João F. Mano is a Full Professor at the Chemistry Department of University of Aveiro, Portugal, and vice-director of the Associate Laboratory CICECO – Aveiro Institute of Materials, where he is directing the COMPASS Research Group.

He has also an appointment as Invited Professor (classe exceptionelle, since 2014) at University of Lorraine (France), Visiting Professor in KAIST (South Korea) – 2019 and Adjunct Professor at Ajou University (South Korea) since 2020.

He is the director of the doctoral program on Biotechnology at University of Aveiro. His research focuses on the application of advanced biomaterials and cells to advance multidisciplinary concepts in the field of regenerative and personalized medicine.

Specifically, he utilizes biomimetic and nano/micro-technology approaches to develop polymer-based biomaterials and surfaces for the creation of biomedical devices with enhanced structural and multi-functional properties. He also engineers microenvironments to regulate cell behavior and organization, with the goal of clinically applying these technologies in advanced therapies and drug screening, or in the bioengineering of disease models. He serves as the Editor-in-Chief of Materials Today Bio (Elsevier). He has been coordinating multiple national and European research projects, including 2 Advanced Grants and 3 Proof-of-Concept Grants from the European Research Council. João F. Mano has received different honours and awards, including two honoris causa doctorates (Univ. of Lorraine and Univ. Utrecht), the George Winter Award 2020 from the European Society for Biomaterials and he was elected fellow of the European Academy of Sciences (FEurASc), Biomaterials Science & Engineering (FBSE) and American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (FAIMBE).

Aldo R. Boccaccini is Professor of Materials Science (Biomaterials) and Head of the Institute of Biomaterials at University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany.

He is a visiting professor at Imperial College London, UK, and RWTH Aachen University (Germany).

He has an Engineering degree from Instituto Balseiro, Argentina (1987), and a Doctorate in Engineering Sciences (Dr.-Ing.) from RWTH Aachen University, Germany (1994). He had post-doctoral appointments at University of Birmingham, UK (1994-1996), and at the University of California, San Diego, USA (1996-1997).

The research activities of Prof. Boccaccini are in the field of ceramics, glasses and composites for biomedical, functional and/or structural applications with focus on bioactive materials, scaffolds for tissue engineering, biofabrication and antibacterial coatings. He has been a visiting professor at different universities around the world and has given more than 150 presentations at international conferences (as keynote, invited and plenary speaker). Boccaccini has published more than 1000 scientific papers and 25 book chapters. He has co-edited 8 books His work has been cited more than 69,000 times (h-index = 114, Scopus®, h-index = 133, Google Scholar®) and he was included in the “Highly Cited Researchers” lists in 2014 and 2018 (Clarivate Analytics). He is listed also as one of the most cited researchers in the world according to the latest edition of the Stanford List of Highly Cited Researchers published in 2023 (Version 6). He appears in the top 50 list in the subject “Materials”.  He was the editor-in-chief of the journal Materials Letters for 14 years (2010-2023).

Title: Controlled Delivery of Active Biomolecules from Nano/Micro-capsules

Stephane Desobry got an Engineer’s degree in Food Science (E.N.S.A.I.A.) and a PhD in Food Science from I.N.P.L University in 1991. He is now full Professor at the University of Lorraine (France). His research concerns biomolecules science and preservation. He works particularly on biomolecules encapsulation and controlled release. He is expert in encapsulation technologies to stabilize actives, in release modelling and in molecules stability and activity.

He is the coordinator of the “Bioeconomy, Biomolecules Science and Engineering (B2SE)” program (2024-34) that brings together more than 200 researchers from 21 laboratories and 18 companies (10M€ budget). Stephane is also leading the Federation “The one bioeconomy” which associates 400 academic and industrial researchers in the Grand-East Region in France.

Title: New generation of nanoliposomes for biomedical applications

Elmira Arab-Tehrany is a full Professor at Lorraine University/LIBio and adjunct professor at University of Connecticut (USA) and West Virginia University (USA). She is director of doctoral school of SIReNa. She has worked on elaboration and characterization of nanoliposome as active nanovector to encapsulate different active molecules used for prevention of Alzheimer, cancer and for tissue engineering applications. Her team has expertise on green extraction of polar lipid from by-product of fish, microfluidic and molecular transfer. Since her recruitment (Sept 2007), she has coordinated or participated at more than 20 international, national and industrial projects.

