Raqib, received her MSc degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Dhaka University and her degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Faculty of Medicine from Karolinska Institute, Sweden (1990-1995). She then returned to Bangladesh in 1995, to join as assistant scientist the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), where she was promoted associate scientist and then scientist in 2002 and 2006, respectively. Raqib received post-doctoral fellowship award from the Ellison Medical Foundation in 2005. She was appointed as the head of the Nutritional Biochemistry Lab in 2008 and was promoted to senior scientist in 2010, and to international senior scientist the next year. Raqib developed an immunological method to diagnose active tuberculosis which was patented in the USA (co-inventor David Sack). Her work on host directed therapy in infectious diseases with Agerberth and Guðmundsson generated first human data of successful clinical recovery, leading to two patents. Her studies on arsenic-mediated immune modulation generated new human data. She has published over 153 peer reviewed articles and mentored several MSc, PhD and post-doctoral students.

Prof. V. Ramgopal Rao is the Group Vice-Chancellor of BITS Pilani, overseeing campuses in Pilani, Hyderabad, Goa, Dubai, and Mumbai. Before joining BITS in 2023, he served as Director of IIT Delhi (2016-2021) and was a Chair Professor at IIT Bombay & IIT Delhi. A globally recognized Nanoelectronics researcher, he has 500+ research papers, 50+ patents (20 US-issued), and 15 licensed patents, including IP used in millions of ICs. He co-founded two deep-tech startups, Nanosniff & Soilsens, with successful products. Prof. Rao played a key role in India's Nanoelectronics programs and is a Fellow of IEEE, TWAS, INAE, IASc, NASI, and INSA. He has supervised 52 Ph.D. students working globally. His 40+ awards include the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, Infosys Prize, IEEE EDS Education Award, and three honorary doctorates. He also chairs multiple national committees on Education, Research, and Innovation. He is the BoG Chairperson of JNCASR & NIFTEM, two institutions of national importance in India..

Rao obtained her PhD in particle physics from Stony Brook University (USA) in 1983, after completing her master's degree at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. Following postdoctoral appointments at Fermilab and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she returned to India in 1987 to join the Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar, as a faculty member. In 1995, she joined the Harish-Chandra Research Institute, Allahabad (Prayagraj), where she served as a professor until 2021. She subsequently moved to the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences, Bengaluru. Rao has made seminal contributions to high-energy physics and condensed matter physics. She is a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India, the Indian Academy of Sciences, and the American Physical Society. Rao was also among the initiators of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) International Conference on Women in Physics and has played an important role in the global effort to improve the representation and participation of women in physics.

Rao served as the Director of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology(CCMB) in Hyderabad, India. He is CSIR-Distinguished Scientist and Sir JC Bose National Fellow. President of Society of Biological Chemists (India); President of the Telangana Academy of Science. He obtained BSc from Osmania University; MSc in physical chemistry from Kakatiya University; PhD in Chemistry from University of Hyderabad. Later, he joined CCMB and initiated intact lens spectroscopic investigation. He has developed Red Edge Excitation Shift (REES) for intact biological material. His main research interest is small heat shock proteins, specially αB-crystallin, in health and disease. His research interests include molecular diagnostics, microfluids, nano biology, cell cycle, differentiation and apoptosis. He had visiting positions in USA, Japan and Australia. He is Fellow of all 3 national science academies of India, and has won the Bhatnagar, Ranbaxy and Sreenivasayya Awards of India, and the Rohto Award. Distinguished Alumni of the University Of Hyderabad,

