Iaccarino obtained his MD at the Univ. of Naples (1962) and H. C. in Biology (1999) at the Univ. of Viterbo. Post Doc at Stanford Univ., visiting Prof. at Sussex Univ. Director of the International Institute of Genetics and Biophysics, Naples (1985-1993) and Director of the Institute of Molecular Genetics, Alghero (1994). Assistant Director General for Natural Sciences at UNESCO (1996-2000), where he organised several intergovernmental conferences, including the World Conference on Science (Hungary, 1999). Member of the Italian Evaluation committees for Research in Biology, Medicine and Biotechnology and of the evaluation boards of several international organisations (European Commission, EMBO, Human Frontier Science Program, and the British Council). Member of the EMBO Council and of the Council of ICSU, the International Council for Science.

Panza former Professor of seismology (University of Trieste) and the Head of Structure and Non-Linear Dynamics of the Earth (SAND) group (International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy. His scientific activity deals with integrated analysis of the structure and dynamics of the lithosphere-asthenosphere system; the integrated approach to modelling of seismic waves; and the earthquake-prone lineaments and premonitory seismicity patterns. He received Gutenberg Medal in 2000, doctorate h.c. in physics from University of Bucharest, Romania, in 2002; medal of honour by the Earth Sciences Committee of the Central European Initiative, in 2004; commemorative medal from the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology in 2009; honour of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in 2015, International AGU award 2018 among others. Panza is an honorary professor at the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and at the Institute of Geophysics of the China Earthquake Administration; and elected member of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei and of the Accademia Nazionale delle Scienze detta dei XL, both in Italy, and of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Julian Chela-Flores was born in Caracas in 1942. He studied in the University of London, where he obtained a Ph.D. in Quantum Mechanics (1969). He was Associate Researcher at the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research from 1971 till 1978 and Dean of Research and Professor at Simon Bolivar University until his retirement in 1990. He is Fellow of The Latin American Academy of Sciences, The Academy of Sciences of the Developing World and Corresponding Member of the Venezuelan Academy of Physics, Mathematics and Natural Sciences. From 1996 till 2014 he was Staff Associate at the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) where he continues his research as a Visiting Scientist. His area of expertise is astrobiology. He organized and co-directed seven related conferences at ICTP. He has collaborated with emerging nations from Africa, Asia and Latin America. Besides many research publications in specialized journals, he is the author of The New Science of Astrobiology; A Second Genesis: Stepping-stones Towards the Intelligibility of Nature; The Science of Astrobiology a Personal Point of View on Learning to Read the Book of Life, and Astrobiology and Humanities.

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.