She is expert at the ANSES regulatory agency since 2010 and various european projects (HORIZON-EIC). She has co-authored more than 100 scientific publications in international journals (>8000 citation, h-index:43), 10 book chapters, 20 invited speakers, >50 oral presentations. She has supervised a number of thesis students (20); 6 post-doctorates and 34 Master’s students.

Title: In Vivo Bioprinting: A New Paradigm in Regenerative Medicine   

Ali Tamayol is an Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Connecticut Health Center. He had been an Assistant Professor of Mechanical & Materials Engineering at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and an Instructor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He received his BSc from Shiraz University followed by MSc from Sharif University of Technology in Mechanical Engineering. He received his PhD from Simon Fraser University in 2011.  He did his postdoctoral training in Biomedical Engineering at McGill University, Harvard Medical School, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  His research involves advanced engineering technologies for generating biomaterial-based regenerative medicine and drug delivery tools.

He has authored more than 180 journal papers, 5 book chapters, and 16 issued patents or applications. In addition, he has given over 90 seminars at various conferences and academic institutions. His publications have been cited more than 18,000 times and he has been the recipient of several awards including NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship, BCIC Scholar Award, and the Alinasab Prize of ISME.

Title: Janus base nano-rods for mRNA delivery for osteoarthritis treatment

Dr. Yupeng Chen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Connecticut. Holding both an M.Sc. and a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering and chemistry from Brown University, Dr. Chen’s long-term research interest lies in the design and development of DNA-inspired Janus base nanomaterials for regenerative engineering applications. He holds 10 US patents and 14 international patents in Janus base nanotechnology, some of which have been successfully licensed to industry partners.

Dr. Chen has authored one book, ten book chapters, and 106 peer-reviewed publications, and he and his lab have delivered 124 conference presentations and invited talks. His achievements have been recognized with the Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award from NSF, the discovery award from DOD, and the grand prize in the New Investigator Recognition Awards from the Orthopaedic Research Society—where he was the top winner among 545 international candidates.

Elected as a senior member of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) in recognition of his efforts to translate scientific breakthroughs into practical applications, Dr. Chen also actively participates in peer review, serving on multiple NIH and NSF panels and contributing to the review and editorial process for 31 journals. He has secured many competitive federal research grants from agencies such as NIH, NSF, NASA, DOD, and CASIS. Recently, Dr. Chen has expanded the scope of regenerative engineering research from Earth to space, having received funding to develop and assess Janus base nanomaterials on the International Space Station (ISS) for innovative in-space tissue engineering, biofabrication, and biotherapeutics.

Title: Engineering Medicine at Multiscale via Granular Hydrogels

Dr. Amir Sheikhi is The Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Early Career Chair in Biomaterials and Regenerative Engineering and an Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering (primary) and Biomedical Engineering (by courtesy) at The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State).

In August 2019, he founded the Bio-Soft Materials Laboratory (B-SMaL) to tackle some of the challenges of the 21^st century in biomedicine and the environment by designing novel bio-based colloidal systems via micro- and nanoengineering techniques. Amir’s lab consists of 13 graduate students, 2 postdocs, and more than 15 undergraduate researchers, funded by NIH (NHLBI R01, NINDS R01, NIBIB R56), ACS PRF DNI, The REMADE Institute (DOE), Meghan Rose Bradley Foundation, Center for Lignocellulose Structure and Formation (CLSF), Penn State Institutes of Energy and the Environment (IEE), Benkovic Research Initiative, etc.

Amir’s research has been featured in more than 70 publications, 50 seminars, and 15 patent applications with recognition by over 40 news media outlets. He is the recipient of several major awards, including the AIChE’s 35 Under 35, 2022 ACS Unilever Award for Outstanding Young Investigator in Colloid & Surfactant Science, The John C. Chen Young Professional Leadership Scholarship, and The UNIFOR Global Research Fellowship. Recently, Amir was named as one of the 9 emerging leaders in Chemical and Biomedical Engineering worldwide, featured on the cover of the Inaugural “Futures” Issue of Bioengineering & Translational Medicine journal.