Rao is Linus Pauling research professor and Hon. president, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research. After obtaining his PhD at Purdue U. and completing postdoctoral work at UC Berkeley, he returned to India in 1959 and has since worked in various capacities at the Ind. Inst. of Science and other institutions. His honours include: 77 honorary causa doctorates; Hughes and Royal Medals of the Royal Society, London; Einstein Gold Medal, UNESCO; India Science Prize; Dan David Prize; Ernesto Illy Trieste Science Prize; dist. research professor, U. of Cambridge; laureate, Khwarizmi Intl. Award, Iran; Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star, by Emperor of Japan, Order of Friendship of Russia, Chevalier De La Legion D'Honneur of France. He was conferred the highest award for materials research, the von Hippel award by the Materials Society in 2017. He is a member of 27 science academies including the Royal Society, US National Academy of Sciences, and Pontifical, Australian, Canadian, Russian, Brazilian, French and Japan academies. He is the recipient of the highest civilian honour of India, Bharat Ratna (Jewel of India).

Rangappa has developed more than 7,500 synthetic small molecules and implemented some of them against therapeutically important proteins. He served as a postdoctoral fellow, research associate, and visiting professor in more than 10 countries. He is a Fellow of: Royal Society of Chemistry, London; National Academy of Sciences, India; Biotech Research Society of India; and Karnataka Science and Technology Academy, India. He has published over 650 research papers in peer reviewed journals, and holds 14 patents for small-molecule inhibitors of therapeutic targets. Three of his patented compounds namely DMBO, NPB, and AMPC have been sold commercially as pharmacological inhibitors of growth factors, BAD protein, TFF3, NF-κB, CXCR4, c-MET, human methionyl-tRNA synthetases, Wnt/β – catenin, EGFR, TGFβ, PI3K/AKT/mTOR, heparanase and many more therapeutically relavant proteins which are constitutively expressed in various human cancers respectively. His publications received over 17526 scientific citations, with an h-index of 69. He has guided 64 candidates for PhD degree.

Ramos is recognized for his studies on tectonic evolution of the South American basement and the Andes, in particular for his research in structural geology and tectonics. He is Emeritus Professor at the Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales of the Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), and a researcher of the Instituto de Estudios Andinos of UBA-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET). He is an honorary member of the Geological Society of America and of the Asociación Geologica Argentina, and a member of the national academies of sciences of Argentina, Chile, Brazil and the USA. He is also a member of many editorial boards of international journals and has received several natational and international scientific awards. His research includes topics like flat-slab subduction, collision of aseismic and seismic ridges in the Andes, as well as continental growth of South America. His major publications are related to the Andes.

Ramesh is a distinguished academic, researcher, and professional engineer with an eminent career spanning academia, research, leadership, and consultancy. He has held senior administrative and leadership positions at several universities in Malaysia and Brunei, contributing significantly to academic excellence and research development. He is a prolific scholar, having published more than 500 peer-reviewed papers and supervised over 90 postgraduate students. He has secured multimillion-dollar research grants and is internationally recognized for his pioneering work in advanced materials development for engineering and medical applications. In recognition of his global research impact, Ramesh has been listed among the world’s top 2% of scientists since 2022, and has been appointed a distinguished professor by several universities. His numerous honors include the Professional Engineer of the Year 2025 International Award from Engineers Australia. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (UK), the Institution of Engineers Australia, and the Institution of Engineers Malaysia.

Ramaswamy obtained his PhD in 1978 at Princeton University and worked at the Jawaharlal Nehru University between 1986 and 2018. He has made fundamental contributions in the study of nonlinear dynamical systems, particularly on the control and synchronization of chaotic and stochastic systems. His interests also extend to genomics and biological physics, in particular to nonequilibrium processes at the cellular and subcellular level. His membership includes the Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore, the Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi, and he has served as Vice Chancellor of the University of Hyderabad between 2011 and 2015. He was President of the Indian Academy of Sciences in the period 2016-2018.

Ramasesha is a professor in the Solid State and Structural Chemistry Unit of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. He obtained his PhD in 1977 from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. He was post-doctoral research associate at the Universities of Oxford and Princeton. He has been awarded the BM Birla science prize and Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar prize in chemistry. He is a J.C. Bose National fellow and fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences and the Indian National Science Academy. His area of research is modeling electronic and magnetic and nonlinear optic phenomena in molecular materials and low dimensional extended systems. He has developed exact diagonalization methods to study molecular magnets, extended the density matrix renormalization group methods to study static and dynamic properties of electron states in conjugated polymers and spin chains.

