Prof Jacques Jupille is Leader of the group “Oxides in small dimensions” at Institut des Nanosciences de Paris. He’s since 2003 Senior scientist CNRS of 1st class. He’s working on the following research areas: Physical and chemical properties of surfaces and interfaces, from ultra-high-vacuum to ambient conditions, crystallographic and electronic structures, reactivity, catalytic activity, adhesion, wetting, hydration. Tools – Electron spectroscopies, near field microscopies (tunnel and atomic forces), vibrational spectroscopies (high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy), vacuum related techniques, synchrotron based techniques (x-ray diffraction and absorption edges), transmission electron microscopy.
Since 1979, he has been actively involved in the management and support of many societies and institutions including:
Prof. Vomiero is Chair Professor of Experimental Physics at the Luleå University of Technology (Sweden) and Professor of Materials Science and Technology at Università Ca' Foscari Venezia (Italy). Since 2024, he has also held the UNESCO Chair in Technologies and Materials for Green and Energy Applications.
His research focuses on understanding the structure–functionality relationship in composite nanosystems for energy and environmental applications. Over his distinguished career, he has authored 300+ publications with more than 16,000 citations (h-index 71) and secured over €17 million in national and international research funding.
Prof. Vomiero is a Fellow of several prestigious institutions, including the European Academy of Sciences, the Royal Society of Chemistry, the American Ceramic Society, the Chinese Academy of Sciences President’s International Fellowship Initiative, and the Institute of Physics.
José Rivas is a Physics Professor at the University of Sanago de Compostela (htps://www.usc.gal/en) in Spain. He specializes in nanostructured magnetic materials and began his research at Valladolid University and Max-Planck-Institute in Germany, focusing on magnetic materials (ferrites) for electric and electronic devices. Upon joining USC as a Full Professor in Physics, he started working on the synthesis and electromagnetic characterization of atomic clusters and nanostructured electromagnetic materials. This work led to the creation of an interdisciplinary laboratory called NANOMAG (htps://nanomag.es/) where they developed several original methods for preparing clusters, iron oxide-based magnetic nanoparticles, and nanostructured perovskites, which have been patented in America, Asia, and Europe. José Rivas is a co-founder of a high-technology startup called NANOGAP (htps://nanogap.es/).
Additionally, it’s worth highlighting that José Rivas was the first Director responsible for founding the INL-International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory ( htps://www.inl.int) located in Braga, Portugal (2005-14). This Center is the result of a joint Spanish/Portuguese venture and is the only fully international research organization in Europe dedicated to nanoscience and nanotechnology. José Rivas also served as the co-Scientific Director of the Strategic Grouping in Materials (AeMAT) (2018-2020), which served as the basis for the iniave to create the Materials Institute at the University of Sanago de Compostela iMATUS (htps://imatus.usc.es/en/ ) in 2021.
He has received various awards and recognitions, including being featured in the Stanford Ranking of the World’s Most Cited Scientists (htps://elsevier.digitalcommonsdata.com/datasets/btchxktzyw/6) on October 4th, 2023, based on Elsevier data. In 2014, he became a Life Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in the USA. Since 2017, he has been an Elect Member of the Royal Galician Academy of Sciences. In 2018, he was awarded the Salvador Velayos Award by the Spanish Magnetism Club.
Dr. Nathalie Mignet is Research Director at the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) in France. She is the leader of the Laboratory Chemical and Biological Technologies for Health located at Université de Paris Cité, at the faculty of Pharmacy.
After a PhD in France in organic chemistry, Dr Mignet was hired by the company Lynx Therapeutics in San Francisco. She then joined the University of Sheffield in UK for one year before being hired by the French biotech company Capsulis to work on onion-based nanoparticles called spherulites. She joined the CNRS as a research Scientist in 2000 to work on non-viral gene delivery. Since then, she expanded her domain of interest from drug delivery systems to nanomedicine designed for triggered delivery or imaging.
With her lab (#Mignet Lab), she is interested in nanomedicine for delivery or imaging going from fundamental to preclinical studies mostly in cancer.
She is also the founder and the former president of the French Society for Nanomedecine, SFNano.
