Susana Olhero
(University of Aveiro, Portugal)

Susana Olhero (SO) obtained her Doctorate degree in the field of Material Science and Engineering at the University of Aveiro (UA). She is now Assistant Professor in the Department of Materials and Ceramic Engineering/UA in the Biomaterials filed. Her research has been highly focused in the colloidal processing of bioceramic-based materials by several techniques including additive manufacturing, namely in the fabrication of scaffolds for bone tissue regeneration.

Susana Olhero
(University of Aveiro, Portugal)

Susana Olhero (SO) obtained her Doctorate degree in the field of Material Science and Engineering at the University of Aveiro (UA). She is now Assistant Professor in the Department of Materials and Ceramic Engineering/UA in the Biomaterials filed. Her research has been highly focused in the colloidal processing of bioceramic-based materials by several techniques including additive manufacturing, namely in the fabrication of scaffolds for bone tissue regeneration.

Harikrishna Varma
(SCTIMST, India)

Dr. Harikrishna Varma P R is currently Head, Biomedical Technology Wing, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Trivandrum An Institution of National Importance, Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India. SCTIMST is a premier science institution with a track record of biomaterial, biomedical device development, testing under GMP, GLP umbrella and translation. Dr. Varma is a pioneer in the field of Bioceramics in India with a remarkable publication record and with multiple products in the market currently. Dr. Varma is currently active in the following areas:
- Micro and nano porous bioceramic substrates having capacity to carry drugs and biologics for the treatment of refractory osteomyelitis and osteonecrosis,
- Bone filler cements based on calcium sulphate and calcium phosphates, which are superior in resorption characteristics and having the capacity for drug delivery.
- Coating of hydroxyapatite layers on to titanium implant surface using Pulsed Laser Deposition technique, so as to increase the integration with bone.
- Silica-based biosensors for the detection of markers in blood for diagnostic applications.
- Magnetic nanoparticles for radiological and therapeutic applications.
- Biomimetic materials as bone implants.

Harikrishna Varma
(SCTIMST, India)

Dr. Harikrishna Varma P R is currently Head, Biomedical Technology Wing, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Trivandrum An Institution of National Importance, Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India. SCTIMST is a premier science institution with a track record of biomaterial, biomedical device development, testing under GMP, GLP umbrella and translation. Dr. Varma is a pioneer in the field of Bioceramics in India with a remarkable publication record and with multiple products in the market currently. Dr. Varma is currently active in the following areas:
- Micro and nano porous bioceramic substrates having capacity to carry drugs and biologics for the treatment of refractory osteomyelitis and osteonecrosis,
- Bone filler cements based on calcium sulphate and calcium phosphates, which are superior in resorption characteristics and having the capacity for drug delivery.
- Coating of hydroxyapatite layers on to titanium implant surface using Pulsed Laser Deposition technique, so as to increase the integration with bone.
- Silica-based biosensors for the detection of markers in blood for diagnostic applications.
- Magnetic nanoparticles for radiological and therapeutic applications.
- Biomimetic materials as bone implants.

Probal Basu
(University of Oslo, Norway)

Dr. Probal Basu is currently working as a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellow (MSCA-PF) at Department of Biomaterials, Institute of Clinical Dentistry, University of Oslo, Norway.

Giulia Crivello
(Politecnico di Torino, Italy)

Giulia Crivello obtained a bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering at Politecnico di Torino (2017) and a master’s degree in Bioengineering at EPFL in Lausanne (2020).
She performed her master’s thesis in prof. Barker's laboratory (A*star, Singapore) studying the effect of AQP5 in gastric cancer with mouse models and cancer cell lines. During her studies, she also worked in the research and development department of Abionic, a Swiss company developing microfluidic systems for rapid diagnostics. 
Since 2020, she is doing a Ph.D. at Politecnico di Torino under the supervision of prof. Ciardelli and prof. Mattu, where she is studying the development of polyfunctional nanoparticles to be integrated into supramolecular hydrogels for the treatment of chronic wounds. She is also collaborating with prof. Tzanov's lab at UPC in Barcelona where she worked for 6 months.

Probal Basu
(University of Oslo, Norway)

Dr. Probal Basu is currently working as a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellow (MSCA-PF) at Department of Biomaterials, Institute of Clinical Dentistry, University of Oslo, Norway.

Takashi Miyata
(Kansai University, Japan)

Takashi Miyata received his Ph.D. degree from Kobe University in 1994. He started his academic career as an Assistant Professor at Kansai University in 1991. Then he was promoted to an Associate Professor in 1999 and a Full Professor in 2008 at Kansai University. He also conducted research as a Visiting Scientist at Stanford University (1997) and as a PRESTO Researcher of Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) (2002–2010). His research group has designed various smart soft materials such as hydrogels, membranes, films and particles for biomedical and environmental applications. He has focused on biomolecular complexes and supramolecular interactions as dynamic crosslinks for designing smart biomaterials and biomedical systems. He received several scientific awards, for example, SPSJ Wiley Award (2008), The Award of the Society of Polymer Science, Japan (2020), The Award of The Society of Fiber Science and Technology, Japan (2020), The Award of The Adhesion Society of Japan (2022), and so on.

Takashi Miyata
(Kansai University, Japan)

Takashi Miyata received his Ph.D. degree from Kobe University in 1994. He started his academic career as an Assistant Professor at Kansai University in 1991. Then he was promoted to an Associate Professor in 1999 and a Full Professor in 2008 at Kansai University. He also conducted research as a Visiting Scientist at Stanford University (1997) and as a PRESTO Researcher of Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) (2002–2010). His research group has designed various smart soft materials such as hydrogels, membranes, films and particles for biomedical and environmental applications. He has focused on biomolecular complexes and supramolecular interactions as dynamic crosslinks for designing smart biomaterials and biomedical systems. He received several scientific awards, for example, SPSJ Wiley Award (2008), The Award of the Society of Polymer Science, Japan (2020), The Award of The Society of Fiber Science and Technology, Japan (2020), The Award of The Adhesion Society of Japan (2022), and so on.

Tooru Ooya
(Kobe University, Japan)

Tooru Ooya is Professor of Graduate School of Medicine, Department of Medical Device Engineering and Center for Advanced Medical Engineering Research & Development (CAMED) at Kobe University (Japan), where he has been since 2023. He received B.S. in Food and Nutritional Science from University of Shizuoka, Japan (1993) and his Ph.D. in Materials Science from Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST) (1997). He spent 8 years as a Research Assistant Professor at JAIST, then moved to Toyama Prefectural University (Japan) as Associate Professor in 2006. Two-years later, he moved to Graduate School of Engineering at Kobe University and worked there for 15 years. In 2023, he moved to the precent posisition. From 2001 to 2002, he worked at Purdue University (USA) as a Visiting Research Scholar. Selected honors include The Award for Young Investigator of Japanese Society for Biomaterials (2008). He is the author or co-author of over 160 peer-reviewed journal papers, 24 book chapters, and 29 patents with h-index 52. His research interests are: biomaterials; design of biofunctional materials for cancer therapy; food-based materials for biomedical applications; polysaccharide-based hydrogels for medicine; dendrimers and hyperbranched polymers as biocompatible materials. Now, he has started the rational design of biomedical devices based on "Design Thinking" with medical doctors of Kobe University.

Tooru Ooya
(Kobe University, Japan)

Tooru Ooya is Professor of Graduate School of Medicine, Department of Medical Device Engineering and Center for Advanced Medical Engineering Research & Development (CAMED) at Kobe University (Japan), where he has been since 2023. He received B.S. in Food and Nutritional Science from University of Shizuoka, Japan (1993) and his Ph.D. in Materials Science from Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST) (1997). He spent 8 years as a Research Assistant Professor at JAIST, then moved to Toyama Prefectural University (Japan) as Associate Professor in 2006. Two-years later, he moved to Graduate School of Engineering at Kobe University and worked there for 15 years. In 2023, he moved to the precent posisition. From 2001 to 2002, he worked at Purdue University (USA) as a Visiting Research Scholar. Selected honors include The Award for Young Investigator of Japanese Society for Biomaterials (2008). He is the author or co-author of over 160 peer-reviewed journal papers, 24 book chapters, and 29 patents with h-index 52. His research interests are: biomaterials; design of biofunctional materials for cancer therapy; food-based materials for biomedical applications; polysaccharide-based hydrogels for medicine; dendrimers and hyperbranched polymers as biocompatible materials. Now, he has started the rational design of biomedical devices based on "Design Thinking" with medical doctors of Kobe University.

