Andriambololona (PhD, CNRS, France, 1967) is former founding director general of the National Institute for Nuclear Sciences and Technologies (INSTN), Madagascar. He returned to Madagascar in 1968. He was former member of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); scientific adviser to the President, Madagascar Republic; national coordinator for African regional Agreement (AFRA) in Nuclear Energy since 1989; and developer of INSTN (1992). He was awarded the Grand Croix de l’Ordre National Malgache and Commandeur de l’Ordre de Mérite de Madagascar. He is former founding vice president of the African Academy of Sciences, member of Académie Malgache, founding president TWAS Madagascar Chapter and part of many other professional associations including the IAEA and Intl. Radiation Protection Assoc. Executive President of Commission Raoelina Andriambololona pour la Nanotechnologie (CORANANO) (2013). Member of International Energy Foundation. Former member of Pan African-Pugwash Group. Member of Society of African Physicists and Mathematicians (Accra, Ghana).

Carlos Alberto Aragão de Carvalho (BSc, 1973, MSc, 1976, PUC/RJ; PhD Princeton, 1980): retired Professor of Physics, UFRJ (1994 - 2016); specialist in Quantum Field Theory & its applications. Currently: Director of Scientific and Technological Development, Finep/MCTI. Previously: Research Associate, CERN (1980-81); Research Associate, CNRS, University of Paris XI, Orsay (1981-82); Assistant Professor (1982-88) & Associate Professor (1985-93), PUC/RJ; Director of Innovation, Brazilian Agency for Industrial Development - ABDI (2005); Director of Scientific and Technological Development, Finep/MCTI (2005 - 2007); President, Brazilian National Research Council - CNPq (2010); Director-General, National Center for Research in Energy & Materials - CNPEM (2011-14); Director of Innovation & Technology, Inmetro (2014-2016); Technical Consultant, Naval Agency for Nuclear Safety and Quality - Brazilian Navy (2017-2023). Member: Brazilian Academy of Sciences and Brazilian National Academy of Engineering. Prizes: Medal & Great Cross, Brazilian Order of Scientific Merit; and Medal, Order of Naval Merit.

Aretxaga is a class-C researcher at the National Institute of Astrophysics, Optics and Electronics (INAOE), Mexico, a member of the Mexican National Researcher System (equivalent to Full Professor), and a member of the Mexican Academy of Sciences (AMC). Since her arrival in Mexico in 1998, she has built her research group on galaxy formation and evolution and contributed to the development of the astronomy community. In 2011–2016 she was Head of Department of Astrophysics at INAOE. In 2006–2013, she coordinated the astronomy section of AMC. Since 2016, she has directed the International Schools for Young Astronomers of the International Astronomical Union, that bring education, development and networking opportunities to graduate students in isolated areas. The main focus of her research is to unravel the importance of massive star formation around supermassive black holes and their role in galaxy formation and evolution. She has coauthored over 140 research papers in Q1 journals, and has been invited more than 100 times to international conferences and other research institutes as a speaker. She also has an active outreach programme of talks, articles and pieces in social media.

Balseiro has research positions at the Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA) and National Research Council (CONICET), Argentina. He is professor at the Instituto Balseiro, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, where he obtained his PhD in 1978. He works in condensed matter theory, in particular charge density waves and superconductivity, the electronic structure of high T superconductors and of strongly correlated systems as well as electronic and spin transport in nanostructures. His awards include: Guggenheim fellow; Hussay prize from CONICET; Teofilo Isnardi prize from the National Academy of Sciences (ANCFyN); and Konex Prize. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, Argentina.

Barma is Professor Emeritus with the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research at the TIFR Centre for Interdisciplinary Sciences, Hyderabad and former Director of TIFR. After PhD from the State University of New York Stony Brook (1974), he did postdoctoral work at Michigan State University and joined TIFR in 1976. He has worked in the areas of nonequilibrium statistical mechanics, phase transitions, and disordered systems. Between 2002-05, he served as chair of the IUPAP C3 Commission on Statistical Physics and is currently a vice president of IUPAP. Honours include: INSA Young Scientist Award; Bhatnagar Prize; Indian Science Congress SN Bose Centenary Medal; Goyal Prize. He is a fellow of the Indian National Science Academy (New Delhi), the Indian Academy of Sciences (Bangalore), and the National Academy of Sciences (Allahabad), and a recipient of the JC Bose Fellowship. He was conferred the Padma Shri by the Govt. of India.