Ramasami (PhD, 1976, Leeds) was Secretary to the Government of India. Previously, he was Director, Central Leather Research Institute, Chennai. He was the Member Secretary, Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister and Member, ABEO, Organization for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (2016-19). He has advanced understanding of the factors controlling the reactivity and applications of chromium compounds led the implementation of Do Ecology solutions in 764 tanneries saving 250,000 jobs an averting industrial catastrophe. He was instrumental in launching several science policy initiatives of Government of India. His several awards include: Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award; IUCLTS merit award, JA Wilson Memorial Lecture Award, USA; and Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, India. He is a Indian Acad. of Sciences; Indian Natl. Science Acad.; Natl. Acad. of Sciences of India; and Indian Natl. Acad. of Engineering. He is a science policy professional focusing on sustainability

Ramamurty is a Professor in the Department of Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, India. He obtained B.E. (Andhra, Metallurgy, 1989), M.E. (IISc, Metallurgy, 1991), and Ph.D. (Brown, Engineering, 1994) degrees and gained post-doctoral research experience at UCSB and MIT. Before joining IISc's faculty in October 2000, he worked as an Assistant Professor for three years at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He is a recipient of the Scopus Young Scientist Award, Swarnajayanthi and JC Bose National Fellowships of the Govt. of India, National Metallurgist Day, Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar, and TWAS Prizes. He is an elected fellow of national academies of engineering and sciences of India. He is an Editor for Acta Materialia and Scripta Materialia journals.

Rahman, a professor and researcher at Universiti Putra Malaysia, is recognized internationally for her expertise and pioneering work in microbiology, which led to the naming of a new bacterium, Geobacillus zalihae, in her honor. She has made notable contributions to space research, playing a key role in projects under the Malaysian Space Programme. In collaboration with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, she has facilitated the successful delivery of 24 protein samples to KIBO, the Japanese Experiment Module aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Rahman also contributes to higher education quality assurance as a member of the Malaysian Qualifications Agency’s programme evaluation panel, and serves on the council of the Asia Pacific Protein Association. Her work has been recognized with numerous academic honours, including: Top Research Scientist Malaysia, Fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia, and Knight Degree Conferment from the International Federation of Inventors' Associations.

Prof. Atta-ur-Rahman, PhD organic chemistry Cambridge University (1968), 1608 international publications in organic chemistry ( 399 books (11 authored,388 edited) , 875 research publications, 91 international patents and 70 book chapters. Editor-in-Chief of six European chemistry journals, Editor of Studies in Natural Product Chemistry (89 volumes, Elsevier). h-index 84,Citations 44,990, UNESCO Science Prize (1999), Fellow of Royal Society (London,UK)( 2006). Honorary doctorate degrees : Cambridge University (UK) (1987), Coventry University (UK) Bradford University (UK). Honorary Life Fellow Kings College Cambridge, High Civil Award of Austria (“Große Golden Ehrenzeischen am Bande) (2007). Vice President (TWAS). TWAS Prize for Institution Building (Durban,2009), President NASIC (Network of Academies of Science of Islamic Countries) (2003-present). Academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences; highest International Science Technology Collaboration Award by President of China. Institutions in China and Malaysia named after him ( https://aurins.uitm and http://cpecinfo.com/hunan-university); President Pakistan Academy of Sciences (twice), Coordinator General COMSTECH (1996-2012)

Raghunathan is Distinguished Guest Professor and Head, National Centre for Mathematics at IIT-Bombay, Mumbai, India. He obtained his PhD in mathematics from the University of Mumbai in 1966 and was appointed associate professor at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research the same year. His awards include: the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in Mathematics; Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India, 1977; TWAS Prize for Mathematics, 1991; and the 1991 Srinivas Ramanujan Medal, Indian National Science Academy (INSA) He is a fellow of INSA, Delhi, the Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore, and the Royal Society, UK. He has been awarded (2012) the Padma Bhushan award for Science and Engineering, a high civilian award by the Government of India.

