BSc from University College Dublin (1987), MSc from University of Edinburgh (1988), and PhD from University of Oxford (1991), received a post-doctorate scholarship at the University of Sydney (2002). She is a full professor of Universidade de Brasilia and a CNPq scholarship holder (1A). She has experience in animal genetics and breeding, in conservation of animal genetic resources and landscape genetics. McManus has published more than 500 articles in peer-reviewed journals with the editorial board, 24 book chapters, more than 550 abstracts in conferences, and supervised more than 200 students. She participates in joint projects at the United States Department of Agriculture and the Agricultural Research Council of South Africa, among others. She is a reviewer for 38 national and international journals, and 11 development agencies, as well as associate editor for Tropical Animal Health and Production. She was the director of international affairs for CAPES/Ministry of Education, Brazil. McManus is a Brazilian Academy of Science member and commander of the National Order of Scientific Merit. Currently, is responsible for research collaboration in FAPESP/São Paulo/Brazil.

Medina (Dr. Ack., U. of Hohenheim, 1964) has worked as senior researcher and head of the Lab. for Plant Physiological Ecology, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas (IVIC), Caracas. He also served as: Dir., Intl. Ctr. for Tropical Ecol., IVIC-UNESCO; member, Intl. Scientific Adv. Board, Max-Planck-Inst. f. Limnologie; member, Adv. Comm., Scientific Comm. on Problems of the Environ. (ICSU); FAO adviser, Environ. and Develop.; and member, Coord. Comm. for Research, Int. Union of Biol. Sciences. His honours include: Carnegie fellow; Andres Bello Order; Lorenzo Mendoza Fleury Prize; Guggenheim fellow; hon. member, Ecol. Soc. of America; for. assoc., Natl. Acad. of Sciences, USA; for. member, Am. Acad. of Sciences; Bacardi chair, Univ. of Florida; for. assoc., Natl. Acad. of Sciences, USA; for. fellow, Am. Acad. of Arts and Sciences; and for. member, Am. Acad. of Sciences. Adjunct Scientist at IITF-USDA Forest Service

Narinder Mehra is the Vice President (international affairs) of the Indian National Science Academy, Hon Emeritus Scientist of the Indian Council of Medical Research, Former Dean (Res) and Founder Head Dept. of Transplant Immunology and Immunogenetics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. He is former Secretary General and Vice President of Federation of Immunological Societies of Asia Oceania (FIMSA) and Life member of Asia Pacific Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics Association (APHIA). He is council member, International Union of Immunological Societies (IUIS) and International Histocompatibility association. His honors include India’s highest S.S. Bhatnagar award, Ranbaxy Science foundation award, Chevalier of the National Order of Merit (France), IROST Khwarizmi international award (Iran) and B.R. Ambedkar award for excellence in Research (ICMR). He is member Honoris Causa of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and Fellow of Indian Academy of Sciences, Indian National Science Academy and National Academy of Medical Sciences of India and holds Hon Fellowship of Royal College of Physicians (FRCP) of UK . He holds hon. professorship from four universities.

Mekonnen is a Professor of Cell and Human Physiology in the Department of Biology at the College of Natural and Computational Sciences of Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia. She has published extensively in different peer reviewed scientific journals on topics of respiratory physiology, medicinal plants and other related topics. She has advised many MSc and PhD students and she has also mentored young professionals, specially women, over the last three decades. She was involved in leadership positions and has initiated a number of national, continental and international research networks and collaborations. In 2013, she was able to establish with other colleagues the Society of Ethiopian Women in Science and Technology, to help empower and mentor women academicians and researchers in Ethiopia. In 2015, she received the African Union Kwame Nkrumah Regional Scientific Award for Women in Science. She was appointed as Ambassador Scientist by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation of Germany as part of a worldwide network for excellence from 2016 to 2021. Currently she is the Principal Vice-President of the Ethiopian Academy of Sciences.