Ping Wu
(Wenzhou Medical University, China)

Ping Wu is an associate professor at Wenzhou Medical University. He has made significant contributions in the field of biomedical engineering, particularly in the areas of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Ping Wu completed his bachelor's degree in pharmacy from Hubei Polytechnic University in 2011. He further pursued his academic journey and obtained a master's degree in biochemistry and molecular biology from Central China Normal University in 2014. During this time, he gained a strong foundation in the field of life sciences. In 2017, Ping Wu joined Wuhan University to pursue a Ph.D. in physiology and successfully obtained his Ph.D. degree in June 2020. Following his Ph.D., Ping Wu joined Huazhong University of Science and Technology as a postdoctoral researcher in 2020. Currently, Ping Wu is an associate professor at Wenzhou Medical University. His research interests include tissue engineering, biomaterials, regenerative medicine, and the development of innovative strategies for nerve tissue repair. He has published multiple research papers in reputed scientific journals, showcasing his expertise and dedication to making advancements in the field. Ping Wu's work demonstrates a remarkable interdisciplinary approach, combining principles of biology, materials science, and engineering to address challenges in biomedical applications. His contributions have the potential to significantly impact the development of innovative therapies and treatments for nerve-related disorders, and he continues to actively contribute to the scientific community through his research and academic pursuits.

Joseph Buhagiar
(University of Malta, Malta)

Joseph Buhagiar received his B.Eng (Hons) degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Malta in 2003. He joined the Department of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering of the University of Malta as an Assistant Lecturer in 2004 and in 2008 he received a PhD degree in Plasma Surface Engineering and Characterisation of Biomedical Stainless Steels, at the University of Birmingham (UK). Prior to joining the University of Malta he worked as a design engineer with Methode Electronics Malta.

Following his PhD studies at the University of Birmingham, he became a University of Malta Lecturer in 2008. He was promoted to senior lecturer in 2013 and associate professor in 2016. In 2022 he was appointed Head of Department. He is on the Editorial board of the Journal of Surface Engineering and represents Malta on the Coal and Steel Committee.

Prof. Ing. Buhagiar’s current research interest is in the fields of biomaterials, biodegradation and surface engineering of biomedical materials. He was the project leader of the BioSA project (Biodegradable Iron for Orthopaedic Scaffold applications) and a collaborator in the MALTAHIP project (Development of a low-wearing novel hip joint prosthesis for longer lifespan). Both project have been financed by the Malta Council for Science and Technology through Fusion: The R&I Technology Development Programme.

In 2013 he was appointed Honorary Consul of the Republic of Colombia with jurisdiction over Malta. In 2018 he was conferred the National Order of Merit of the Republic of Colombia in the grade of Knight. The decoration was bestowed since Prof. Ing. Buhagiar's academic profile was fundamental for the permanent support that he gives to Colombian students in Malta and for the links that he has forged between universities in both countries.

ANKUR SOOD
(Yeungnam University, Korea, Republic of)

Ankur Sood is an Assistant Professor in the School of Chemical Engineering at Yeungnam University (YU), South Korea. He received his Ph.D. in the field of drug delivery and imaging applications of nanoparticles from GGS Indraprastha University, New Delhi, India. He worked as a Research Associate at the Institute of Nano Science and Technology, Punjab, India. He then worked as a Senior Project Scientist at IIT, Mandi, India. His research is focused on 3D printing, microfluidics, organ-on-a-chip technology, tissue engineering, and inorganic/organic nanoparticles for drug delivery and biosensing applications.

Lorenzo Bonetti
(Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Pavia, Italy)

I'm a Post-doctoral Researcher at the Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture (DICAr), University of Pavia (Italy). My research activity is focused on the study of novel approaches in 3D/4D (bio)printing exploring stimuli-responsive polymers and hydrogels for advanced biomedical applications.

Lorenzo Bonetti
(University of Pavia, Italy)

I'm a Post-doctoral Researcher at the Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture (DICAr), University of Pavia (Italy). My research activity is focused on the study of novel approaches in 3D/4D (bio)printing exploring stimuli-responsive polymers and hydrogels for advanced biomedical applications.

Gregor Miklosic
(AO Research Institute Davos, Switzerland)

Doctoral student @ AO Research Institute Davos & ETH Zurich
Developing biopolymer-based bioinks for cartilage and intervertebral disc regeneration and modeling.
Interested in applying high fidelity biofabrication approaches and clever materials design towards increased control of engineered tissue development and complexity.

Sulob Roy Chowdhury
(Indian Instutitute of Science, Bangalore, India)

Myself Sulob , currently a 4th year PhD scholar at Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. Before that I have completed M.Tech in school of materials science and technology, Indian Institute of Technology, BHU, Varanasi, india and M.Sc in applied chemistry from University of Calcutta, India. Currently my research aim is to fabricate patient-specific tissue-engineered graft by 3D printing to reconstruct the urological tissue.

Aura - Cătălina Mocanu
(National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest, Romania)

Aura – Catalina Mocanu (30 years) is a Lecturer Dipl.Eng.PhD at the Materials Science and Engineering Faculty from National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest, Romania. She has graduated the postdoctoral stage within the university in 2023 and applied her expertise in various research projects related to materials and biomaterials science, engineering and technology (being manager of 1 national project and member in the research team of 3 national projects in the last 8 years). Her research activity, pursued in both private and public sectors, is also presented in over 20 papers indexed in Web of Science Clarivate Analytics (WOS cumulative impact factor is >30), h-index is 9 (WOS), 9 (Scopus), 10 (GoogleScholar), 3 book chapters, 1 patent. The activity at the intersection of the two sectors facilitated the development of skills in coordinating the activity in the material analysis laboratories and the activities required for the internal/external research projects implementation. She is a Guest Editor of 1 WOS indexed journals and reviewer of over 5 WOS quoted journals in Materials Science topics. She received more than 30 awards for her contribution in science (for published papers, presentations and patents).

Aura - Catalina Mocanu
(National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest, Romania)

Aura – Catalina Mocanu (30 years) is a Lecturer Dipl.Eng.PhD at the Materials Science and Engineering Faculty from National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest, Romania. She has graduated the postdoctoral stage within the university in 2023 and applied her expertise in various research projects related to materials and biomaterials science, engineering and technology (being manager of 1 national project and member in the research team of 3 national projects in the last 8 years). Her research activity, pursued in both private and public sectors, is also presented in over 20 papers indexed in Web of Science Clarivate Analytics (WOS cumulative impact factor is >30), h-index is 9 (WOS), 9 (Scopus), 10 (GoogleScholar), 3 book chapters, 1 patent. The activity at the intersection of the two sectors facilitated the development of skills in coordinating the activity in the material analysis laboratories and the activities required for the internal/external research projects implementation. She is a Guest Editor of 1 WOS indexed journals and reviewer of over 5 WOS quoted journals in Materials Science topics. She received more than 30 awards for her contribution in science (for published papers, presentations and patents).

Antrea Spanou
(Uppsala University, Sweden)

Andrea Spanou is an industrial PhD candidate in a collaboration project with Uppsala University and Graphmatech. She is a member of the BMS group lead by Prof. Cecilia Persson at the Biomedical Engineering division of Uppsala university. Her work focuses on polymer - graphene composites and their application in the biomedical field, with strong focus on additive manufacturing.

Moon Sung Kang
(Pusan National University, Korea, Republic of)

-. Ph.D Candidate in Dept. of Cogno-Mechatronics Engineering, Pusan National University.
-. Majored in Biomedical Engineering (BME) for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications.
-. Especially interested in combination of 2D nanomaterials (graphene, MXene, BP) with natural/synthetic polymers through 3D bioprinting and electrospinning.

-. Research fields
(i) 3D bioprinting-based artificial tissues
(ii) surface functionalization of dental/orthopedic implants
(iii) nanoparticle-based bioimaging probes
(iv) composite nanofibrous matrices for biomedical applications
(v) in-vitro skin disease models.

Fang Yang
(Radboud University Medical Center, Netherlands)

Dr. Fang Yang is a biomaterial scientist specializing in innovative approaches for tissue regeneration and drug delivery. She works now as an assistant professor at Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands. Currently, her research focuses on nanocarriers for bone and periodontal tissue regeneration and disease treatment.

Fang Yang
(Radboud University Medical Center, Netherlands)

Dr. Fang Yang is a biomaterial scientist specializing in innovative approaches for tissue regeneration and drug delivery. She works now as an assistant professor at Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands. Currently, her research focuses on nanocarriers for bone and periodontal tissue regeneration and disease treatment.