Raghavendra obtained his PhD in 1975 (Sri Venkateswara University). He has held a number of research, teaching and administrative positions at institutions including the Central Plantation Crops Research Inst., Sri Venkateswara Univ., and the Rubber Research Inst. of India. He is professor of plant sciences and JCBose National Fellow at the School of Life Sciences at the Univ. of Hyderabad. He has been awarded: Indian National Science Academy Young Scientist Medal; AP Academy of Sciences Young Scientist Award; UGC Career Award; National Academy of Agricultural Sciences Recognition Award; AP Scientist of the Year; and Indian National Science Academy Professor TS Sadasivan Lecture. His membership includes the Indian National Science Academy, National Academy of Sciences India, Indian Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and AP Akademi of Sciences.

Rada got her BSc in biochemistry and pharmacy from Universidad Mayor de San Andrés (UMSA), Bolivia, and she holds a master's degree in public health with major in epidemiology. She works at the Cytogenetics Unit, Genetics Institute, Medicine School, UMSA. She was a member of the Regional Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean of the International Council for Science (RCLAC ICSU) and Past-President of the Regional Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean of the International Council of Science (RCLAC ISC). She was Focal Point for Bolivia in the Women for Science Program of the InterAmerican Association of Science Academies (IANAS). Ana is Co-Chair of the Liaison Committee of the Regional Focal Point-LAC of the International Science Council (LC ISC RFP-LAC). She is member of the National Academy of Sciences of Bolivia, member of the Latin American Network of Biological Dosimetry (LBDNet), member of the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD), member of the Bolivian Genetics Society. She has published several scientific articles. The main research topics in which she is involved are: Human Genetics, Cytogenetics, and Biological dosimetry.

Qin has dedicated more than 40 years to research in laboratory animal science and comparative medicine. She established the China’s first international repository with multiple species and strains—the National Repository of Animal Models of Human Diseases. Her work includes the development of animal models for major disease outbreaks such as SARS and COVID-19, which played a key role in the early evaluation of emergency therapeutics and vaccines. Qin is a strong advocate for advancement of laboratory animal science, but also a committed supporter of animal welfare and ethics. She led the design of national standards for laboratory animals in China, contributing to improved animal welfare and the standardized training of laboratory personnel. She has authored 183 scientific papers as first or corresponding author, including eight papers on Cell, Nature, and Science. She is the editor in chief of six national unified textbooks for Laboratory Animal Science and Medical Laboratory Animal Science, and has published 31 monographs. She was selected as a highly-cited scientist by Clarivate (2022–2023), and won several national-level awards of China.

Qiao is academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, vice-president of the China Association for Science and Technology, executive vice-president of Peking University, director of Peking University Health Science Center, academician of American Academy of Arts and Sciences (International Honorary Member), and Honorary Fellow of Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. She has a high reputation in the field of reproductive medicine in China and worldwide. For more than 30 years, she has endeavored to unravel the profound mystery of human reproduction and achieved a number of theoretical and technical breakthroughs in the systematic study of gametogenesis and embryo development, infertility causes and clinical treatments, the protection and preservation of female fertility as well as developing a series of new pre-implantation diagnosis (PGT) methods, which greatly reduces the cost and improves the efficiency in identifying inherited diseases. She also continuously pays attention to the construction of the maternal and child public health system, and the health of women and children throughout their entire life cycle.