Menchaca-Rocha is a Mexican nuclear physicist with an Oxford D.Phil. and postdoctoral training at LBNL. His interests include heavy-ion reaction mechanisms and their hydrodynamic simulation; the production of light nuclei and antinuclei, with applications to cosmology. He is member of important international collaborations such as ALICE and AMS2. Locally, he pioneered muon-imaging, carrying highly visible applications to the Teotihuacan Pyramid of the Sun and to the Popocatepetl Volcano. He has published 237 papers, cited over 20,000 times (H=75). Directed (2003-07) the UNAM Physics Institute of Physics; presided over the Mexican Academy of Sciences (2010-12); and is (2016-19) General Coordinator of the Science Advisory Council to the Mexican Presidency. Among other distinctions, in 2004 he received the National Science Prize, the highest academic honor in Mexico. Emeritus, National Researchers System since 2017

Menck (PhD Biochemistry, 1982, at the University of São Paulo) is Professor at the Institute of Biomedical Sciences, USP, São Paulo, where he was Head of the Dept. of Microbiology and Vice Director, Vice-President and President of the Brazilian Society of Environmental Mutagenesis, Carcinogenesis and Teratogenesis (SBMCTA), and of the Brazilian Society of Genetics. He participated in the organization of many scientific meetings, including as Chair for the V Congress of SBMCTA, 57th and 58th Annual Congress of Genetics, 11th International Conference on Environmental Mutagens and five meetings on Molecular Mutagenesis and DNA repair (FARM-DNA) (São Paulo and Belo Horizonte, Brazil). His prizes include the Award of Scientific and Technological Merit from the State of São Paulo, Fellow of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, member of the Order of National Scientific Merit, Commander Class. He is also member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, and the Academy of Sciences of the State of São Paulo.

Meng is a professor of Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. He obtained his bachelor degree in 1983 at Southwestern Agricultural University, China, and PhD in 1991 at Nottingham University, UK. He was director of the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) (2008-2012). He is an elected fellow of CAS. He has been working mainly on maternal factors related to regulation of cell lineage, body axis determination, and germ layer formation and patterning using zebrafish and mouse models. His representative work include: 1) revealing the role of Dpr2/Dact2 in mesoderm induction by antagonizing Nodal signaling (Science, 2004); 2) discovery of the maternal factor Huluwa as the key organizer determinant in the zebrafish embryo (Science, 2018); 3) Discovery of the second polar body's role in preimplantation cell fate determination and postimplantation development of the mouse embryo (National Science Reviews, 2022); 4) demonstration of regulation of zygotic genome activation by maturity of nuclear pole complexes in the zebrafish (Cell, 2022).

Yunus Daud Mgaya (B.Sc., 1986, University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; M.Sc., 1989, University of British Columbia, Canada; PhD, 1995, National University of Ireland - NUI Galway, Ireland) is Professor of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Department of Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Technology, University of Dar es Salaam; Fellow, Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA); Fellow, Tanzania Academy of Sciences; Fellow, The African Academy of Sciences. He is presently (since October 2018) the President of Tanzania Academy of Sciences and Chancellor of Kampala International University in Uganda. I served as Director General of the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) from December 2016 to September 2022.

Michel López’s distinguished career reflects a profound commitment to academic research, teaching, and cultural heritage preservation. He founded Bolivia’s first salvage archaeology company, Empresa Consultora de Arqueología ECOAR and possesses extensive knowledge of Bolivia’s protected areas. From 2005 to 2011, as the director of the Institute of Anthropological and Archaeological Research at San Andrés University in La Paz, he spearheaded groundbreaking research and mentored future generations of scholars. His dedication to education has enriched academic discourse, ensuring the transmission of knowledge. From 2011 to 2015, as director-general of the Cultural Heritage at Bolivia’s Ministry of Cultures and Tourism, he led initiatives that secured UNESCO’s World Heritage status for the Ichapekene Piesta of San Ignacio de Moxos (2012), the Qhapaq Ñan (Andean Road System) and the intangible heritage of the Pujllay Ayarichi (2014). He also championed Bolivia’s Cultural Heritage Law (530), enacted in 2014. His academic contributions span diverse topics, including the pre-Columbian settlement of Tarija, ancient hydraulic systems in Beni, and the Inca conquest of Bolivia.