Amir earned his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at McGill University and continued to complete two years of post-doctoral research on colloids and macromolecules at McGill Chemistry. Before joining Penn State, he was a postdoctoral fellow in Bioengineering at Harvard Medical School and UCLA, working with Ali Khademhosseini. Amir is an Associate Editor of Bioengineering & Translational Medicine journal and serves as an editorial board member of Biomaterials and Bioactive Materials.

Title: Formation of tunable bioapatites: controlling solubility, structure, and mechanics

Alix Deymier is an Assistant Professor in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Connecticut Health Center. She is interested in elucidating the structure-function mechanisms by which pathological conditions affect the mechanical behavior of musculoskeletal tissues. Current focuses include the effects of acidosis on bone, dentinogenesis imperfecta on teeth, and paralysis on the tendon-to-bone enthesis.

Dr. Alix has a bachelor’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Arizona and a Ph.D. in the same field from Northwestern University. She completed postdocs in cell and molecular biology and orthopedic surgery at Northwestern University, Washington University in St Louis, and Columbia University. A current awardee of the NSF CAREER grant, Dr. Alix has been at UConn Health since 2017.

Title: Clinical Problems in Need of Tissue Engineering Solutions

Indranil Sinha, MD, is a Plastic Surgeon at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Dr. Sinha earned a Molecular and Cellular Biology at Berkeley, where he was Phi Beta Kappa. He then completed medical school training at the University of Michigan, where he was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. Dr. Sinha completed his Plastic Surgery training in the Harvard Plastic Surgery Residency Program.  His clinical interests include cancer reconstruction and aesthetic surgery.  Dr. Sinha’s research interests include muscle stem cells and exercise treatment for aging associated sarcopenia, volumetric muscle loss, and wound healing.

Title: Development of heterogeneous structures for tissue engineering applications: from processing to cell interactions

Dr. habil. Sahar Salehi-Müller is a leader of the research group “Biomaterials for Tissue Regeneration” at the Department of Biomaterials, University of Bayreuth (UBT), Germany. She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Materials Engineering and Ph.D. in Biomaterials and recently received the title of habilitation from the Faculty of Engineering Science of UBT in the field of Biomaterials. Before starting her current position at the University of Bayreuth in 2017, she worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the German Textile Research Institute (DTNW), the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany, Japan’s World Premier International-Advanced Institute of Materials Research at Tohoku University, Japan. Her research focuses on biomaterials development and micro/nanoengineering technologies to process the biomaterials for 3D cellular models. She has been the author of more than 60 peer-reviewed articles and the recipient of various awards, such as Sicca 2013, Falling Wall Lab Sendai 2015, IC 2019, Sicca 2022, and FEIT fellowship 2023 from Melbourne University.

Title: Seas of Opportunity: Building a Blue Circular Bioeconomy with Biomaterials

Dr. Razieh Farzad is an Assistant Professor and Seafood Safety Extension Specialist at the University of Florida. Before joining UF, she was a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California, Davis. Dr. Farzad received her Ph.D. in Food Science and Technology at Virginia Tech, focusing on developing novel aquafeed to address sustainability issues for aquaculture production. Her current research program is focused on using cellular agriculture techniques to produce novel sources of protein for both fish and humans. Dr. Farzad is dedicated to enhancing seafood safety through research and outreach initiatives, educating stakeholders about best practices, and promoting sustainable seafood consumption.

Title: Multifunctional Modular “LEGO-Like” Microfluidic Probes for Biomedical Applications

Mohammad A. Qasaimeh is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Bioengineering at New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD), Abu Dhabi, UAE, and a Global Network Associate Professor with the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Biomedical Engineering departments at NYU Tandon School of Engineering. He is also the NYUAD’s Engineering Faculty Diversity Liaison since 2021. He received his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from McGill University, Montreal.

During his PhD, he received several prestigious fellowships and awards including the NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship and the Alexander Graham Bell Graduate Scholarship. Prior to joining NYUAD, he was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School. Upon joining NYUAD, he established the Advanced Microfluidics and Microdevices Laboratory (AMMLab). His current research interests include developing microfluidic and MEMS devices for point-of-care diagnostics, surgery, and biomedical applications.