Qaim was educated at Govt. College/Punjab Univ., Lahore, Pakistan. He earned PhD at Liverpool Univ., DSc at Birmingham Univ. (UK), and Habilitation at Köln Univ. He is advisor in nuclear chemistry, Res. Ctr. Jülich; prof., Köln Univ.; senior teacher at FH Aachen; hon. prof., Govt. College Univ., Lahore, and chief editor, Radiochimica Acta. He is chair, Education Committee of World Council on Isotopes, and Tutor at IAEA-supported e-learning school on Radionuclides. His work covers radiochemistry, nuclear data and radionuclides in medicine. His awards include: Eötvös Medal and hon. Fellowship, Hungarian Physical Society; hon. Citizenship and hon. Doctorate, Debrecen Univ., Hungary; hon. Doctorate, Yorker Intern. Univ.; JARI Award Medal of Elsevier; Medals of Honour, Egyptian Atomic Energy; Rajshahi Univ.,Bangladesh; and Government College University Lahore, Pakistan; Sitara-i-Imtiaz, Pakistan; Hevesy Medal of Springer; Becquerel Medal of Royal Society of Chemistry, and President`s Award of World Council on Isotopes.He was Research Professor of TWAS for Bangladesh. He is foreign fellow, Pakistan Acad. of Sciences, fellow, Islamic World Acad. of Sciences and fellow, CORE Academy.

Qadri (PhD 1980, Liverpool) is Senior Scientist, Intl. Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Res., Bangladesh (ICDDR,B). Her work on infectious diseases and vaccines is carried out in collaboration with intl. and natl. organizations. She began her career (1981) as Asst. Prof., Dept. of Biochem., U. of Dhaka. She joined ICDDR,B in 1986 as a Post-doctoral Fellow and has remained there. She is overseeing a large feasibility study for introducing cholera vaccine in high risk people in the country. She has published +334 papers in peer-reviewed journals. Her honours include: Gold medal from the Bangladesh Academy of Sciences for outstanding research in Biological Sciences for 2006. Prof. C.N.R. Rao Prize for Sci. Res., TWAS; Hon. Intl. Fellow, ASTMH; Ambassador, Am. Soc. for Microbiology (ASM) for Bangladesh; Christophe and Rodolphe Mérieux Found. Grand Prize, French Acad. of Sci.; Fellow, Bangladesh Acad. of Sci.; Member of the UN Secretary-General's High-level Panel on Tech. Bank for the LDCs.

Pun (PhD, 2003, Middlesex University United Kingdom) is Professor, Faculty of Engineering, and past Campus Coordinator, School for Graduate Studies and Research, University of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago. He is Chinese engineering educator, Chartered Engineer, UK, Registered Professional Engineer, Australia and Trinidad and Tobago, European Engineer. He is Fellow of Institution Engineering Technology (UK), Institution Engineers Australia, Hong Kong Institution Engineers; he is Chair, Technology and Engineering Management Society Chapter, the IEEE Trinidad and Tobago Section; Chair, Local Member Community of the American Society for Quality, Trinidad and Tobago; Visiting scholar, Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Baptist University of Hong Kong, China. His work includes designing self-assessment scoring methods and developing process framework for manufacturing enterprises. Received the Most Outstanding Researcher Award, the IEOM Outstanding Service Award, the Vice-Chancellor's Award for Excellence, the Emerald Literati Network Award.

Prince is a leading South African cancer biologist, former deputy dean of research and head of the Department of Human Biology, at the University of Cape Town (UCT). She heads a cancer biology laboratory focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms that drive aggressive and treatment-resistant cancers, which pose a significant health burden in Africa, particularly among women living with HIV. She has pioneered drug repurposing to identify affordable agents suitable for rapid translation in low-resource settings, and developed innovative patented anticancer compounds, marine-derived therapeutics, and aptamer-based inhibitors. With more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and over 100 emerging scientists mentored, she has made significant contributions to national and international cancer research. She was appointed to the South African Medical Research Council board and has received the A.G. Oettlé Memorial Award from the Cancer Association of South Africa, the SAMRC Gold Medal, and the National Research Foundation Hamilton Naki Award. She is a Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences, the UCT College of Fellows, and the Academy of Science of South Africa.

