Luís Pereira is Assistant Professor at Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa (NOVA FCT). He received an ERC Starting Grant for the development of cellulose nanocomposites for paper electronics and an ERC Proof of Concept grant. His research interests include the design and synthesis of 1D, 2D, and 3D inorganic and hybrid nanostructures, cellulose nanocomposites, functional micro- and nanofibers, and their integration on chromogenic, electronic, and electrochemical devices. Over 240 papers with more than 11,500 citations (h-index 55, Scopus). He is CTO of AlmaScience Colab, an industry-driven tech incubation institution for sustainable materials and applications.

Bernhard C. Bayer is Assistant Professor and ERC CoG & PoC awardee at TU Wien, Austria. He works on synthesis, in-situ characterisation and applications of nanomaterials with a focus on two-dimensional (2D) materials. He has published over 85 papers with more than 5,600 citations. He is also co-Founder & CSO of ZapTherm, a pre-seed spin-off from his lab.

Annalisa Pola is a professor of Metallurgy at the University of Brescia, appointed full professor in 2019. Her research covers foundry processes, liquid state Al alloy treatments, characterization of components for foundry and additive manufacturing, failure analysis, and rheological behavior of semi-solid alloys. Currently focused on recycled alloys for structural components and the effect of trace elements in secondary aluminum alloys. Co-author of approx. 150 publications with over 2,100 citations.

Ronald Schnitzer is a professor of Physical Metallurgy at Montanuniversität Leoben. After his PhD, he headed R&D at voestalpine Böhler Welding until 2016 and has led the Chair of Physical Metallurgy since 2022. His research focuses on processing–structure–property relationships of metallic materials, with emphasis on advanced and sustainable steels using high-resolution characterization methods such as atom probe tomography. Co-author of over 100 publications with more than 1,900 citations.

Joanna Wojewoda-Budka is an Associate Professor and Director of the Institute of Metallurgy and Materials Science, Polish Academy of Sciences. She is General Secretary of the Polish Society for Materials Science (2021–2024) and a Member of the Committee on Materials Engineering and Metallurgy of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Her research focuses on diffusion phenomena at electronic interconnections, metal-ceramic composites, joining technologies (diffusion soldering, explosive welding), and new coatings materials. Co-author of about 100 journal articles and principal investigator of about 30 national and international research projects. Awarded the Silver Cross of Merit by the President of Poland (2017) and the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (2023).

Lorenz Romaner is a full professor of computational materials science at Montanuniversität Leoben, specializing in physics-guided, data-driven design of materials. He earned both his master’s degree and PhD in solid-state physics from TU Graz. His research bridges first-principles theory, multiscale simulation, and machine learning to reveal how crystallographic defect structures govern macroscopic properties and performance. He has co-authored 96 peer-reviewed publications and currently directs the Christian Doppler Laboratory for Advanced Computational Design of Crystal Growth, where his team virtualizes manufacturing routes for high-quality silicon carbide single crystals.

Dirk Lehmhus earned his mechanical engineering diploma in 1998 at Volkswagen, then joined Fraunhofer IFAM focusing on metallic foams. He completed a PhD at the University of Bremen on aluminium foam production and in 2009 became managing director of the University of Bremen's Scientific Centre ISIS. Returning to Fraunhofer IFAM in 2018 as senior researcher in casting technology, his research focuses on light alloy casting for automotive applications, digitalization, and circular economy approaches. Over 80 publications.

Christoph Rameshan heads the Chair of Physical Chemistry at Montanuniversität Leoben, focusing on complex oxide materials for electro-catalytic applications and efficient transformation of greenhouse gases into sustainable fuels and chemicals. He studied Chemistry at the University of Innsbruck, completed his PhD with a scholarship of the Fritz-Haber Institute in Berlin, and did postdoctoral work at the Advanced Light Source in Berkeley. Appointed full professor for electrochemical energy conversion in Leoben in 2022.

Annabel Braem is associate professor in the Department of Materials Engineering at KU Leuven, affiliated with the Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering research group and the Laboratory of Complex Surfaces and Interfaces (Complexurf). Her research lies at the intersection of materials engineering and biomedical sciences, aiming to develop hybrid organic/inorganic biomaterials capable of delivering bioactive substances at implant surfaces. Her work focuses on ceramic additive manufacturing and surface modification techniques for the controlled release and immobilization of biomolecules. Over 100 papers (h-index 32). She serves as president-elect of the Belgian Ceramic Society and emeritus-chair of the American Ceramic Society Bioceramics Division.

Jürgen Stampfl is full professor for “Materials and Additive Manufacturing” at TU Wien since 2017, heading the research area “Polymers and Composites.” He studied applied physics at TU Graz, obtained his PhD in materials science from Montan­universität Leoben, and worked as research associate at Stanford University’s Rapid Prototyping Lab (1997–2000). His expertise lies in lithography-based additive manufacturing technologies and materials development (polymers, ceramics). He co-founded Lithoz GmbH and Cubicure GmbH, providing 3D-printing equipment and materials. Recipient of the Houska Prize (2013, 2019) and the H.F. Mark Medal (2021).

Gisèle Lecomte-Nana is Associate Professor in materials science at ENSIL-ENSCI, Institute of Research on Ceramics (IRCER), University of Limoges (France). She studied ceramic processing and surface treatment at the University of Limoges, where she earned her Diploma and Doctorate with distinction and completed her habilitation in materials science in 2016. Her research focuses on the formulation of feedstocks in line with shaping processes, the physical and chemical interactions within ceramics pastes or slurries, the thermal transformations and sintering mechanisms of ceramics and composites, and the correlation between formulation–shaping process–structure–properties. Target fields of application are environment (water treatment and depollution), energy and low carbon footprint systems.

Tanja Wrodnigg is Full Professor of Organic Chemistry and Glycochemistry at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) and established the Institute for Chemistry and Technology of Biobased Systems (IBioSys) together with Professor Karin Stana Kleinschek in 2020. She studied Technical Chemistry at TU Graz, where she earned her Diploma and Doctorate with distinction and completed her habilitation in Organic Chemistry in 2008. She currently serves as Dean of Studies for the Faculty of Technical Chemistry, Chemical and Process Engineering, and Biotechnology. Her research focuses on glycosciences, including bioactive glycoconjugates, glycomimetics, carbohydrate-based probes for enzyme profiling, therapeutics for lysosomal storage and neurodegenerative diseases, and the chemical modification of polysaccharides to create functional materials with tailored bioactivity.

Franz Faupel is Professor Emeritus at Kiel University. Until 2025, he held the Chair for Multicomponent Materials. He is a founding member of the International Alliance of Societies for a Sustainable Future (SFS), the founder of the North European Initiative Nanotechnology (NINa SH e.V.), and a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts (EASA). He has published more than 450 research papers, inter alia, on metallic glasses, functional nanocomposites, magnetoelectric sensors, photocatalysis, plasma deposition, and memristive devices for bioinspired neuromorphic computing.

Emanuel Ionescu is Professor of Chemical Materials Technology at TU Wien, leading research in inorganic materials synthesis and processing for extreme environments and sustainable technologies. His work also addresses circular economy concepts, process modelling, and digitalization. He studied at the University of Bucharest and TU Braunschweig, received his doctorate from the University of Bonn, and completed his habilitation at TU Darmstadt. He serves as Editor of the Journal of the European Ceramic Society and is a Fellow of the American Ceramic Society.