Prof. Ulmas Mirsaidov is the consultant and head researcher in the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Safety & Security Agency of Tajikistan. He worked as the director at the Regulatory Authority in Tajikistan and as director of the V.I. Nikitin Institute of Chemistry of the Academy of Sciences, Tajikistan. His research areas are the chemistry and technology of inorganic hydrides, mineral raw materials, and radioecology. He had practical research work, which is associated with the recovery of materials from wastes of the Tajik aluminum and Isfara hydrometallurgical production. He was awarded: Kurnakov Medal; Tajikistan’s Lenin Komsomol Prize; Peoples' Friendship Medal, Abu Ali Ibn Sino State Award, and ISESCO Award. Besides, his membership in National academy of Sciences of Tajikistan; International Academy Of Science And Technology in California; International Association of the Academies of Sciences; and Association of Academies and Societies of Sciences in Asia (AASSA).”

Mitra is a Professor, Machine Intelligence Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata. She was in the Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH), Aachen, Germany (1992–94) as a Fellow under the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). She was Visiting Professor at Computer Science Department, University of Alberta, Canada; Meiji University, Japan; and Aalborg University Esbjerg, Denmark. Mitra received the National Talent Search Scholarship (1978–1983) from National Council of Educational Research and Training, India; the University Gold Medal (1988); the Outstanding Paper Award (1994) by Transactions on Neural Networks, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), for her pioneering work in neuro-fuzzy computing, the CIMPA-INRIA-UNESCO Fellowship (1996), and Fulbright-Nehru Senior Research Fellowship (2018–2020). She was the Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE) Chair Professor 2018–2020. Mitra has been awarded the prestigious J. C. Bose National Fellowship, 2021. She is a Fellow of IEEE, Indian National Science Academy (INSA), International Association for Pattern Recognition (IAPR), Fellow of INAE, and of National Academy of Sciences, India (NASI).

Mizrahi is the professorial director of the Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine at the University of Cape Town (UCT). She also directs the MRC/NHLS/UCT Molecular Mycobacteriology Research Unit and the UCT node of the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Tuberculosis Research, which is co-hosted by the Universities of Stellenbosch, Witwatersrand, and Cape Town. Awards include the 2013 Christophe Mérieux Prize from the Mérieux Foundation and Institut de France; UNESCO-L'Oréal For Women in Science Prize (Africa and Middle East region, 2000); the Gold Medal of the SA Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (2006); and the Order of the Mapungubwe: Silver of South Africa (2006). She is fellow of the Royal Society of South Africa, a member of the Academy of Science of South Africa and a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology and a Fellow of UCT.

Mohan is Chairman of Dr. Mohan’s Diabetes Specialities Centre and President of the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation, Chennai, India. He obtained PhD in 1987 and DSc in 1997. He has over 1530 publications including 986 original research articles in peer reviewed journals, 367 review articles and 186 chapters in text books. His work has a h-index of 145 and has over 174,000 citations. He has received Fellowships from all the four Royal College of Physicians of UK and Ireland, American College of Endocrinology and the American College of Physicians. He has received 200 awards including the prestigious Dr. B.C. Roy Award by the Medical Council of India and the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Centenary Award from the Indian Council of Medical Research. In 2012 he was awarded the Padma Shri, one of the highest civilian awards given by the Govt. of India. He was conferred Hon. Doctorate from Deakin University of Melbourne in 2017. He has been conferred with the prestigious Harold Rifkin Distinguished International Service in the Cause of Diabetes Award by the American Diabetes Association in 2018 for his pioneering work in the field of diabetes and he is the first Indian to receive this award. He

Momba is a citizen of the Democratic Republic of the Congo living in South Africa since 1991. She is a full research professor and holds the South African National Research Chair of Water Quality and Wastewater Management at Tshwane University of Technology. Her core research in these areas includes drinking water treatment, industrial wastewater and municipal wastewater treatment, health-related water microbiology, nanotechnology, environmental biotechnology, bioremediation and microbial ecology. After 31 years of specializing in the field of water research, she is a C1 rated scientist in South Africa, and an elected Member of the Academy of Science of South Africa. Her research has attracted global recognition as evidenced by numerous awards, publications in peer review journals, collaborations she has established with other universities beyond the borders of South Africa, and the number of students originating from many parts of Africa who obtained their master and PhD degrees under her guidance and mentorship. Momba is a member of 13 scientific committees and reviewer of about 15 refereed journals. She is a mother.