Primavera (PhD in marine science, University of the Philippines Diliman; MA in zoology, Indiana University, USA) taught at Mindanao State University, but a rebellion made her growing family flee to relative peace in Iloilo, central Philippines, where she worked at Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center, Aquaculture Department. Since her studies in the 1980s, she rang early warning bells on the perils of unplanned aquaculture. Her research shifted to the mangrove-penaeid shrimp connection and mangrove-friendly aquaculture for which she was conferred a PhD honoris causa by Stockholm University (2004). The citation read: … she has shown that mangroves are key areas for recruitment of fish and shrimp and that development of conventional shrimp farming may have far reaching negative economic and social implications… [To] create sustainable alternatives she is now doing research on … integrated farming of shrimp, fish, crabs and mangrove. She has published ~170 scientific papers, reviews, manuals, books and other publications, including the Handbook of Mangroves in the Philippines – Panay (2005 Outstanding Book Award by National Academy of Science and Technology, Philippines).

Prasad (PhD, Harvard University, 1989) has been chair professor, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, India, since November 2018. He was distinguished professor (till April 2020) and dean, School of Mathematics (2011–2013), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai; president, Commission on Developing Countries of International Mathematical Union (2018–22); and president, Indian Mathematical Society (2022). He is an elected Fellow of the Indian Academy of Science (1995), and Indian National Science Academy (2003). He was awarded: Swarnajayanti Fellowship for Mathematics (1998–2003); JC Bose Fellowship (2010–2015 and 2015–2020); and Mega Grant, St. Petersburg, Russia (2018–2021). Prasad received the S.S. Bhatnagar Award for Mathematical Sciences (2002), and the TWAS Award in Mathematics (2019). Among his professional recognitions are: membership, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton (1992–93, 2006–07); research professorship, Mathematical Sciences Research Institute, Berkeley, USA (2014); Chaire Jean Morlet, Centre International de Rencontres Mathématiques, Marseille, France (2016). He was an Invited speaker at the International Congress of Mathematicians in 2018.

Prance is a Trustee of the Eden Project in Cornwall, and vis. professor at Reading U. He obtained his BA in botany (Oxford, 1960) and DPhil (1963). He began his career with The New York Botanical Garden as a research assistant, becoming senior vice president for science in 1981. He also set up the Garden's Inst. of Economic Botany of which he was the first director from 1981-1988. From 1988 to 1999, he was director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. He was knighted in 1995, holds hon. doctorates from 15 universities and is a member of several science academies. Honours include: Ordem Nacional do Mérito Cientifico, Grã-Cruz, Brazil, 1995; Internatl. Cosmos Prize, 1995, Order of the Southern Cross, Brazil, 2000; Lifetime Discovery Award, Royal Geographical Society and the Discovery Channel, 1999; Fairchild Medal for Plant Exploration, 2000; Order of the Rising Sun, Japan, 2012.

Poveda (PhD, 1998, Water Resources) is full Professor, Universidad Nacional de Colombia at Medellín, Colombia. Member of: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Academies of Sciences of Colombia and Spain. Scientific steering committees: Global Energy and Water Cycles Research Program of the Global Climate Research Program, Scientific Panel for the Amazon, Global Change and Human Health Program. He was part of the 2019 International Mission of Experts convened by the Colombian government to develop the road map for science, education and technology in Colombia for the XXI century. He has been elected as visiting fellow at: Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, USA (2001-2002), Centre for Hydrology and Ecology, Wallingford, UK (2005), National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado (2010 and 2019), and Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany (2019). He is the author and co-author of 9 books, and more than 200 peer-reviewed papers published on hydrology, meteorology, oceanography, hydroclimatology, climate change, human health and water resources engineering.