Prof. C. N. Bowman

Prof. Christopher N. Bowman is currently the James and Catherine Patten Endowed Chair and a Distiguished Professor of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Colorado with additional appointments in the Biofrontiers Institute, the Materials Science and Engineering Program, the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and the Dental School. He received his B.S. and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University in 1988 and 1991, respectively. After receiving his Ph.D., he began his academic career at the University of Colorado in January of 1992. Since that time Professor Bowman has built a program focused on the fundamentals and applications of crosslinked polymers formed via photopolymerizations and click reactions. His research focuses on the design and development of new polymer structures and understanding and translating those developments into practical improvements in materials performance, particularly for smart, responsive polymer materials. 

In particular, his research involves the synthesis of novel monomers and the implementation of various photoinitiated polymerization reactions in a range of applications including adhesives, coatings, dental materials, photolithography, nanotechnology and biomaterials. Professor Bowman has published more than 350 refereed papers that have been cited more than 25000 times, supervised 50 completed PhD theses and 200 undergraduate researchers during his time at CU. Professor Bowman has been granted more than 20 patents including multiple ones that have been translated into commercial products, and he was inducted in 2017 into the National Academy of Inventors and the National Academy of Medicine. Additionally, he has been recognized with international awards from the American Chemical Society, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the American Society for Engineering Education, the Materials Research Society, and the Society for Biomaterials.

Prof. Filip Du Prez

Since 1999, Prof. Filip Du Prez is heading the Polymer Chemistry Research group (PCR), which is focusing on the development of new polymer structures, exploration of powerful polymer functionalization methods and the design of polymer materials for high-value applications. A couple of actual research topics are sequence defined polymers, vitrimers, novel click chemistries in macromolecular science, functional polymers from renewable resources and self-healing polymers.

This research resulted in more than 275 A1 publications (more than 7500 citations, h-index 46), more than 10 book chapters, 11 patent applications and more than 20 (inter)national awards for the PCR- coworkers in the last 5 years. In 2008, he had a Visiting Professor position at the CAMD Research Centre (UNSW, Sydney). In the same year, he became editor of the European Polymer Journal (until September 2018). Since 2016, he is the representative of the Belgian Polymer Group in the European Polymer Federation (EPF) and since October 2018 he became associate editor of the RSC-journal Polymer Chemistry.

Prof. Jean-François Gérard

Prof.Jean-François Gérard got a PhD in Macromolecular Materials Science in 1985. He is currently Full Professor at INSA Lyon/Université de Lyon in Materials Science Engineering and Polymer Science and develops research activities within the UMR CNRS 5223 ‘Ingénierie des Matériaux Polymères’. He began as Research Scientist at CNRS UMR 5627 ‘Relations Structure-Propriétés des Polymères’. He head the UMR CNRS 5223 Institute from 2002 to 2011. Since the beginning of his career, he dedicates his researches to the design of various polymer-based materials, especially thermoset-based ones. His interests are focused on nanostructured polymers and nanostructuration processes - (nano)microphase separation phenomena from RIPS, hybrid organic-inorganic nanomaterials from introduction of metal oxo-clusters or considering sol-gel chemistries, ionic liquids, nanoparticles and nanocomposites -, interfaces and interphases in blends and composite materials (from nanocomposites to fiber-based composites), coatings and adhesives, etc. Numerous of his researches are done within collaborative projects with Industry. He is the author of about 240 papers in scientific journals, 13 patents, and he gave about 125 invited conferences in international conferences. He was vice-coordinator of NANOFUN-POLY (Nanostructured and Multi-Functional Polymer-Based Nanomaterials and Composites) European Network of Excellence and from 2007, he acts as Vice-President of the European Center for Nanostructured Polymers (ECNP). He has numerous consulting activities and participation in boards of various agencies, scientific learning societies, such as President of the European Polymer Federation (2016-2017).

