Italy. In recognition of his achievements as a scientist, academic, science manager, and contributor to the development of physics and engineering sciences, he has received the TWAS Prize for Young Scientists, the C13 Commission Award of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics, and the American Physical Society Burton Award. He has authored many articles in physics and engineering journals, supervised PhD theses, and served as a reviewer for physics and engineering journals. He is also actively involved in various outreach activities promoting physics and engineering education.

Alper is Chair, Canvassing Cmte. for Global Res. Excellence, Governor General of Canada. He served as Chair, Govt. of Canada;s Sci., Techn., and Innovation Council, from 2007-2015. He was previously Vice Pres. of Res. at the U. of Ottawa for 9 years. He was Co-Chair of IAP: The Global Network of Sci. Acad., during 2007-2013. He was past president and foreign secretary of the Royal Soc. of Canada. His research has been concerned with metal catalyzed organic reactions of value to different industrial sectors. His awards include: the Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal for Sci. and Eng., Canada's highest research honour. He is a Companion of the Order of Canada(1999)[the highest recognition given to a citizen of Canada] and Officer, Natl. Order of Merit, Republic of France(2002), as well as Commander, Order of Merit, Republic of Italy (2014). He was the first Canadian ever honored by the Chem. Soc. of Japan as an Hon. Foreign Member in 2013.

Daar is Prof. of clinical pub. health/global health/surgery at the Univ. of Toronto (UofT). He is member of UN Sec General's Sci Adv Brd. Went to med such in Uganda and London and obtained his PHD (DPhil) in transplant immunology/immunogenetics at Oxford U. In the Middle East, he helped start two med. schools. He has recently been found. chair, Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases (2009-11) and was chair, Adv. Board, UN Univ. Intl. Inst. for Global Health. He was member, UNESCO Intl. Bioethics Comm. He holds the world record for performing the youngest cadaveric donor kidney transplant. His awards include UNESCO Avicenna Prize for Ethics in Science, Hunterian Prof., Roy Col. Surgeons and Anthony Miller Prize for Research Excellence at UofT. He chairs the Sci and Strategic Adv Brd of AESA. His current research studies how to avoid knowledge divides and the exploration of how genomics and other biotechnologies can be used effectively to ameliorate global health inequities.

Deen is Dist. University Professor, Dr. Haykin Distinguished Engineering Professor, and Director of the Micro- and Nano-Systems Lab at McMaster University. An acclaimed educator, winner of the IEEE EDS SM Sze Education Award, received the IEEE Canada Ham Education Medal, McMaster President's Award for Excellence in Graduate Supervision, and MSU Macademics’ Lifetime Achievement Award. Served as President of the Academy of Science, RSC (2015–2017), and inaugural Vice President (North) of TWAS (2023-2026). Research spans nanoelectronics, optoelectronics, nanotechnology, and data analytics for health and environmental applications. Authored 970+ peer-reviewed articles, 3 textbooks, and holds 13 patents-7 used widely in industry. Many honors include the ECS Callinan and Electronics & Photonics Awards, Humboldt Research Award, RSC Eadie Medal, IEEE Canada's McNaughton Gold Medal, Fessenden Silver Medal, Gotlieb Computer Award, and EIC Julian C. Smith Medal. Holds 5 hon. doctorates. Elected to 14 academies/societies, including RSC, Chinese Academy of Sciences, NASI, CAE, AAS, APS, and ECS, also a Member of the Order of Canada, the nation's highest civilian honor.

Ghosh is Distinguished James McGill Prof. and Macdonald Prof. of Education, McGill University, Montréal, Canada. Dean of Education (1998-­‐2003), she is Fellow, Royal Society of Canada (chaired the Standing Committee: Advancement for Women in Scholarship for two terms); Member, Order of Canada (2000); Officer, Order of Quebec (2005); and Full Member, European Acad. of Sciences, Arts and Letters, Paris (1999). A recipient of several national and international awards she is past pres., American Comparative and International Education Society (2011-­‐12) and former pres., Shastri Indo-­‐Canadian Institute (1988-­‐90). Her research spans Asia, Africa, Latin America and Canada. Author of several books including Education and the Politics of Difference (2004, 2013), Redefining Multicultural Education (1996, 2004, 2014), on editorial boards of several international journals, and was featured in Time Magazine, Canadian Ed., (13.10.2003) in an article on 'Canada's Best in Education'. Her current research on the role of education in countering violent extremism (religious and right-wing) has resulted in several important publications, grants, conference presentations and keynote speeches.

Li is E. B. Eddy Chair Professor and Canada Research Chair at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. He obtained his PhD at McGill University (1992) and was a NSERC Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford University (1992-94). He was an Assistant (1994), Associate (1998) and Full Professor (2000) at Tulane University (US). Since 2003, he has been at McGill University. He serves as the Director of NSERC CREATE for Green Chemistry and the Co-Director of the FQRNT Center for Green Chemistry and Catalysis. Li received a number of prestigious awards/honors worldwide. These include the US NSF’s CAREER Award, a US Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award, the Canadian Green Chemistry and Engineering Award, and the R. U. Lemieux and Alfred Bader Awards of the Canadian Chemical Society, Alexander Humboldt Research Award, and the CIC Medal of Canada. His memberships include the Fellows of the RSC (Canada), RSC (UK), the AAAS, the CIC, and the ACS.

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.