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.

Chela-Flores was educated in Caracas and London. In 1969, he obtained a PhD in physics at the University of London. He has been a Visiting Scientist at the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste, Italy, since 2014, where he had previously covered other positions: Staff Associate (1996-2014), Scientific Consultant (1990–1996), Visiting Scientist (1982–1989) and Associate Member (1972–1976). He is Professor Titular ad honorem and a founding member of the Institute for Advanced Studies of Caracas, and was a Research Associate at the School of Theoretical Physics of the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (1994–2019). He was Associate Researcher at the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research (IVIC) (1971–1978), and, at the University Simon Bolivar of Caracas, he was both Dean for Research (1979–1985) and Professor (1978–1990). He was awarded the Order Andres Bello by the Venezuelan Government. He is a member of the Latin American Academy of Sciences; and a Foreign Corresponding Member of the Venezuelan Academia de Ciencias Fisicas, Matematicas y Naturales.

Zichichi, em. prof. of Adv. Phys., U. of Bologna, has authored over 1100 sci. papers incl. 7 discoveries, 5 inventions, 3 original ideas which opened new avenues in high energy subnuclear physics and 4 high-precision measurements of fundamental physics properties. Among the discoveries: nuclear antimatter; among the inventions: an electronic circuit for time-of-flight measurements with a precision of seventy thousandth of a billionth of a second; among the original ideas that which brought to the discovery of the third column in the fundamental structure of the Universe. The great projects of European Physics (LEP and LAA at CERN, GRAN SASSO at INFN, HERA at DESY) are linked to his name, for his seminal contributions in their conception, study and implementation phases. He has been in charge of high-level offices and received 102 prizes, distinctions and medals in 15 countries.

Murenzi (PhD Louvain, Belgium) has been professor at Worcester Polytechnic Institute since 2024. He was Executive Director of TWAS from 2011-2023, with a year interruption across 2016-2017 when he served as Director of the Division of Science Policy and Capacity Building in UNESCO's Natural Sciences Sector (July 2016). He previously was Minister of Science, Technology and Scientific Research in Rwanda and Director of the Center for Science, Technology and Sustainability at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington, DC; he was also visiting Professor at the University of Maryland. He was Chair and Professor in the Department of Physics at Clark Atlanta University, USA. He was also designer of the two-dimensional continuous wavelet transform. In 2012 he was elected as a Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences (AAS). He chairs the UN Secretary General's High-level Panel of Technology Bank and Science, Technology and Innovation Supporting Mechanism dedicated to the Least Developed Countries; he is a Member of the ITU/UNESCO Broadband Commission for Digital Development and of the Carnegie Mellon University President’s Global Advisory Council.

Baralle (PhD 1969, U. of Buenos Aires -UBA) has been director general at Intl. Centre for Genetic Eng. and Biotech. (ICGEB) in Trieste, Italy (2004-14). He now leads the ICGEB RNA Biology Group and is vis. prof. in Buenos Aires. From 1968 to 1974 studied Medicine at UBA and completed his MD in 1984 at the U. of Naples. Previously, he worked at the Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas Fundación Campomar and at the MRC Lab. of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK. From 1980 to 1990, he was university lecturer of pathology at Oxford and fellow of Magdalen College. In 1990 he joined ICGEB. He is an elected member of EMBO and of the Argentine Acad. of Sciences. In 1977 he published the first complete primary structure of an eukaryotic mRNA, βglobin mRNA. His current research focuses on RNA splicing and RNA-protein interactions in neurodegenerative diseases. He has published over 220 papers.