Georgios Tseropoulos
(University of Colorado Boulder, USA)

PhD from UB
Postdoc @ CU Boulder - Anseth Lab
Biomaterials for EV delivery - Osteogenesis, Inflammation, Heart Valve Stenosis

Ekta Srivastava
(Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, India, India)

I am a final year PhD scholar working under the supervision of Prof. Ashok Kumar at IIT Kanpur. My research interest includes the exploration of electrical stimulation for nerve bone interface. I work on electrically conductive materials like reduced graphene oxide and its application in engineering different tissues.
Google scholar link: https://scholar.google.co.in/citations?user=q034_78AAAAJ&hl=en

Anirban Sen Gupta
(Case Western Reserve University, USA)

Dr. Anirban Sen Gupta is the Wallace R. Persons Endowed Professor of Engineering, with Full Professor tenure in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), Cleveland, Ohio, United States. He received bachelor’s degrees in Chemistry (B.Sc. HONORS) and Chemical Engineering (B. Tech.) from the University of Calcutta (Kolkata), West Bengal, India during 1992-1998. He traveled to the US in 1998, and received his MS and PhD in Chemical Engineering with polymeric biomaterials focus, under the guidance of Dr. Stephanie Lopina, from the University of Akron, Ohio, USA, during 1998-2003. He also gained valuable industrial experience at Guilford Pharmaceuticals (Baltimore, Maryland) and Procter & Gamble (Cincinnati, Ohio) in translational biomaterials applications. He then underwent post-doctoral training at CWRU with Dr. Roger Marchant in the area of hemocompatible coatings, during 2003-2006. Dr. Sen Gupta started his academic career as a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at CWRU in 2006 and was promoted to Full Professor with tenure in 2017. Research in the Sen Gupta laboratory spans the areas of thromboresistant coatings for device hemocompatibility, bioartificial blood surrogates for transfusion medicine applications, targeted nanomedicine systems for vascular drug delivery, and surface-engineered dielectric microsensors for rapid assessment of coagulopathies. These diverse research areas involve strong collaborations within the US, as well as internationally, and is supported by funding from NSF, NIH, DoD, DARPA, State of Ohio, and Case-Coulter Translational Research Partnership. Dr. Sen Gupta has also co-founded a biotechnology startup company, Haima Therapeutics, with a vision for translation and commercialization of technologies developed in his laboratory. Dr. Sen Gupta serves in leadership and organizational roles in several academic societies, and serves in the editorial team in peer-reviewed journals including Biomaterials (Elsevier), Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis (Elsevier) and ACS Biomaterials Science and Engineering (ACS). He is an elected Fellow of American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, and Fellow Biomaterials Science and Engineering. Dr. Sen Gupta is deeply committed to providing inclusive and equitable mentorship to all researchers in his laboratory.

Anirban Sen Gupta
(Case Western Reserve University, USA)

Dr. Anirban Sen Gupta is the Wallace R. Persons Endowed Professor of Engineering, with Full Professor tenure in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), Cleveland, Ohio, United States. He received bachelor’s degrees in Chemistry (B.Sc. HONORS) and Chemical Engineering (B. Tech.) from the University of Calcutta (Kolkata), West Bengal, India during 1992-1998. He traveled to the US in 1998, and received his MS and PhD in Chemical Engineering with polymeric biomaterials focus, under the guidance of Dr. Stephanie Lopina, from the University of Akron, Ohio, USA, during 1998-2003. He also gained valuable industrial experience at Guilford Pharmaceuticals (Baltimore, Maryland) and Procter & Gamble (Cincinnati, Ohio) in translational biomaterials applications. He then underwent post-doctoral training at CWRU with Dr. Roger Marchant in the area of hemocompatible coatings, during 2003-2006. Dr. Sen Gupta started his academic career as a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at CWRU in 2006 and was promoted to Full Professor with tenure in 2017. Research in the Sen Gupta laboratory spans the areas of thromboresistant coatings for device hemocompatibility, bioartificial blood surrogates for transfusion medicine applications, targeted nanomedicine systems for vascular drug delivery, and surface-engineered dielectric microsensors for rapid assessment of coagulopathies. These diverse research areas involve strong collaborations within the US, as well as internationally, and is supported by funding from NSF, NIH, DoD, DARPA, State of Ohio, and Case-Coulter Translational Research Partnership. Dr. Sen Gupta has also co-founded a biotechnology startup company, Haima Therapeutics, with a vision for translation and commercialization of technologies developed in his laboratory. Dr. Sen Gupta serves in leadership and organizational roles in several academic societies, and serves in the editorial team in peer-reviewed journals including Biomaterials (Elsevier), Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis (Elsevier) and ACS Biomaterials Science and Engineering (ACS). He is an elected Fellow of American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, and Fellow Biomaterials Science and Engineering. Dr. Sen Gupta is deeply committed to providing inclusive and equitable mentorship to all researchers in his laboratory.

Zhuoran Wu
(National University of Singapore, Singapore)

I am currently a doctoral student at the Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) in the National University of Singapore (NUS). Before enrolling as a doctoral student in NUS, I was a research scientist leading multiple research projects in NUS as well as in the Nanyang Technological University (NTU). My past research topics are mainly focused on healthcare biomaterials, while it also encompasses the field of green chemistry and circular economy. My contributions in the field of healthcare biomaterials have led to the discovery of a ‘trojan horse’-like anticancer therapy, which harnesses the natural obsession of amino acids in cancers to target a broad range of cancers with excellent in-vitro and in-vivo cancer-killing performance (10.1002/smll.202003757). In addition, I developed an immune-modulatory material that can apply to bone implants as an anti-MRSA therapy while I was in Dr. Andy Tay’s lab (NUS, Dept of BME; manuscript in preparation). I also headed the battery-recycling team in NTU and was the leading inventor of a green process to recycle two wastes-spent Li batteries and orange peel discards-in one place (US Patent App. 17/371,191).
Through researching for the past six years and after thorough consideration, I have finally decided on my future research path, that is developing and engineering biomaterials for cancer therapy. Making the world more sustainable is certainly rewarding, but coming up with a strategy to cure cancers is more challenging and more meaningful to me. So, here I am! I am already on board and now my research is focused on engineering biomimetic hydrogels for ex vivo cancer models, with a particular interest in models that apply for drug testing in patient-derived peritoneal carcinomatosis explants.
Prior to my research career and pursuit of doctoral degree, I earned my master’s degree specialized in biotechnology in NTU in 2018 and my bachelor’s degree specialized in polymer science in South China University of Technology in 2016.

Soah Lee
(Sungkyunkwan University, Korea, Republic of)

Dr. Lee is an Assistant Professor in the School of Pharmacy at Sungkyunkwan University. Her unique educational background and research training make her an outstanding interdisciplinary tissue engineer who can bridge the gap between biomaterials engineering, iPSC biology, and developmental biology. The ultimate goal of her research is to develop an in vitro microphysiological system that can revolutionize the drug development process by replacing conventional non-human disease-irrelevant models. To achieve this goal, she was dedicated to developing biomimetic biomaterials, studying biomaterial-cell interaction, and elucidating molecular mechanisms underlying cardiomyocyte proliferation and differentiation during her training, which led to 30+ peer-reviewed articles including high impact journals like Cell Stem Cell, Circulation, and Biomaterials. At SKKU, she is expanding her research horizon by developing disease-relevant high-throughput drug screening platform utilizing iPSC technology as well as bioprinting technology. Her excellence in research has been recognized by multiple awards including AHA 2022 BCVS Young Investigator Poster Awards and Manuscript Winner of 2016 Young Investigator Award of the Society for Biomaterials. Soah has also been a well-funded researcher supported by Stanford Bio-X, Stanford Child Health Research Institute, NIH in US, and Ministry of Education, Health and Wellfare, as well as Samsung in South Korea.

Deogil Kim
(Dongguk University, Korea, Republic of)

I have completed my Ph.D. studies at CHA University in February 2023 under the guidance of Professors Dong Keun Han and Soo-Hong Lee, and I am currently a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Dongguk University, South Korea. I am focused on investigating biomaterial-based dynamic 3D microenvironments interacting with various stem cells for mechanotransduction and its applications in cell reprogramming and tissue regeneration.

Hwan Kim
(Korea National University of Transportation, Korea, Republic of)

Prof. Hwan Drew Kim graduated in Biochemistry from the Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA. He earned a MS and PhD. in Chemical and Biological Engineering from the Seoul National University, South Korea. After training as a post-doctoral fellow at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, he joined the Department of Polymer Science and Engineering at KNUT in 2021 as an assistant professor. His research interests focus on the Polymeric biomaterial-guided commitment and endochondral ossification, synthesis of calcium phosphates like whitlockite/hydroxyapatite nanoparticles, Ion release from inorganic nanoparticles and formation of calcium phosphate derivatives, Synthesis of bone organoids that biomimics natural bone environment, Mxene/Graphene Oxide based bone stimulating environment, and his research projects have been supported by NRF, KFRM, Ministry of Science and ICT, and KNUT.

Christopher Chong
(La Trobe University, Australia)

3rd year PhD candidate at La Trobe Institute for Molecular Sciences / La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia. Reynolds Lab - Self-assembled Nanomaterials.

My project focuses on self-assembled peptide nanomaterials as 3D microenvironments for mesenchymal stem cell cultures and chondrogenesis.