Recently, Dr. Qasaimeh was awarded the Distinguished Service Award from NYUAD in 2022 and the Technology Innovation Pioneers (TIP) Award from the UAE’s Ministry of Economy during the TIP 2020 Summit. His research has been published in many peer-reviewed journals including Nature Communications, Small, Advanced Science, Advanced Materials Technologies, and Lab on a Chip, and he delivered more than 45 keynote and invited lectures at national and international conferences. He is actively involved in organizing several local and international conferences, and recently served as a General Chair for the 6th International Conference on Manipulation, Automation and Robotics at Small Scales (MARSS). He is currently serving as an Associate Editor with the journal Frontiers in Robotics and AI (Nano- and Microrobotics), a Topic Editor with the journal Biosensors, a Review Editor with the journal Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, and an Editorial Board Member of Scientific Reports at the Nature Publishing Group.

Website: https://wp.nyu.edu/amm_lab/

Title: Revolutionizing Wound Treatment with Multi-Functional Dressings

Samaneh Ghazanfari is an Associate Professor at Maastricht University and RWTH Aachen University, with a background in mechanical and biomedical engineering. She obtained her PhD from Eindhoven University of Technology and conducted postdoctoral research at VU University of Amsterdam, Harvard Medical School, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her research focuses on fiber-based technology approaches using novel biomaterials to develop functional biomedical products. She aims to facilitate technological translation from the lab to clinic for a better society and her research interests include novel fibrous biomaterials, cell-material interaction, biomechanics, and structural-functional characterization. She has received various awards such as YEURUN and COST Action and has been involved in various European, Dutch, and industrial projects as an executive and supervisory board member.

Title: Enzymatic modification of polysaccharides: a way to improve their functionalities by a green process

Jordane Jasniewski completed his Ph.D. in 2008 at I.N.P.L in Biotechnological and Food Processes. Currently, he holds the position of Associate Professor in Physicochemistry and Food Biochemistry at the Laboratory of Biomolecule Engineering (LIBio) at the University of Lorraine. His research focuses on controlling soft matter to create supramolecular architectures capable of encapsulating molecules of interest. His work particularly involves complex coacervation and nanoprecipitation. One of the approaches employed in his research is enzymatic modification (grafting of phenolic compounds) to guide soft matter towards the spontaneous creation of new objects, such as particles.

Title: Scientific Publishing with Impact

Dr. Irem Bayindir-Buchhalter joined Wiley-VCH in 2016 as an Assistant Editor in the editorial team of the Advanced portfolio. She was one of the Deputy Editors of Advanced Healthcare Materials and worked on various journals within the portfolio, including Advanced Functional Materials, Advanced Science, and Small from the Small titles. She was appointed Editor-in-Chief of Advanced NanoBiomed Research in 2021, a role she still holds. In 2023, she and Dr. Esther Levy jointly assumed the Editor-in-Chief role for Advanced Materials. Irem has a B.Sc. (High Honors) in Molecular Biology and Genetics from Middle East Technical University, Turkey, an M.Sc. in cancer biology and a Ph.D. in metabolism and stem cell plasticity jointly from German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and University of Heidelberg, Germany. She is located in Weinheim, Germany.

Title: Bridging the Gap: Translational Strategies in Biomaterial Delivery and Biofabrication for Tissue Regeneration and their Clinical Implementation

Dr. Jacob Quint is a postdoctoral trainee at the University of Connecticut Health Center, a visiting researcher at the University of Minnesota, and CEO and Co-founder of InPrint Bio, a biomedical research and development start-up. He earned his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Connecticut and an MSc and BSc in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Nebraska. His research focuses on the translational delivery of nanofunctionalized biomaterials for tissue regeneration and modeling the tumor microenvironment. He has been awarded numerous fellowships and awards including a T32 Doctoral Fellowship to develop tools to regenerate musculoskeletal tissues and a T90 Postdoctoral Fellowship to fabricate biomaterial-based tumor microenvironments to elucidate spatiotemporal mechanisms underpinning cancer metabolism.

From his doctoral research and in collaboration with a diverse team of engineers, regulatory consultants, and clinicians, he co-founded InPrint Bio to translate their technologies toward clinical use. InPrint Bio develops novel biomaterial delivery strategies for academic research and is also actively pursuing preclinical evaluation of its technologies for regulatory approval.