Prof. Brigitte Voit

Prof. Brigitte Voit received her PhD in Macromolecular Chemistry in 1990 from University Bayreuth, Germany, in the field of photoactive polymers. After postdoctoral work in 1991/1992 at Eastman Kodak in Rochester, USA, in the field of hyperbranched polymers, she joined Technische Universität München continuing the work on dendritic polymers and she received her habilitation degree in Macromolecular Chemistry in 1996. In 1997 Brigitte Voit was appointed head of the Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry at the Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research (IPF) Dresden, as well as full professor for "Organic Chemistry of Polymers“ at Technische Universität Dresden (TUD). In addition, since 2002, she is heading the IPF Dresden, a large public research institute hosting about 480 people, as Scientific Director.

Her major research interest is in the synthesis of new functional polymer architectures by various synthetic approaches covering topics like dendritic polymers, hydrogels, functional block and graft copolymers, as well as biofunctional polymers and functional polymers for optoelectronic applications. For the period 2014/2015 Brigitte Voit had been president of the European Polymer Federation and in 2015 she was awarded with membership in acatech (Akademie der Technikwissenschaften). She received the Sächsischen Verdienstorden (Saxon Order of Merit) in 2017 and the Hermann Staudinger Award of GDCh in 2018.

Prof. Yusuf Yagci 

Prof. Yusuf Yagci is a full professor of Chemistry at Istanbul Technical University, Turkey with expertise in photopolymerization. He received his M.Sc. (1977) and Ph.D. (1979) degree from Liverpool University (UK). He joined Istanbul Technical University in 1980 where he continued all his academic activities till now.  He conducted research in various institutions in Germany and Japan supported by Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung and Japan Society of Promotion of Science, respectively. He has published over 600 original research papers in peer-reviewed international journals and 48 chapters in international books, and is the inventor and co-inventor of ten patents. He is the recipient of several awards including the Turkish Scientific and Technological Research Council (Tubitak) Young Investigator Award (1989), Tubitak Science Award (1994), Turkish Chemical Society Honorary Member Award (2002), The Society of Polymer Science, Japan (SPSJ) International Award (2008), and the Elginkan Foundation Technology Award (2008), Organization of Islamic Coporation (OIC) Ministerial COMSTEC International Award (2010), Mustafa Parlar Honorary Award (2013). OIC Science & Technology Award (2017), Fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry (2017), Belgian Polymer Group International Award (2018) and Japan Photopolymer Society Best Paper Award (2018).  

Prof. Rigoberto Advincula

Prof. Rigoberto Advincula is Professor at the Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering, Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, USA.  He is a Fellow of the American Chemical Society (ACS), Fellow of the Polymer Science and Engineering Division (ACS), Fellow of the Polymer Chemistry Division (ACS). He received the distinguished Herman Mark Scholar Award in 2013. In 2018, he was elected National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), Philippines. He recently has been appointed to the World Economic Forum, Advanced Materials Council. He is Editor of MRS Communications and Reactive and Functional Polymers. He has held a number of visiting Professor positions including Waseda University in Japan. His group does research in polymer materials, nanocomposites, colloidal science, 3D printing, hybrid materials, and ultrathin films towards applications from smart coatings to biomedical devices. He is passionate in mentoring students and helping other countries in their STEM.

Prof. Roberto Williams

Roberto Williams (PhD in Chemical Technology, 1972, University of La Plata, Argentina) is Emeritus Professor of the University of Mar del Plata, Argentina, and Emeritus Researcher of the National Research Council (CONICET), Argentina. He is co-author of the book Thermosetting Polymers (Dekker, 2002, + 900 citations), co-editor of the book Epoxy Polymers  (Wiley-VCH, 2010), and co-author of about 250 articles and book chapters in the field of thermosetting polymers. He is President of the National Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences of Argentina, period 2016-2020, and fellow of the World Academy of Sciences (TWAS).  He received the Presidential Award 2011, the maximum distinction given to a scientist in Argentina.