Ishay Attar
(BioChange ltd, Israel)

Ishay is a serial biotech entrepreneur: 4 companies founded/2 EXITs, with ~20 years of experience in leading companies developing innovative technologies and medical devices. Ishay has experience in developing applications for medical treatment based on polymers and biological scaffolds and their various applications in the medical field and in particular on cross-linked gelatin. In the past, he founded and was CEO of LifeBond, a biosurgical startup acquired in 2019 by (BD-Bard BDX on NYSE) and OutSense which was acquired by a large corporate in 2022. Ishay has a degree in biotechnology engineering, a master's degree in biomedical engineering, and a master's degree in business administration. Ishay was chosen as one of the 100 most influential Technion graduates. He is the inventor of 21 patents.

Dewei Zhao
(Affliated Zhongshan Hospital of Dalian University, China)

Biodegradable metallic materials

Chun-Yi Yang
(Tsinghua University, China)

I am Chun-Yi Yang, currently pursuing a doctoral degree at the School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University.

In the realm of research, I am dedicated to the regeneration and repair of both central and peripheral nervous system injuries, wound healing, and rapid hemostasis. My work centers around a diverse array of materials including magnetic nanoparticles, piezoelectric materials, thermoelectric materials, magneto-electric materials, high-entropy oxides, nanofibers, and hydrogel materials.

Through these materials, I have developed innovative products such as neural conduits and wound dressings. One of my notable achievements involves utilizing magnetically responsive hydrogels for the treatment of spinal cord injuries, delving into the underlying mechanisms.

Furthermore, I have leveraged piezoelectric materials to respond to mechanical stimuli within the body, creating self-powered environments for the treatment of peripheral nerve injuries. Additionally, I have explored the use of magneto-electric nanoparticles to generate electrical stimulation for the treatment of central nervous system injuries.

By employing electrospinning techniques, I have crafted nanofibers for wound dressings and rapid hemostasis. Leveraging the active surface potential of high-entropy oxides, I have developed catalytic materials capable of chemical dynamic therapy for applications in fields such as tumor and neural-related treatments.

I am driven by a profound passion for pushing the boundaries of materials science and its transformative potential in the field of regenerative medicine. I am eager to collaborate with like-minded individuals and contribute to groundbreaking advancements in our collective pursuit of scientific discovery.

Jeong-Kee Yoon
(Chung-Ang University, Korea, Republic of)

Dr. Jeong-Kee Yoon is an associate professor in the Department of Systems Biotechnology at Chung-Ang University, Republic of Korea. He received his Ph.D. degree from Seoul National University, Republic of Korea in 2017, and worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Georgia Institute of Technology until 2021. His research interests are at the interface of regenerative medicine and biomedical engineering, primarily focused on vascular engineering using stem cells, engineered exosomes, and 3D cell culture methods for tissue regeneration and disease modeling. He has published 51 peer-reviewed articles, and is a co-inventor on two registered patents. In terms of education, he teaches Organic Chemistry, Biomaterials, and Biomedical Engineering to undergraduates of non-engineering majors, and Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine to graduate students. He has been selected twice (in 2022 and 2023) as a Teacher of Excellence at Chung-Ang University based on surveys completed by 70-80 students per class.

Sally McArthur
(Deakin University, Australia)

Dr Sally McArthur is the Director of the Institute for Frontier Materials at Deakin University. Sally leads teams focusing on research and development for the sustainability and resilience of all materials and manufacturing sectors including energy, biotech, food, defence, and space. Prior to joining Deakin in August 2022, she was a Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Director of the Swinburne Manufacturing Futures Research Institute, and co-Director of MedTechVic, a Victorian Government initiative leading human-centred product development for the assistive technologies sector. Over the last ten years Sally has led several initiatives at the interface between commercialisation, entrepreneurship, and research translation including Swinburne’s Innovation Precinct, the Medical Device Partnering Program, and the ARC Training Centre in Biodevices.
Sally’s personal research focuses on the development of surface and interface engineering and the associated characterisation tools across all sectors with a specific passion for biointerfaces and energy. Sally regularly collaborates with industry partners to develop ideas into technically and commercially viable products and services. Sally was made a Fellow of the Australia Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE) in 2021 in recognition of her work at the interface between academic and industry. Sally obtained her B.Eng (Hons) in Materials Engineering and M. Eng. Sci (Biomedical Engineering) from Monash University and her PhD from UNSW in collaboration with CSIRO and Ciba Vision. Sally was a CSIRO Science Leader in Biomedical Manufacturing from 2017-2021.

Sally McArthur
(Deakin University, Australia)

Dr Sally McArthur is the Director of the Institute for Frontier Materials at Deakin University. Sally leads teams focusing on research and development for the sustainability and resilience of all materials and manufacturing sectors including energy, biotech, food, defence, and space. Prior to joining Deakin in August 2022, she was a Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Director of the Swinburne Manufacturing Futures Research Institute, and co-Director of MedTechVic, a Victorian Government initiative leading human-centred product development for the assistive technologies sector. Over the last ten years Sally has led several initiatives at the interface between commercialisation, entrepreneurship, and research translation including Swinburne’s Innovation Precinct, the Medical Device Partnering Program, and the ARC Training Centre in Biodevices.
Sally’s personal research focuses on the development of surface and interface engineering and the associated characterisation tools across all sectors with a specific passion for biointerfaces and energy. Sally regularly collaborates with industry partners to develop ideas into technically and commercially viable products and services. Sally was made a Fellow of the Australia Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE) in 2021 in recognition of her work at the interface between academic and industry. Sally obtained her B.Eng (Hons) in Materials Engineering and M. Eng. Sci (Biomedical Engineering) from Monash University and her PhD from UNSW in collaboration with CSIRO and Ciba Vision. Sally was a CSIRO Science Leader in Biomedical Manufacturing from 2017-2021.

Behnam Akhavan
(University of Newcastle, Australia)

Dr. Behnam Akhavan is a Senior Lecturer and an Australian Research Council (ARC) DECRA Fellow at the University of Newcastle, where he leads the Plasma Bio-engineering Research Group.

In 2015, Dr. Akhavan earned his PhD in Advanced Manufacturing from the University of South Australia. His groundbreaking research on innovative plasma processes utilizing ionized gas to engineer materials for various modern applications in medicine and environmental remediation earned him recognition as one of UniSA's Enterprising Faces. Following his PhD, Dr. Akhavan worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Max Planck and Fraunhofer Institutes in Germany. Prior to joining the University of Newcastle in 2022, Dr. Akhavan served as a Senior Lecturer at the University of Sydney, across the Schools of Biomedical Engineering and Physics.

At the cutting-edge Plasma Bio-engineering Lab, Dr. Akhavan and his team focus on developing groundbreaking solutions for contemporary challenges. Their research includes surface engineering of infection and rapidly-healing bone implants, cardiovascular devices like stents and heart valves, and artificial nerves and blood vessels. Dr. Akhavan's research also focuses on plasma polymer nanoparticles for precise drug delivery in cancer therapy, as well as developing particles for toxin removal and water purification.

Dr. Akhavan's exceptional contributions to Biomedical Engineering were honored with the Most Innovative Engineers Award from Engineers Australia.

Mengnan Dennis
(Norther Carolina State University, USA)

I am a PhD Candidate in the Biomedical Textile Research group at North Carolina State University, Wilson College of Textiles. I have been working on the development of advanced composite foam tissue scaffolds with controllable pore size and pore interconnectivity, utilizing a range of foam matrix polymers that includes both resorbable and durable biocompatible polymers, built into composite foam structures with high porosity and interconnected pores that include fiber, yarn, and mesh reinforcement as well as laminated biomolecule surfaces that enhance cell attachment, growth, migration within the foam, and differentiation. My focus has been on manufacturing process development and control, to enable high-quality and consistent composite structure fabrication, optimized for each application. I find it very interesting as I discover the immense flexibility of composite biomaterials when compared to the inherent limits of typical monolithic biomaterials. The main challenge of my dissertation has become to identify and retain focus on just one or a few application areas because of the temptation to endlessly explore the vast horizon of possible applications. While the application of these composite scaffold structures for tissue engineering remains very promising, it is also a more distant technological goal, and therefore I have decided to include one specific application where this technology can be adopted quickly with significant commercial impact. This is the focus on the development of composite scaffolds as the medium for reaction columns for cell-based therapy and cell reprogramming. This is an area where I personally have very little direct technical experience, but I appreciate the great importance of this emerging field of health technology, and I am very excited to enter into a multidisciplinary collaborative effort to advance this technology by developing new enabling biomaterials. Honestly, it would be difficult not to get excited about the potential of the technology I am working on for my dissertation. I began developing these composite structures initially for use in tissue engineering, with a specific focus on skin tissue, but due to the great flexibility of these composite structures in terms of internal mechanical, biocompatibility, degradation, and surface characteristics, several additional applications of this core technology have been identified. This requires modification and optimization of these composite foam structures to engineer them specifically for each potential application, which naturally leads to excellent opportunities for collaborative technology development. The arc of my doctoral career thus far has been very fulfilling to me. I was awarded a fellowship in my first year Institute of Textile Technology Fellowship, at North Carolina State University, and I have added many skills related to material characterization, process design, cell culture, and imaging. I am very enthusiastic about contributing to new and productive interdisciplinary technology development.

