Federico Rosei, Officer of the Order of Canada and Knight of the National Order of Quebec, received his MSc (1996) and PhD (2001) from the Sapienza University of Rome. He has held the chair of industrial chemistry in the Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Trieste, since March 2023. A full professor at the Énergie Matériaux Télécommunications Research Centre of the National Institute for Scientific Research in Varennes, Quebec, Canada, he served there as director from July 2011 to March 2019. He held the Canada Research Chair (Tier 2) in nanostructured organic and inorganic materials (2003–2013), the Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in nanostructured materials (2016–2023), and the UNESCO chair in materials and technologies for energy conversion, saving and storage (2013–2023). He is a Fellow of national and international societies and academies: the Royal Society of Canada, the European Academy of Sciences, Academia Europaea, the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts, and the African Academy of Sciences.

Arun Shukla studied biotechnology at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, and earned a PhD at the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics in Frankfurt, Germany, under the supervision of 1988 Nobel Laureate Michel Hartmut. Then, he moved to Duke University (North Carolina, USA) to carry out his postdoctoral research with 2012 Nobel Laureate Robert Lefkowitz, in close collaboration with Brian Kobilka, a 2012 Nobel Laureate, at Stanford University. Shukla later moved to Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur to establish a cutting-edge research program focused on the structure and function of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), the largest class of cell-surface receptors in the human genome and important therapeutic targets. The long-term goal of his research is to understand the fundamental principles of GPCR activation, signaling, and regulation, to design novel therapeutics with less side effects for various human disorders. He has pioneered research in membrane protein structural biology in India, and his sustained advocacy at multiple levels has been instrumental in establishing and strengthening the infrastructure and research focus in this field in the country.

Silva-Filho earned his PhD in 1994 from the University of Louvain, Belgium. He is a professor of genetics at the Luiz de Queiroz School of Agriculture, University of São Paulo (USP), Brazil, and a former director of international relations and graduate programs at the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES), the Brazilian federal agency responsible for supporting and evaluating graduate education. He also served as dean of graduate studies at USP, and currently serves as scientific director of the São Paulo Research Foundation. His honors include the National Order of Scientific Merit, Commander Class. He is a member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, the São Paulo Academy of Sciences, and a Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society. As a leading scientist in plant genetics, particularly in plant–multitrophic interactions, he has made groundbreaking contributions to elucidating the complex relationships among plants, herbivorous insects, and fungal pathogens from a holistic perspective. His pioneering work has demonstrated how fungal phytopathogens manipulate plants, their primary insect pests, and their microbiomes to enhance their transmission.

Anjana Singh has been a professor in the Central Department of Microbiology at Tribhuvan University, since 1994. She earned her PhD at the School of Life Sciences at Jawaharlal Nehru University, India, in 2004, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Health at the University of Virginia (USA), in 2008–2009. She has been an academician of the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) since 2010 and has been involved in various NAST committees related to science diplomacy and the promotion of science and technology. She sits in the editorial board of the Nepal Journal of Science and Technology and is the coordinator of the Women Scientists Forum Nepal. She is the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Institute of Science and Technology. She has served as an executive board member of the Association of Academies and Societies of Sciences in Asia–women in science and engineering committee. She is an executive member of the board of studies at South Asian University, a member of a cluster committee of the University Grants Commission Nepal, and a member of a task force established for policy development.

Singh is a food scientist with more than 38 years of experience in teaching, research, and academic leadership. He holds a BSc in agriculture, an MSc, and a PhD in food technology from Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, and currently serves as vice-chancellor of Graphic Era (deemed to be University). His expertise lies in cereal, pulse, and plant-based food chemistry, with a focus on starch structure–function relationships, grain processing, and advanced analytical techniques. He is a Fellow of several prestigious academies and the recipient of numerous honors, including the J.C. Bose National Fellowship and the Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Award. With more than 440 publications, 39,000 citations, and an h-index of 102, he has supervised more than 35 PhD students and contributed extensively to global food science research and academic publishing.