Dr. Gerardo F. Goya currently holds the position of Associate Professor at the University of Zaragoza, Spain. He earned his PhD degree from the University of La Plata, Argentina. From 2001 to 2007, he served as an Associate Professor at the Institute of Physics, University of Sao Paulo (Brazil), where he established and managed the mechanochemistry laboratory within the Materials Physics Department (DFMT). Upon joining the Institute of Nanoscience of Aragón (INA) at the University of Zaragoza in 2005, he initiated and consolidated a new research direction focusing on nanomagnetism and the biomedical applications of nanoparticles (NPs), particularly magnetic hyperthermia. Notable achievements during this period include the development of novel synthesis methods for magnetic NPs with enhanced control over size and magnetic properties. Additionally, he successfully demonstrated the 'Trojan Horse strategy' for oncologic therapy by inducing cell death with magnetic hyperthermia in dendritic-cell primary cultures. He conducted several studies investigating the interaction between magnetic NPs and various biological agents. In terms of technological advancements, Professor Goya led the design, development, and construction of unique equipment for measuring power absorption in magnetic hyperthermia. This pioneering system, incorporating numerous technological enhancements, was designed to function as a fully automatic measuring platform. The innovative developments of this period served as the foundation for the establishment of a spin-off company from the University of Zaragoza, where he serves as a co-founder and scientific advisor. Through collaborations with prominent parasitologists, immunologists, and medical professionals, the group has successfully established a shared platform in biomedicine, facilitating the coordination of highly innovative multinational projects.
Prof. D. Sakthi Kumar is a Professor at the Faculty of Information Sciences & Arts, Toyo University, Japan. Previous to this position he served as Deputy Director of Bio Nano Electronics Research Center at Toyo University from till 2023. He received his B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D. degrees in 1989, 1991, and 1998 respectively from Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala, India. He later pursued Post-Graduation in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning from the University of Texas at Austin, USA in 2020, and completed an MBA in Leadership and Design Thinking from Shizenkan University, Japan in 2023. Early in his career, while working as a Research Associate at the Thin Film Laboratory at IIT Delhi, he was awarded the prestigious JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship from Japan. He subsequently joined the Bio-Nano Electronics Research Centre (BNERC) at Toyo University in 2001.
Prof. Sakthi Kumar has made significant contributions to interdisciplinary research in bio nanotechnology, biopolymers, and advanced materials particularly in nanodrug delivery against brain tumors. His academic output includes 3 books, 159 research publications—including 17 cover-page articles—25 book chapters, and 9 patents. Under his supervision, 22 Indian doctoral students have successfully completed their Ph.D. degrees. In recognition of his pioneering work in biopolymers, he received the “Asia Excellence Award” from the Society of Polymer Science, Japan in 2012. He is also the recipient of the Education Excellence Award (2018) and the STE International Achiever Award (2020). Currently, he serves as an Editorial Board Member of Scientific Reports (Nature) and Frontiers of Nanotechnology.
A strong advocate of international scientific collaboration, Prof. Sakthi Kumar founded the Indian JSPS Alumni Association (IJAA) (www.indianjspsalumni.org) in 2006 (First association in Asia) and the India–Japan Society for Science, Technology and Education (IJSSTE) (www.ijsste.org) in 2024, serving as Chairman of both organizations. Through these platforms, he has facilitated more than 20 India–Japan scientific seminars in India and in Japan, including six Nobel Laureate lectures. He also serves as Chairman of the committee responsible for selecting Indian students for MEXT scholarships under the Embassy of Japan in India since 2017.
Based on his outstanding contributions to promote India Japan S&T Collaborations for more than 2 decades, Japan Govt. awarded him, Japan Govt.’s prestigious “Japan Foreign Ministers’ Commendation” (in 2025) given to individuals who made outstanding contributions to the promotion of friendship between Japan and other countries, He received the commendation from the Honorable Foreign Minister of Japan, H. E. Takeshi Iwaya.
Dr. Barry Hardy is Chief Executive Officer of Edelweiss Connect GmbH, Switzerland, and President of the OpenTox Association, an international community advancing predictive toxicology and innovative approaches to chemical and material safety assessment.
He has extensive experience in computational toxicology, scientific informatics, knowledge management and the development of digital infrastructures supporting collaborative research and industrial innovation. He has played leading roles in European research initiatives, including OpenTox, ToxBank, eNanoMapper, OpenRiskNet, ACEnano, NanoCommons and EU-ToxRisk.
His work focuses on translating scientific advances into practical solutions for industrial product design and safety assessment, particularly through New Approach Methodologies (NAMs), artificial intelligence, FAIR data management, predictive modelling and Next-Generation Risk Assessment (NGRA).