Berkovits obtained his Bachelor and Masters degrees in Physics at Harvard Univ. in 1983, and his PhD in Physics at the Univ. of California at Berkeley in 1988. He moved to São Paulo in 1994, and is a citizen of Brazil since 2002. Berkovits is currently a full professor at the Instituto de Física Teórica of São Paulo State University (UNESP) and Director of the ICTP South American Institute for Fundamental Research (ICTP‐SAIFR). He was awarded the 2009 TWAS Physics prize for his significant contributions to superstring theory and its covariant quantization and the 2021 APS John Wheatley Award for exceptional leadership in fundamental physics research in South America. He is a member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, the São Paulo State Academy of Sciences, and the International String Theory Advisory Committee.

Brandan is Professor of Physics at Instituto de Física, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). She holds a BSc from Universidad de Chile and a PhD from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Her research interests have been experimental heavy-ion physics (some years ago) and medical physics (more recently). Her present research focuses on thermoluminescent dosimetry for highly-ionizing radiation and physics of radiological images. Organizer in 1997 of the UNAM MSc (Medical Physics) programme and responsible for its academic guidance until 2017. She has received the 2000 UNAM Catedrático recognition, the 2003 Mexican Physics Society Award for the Development of Physics in Mexico and the 2013 UNAM Universidad Nacional Award for Research in Exact Sciences. Memberships include Mexican Academy of Sciences, American Physical Society (1997 Fellow of the Nuclear Physics Division), Mexican Physics Society (past-President of the Nuclear and the Medical Physics Divisions) and American Association of Physicists in Medicine (2018 Fellow). María-Ester Brandan chaired the International Solid State Dosimetry Organization and presently is a commissioner of ICRU.

Brito Cruz is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Campinas (Unicamp), Brazil and the Senior Vice-President Research Networks at Elsevier, UK. He graduated in Electronics Engineering and has a doctorate in Physics. He was a visiting researcher at the Quantum Optics Laboratory at the Universitá di Roma, at the Femtosecond Research Lab. at the Universitè Pierre et Marie Curie, and a resident researcher at the AT&T's Bell Laboratories, in Holmdel, New Jersey. He was the Director of Unicamp's Physics Institute, Pro-rector for Research, and Rector of the university. He was the President of the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) and its Science Director from 2005-2020. He is a member of the Queen Elizabeth Engineering Prize Judging Panel and of the UN's 10-Member Committee for Technology for Technology Facilitation for the SDGs. Brito Cruz is a member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, received the Ordre des Palmes Academiques de France, the Order of the Scientific Merit from the Federative Republic of Brazil, and the Order of the British Empire, Honorary (OBE).

Cai (PhD, 1995, Fudan University, China) is professor and director, Institute of Theoretical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS); president, Gravity and Relativistic Astrophysics Division of the Chinese Physical Society; vice-president, Gravity, Cosmology and Astrophysics Division of the Association of Asia Pacific Physical Societies (AAPPS); president, BRICS Association of Gravity Astrophysics and Cosmology. His prizes include the second place of National Natural Science Prize of China, Thomson Reuters global highest citation prize, the first place of Chongqing Natural Science Prize. He is a member of CAS. His research field is gravity and cosmology. In black hole physics, holographic properties of gravity, inflation model, dark energy, and gravitational wave physics, he has published more than 300 papers, these works received more than 20,000 citations and his h-index is 77.

Canuto (PhD, 1979, University of Uppsala, Sweden) is Professor at the University of São Paulo. A member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences and Sao Paulo State Academy of Sciences. Co-editor-in-Chief of the Spectrochimica Acta A, member of the editorial board of the International Journal of Quantum Chemistry, editorial board of the Chemical Physics Letters (2003-2009), Specialist Editor of the Computer Physics Communications (1987-1990, 2002-2006) and Associate Editor of the Brazilian Journal of Physics (2000-2009). Coordinator of Physics and Astronomy at CAPES-Ministry of Education (2011-2018). M. N. Saha Lecturer (2002) for the IACS (Calcutta, India), honored by the University of Havana (2005); official report for the Nobel Committee of Physics and Chemistry in connection with the Chemistry Nobel Prize (2013), member of the International Jury for Unesco-L’Oréal Prize Women in Science (2011, 2013, 2015, 2017). Vice-President for Research (Provost) of the University of São Paulo (2018-2022). Honored with a special issue of the International Journal of Quantum Chemistry (2011).