Cristina Lopez-Serrano
(CBMN, UMR5248, CNRS, France)

PhD student in biomaterials at Université de Bordeaux (France) and Université Laval (Canada)

Bogdan Istrate
(Gheorghe Asachi Technical University of Iasi, Romania)

Assoc. Prof. PhD. Istrate Bogdan, ”Gh. Asachi” Technical Univeristy of Iasi, 35 years, has expertise in characterizing biodegradable Mg-based alloys, Ti-based biocompatible alloys, thermal coatings, modern methods of micro and nano structural characterization. He has published as an author / co-author a number of 140 scientific papers, at 35 being the main author; of the 140 scientific articles: 60 articles are with ISI impact factor (rated ISI Web of Science), 12 of them being the first
author/corresponding author; 35 articles are ISI Proceedings (conference volumes indexed Web of Science); 43 articles are in journals or conference volumes indexed BDI more than 400 times (278 citations are in ISI indexed articles – h-index ISI: 12;
h-index Scopus: 14). He is the co-author of an OSIM patent and 6 OSIM patent applications, of which 4 patent applications are in the field of Mg-based alloys. He has published the following books as first author “Magnesium-based biodegradable metallic materials”, ”Metallographic expertise” and a laboratory guide – “Materials Science and Engineering – Laboratory guide” (co-author). Within the research – development projects he led as research partner/manager 5 research contracts and also been a member of 20 other research project teams.
The doctoral thesis entitled ” Cercetări asupra influenței unor depuneri superficiale pe aliaje metalice biodegradabile utilizate în domeniul medical ” fits best in the field of the project proposal, being awarded with the “SUM CUM LAUDE” grade.
Also, in 2019 he won the “Gheorghe Vasilcă” award in the field of advanced materials tribology, offered by the National Institute of Aerospace Research – INCAS Bucharest, in 2020 he won the EXCELLENCE AWARD, in the category “Young researcher with the
best performance in scientific research ”, offered by the“ Gheorghe Asachi ”Technical University of Iași and in 2022 the Diploma of Excellence of Modtech Awards for Most Performing Young Researcher.
Website: https://istratebogdan.com/

Bogdan Istrate
(”Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of Iasi, Romania, Romania)

Assoc. Prof. PhD. Istrate Bogdan, ”Gh. Asachi” Technical Univeristy of Iasi, 35 years, has expertise in characterizing biodegradable Mg-based alloys, Ti-based biocompatible alloys, thermal coatings, modern methods of micro and nano structural characterization. He has published as an author / co-author a number of 140 scientific papers, at 35 being the main author; of the 140 scientific articles: 60 articles are with ISI impact factor (rated ISI Web of Science), 12 of them being the first
author/corresponding author; 35 articles are ISI Proceedings (conference volumes indexed Web of Science); 43 articles are in journals or conference volumes indexed BDI more than 400 times (278 citations are in ISI indexed articles – h-index ISI: 12;
h-index Scopus: 14). He is the co-author of an OSIM patent and 6 OSIM patent applications, of which 4 patent applications are in the field of Mg-based alloys. He has published the following books as first author “Magnesium-based biodegradable metallic materials”, ”Metallographic expertise” and a laboratory guide – “Materials Science and Engineering – Laboratory guide” (co-author). Within the research – development projects he led as research partner/manager 5 research contracts and also been a member of 20 other research project teams.
The doctoral thesis entitled ” Cercetări asupra influenței unor depuneri superficiale pe aliaje metalice biodegradabile utilizate în domeniul medical ” fits best in the field of the project proposal, being awarded with the “SUM CUM LAUDE” grade.
Also, in 2019 he won the “Gheorghe Vasilcă” award in the field of advanced materials tribology, offered by the National Institute of Aerospace Research – INCAS Bucharest, in 2020 he won the EXCELLENCE AWARD, in the category “Young researcher with the
best performance in scientific research ”, offered by the“ Gheorghe Asachi ”Technical University of Iași and in 2022 the Diploma of Excellence of Modtech Awards for Most Performing Young Researcher.
Website: https://istratebogdan.com/

Cuong Luu
(Griffith University, Australia)

Cuong Hung Luu is an alumnus of Ton Duc Thang University. He accomplished his B.Eng. degree in chemical engineering with high distinction in 2020. Currently, he is pursuing his Ph.D. in biomedical engineering at the Queensland Micro- and Nanotechnology Centre, Griffith University, under the expert guidance of Associate Professor Hang Thu Ta and Professor Nam-Trung Nguyen. His research direction is committed to advancing healthcare materials through innovative surface coatings based on polymeric and nanomaterials, with a primary focus on their application in antithrombotic and antibacterial purposes.

ASHOK KUMAR
(Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur-208016, UP, India)

Prof. Ashok Kumar is currently Professor of Bioengineering at Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering and head of the Centre for Environmental Science and Engineering at Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. He is also coordinator of Centre of Excellence in Orthopaedics and Prosthetics at Gangwal School of Medical Sciences and Technology, IIT Kanpur. He serves as visiting Professor at Aalto University, Finland and Adjunct Professor at IIT Jammu. Prof. Kumar’s current research interests are in the area of biomaterials and regenerative medicine, nanotechnology and drug delivery. Some of his research achievements in the regenerative medicine have been designing of functional biomaterials and therapeutic approaches for critical defect healing of bone, liver, cardiac, diabetic wounds, peripheral nerve and developing bioartificial liver support system using cryogel matrices. He has published over 230 research publications and has edited six books and has around 30 patents some of which has been licensed. Over the time he has transferred technologies to industry that include, cryogel filter for leukocyte depletion for safe blood transfusion and hydroxyapatite based bioactive bone substitutes for bone healing. Moreover, his lab-driven start-up "RegenMedica" is currently working to develop synthetic alternatives for bone substitutes and skin grafts and hemostatic agents. He is recipient of TATA innovation fellowship from DBT, India; academic award from National Academy of Medical Sciences (NAMS) and is the elected fellow of “Biomaterials Science and Engineering” (FBSE).

Yi-Chen Li
(Feng Chia University, Chinese Taipei)

Yi-Chen Ethan Li is a faculty in Department of Chemical Engineering, Feng Chia University, Taiwan (2018-present). He received a B.Eng. in Chemical and materials Engineering from Tamkang University in 2006, after which he then obtained a Ph.D. in the Institute of Biomedical Engineering at National Taiwan University in 2013. Dr. Li then joined Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technologies, and Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering as a postdoctoral fellow from 2015 to 2017. Then, he went to the School of Light Industry and Engineering, South China University of Technology, as an associate professor in 2017.
His group is interested in studying the fundamental research of tissue engineering, developing artificial tissues/organs and organs-on-chips models via 3D bioprinting and microfluidic technologies. Through this research, he wants to apply the theories from fundamental research and the developed models further to the applications of drug testing/screening, developmental biology, biosensors, and regenerative medicine.

Ana Salazar Puerta
(The Ohio State University, USA)

I am a Biomedical Engineer from Colombia and a Post Doctoral Fellow working at The Ohio State University. I got my Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering in 2022. Currently, I am working on designing novel nanocarrier-based therapies for gene delivery, cell reprogramming, and tissue engineering/regenerative medicine. My research is focused on using different gene-based delivery platforms for reprogramming and therapeutic applications for peripheral nerve injuries, lung inflammation, and discogenic back pain.

TAI-HORNG YOUNG
(National Taiwan University, Chinese Taipei)

Tai-Horng Young is currently Distinguished Professor at National Taiwan University (NTU) in Taipei, Taiwan. Since 2000 he was a Full Professor at the Department of Biomedical Engineering, National Taiwan University. He received several awards, including Outstanding Research Award of Ministry of Science and Technology, and has been Chair Professor of National Taiwan University since 2012. From 2008 to 2011, he served as the director of Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Taiwan University. He has been a member of many academic societies and has been selected as the president of Formosa Association of Regenerative Medicine (2012-2016).

ASHOK KUMAR
(Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur), India)

Prof. Ashok Kumar is currently Professor of Bioengineering at Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering and head of the Centre for Environmental Science and Engineering at Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. He is also coordinator of Centre of Excellence in Orthopaedics and Prosthetics at Gangwal School of Medical Sciences and Technology, IIT Kanpur. He serves as visiting Professor at Aalto University, Finland and Adjunct Professor at IIT Jammu. Prof. Kumar’s current research interests are in the area of biomaterials and regenerative medicine, nanotechnology and drug delivery. Some of his research achievements in the regenerative medicine have been designing of functional biomaterials and therapeutic approaches for critical defect healing of bone, liver, cardiac, diabetic wounds, peripheral nerve and developing bioartificial liver support system using cryogel matrices. He has published over 230 research publications and has edited six books and has around 30 patents some of which has been licensed. Over the time he has transferred technologies to industry that include, cryogel filter for leukocyte depletion for safe blood transfusion and hydroxyapatite based bioactive bone substitutes for bone healing. Moreover, his lab-driven start-up "RegenMedica" is currently working to develop synthetic alternatives for bone substitutes and skin grafts and hemostatic agents. He is recipient of TATA innovation fellowship from DBT, India; academic award from National Academy of Medical Sciences (NAMS) and is the elected fellow of “Biomaterials Science and Engineering” (FBSE).

