Singh is a food scientist with more than 38 years of experience in teaching, research, and academic leadership. He holds a BSc in agriculture, an MSc, and a PhD in food technology from Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, and currently serves as vice-chancellor of Graphic Era (deemed to be University). His expertise lies in cereal, pulse, and plant-based food chemistry, with a focus on starch structure–function relationships, grain processing, and advanced analytical techniques. He is a Fellow of several prestigious academies and the recipient of numerous honors, including the J.C. Bose National Fellowship and the Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Award. With more than 440 publications, 39,000 citations, and an h-index of 102, he has supervised more than 35 PhD students and contributed extensively to global food science research and academic publishing.

Singh earned his PhD in 1986, from Punjab Agricultural University Ludhiana, India. He is a distinguished researcher, educator, and Fellow of leading scientific academies, including the American Society of Horticultural Science, the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the Indian Academy of Horticultural Science. With over three decades of achievements, he has advanced horticultural research, innovation, and capacity building, particularly in developing countries. His work has earned numerous national and international honours, including recognition from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, UNESCO, and the International Society of Horticultural Science. Also, he has been named Western Australian Innovator of 2017. His research has enhanced crop productivity, reduced postharvest losses, and contributed to global food security. Singh has worked across institutions in Australia, the UK, Italy, and India, publishing 468 papers, developing industry-relevant technologies, and inventing two ethylene antagonists. A strong advocate for global collaboration, he has led major initiatives to strengthen scientific capacity worldwide. His work has received 11,426 citations.

Songsivilai is chairman of Thailand's National Commission on Science, Research and Innovation. He has held several senior national leadership positions, including permanent secretary of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation; secretary-general of the National Research Council of Thailand; and executive director of the National Nanotechnology Center. He was the founding president of the Thailand Nanotechnology Association, president of the Asia Nano Forum, and chairman of the ASEAN Committee on Science, Technology and Innovation. He received his MD (first-class honours, Gold Medal) from Mahidol University, and his PhD in molecular biology from the University of Cambridge. He is an Anandamahidol Foundation Scholar, a distinction awarded by His Majesty the King of Thailand. Following training and research appointments in the United Kingdom and the United States, he joined Mahidol University, where he became a professor. His research focuses on immunology, molecular biology, and the genomics of tropical infectious diseases. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Thailand and the recipient of several distinguished national and international scientific awards.

Swaminathan is a pediatrician and a globally recognized expert in tuberculosis and HIV research, who recently served as the first chief scientist of the World Health Organization. Previously she served as director-general of the Indian Council of Medical Research, and secretary of the Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India (2015–2017). She is the principal advisor to the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme and serves as the national science chair of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation, Government of India. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society, National Academy of Medicine (USA) and Academy of Medical Sciences, UK. She has been awarded honorary doctorates by the Karolinska Institutet (Sweden), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland, McGill University, and the University of Guelph, Canada. She co-chairs the global commission Our Common Air and serves on the boards of the National University of Singapore, Alliance Bioversity International. Her current research interests focus on the health impacts of climate change and the delivery of comprehensive primary health care.

Thabane is vice-president of research at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton and St. Joseph's Health System, and scientific director of the Research Institute at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton. He is also a professor of biostatistics in the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact at McMaster University. He holds the honorary position of etraordinary professor at the University of Johannesburg. He is a Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences, the Royal Society of Canada, the American Statistical Association, the Society for Clinical Trials, and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, and an honorary foreign associate member of the Academy of Science of South Africa. He is the founding editor-in-chief emeritus of the journal Pilot and Feasibility Studies and serves on the editorial boards of scientific journals, including Trials and BMJ Open. He has co-authored more than 1,300 peer-reviewed publications, making significant contributions to the advancement of science, healthcare, and healthcare delivery. With more than 200 graduate students and junior faculty members mentored, he has received many awards for excellence in teaching, supervision, and mentorship.

Tirado is an emeritus research professor at Major University of San Andrés (UMSA), La Paz, Bolivia, the head of the Genetic Toxicology Unit at the Institute of Genetics, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences of Bolivia. She is president of the Latin American Association of Mutagenesis, Carcinogenesis and Environmental Teratogenesis and a member of the executive committee of the International Association of Environmental Mutagenesis and Genomic Societies. She is also a full member of the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World. She has authored more than 60 publications in international journals, books, and book chapters. Her research focuses on environmental toxicology, mutagenesis, and genetic toxicology, including the effects of exposure to pesticides, heavy metals, and other environmental contaminants, as well as mechanisms of resilience to the effects of climate change. She has presented her research at national and international congresses, and delivered keynote and invited talks. Her awards include the 2025 Teresa Rescala Nemtala IV Edition Prize for Eminent Women Researchers at UMSA and the 2022 Prócer Pedro Domingo Murillo Civic Distinction.