Cetto Kramis is a Research Professor at the Institute of Physics, a lecturer at the Faculty of Sciences, and the Director of the Museum of Light, at the National University of Mexico (UNAM). Cetto Kramis has contributed to the development of stochastic quantum mechanics and stochastic electrodynamics. She served as Deputy Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from 2003 to 2010 and is founding President of Latindex. Her awards include: Golden Award, International League of Humanists; Prize for the Development of Physics and Prize for Research in Physics, Mexican Physics Society; Award Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, UNAM; Mexico's Woman of the Year, 2003; Premio Juchiman de Plata, Mexico, and hon. doctorates from Tajik State National University and UNAPEC, Dominican Republic. She is a member of: Academia Mexicana de Ciencias; American Physical Society; Académie Royale des Sciences d'Outre Mer; OWSD; and World Future Council.

Chang is Emeritus Scholar Chair of Natl. Synchrotron Radiation Res. Center (NSRRC) and honorary chair professor, Natl. Tsing Hua U. (NTHU) in Hsinchu, Taiwan. He obtained his PhD in 1975 at Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn. He was former director of NSRRC and former vice president (NTHU); president, Physical Society of R.O.C., director general (Natural Sciences), National Science Council; commission members IUPAP and IUCr. His honours include NSC Outstanding Research Award, Sun Yet San Academic Award, MOE Academic Award; Tung Yuan Award for Sci. and Tech.; B. E. Warren Diffraction Physics Award (Amer. Crystallogr. Assoc.); Ho Chin-Duei Outstanding Honorary Award. Member/Fellow: Academia Sinica; Asian Pacific Academy of Materials Science; American Physical Society; Physical Society of R.O.C.; national chair professor; chair, Foundation for the Advancement of Outstanding Scholarship.

Chela-Flores was educated in Caracas and London. In 1969, he obtained a PhD in physics at the University of London. He has been a Visiting Scientist at the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste, Italy, since 2014, where he had previously covered other positions: Staff Associate (1996-2014), Scientific Consultant (1990–1996), Visiting Scientist (1982–1989) and Associate Member (1972–1976). He is Professor Titular ad honorem and a founding member of the Institute for Advanced Studies of Caracas, and was a Research Associate at the School of Theoretical Physics of the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (1994–2019). He was Associate Researcher at the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research (IVIC) (1971–1978), and, at the University Simon Bolivar of Caracas, he was both Dean for Research (1979–1985) and Professor (1978–1990). He was awarded the Order Andres Bello by the Venezuelan Government. He is a member of the Latin American Academy of Sciences; and a Foreign Corresponding Member of the Venezuelan Academia de Ciencias Fisicas, Matematicas y Naturales.

Chen is professor of physics at Peking Univ.; vice-pres., CHINA-ICSU Council; honorary pres., Beijing Assoc. of Science and Tech.; and vice-pres. of 25th Exec. Council, IUPAP. He is internationally recognized for his work on particle accelerators with pioneering achievements in the R and D of superconducting and heavy ion linear accelerators in China. His honours include: Award for Science and Tech. Progress, HLHL Found.; First Prize for Achievements in State High-tech program; Second Award for National Science and Technology Progress; First Prizes, State Commission of Science and Technology; Cross of Merit on ribbon, Federal Republic of Germany; DSc (h.c.) from 4 institutions; and honorary professor of physics at Xi'an Jiaotong, Jilin and Harbin Industrial Universities. His membership includes CAS, New York Academy of Sciences and IOP, UK.

Chen is a professor of Physics at University of Science and Technology of China, where he received his PhD in 1992. He is also an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the director of the Key Laboratory of Strongly Coupled Quantum Materials of Chinese Academy of Sciences. His research is focused on high-temperature superconductors, strongly correlated electronic materials and other quantum materials. He has received several distinguished awards, including the First Prize of State Natural Science Award of China, the Bernd T. Matthias Prize in International Superconducting Materials and TWAS Prize in Physics. He has been an Advisory Board of Solid State Communications and Science Bulletin, and an associate editor of Science China Materials.