Robert Kapsa
(RMIT University, Australia)

Prof Robert Kapsa is a Molecular and (Stem) Cell Biologist (PhD, 1996), with 27 years’ experience in Neuroscience research focused on developing autologous regenerative therapies for muscle disorders. He has co-authored three book chapters and one book and 150 peer-reviewed publication outputs which yield >5,900 citations. In 1999 He was appointed the inaugural Deputy Director and Head of Research at the Melbourne Neuromuscular Research Institute (MNRI) and Clinical Neurosciences, St Vincent’s Hospital (SVHM). In 2000, Pr Kapsa initiated his ongoing program to develop novel gene editing-based autologous regenerative cell therapies for neuromuscular disease and engineering functional muscle and nerve tissues.

From 2009-2020, Kapsa held concurrent positions as Professor and Principal Fellow (Bionics) the University of Wollongong, and Professor and Head of Research Neuroscience, SVHM/UoM. He was Bionics platform leader at the ARC Centre of Excellence in Electromaterials Science (2006 - 2014) and deputy (2014 – 2021) on renewal of the centre.

In 2020, He was appointed the Inaugural Professor of Biofabrication and Tissue Engineering in the School of Engineering (RMIT), while maintaining his honorary SVHM Head of Research (Neuroscience) position. In 2022-23 he was awarded the RMIT VC Award for Research Excellence and his role at RMIT has given him more scope to expand his muscle engineering into novel translational foci via the powerful RMIT ECP infrastructure. This has been augmented by commercial partnerships within the (eg , UBI BioSensors, Lubris, Facio BioThetrapies) where Kapsa continues to develop autologous regenerative cell therapies for muscle loss/dysfunction and cell/materials biomimetics modelling/therapies for the CNS and PNS.

Robert Kapsa
(RMIT University, Australia)

Prof Robert Kapsa is a Molecular and (Stem) Cell Biologist (PhD, 1996), with 27 years’ experience in Neuroscience research focused on developing autologous regenerative therapies for muscle disorders. He has co-authored three book chapters and one book and 150 peer-reviewed publication outputs which yield >5,900 citations. In 1999 He was appointed the inaugural Deputy Director and Head of Research at the Melbourne Neuromuscular Research Institute (MNRI) and Clinical Neurosciences, St Vincent’s Hospital (SVHM). In 2000, Pr Kapsa initiated his ongoing program to develop novel gene editing-based autologous regenerative cell therapies for neuromuscular disease and engineering functional muscle and nerve tissues.

From 2009-2020, Kapsa held concurrent positions as Professor and Principal Fellow (Bionics) the University of Wollongong, and Professor and Head of Research Neuroscience, SVHM/UoM. He was Bionics platform leader at the ARC Centre of Excellence in Electromaterials Science (2006 - 2014) and deputy (2014 – 2021) on renewal of the centre.

In 2020, He was appointed the Inaugural Professor of Biofabrication and Tissue Engineering in the School of Engineering (RMIT), while maintaining his honorary SVHM Head of Research (Neuroscience) position. In 2022-23 he was awarded the RMIT VC Award for Research Excellence and his role at RMIT has given him more scope to expand his muscle engineering into novel translational foci via the powerful RMIT ECP infrastructure. This has been augmented by commercial partnerships within the (eg , UBI BioSensors, Lubris, Facio BioThetrapies) where Kapsa continues to develop autologous regenerative cell therapies for muscle loss/dysfunction and cell/materials biomimetics modelling/therapies for the CNS and PNS.

Alexis Wolfel
(University of Twente, Netherlands)

As a polymer chemist with a solid background in organic chemistry and materials, I’m passionate about creating and exploring new biomaterials and technologies for biomedical applications, particularly in drug delivery, theragnostics, tissue engineering, and biofabrication. I completed my doctoral degree in Polymer Chemistry at the National University of Córdoba and Freie Universität Berlin and currently serve as a postdoctoral researcher at the Developmental Bioengineering Department of the University of Twente.
Throughout my journey, I have had the privilege of hands-on work within esteemed scientific groups across Argentina, Spain, Germany, and the Netherlands, fostering valuable networks and engaging in impactful projects. My expertise comprehends organic synthesis and polymer chemistry, stimuli-responsive hydrogels and nanogels for radiometry and drug delivery, biomimetic materials for cell-culture and tissue engineering, and proficiency in 3D-bioprinting techniques.
While my profile as an independent researcher was established in the past years, my current position nurtures my development as a young, emerging leader. In this regard, I have been fortunate to secure my first personal grants and contribute to project management while supporting and guiding young researchers in their scientific pursuits.

Aaqil Rifai
(University of Technology Sydney, Australia)

Dr. Aaqil Rifai is an early career researcher in the field of biomedical engineering. He currently works on self-assembled peptides for musculoskeletal tissue regeneration, particularly at the interface of bone and cartilage. During his PhD, he developed the first 3D-printed diamond-coated titanium scaffolds capable of promoting osseointegration. Within the past 3 years as an early career researcher, he has been successful in securing over $900,000 in research income. In addition to his research, Dr. Rifai's dedication to nurturing the next generation of scientific minds is evident in his role as a co-supervisor and mentor for his PhD students.

Song Liu
(University of Manitoba, Canada)

Song Liu is a Professor of Polymer Science & Engineering and directs the Biomaterials Synthesis and Surface Engineering Laboratory at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, MB. Dr. Liu earned a Ph.D. in Fiber and Polymer Science at the University of California, Davis.
Dr. Liu‘s research focuses on 1) the development of novel surface engineering techniques for chemically inert semicrystalline polymers; 2) the development of new biocidal and biocompatible materials; and 3) micro- and nano-encapsulation of bioactive agents for their targeted and controlled delivery. He has received over 2 M CAD in research funding as PI and over 2.7 M CAD as Co-PI or collaborator from various granting agencies (including NSERC, CIHR, CFI and Research Manitoba) for his pioneering work in exploring new durable and versatile surface modification techniques for chemically inert semicrystalline polymers, and developing new broad-spectrum biocides and “smart” polymeric materials. His research group has successfully developed a versatile polyester platform which can allow furnishing the surface with various bio-functionalities via “click” chemistry method in a spatially-controlled manner. This work lays an important foundation for well-controlled durable bio-functionalization of chemically inert semicrystalline polymers for their uses in medical devices such as anti-biofilm catheters, vascular grafts, drug release stents and wound dressings.
Dr. Liu has published 67 peer-reviewed articles in prestigious journals such as Advanced Functional Materials (impact factor (IF) 19.924), Advanced Healthcare Materials (IF 11.092), Carbohydrate Polymers (IF 10.723), ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (IF 10.383), Acta Biomaterialia (IF 10.633), Nanoscale (IF 8.307), Journal of Material Chemistry B (IF 7.571), Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology, and Medicine (IF 6.458), and Progress in Surface Science (IF 6.071). Dr. Liu’s research has also had successful translation to industry with five patent applications, two granted patents and two licensing agreements. He has won the 2012 Rh Award in Interdisciplinary Studies from the Winnipeg Rh Foundation in view of his leadership in interdisciplinary research. He received the 2018 Merit Award for Research, Scholarly Work and Creative Activities from the University of Manitoba, and the 2019 John Ogilvie Research Innovation Award of Canadian Society for Bioengineering CSBE/SCGAB. He is one of the recipients of the 2019 Outstanding Teacher from the University of Manitoba through the Students’ Teacher Recognition program, and the 2021 Graduating Class Award for Excellence in Teaching from the Price Faculty of Engineering, University of Manitoba.

Shuqing He
(Shenzhen Technology University, China)

Dr. Shuqing He is associate professor and the deputy dean of College of Health Science and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen Technology University. He received his bachelor’s degree in Materials Chemistry from Wuhan University of Technology in 2009 and a joint Ph.D. in Materials Science from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in 2014. He has ever spent several years research work in Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford University (MIPS), Singapore University of Technology and Design, Shenzhen University and Southern University of Science and Technology. His research interesting focuses on nanomedicine, molecular probes, biomedical imaging, biomedical materials for tumor diagnosis and treatment. He has publishedover 30 SCI articles in top peer-reviewed journals, such as Chemical Society Reviews, Nano Today, Nano Letters, Advanced Materials，Advanced Optical Materials, Advanced Science，Small, etc. Moreover, His research work has been supported many funding, such as National Natural Science
Foundation of China, Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation, Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation, etc.