Tsay is a distinguished research Fellow at Academia Sinica, Taiwan. She is a plant biologist known for her research on nitrate transport, nitrate signaling, and nitrogen-use efficiency, widly recognized for identifying the first nitrate transporter gene in plants, elucidating novel mechanisms of nitrate transport, and pioneering studies demonstrating that transporters, now known as transceptors, can also function as sensors. She obtained her BSc and MSc degrees from National Taiwan University, in 1983 and 1985, respectively, and her PhD from Carnegie Mellon University, in 1990. She served on the editorial board of Plant Physiology from 2011 to 2022. She was named a KIA Laureate and has received several awards, including the Academia Sinica Outstanding Young Researcher Award, the MOST Outstanding Research Award, the Hou-Chin Dui Outstanding Award, the Taiwan Outstanding Women in Science Award, the MOE Academic Award, the ASPB Enid MacRobbie Corresponding Membership, and the CTCI Science and Technology Contribution Award. She was elected an international member of the US National Academy of Sciences in 2021, and an academician of Academia Sinica, Taiwan, in 2024.

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.

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.

Wong is a professor of plant pathology and biotechnology in the Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, who currently serves as deputy director of the Institute of Plantation Studies. She obtained her PhD from North Carolina State University, USA, in 2004. She has extensive international experience, including academic and research appointments at Cornell University, the Tokyo University of Agriculture, the University of California, Riverside (as a Fulbright scholar), French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development, France, and several research institutions in China and Indonesia. Wong is a Fellow of the Asian Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria Society for Sustainable Agriculture and the Academy of Sciences Malaysia. Her research focuses on molecular plant pathology, particularly plant-microbe interactions and plant immunity, as well as the development of sustainable crop protection strategies using microbial agents, botanicals, RNA interference (RNAi), and CRISPR-based technologies.

Sammer Yousuf is a professor of organic chemistry at the H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi. She is among the most promising young female scientists in Pakistan and is recognized for her original contributions to structural and bioorganic chemistry. She has authored more than 290 research papers published in leading international journals and five book chapters, with more than 4,180 citations and an h-index of 34. Yousuf is a pioneer of crystal engineering in Pakistan and established the first crystal engineering laboratory at the International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, where the structural, physicochemical, and therapeutic properties of co-crystals are extensively studied. She has successfully aligned her fundamental research in structural chemistry with emerging areas of science at the interface of chemistry and biology. Her research identifying medicinally important plants for the treatment of leishmaniasis, a rapidly growing neglected tropical disease, has resulted in a USA patent and has progressed to clinical trials.

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.

Professor Dr. Mushtaq Ahmad, Director of the Bioenergy and Biodiversity Research Center at Quaid-i-Azam University, Pakistan, is a globally recognized plant scientist ranked among the top 1% of scientists worldwide. His pioneering research in Agro-Biodiversity, biotechnology, and sustainable biomass energy is reflected in over 1,000 peer-reviewed publications and 60 international books, earning more than 26,000 citations with an H-index of 80+. An accomplished mentor to 48 postdoctoral/PhD scholars and 185 graduates, Dr. Ahmad holds prestigious fellowships with The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), the Pakistan Academy of Sciences (PAS), the Islamic World Academy of Sciences (IAS), and the World Society of Sustainable Energy Technologies (WSSET). His international impact includes advisory roles with IPBES, IUCN, and the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, alongside elite honors such as the Chinese Academy of Sciences PIFI award, Honorary Professorships in China and Uzbekistan, and the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, Pakistan's highest civil award for scientific excellence.

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.

Belouchrani received the engineering degree from the Ecole Nationale Polytechnique (ENP), Algiers, Algeria (1991), a Master of Science degree in signal processing from the Grenoble Institute of Technology, France (1992), and a PhD in signal and image processing from Télécom Paris, France (1995). He was a postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California at Berkeley, US (1995–1996) and a research associate at Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania, US (1996–1997). At ENP, he served as an associate professor (1998–2005), and as a full professor since 2006. He is among the pioneers to propel the field of blind source separation. He led the work on non-stationary signals impinging on antenna arrays by introducing new concepts. A founding member of the Algerian Academy of Science and Technology since 2015, he is among the world's top 2% scientists, according to Stanford University. He received a fellowship from the US National Academy of Sciences to conduct research at Brown University, Rhode Island, US, in 2016. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers since 2020. was elected as a Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences in 2023.

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-chair of research excellence in quantum information and AI at Univ. Polytechnique Hauts-de-France. 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 21 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.

Chunhai Fan is a K.C. Wong Chair professor and New Cornerstone Investigator at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. He serves as the Dean in the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and the Executive Director of the National Center for Translational Medicine. He is a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, TWAS, Academia Europea, 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 international journals including Angewadte Chemie, Accounts of Chemical Research and ACS 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 (IEEE) (2018), and International Academy of Artificial Intelligence Sciences (AAIS) (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.