Professor Moncada’s scientific career began at the Royal College of Surgeons, where he was part of the team that discovered the mechanism of action of aspirin-like drugs, thus explaining how they act to relieve pain, control temperature, reduce inflammation and cause gastric damage. During his time at the Wellcome Research Laboratories he led the team that discovered thromboxane synthase and the vasodilator prostacyclin. This work is the basis for the understanding of how low doses of aspirin prevent cardiovascular cardiovascular disease and events such as heart attacks and strokes. In the 1980’s he discovered nitric oxide as a biological mediator, the mechanism of its biosynthesis and many of its biological functions. As Director of Research at Wellcome, he also presided over the work that resulted in the development of several new medicines, including Lamotrigine, Atovaquone, Somig and La

Moraes R., biologist (PhD, 1996, Aarhus University) is professor and researcher, Herbario Nacional and Instituto de Ecología at the Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, La Paz; member of the Academia de Ciencias de Bolivia. She documented flora and vegetation in the lowlands of Bolivia and is specialist in the study of native palms of Bolivia. Her prizes include 2006 Jubilee Award from the International Foundation for Science; 2016 Procer Pedro Domingo Murillo in the Degree of Civic Honor of the Municipal Council of La Paz; 2017 Grand Master in the Adela Zamudio degree, Chamber of Deputies. She published 86 scientific articles: 21 edited books; 77 chapters; 29 prologues, editorials and other publications; among others. In 2013 she created the Marie Curie award at the Bolivian science academy to recognize Bolivian female scientists abroad. She was the first women scientist elected to be president of the Bolivian science academy (2021-2024). She is member of MESAG for GEO7 of the UNEP (2023-2025).

Morel is director, Centre for Technological Development in Health (CDTS), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), Rio de Janeiro. A molecular biologist and medical doctor, he received his MD from the Medical Faculty, Federal Univ. of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil, and completed PhD work at the Biophysics Inst., Federal Univ. of Rio de Janeiro, and Molecular Biology Dept., Swiss Cancer Inst., Lausanne. He has led research projects in molecular parasitology and collaborated with others on neglected diseases and capacity building. He was previously: Professor, UnB; president, FIOCRUZ; and director, UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases, Geneva, where he moved WHO forward in areas such as the unveiling of genomes of parasites and vectors, and establishing relationships with product-development partnerships and global ventures in public health.

Lynn Morris was appointed as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation at Wits University from 1 April 2021. Her previous positions include Interim Executive Director of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) and Principal Medical Scientist and head of the HIV Virology Section at the NICD, Johannesburg, South Africa. She holds a joint appointment as Research Professor at the University of the Witwatersrand and an Honorary appointment as a Senior Scientist at CAPRISA. She completed her undergraduate studies at Wits University and obtained a DPhil from the University of Oxford in 1988. Lynn is an NRF A-rated researcher (leading international scholar) who has made significant contributions to our understanding of how the antibody response to HIV develops and her laboratory conducts validated end-point assays for HIV vaccine clinical trials. She has been recognised through several national and international awards including the Wits Vice Chancellor’s Research Award and The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) Prize in Medical Sciences. She has supervised 30 PhD and MSc students, has published over 270 papers holding a current author H-Index of 63

Morshed is a leading authority in microbiology, specializing in zoonotic and vector-borne diseases, diagnostic microbiology and public health. With over 150 scientific publications and $20 million in research funding, he has addressed a broad range of topics, including SARS-CoV-2, and syphilis. His career began at the Teknaf Dysentery Project, where he established a microbiology laboratory in a remote, power-deprived area using innovative methods. He helped establish microbiology labs in Dhaka Children Hospital and Jahangirnagar University, which later was turned into a full department. Before moving to Canada, he pursued a PhD in Japan. He has been a key scientist at the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control and University of British Columbia, mentoring students and managing outbreaks like SARS-CoV-2 and West Nile Virus. He has delivered over 50 international lectures. His accolades include UBC’s Excellence in Education (2023), the Distinguished Microbiologist Award (2018), Top 25 Canadian Immigrants People’s Choice Award (2017) and Excellence in Clinical Services Award from UBC (2016). Morshed’s contributions highlight resilience and dedication in public health.