Song Liu
(University of Manitoba, Canada)

Song Liu is a Professor of Polymer Science & Engineering and directs the Biomaterials Synthesis and Surface Engineering Laboratory at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, MB. Dr. Liu earned a Ph.D. in Fiber and Polymer Science at the University of California, Davis.
Dr. Liu‘s research focuses on 1) the development of novel surface engineering techniques for chemically inert semicrystalline polymers; 2) the development of new biocidal and biocompatible materials; and 3) micro- and nano-encapsulation of bioactive agents for their targeted and controlled delivery. He has received over 2 M CAD in research funding as PI and over 2.7 M CAD as Co-PI or collaborator from various granting agencies (including NSERC, CIHR, CFI and Research Manitoba) for his pioneering work in exploring new durable and versatile surface modification techniques for chemically inert semicrystalline polymers, and developing new broad-spectrum biocides and “smart” polymeric materials. His research group has successfully developed a versatile polyester platform which can allow furnishing the surface with various bio-functionalities via “click” chemistry method in a spatially-controlled manner. This work lays an important foundation for well-controlled durable bio-functionalization of chemically inert semicrystalline polymers for their uses in medical devices such as anti-biofilm catheters, vascular grafts, drug release stents and wound dressings.
Dr. Liu has published 67 peer-reviewed articles in prestigious journals such as Advanced Functional Materials (impact factor (IF) 19.924), Advanced Healthcare Materials (IF 11.092), Carbohydrate Polymers (IF 10.723), ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (IF 10.383), Acta Biomaterialia (IF 10.633), Nanoscale (IF 8.307), Journal of Material Chemistry B (IF 7.571), Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology, and Medicine (IF 6.458), and Progress in Surface Science (IF 6.071). Dr. Liu’s research has also had successful translation to industry with five patent applications, two granted patents and two licensing agreements. He has won the 2012 Rh Award in Interdisciplinary Studies from the Winnipeg Rh Foundation in view of his leadership in interdisciplinary research. He received the 2018 Merit Award for Research, Scholarly Work and Creative Activities from the University of Manitoba, and the 2019 John Ogilvie Research Innovation Award of Canadian Society for Bioengineering CSBE/SCGAB. He is one of the recipients of the 2019 Outstanding Teacher from the University of Manitoba through the Students’ Teacher Recognition program, and the 2021 Graduating Class Award for Excellence in Teaching from the Price Faculty of Engineering, University of Manitoba.

Shuqing He
(Shenzhen Technology University, China)

Dr. Shuqing He is associate professor and the deputy dean of College of Health Science and Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen Technology University. He received his bachelor’s degree in Materials Chemistry from Wuhan University of Technology in 2009 and a joint Ph.D. in Materials Science from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in 2014. He has ever spent several years research work in Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford University (MIPS), Singapore University of Technology and Design, Shenzhen University and Southern University of Science and Technology. His research interesting focuses on nanomedicine, molecular probes, biomedical imaging, biomedical materials for tumor diagnosis and treatment. He has publishedover 30 SCI articles in top peer-reviewed journals, such as Chemical Society Reviews, Nano Today, Nano Letters, Advanced Materials，Advanced Optical Materials, Advanced Science，Small, etc. Moreover, His research work has been supported many funding, such as National Natural Science
Foundation of China, Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation, Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation, etc.

Salomé Luís
(i3s, Portugal)

Salomé Luís was enrolled on the Integrated Mater of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Minho in 2017, finishing in 2022 with specialization in Biomaterials.
During her master's degree, she had the opportunity of working with Professor José Carlos Cabello at Technical Proteins Nanobiotechnology, S.L., a spin-off of the University of Valladolid (Spain), to produce elastin-like recombinamers for wound healing applications. Salomé's dissertation was titled "Using elastin-like recombinamers as scaffolds for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine in the context of skin regeneration" and was completed at the University of Minho's Centre of Biological Engineering under the supervision of Prof. Artur Ribeiro.
She joined the Advanced Graphene Biomaterials Group in 2023, where she integrated the GO-Graft - a synthetic vascular graft for coronary artery bypass grafting project at i3S - Institute for Research and Innovation in Health, Porto, Portugal/ INEB - Institute of Biomedical Engineering.
GO-Graft is the first synthetic anti-adhesive small-diameter vascular graft for coronary artery bypass grafting. It is a mechanically reinforced hydrogel using graphene oxide. Salomé is in charge of R&D at GO-Graft, which involves 3D manufacturing tasks for the final prototype as well as mechanical and biological characterization.
Additionally, she has two published articles and is especially interested in developing innovative business-aware off-the-shelf solutions for medical applications.

Kibret Mequanint
(Western University, Canada)

Kibret Mequanint is a Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering and the School of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Western Ontario, Canada. His research interests are biomaterials, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine. He has published over 130 research articles in leading journals and delivered more than 65 invited talks at major international conferences and research institutions. He embodies the growing influence of biomaterials scientists and chemical engineers in life sciences and made significant contributions in degradable biomaterials design and the applications of principles of polymeric materials and chemical engineering to tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. His contributions to regenerative medicine research and education have been recognized by several national and international awards.

Kibret Mequanint
(Western University, Canada)

Kibret Mequanint is a Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering and the School of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Western Ontario, Canada. His research interests are biomaterials, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine. He has published over 130 research articles in leading journals and delivered more than 65 invited talks at major international conferences and research institutions. He embodies the growing influence of biomaterials scientists and chemical engineers in life sciences and made significant contributions in degradable biomaterials design and the applications of principles of polymeric materials and chemical engineering to tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. His contributions to regenerative medicine research and education have been recognized by several national and international awards.

Karin Wang
(Temple University, USA)

Dr. Karin Wang is an Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at Temple University. She received her BS in Applied Math and Statistics and BE/MS Biomedical Engineering from Stony Brook University in 2010. She received her PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Cornell University in 2015, studying the material properties of matrix proteins in tumor stroma and was awarded NSF DGE GK-12 Teaching Fellowships. During her postdoctoral training from 2015-2018 to investigate the underlying physical drivers of collective cellular migration, she was a NIH NCI F32 Postdoctoral Fellow in the Molecular and Integrative Physiological Sciences Program in the T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University. She was a Discussion Leader at the GRC for Signaling by Adhesion Receptors, invited speaker at the FEBS: Forces at Biological Interfaces and World Congress of Biomechanics, and has served on several NSF, NIH, and DoD panels.

Ángel Serrano-Aroca
(Biomaterials and Bioengineering Lab. Centro de Investigación Traslacional San Alberto Magno. Universidad Católica de Valencia San Vicente Mártir, Spain)

Serrano studied Chemical Engineering at the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV). In 2005, he was awarded the European Ph.D. degree after a long stay at the University of South-Paris XI with a Marie Curie Fellowship. He currently works as a Professor of Biotechnology at the Universidad Católica de Valencia San Vicente Mártir (UCV). Furthermore, in the teaching managing sector, he has been twice Vice Dean of Biotechnology, Head of the Applied and Technological Science Department during 5 years and Pedagogical Director in Vocational Traning. In the research area, he is currently the Principal Investigator of the Biomaterials and Bioengineering Lab (SerranoBBlab) at the Centro de Investigación Traslacional San Alberto Magno (CITSAM). He has authored 5 patents and more than 100 publications, including papers in major journals such as ACS Nano, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, Bioengineering & Translational Medicine, Additive Manufacturing, Science of the Total Environment, Autoimmnunity Reviews, Stem Cells Translational Medicine, International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, Biomedicines, etc. He is editor of the peer-reviewed journals Polymers and International Journal of Molecular Sciences. He was predoctoral student at the National Technical University of Athens and at the Laboratoire de Physiques des Solides, CNRS, France. He was postdoctoral researcher at the King’s College London. He was Visiting Professor at NTNU Nowegian University of Science and Technology, the Universidad Tecnológica de Corregidora in México and the University of Pennsylvania in the USA. He speaks five languages (Spanish, Valencian, English, French and Italian) with certified titles (C1 English, etc). In the private sector, he has been co-founding member of the spin-off company Metis Biomaterials SL. Regarding the fight against SARS-CoV-2 in the current COVID-19 pandemic, Serrano is a member of the SACRED team (Self-Assembled COVID Research and Education Directive Consortium). Very recently, he has been enlisted in “World Ranking of Top 2% Scientists” in 2021 and 2022 database released by Stanford University, USA.

Caiyun Zheng
(School of Life Sciences, Northwestern Polytechnical University, China)

I received the PhD in biomedical engineering in July 2023, working on hemostatic biomaterials. Such as: nano/micron porous hemostatic particles, inorganic hemostatic particles (bioactive glass, mesoporous/macroporous silica), starch hemostatic particles microspheres, polymer composite gel, etc. I have experimental skills in biology, genetic engineering and biochemistry and preparation of biological materials. I have rich knowledge and skills in molecular biology experiments, synthesis and characterization of biological materials. I always want to improve my expertise in biomedical materials. In addition, I am cheerful and lively, and I like to find fun and stimulation in scientific research.