Chen received her BSc in physics from the National Taiwan University in 1981, and her PhD in applied physics from Harvard University (1989). Then, she worked at the General Electric Corporate R&D, Schenectady, New York (1989–1994), joined the Center for Condensed Matter Sciences (CCMS), NTU in 1994, and became a professor with the Physics Department in 2021. Chen was the director of CCMS (2012–2018), and since 2018 has been the director of the Center of Atomic Initiative for New Materials, a research centre featured by the Sprout Project under the Ministry of Education (MoE) in Taiwan. Chen’s group is specialized in low-dimensional nanomaterials and their applications for optoelectronics and energy. She is a Fellow of both the Physical Society and the Vacuum Society in Taiwan, and the Materials Research Society in USA. She has received numerous honours that include a Laureate of the 22nd Khwarizmi International Award, the Outstanding Research Award by the National Science and Technology Council (twice), the MoE Academic Award, and the Taiwan Outstanding Women in Science. Chen was elected as an Academician of the Asia Pacific Academy of Materials and Academician of Academia Sinica.

Cherkaoui El Moursli (PhD, 1982, France and Thèse d’Etat, 1990, Morocco) is Professor of Physics, Faculty of Science, University Mohammed V, Rabat. She was Director of the Nuclear Physics Laboratory and Vice President of the University. She is a member of: the Hassan II Academy of Sciences and Technology; the African Academy of Sciences; ATLAS collaboration at CERN in Geneva; KM3NeT collaboration; Board of the Moroccan Nuclear and Radiological Safety and Security Agency; the Scientific Committee of Fundacion Mujeres por Africa; ICSU/RCA; Steering committee members of the IAP-R project ‘Harnessing Science, Engineering, and Medicine to Address Africa’s Challenges’. Her awards include: L’Oréal-UNESCO Laureate (Africa and Middle East) 2015; the largest publishing in ST at UM5 2017; the Moroccan woman of Year 2015 by the magazine Illi; the OIC’s Prize 2017; President of the Moroccan organizing committee of the francophone competition My thesis in 180s.

Chu and colleagues were the first to achieve superconductivity above liquid nitrogen temperatures with YBaCuO (90 K). Such and related work has established him as a leader in the field of high temperature superconducting oxides. He is Founding Director and Chief Scientist, Texas Center for Superconductivity; Professor of Physics and T.L.L. Temple Chair of Science, University of Houston; President Emeritus and University Professor Emeritus, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; and Honorary Chancellor, Taiwan Comprehensive University System. He has received the U.S. National Medal of Science and numerous international awards, as well as 10 honorary doctorates and 7 honorary professorships. He is a fellow/member of the American Physical Society, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Academia Sinica, National Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and other organizations.

Cui is professor, National Astronomical Observatories of China (NAOC), Nanjing Institute of Astronomical Optics and Technology (NIAOT), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS); president, Chinese Astronomical Society; and associate director, Chinese Center for Antarctic Astronomy. She graduated from Nanjing University of Science and Technology (1975), and obtained her MSc (1982) and PhD (1995) at Purple Mountain Observatory and CAS Graduate School. From 2001-10, she was associate director, NAOC, and director, NIAOT. Her research focuses on astronomical instruments and technology for astrophysics. From 1985-86, she visited Jodrell Bank Observatory in England, and from 1986-94 she worked at the European Southern Observatory (ESO), Germany, for the Very Large Telescope project (VLT). From 1994-08, in China, she built the innovative telescope LAMOST. In 2009, she was elected as CAS academician.

Dasgupta is professor in the Department of Physics at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, India. He did doctoral research at the University of Pennsylvania, postdoctoral work at the University of California, San Diego, and Harvard University. Afterwards, he taught at the University of Minnesota for a few years before joining IISc in 1987. He has made important contributions in the theory of phase transitions, statistical mechanics of disordered systems, kinetics of surface growth and fluctuations, and dynamics of supercooled liquids near the glass transition. His awards include: Fellowship of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the DAE-Raja Ramanna Prize and the J.C. Bose National Fellowship. His memberships include all three science academies in India.