Mosyakin is the director of the M.G. Kholodny Institute of Botany, National Academy of Sciences (NAS) of Ukraine (Kyiv, Ukraine), as well as the head of the Vascular Plants Department. Since September 2011, he hes been the president of the Ukrainian Botanical Society; head of the plants subcommittee of the National Commission on the Red Data Book of Ukraine; editor-in-chief of the Ukrainian Botanical Journal; member of the editorial boards of Botanica (Lithuania), Biodiversity Research and Conservation (Poland), and other botanical periodicals. He is a corresponding member of the NAS of Ukraine (2012), holds a Doctor of Sciences degree in biological sciences (2003) from M.G. Kholodny Institute of Botany, and has been a professor of botany since 2006. He was awarded by NAS Ukraine “For Professional Achievements” (2011) and “For Scientific Achievements” (2021). The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine bestowed him for his educational achievements with the Petro Mohyla (2008) and Sofia Rusova (2005) awards. His main research interests include plant taxonomy, biogeography and ecology, botanical nomenclature, biodiversity conservation, and science education.

Moura is director, Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia and vice-Pres., World Meteorological Organization. He was previously: Dir. Gen., Intl. Res. Inst. for Climate and Society, Columbia U.; snr. researcher and dir. meteorology, INPE, Brazil; and physics prof., U. of Taubate, Brazil. He has advanced research in climate forecasting, El Nino and Atlantic influences on droughts in northeastern Brazil and contributed to application of meteorological satellites and climate modelling in agriculture and water resources. He works on climate forecast system for global food security and relationships between climate and vector-born diseases. Awards include: Rossby Award, MIT; Awards from U. Fed. de Minas Gerais, Brazil; Award for Young Scientists, WMO, Geneva; Santos Dumont Medal, Min. of Aeronautics; Tamandaré Award, Navy, Brazil; elected Hon. Fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society, 2013.

Mu (Phd 1985, Fudan U.) is an academician and researcher, working in the Key Laboratory of Ocean Circulation and Waves (KLOCW) – Inst. of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IOCAS). He worked as a postdoctorate researcher at Inst. of Atmospheric Physics (IAP), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). His main contributions are on predictability of weather and climate and stability of geophysical fluid motions. He proposed and applied a new method called CNOP to study predictability, ensemble forecast and adaptive observations of ENSO, thermolhaline circulation of oceans, tropical cyclone, blockings, Kuroshio etc. He established a series of nonlinear stability criteria of atmospheric and oceanic motions. He is a member of CAS (2007); First Class Prize of Nature Scientific Award, CAS (2001); Natl.-wide Excellent Post Doc, Ministry of Personnel (2005); and Ho Leung Ho Lee Sc. and Tech. Prize (2010).

Muhammed is rector of the National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, Islamabad. He received his DPhil in biochemistry. Oxford University, and completed postdoctoral research at the Oakridge National Laboratory, USAEC. He established the Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology, Faisalabad, in 1969 and was its first director. He was also the vice-chancellor of Agriculture University, Faisalabad, and founder-chairman of the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council from which he retired in 1990. He was awarded an honorary DSc, the Prime Minister's Gold medal, and the Gold Medal for lifetime achievement by FAO. He is fellow and past-president of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences. He was elected president of the Pakistan Association for Advancement of Science and the Scientific Society of Pakistan.

Mukhamedov got his MSc in pure mathematics from the National University of Uzbekistan in 1996, and his PhD at the Institute of Mathematics (Tashkent), in 1998. In 1999–2005, he worked as an Associate Professor at the National University of Uzbekistan, where he then successfully defended his Doctor of Science degree (Habilitation). From 2005 to 2007 he held a postdoctoral position at the University of Aveiro (Portugal). He then joined the Faculty of Science, International Islamic University Malaysia, initially as an Associate Professor, and later as a Professor (2012). In 2016 he joined the Department of Mathematical Sciences at the United Arab Emirates University as Professor. Moreover, he was a grantee for several international congresses for mathematicians. From 2009 to 2015 he was a Junior Associate at the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics. His research interests relate to operator theory, dynamical systems, non-commutative ergodic theory, p-adic analysis etc. He has published over 230 papers, and seven books/edited books, one of which is published by Springer. Since 1996, he has been teaching many different undergraduate and graduate math courses.