Caiyun Zheng
(Northwestern Polytechnical University, China)

I received the PhD in biomedical engineering in July 2023, working on hemostatic biomaterials. Such as: nano/micron porous hemostatic particles, inorganic hemostatic particles (bioactive glass, mesoporous/macroporous silica), starch hemostatic particles microspheres, polymer composite gel, etc. I have experimental skills in biology, genetic engineering and biochemistry and preparation of biological materials. I have rich knowledge and skills in molecular biology experiments, synthesis and characterization of biological materials. I always want to improve my expertise in biomedical materials. In addition, I am cheerful and lively, and I like to find fun and stimulation in scientific research.

Nhien Nguyen
(National Tsing Hua University, Chinese Taipei)

My name is Nguyen Hoang To Nhien, I am from Vietnam and graduated with a bachelor's degree in chemistry from the VNUHCM-University of Science HCMUS in March 2018. Eager to assure a bright future, I pursued higher study, eventually earning a master's degree in chemical engineering from National Tsing Hua University in July 2021. I am now pursuing a Ph.D. under the supervision of Professor Hsing-Wen Sung. Throughout my doctoral program, I have excelled in the field of biomedical engineering, with a specialized focus on drug delivery and tissue engineering.

Ángel Serrano-Aroca
(Biomaterials and Bioengineering Lab. Centro de Investigación Traslacional San Alberto Magno. Universidad Católica de Valencia San Vicente Mártir, Spain)

Serrano studied Chemical Engineering at the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV). In 2005, he was awarded the European Ph.D. degree after a long stay at the University of South-Paris XI with a Marie Curie Fellowship. He currently works as a Professor of Biotechnology at the Universidad Católica de Valencia San Vicente Mártir (UCV). Furthermore, in the teaching managing sector, he has been twice Vice Dean of Biotechnology, Head of the Applied and Technological Science Department during 5 years and Pedagogical Director in Vocational Traning. In the research area, he is currently the Principal Investigator of the Biomaterials and Bioengineering Lab (SerranoBBlab) at the Centro de Investigación Traslacional San Alberto Magno (CITSAM). He has authored 5 patents and more than 100 publications, including papers in major journals such as ACS Nano, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, Bioengineering & Translational Medicine, Additive Manufacturing, Science of the Total Environment, Autoimmnunity Reviews, Stem Cells Translational Medicine, International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, Biomedicines, etc. He is editor of the peer-reviewed journals Polymers and International Journal of Molecular Sciences. He was predoctoral student at the National Technical University of Athens and at the Laboratoire de Physiques des Solides, CNRS, France. He was postdoctoral researcher at the King’s College London. He was Visiting Professor at NTNU Nowegian University of Science and Technology, the Universidad Tecnológica de Corregidora in México and the University of Pennsylvania in the USA. He speaks five languages (Spanish, Valencian, English, French and Italian) with certified titles (C1 English, etc). In the private sector, he has been co-founding member of the spin-off company Metis Biomaterials SL. Regarding the fight against SARS-CoV-2 in the current COVID-19 pandemic, Serrano is a member of the SACRED team (Self-Assembled COVID Research and Education Directive Consortium). Very recently, he has been enlisted in “World Ranking of Top 2% Scientists” in 2021 and 2022 database released by Stanford University, USA.

Gianluca Ciardelli
(Politecnico di Torino, Italy)

Gianluca Ciardelli graduated in Chemistry in 1994 at the University of Pisa (Italy) and obtained a PhD in Natural Sciences in 1997 at the ETH in Zurich (Switzerland). He is now Full Professor in Biomedical Engineering and coordinates the "Materials in Bionanotechnology and Biomedical Lab” group at the Dep. of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering of Politecnico di Torino. He has over 20-years’ experience in research in the field of Biomaterials for Tissue Engineering, Controlled Drug Delivery, Nanomedicine. In the last 10 years, according to the Scopus database, I have authored 109 documents (total documents published =236, starting in 1995) (https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=7004826651). These documents were published constantly in this period reaching the maximum number of 16 in 2020. The total h-index is 48 (44 excluding self-citations)-The total number of citations is 8630.

Rachit Agarwal
(Department of Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Science, India)

Rachit Agarwal is an associate professor at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India, since 2017. He did his undergraduate studies at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India in Biotechnology. Rachit then worked in the field of biomaterial-based drug delivery for his PhD. at the University of Texas at Austin, Texas, USA. His post-doctoral fellowship was in regenerative medicine at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, USA. His scientific interests are in developing biomaterial-based delivery vehicles for the treatment of inflammatory and infectious diseases. He is a recipient of the prestigious Ramanujan fellowship, Har-Gobind Khorana Young Biotechnologist award, and DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance Intermediate Fellowship. He is also the early career editorial board member for the Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A (JBMR-A). Two major areas of interest are in the treatment of Osteoarthritis and using inhalable biomaterials for the prevention and treatment of lung infections to translate science into technologies that can be used in the clinic. More information at https://be.iisc.ac.in/~rachit/

Gianluca Ciardelli
(Politecnico di Torino, Italy)

Gianluca Ciardelli graduated in Chemistry in 1994 at the University of Pisa (Italy) and obtained a PhD in Natural Sciences in 1997 at the ETH in Zurich (Switzerland). He is now Full Professor in Biomedical Engineering and coordinates the "Materials in Bionanotechnology and Biomedical Lab” group at the Dep. of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering of Politecnico di Torino. He has over 20-years’ experience in research in the field of Biomaterials for Tissue Engineering, Controlled Drug Delivery, Nanomedicine. In the last 10 years, according to the Scopus database, I have authored 109 documents (total documents published =236, starting in 1995) (https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=7004826651). These documents were published constantly in this period reaching the maximum number of 16 in 2020. The total h-index is 48 (44 excluding self-citations)-The total number of citations is 8630.

Rachit Agarwal
(Indian Institute of Science, India)

Rachit Agarwal is an associate professor at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India, since 2017. He did his undergraduate studies at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India in Biotechnology. Rachit then worked in the field of biomaterial-based drug delivery for his PhD. at the University of Texas at Austin, Texas, USA. His post-doctoral fellowship was in regenerative medicine at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, USA. His scientific interests are in developing biomaterial-based delivery vehicles for the treatment of inflammatory and infectious diseases. He is a recipient of the prestigious Ramanujan fellowship, Har-Gobind Khorana Young Biotechnologist award, and DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance Intermediate Fellowship. He is also the early career editorial board member for the Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A (JBMR-A). Two major areas of interest are in the treatment of Osteoarthritis and using inhalable biomaterials for the prevention and treatment of lung infections to translate science into technologies that can be used in the clinic. More information at https://be.iisc.ac.in/~rachit/

Kaustav Bera
(University of Colorado Boulder, USA)

Kaustav Bera is a Post-Doctoral Fellow working with Prof. Kristi Anseth in the University of Colorado Boulder. Kaustav is using photo-responsive hydrogel platforms to understand what role tissue mechanobiology plays during homeostasis and pathological conditions like cancer. Kaustav obtained his PhD from the Johns Hopkins University in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering in 2022. During his graduate research in the laboratory of Prof. Konstantinos Konstantopoulos, Kaustav engineered microfluidic devices to study cell migration and investigated how physical cues from the extracellular fluid like shear stress and viscosity, affect cancer metastasis.

Christophe Helary
(Sorbonne University, France)

Christophe Hélary, PhD, got his Ph.D degree in Tissue Engineering and Biomaterials from Sorbonne University, Paris, France in 2010. In 2012, he became a research engineer at Laboratory of Condensed Matter Chemistry of Paris (LCMCP). The Christophe’s research activities in the past 10 years have been focused on the development of dense collagen hydrogels for biomedical applications (severe burns, chronic wounds, intervertebral disc degeneration and bone defects). He uses collagen in dense phase to improve stability, physical and mechanical properties of hydrogels. Since 2013, his research orientation is towards the development of composite hydrogels to improve physical and biological properties of biomaterials or to deliver biomolecules (drugs, therapeutic genes) in a sustained and controlled manner. He associates dense collagen with synthetic polymers (PLGA, PCL, PLA), natural polymers (alginate, hyaluronic acid), silica nanoparticles or hydroxyapatite. Dr Hélary has published 61 articles and is an inventor on 3 patents. He is a member of BIOMAT,the French society for biomaterials.

Yunji Lee
(Pohang university of science and technology (POSTECH), Korea, Republic of)

2015-2019: B.S., Kyungpook National University (Republic of Korea), Chemical engineering
2019-: M.S./Ph.D. integrated course, POSTECH (Republic of Korea), Materials Science and Engineering