Singh earned his PhD in 1986, from Punjab Agricultural University Ludhiana, India. He is a distinguished researcher, educator, and Fellow of leading scientific academies, including the American Society of Horticultural Science, the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the Indian Academy of Horticultural Science. With over three decades of achievements, he has advanced horticultural research, innovation, and capacity building, particularly in developing countries. His work has earned numerous national and international honours, including recognition from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, UNESCO, and the International Society of Horticultural Science. Also, he has been named Western Australian Innovator of 2017. His research has enhanced crop productivity, reduced postharvest losses, and contributed to global food security. Singh has worked across institutions in Australia, the UK, Italy, and India, publishing 468 papers, developing industry-relevant technologies, and inventing two ethylene antagonists. A strong advocate for global collaboration, he has led major initiatives to strengthen scientific capacity worldwide. His work has received 11,426 citations.

Songsivilai is chairman of Thailand's National Commission on Science, Research and Innovation. He has held several senior national leadership positions, including permanent secretary of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation; secretary-general of the National Research Council of Thailand; and executive director of the National Nanotechnology Center. He was the founding president of the Thailand Nanotechnology Association, president of the Asia Nano Forum, and chairman of the ASEAN Committee on Science, Technology and Innovation. He received his MD (first-class honours, Gold Medal) from Mahidol University, and his PhD in molecular biology from the University of Cambridge. He is an Anandamahidol Foundation Scholar, a distinction awarded by His Majesty the King of Thailand. Following training and research appointments in the United Kingdom and the United States, he joined Mahidol University, where he became a professor. His research focuses on immunology, molecular biology, and the genomics of tropical infectious diseases. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Thailand and the recipient of several distinguished national and international scientific awards.

Swaminathan is a pediatrician and a globally recognized expert in tuberculosis and HIV research, who recently served as the first chief scientist of the World Health Organization. Previously she served as director-general of the Indian Council of Medical Research, and secretary of the Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India (2015–2017). She is the principal advisor to the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme and serves as the national science chair of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation, Government of India. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society, National Academy of Medicine (USA) and Academy of Medical Sciences, UK. She has been awarded honorary doctorates by the Karolinska Institutet (Sweden), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland, McGill University, and the University of Guelph, Canada. She co-chairs the global commission Our Common Air and serves on the boards of the National University of Singapore, Alliance Bioversity International. Her current research interests focus on the health impacts of climate change and the delivery of comprehensive primary health care.

Thabane is vice-president of research at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton and St. Joseph's Health System, and scientific director of the Research Institute at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton. He is also a professor of biostatistics in the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact at McMaster University. He holds the honorary position of etraordinary professor at the University of Johannesburg. He is a Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences, the Royal Society of Canada, the American Statistical Association, the Society for Clinical Trials, and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, and an honorary foreign associate member of the Academy of Science of South Africa. He is the founding editor-in-chief emeritus of the journal Pilot and Feasibility Studies and serves on the editorial boards of scientific journals, including Trials and BMJ Open. He has co-authored more than 1,300 peer-reviewed publications, making significant contributions to the advancement of science, healthcare, and healthcare delivery. With more than 200 graduate students and junior faculty members mentored, he has received many awards for excellence in teaching, supervision, and mentorship.

Tirado is an emeritus research professor at Major University of San Andrés (UMSA), La Paz, Bolivia, the head of the Genetic Toxicology Unit at the Institute of Genetics, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences of Bolivia. She is president of the Latin American Association of Mutagenesis, Carcinogenesis and Environmental Teratogenesis and a member of the executive committee of the International Association of Environmental Mutagenesis and Genomic Societies. She is also a full member of the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World. She has authored more than 60 publications in international journals, books, and book chapters. Her research focuses on environmental toxicology, mutagenesis, and genetic toxicology, including the effects of exposure to pesticides, heavy metals, and other environmental contaminants, as well as mechanisms of resilience to the effects of climate change. She has presented her research at national and international congresses, and delivered keynote and invited talks. Her awards include the 2025 Teresa Rescala Nemtala IV Edition Prize for Eminent Women Researchers at UMSA and the 2022 Prócer Pedro Domingo Murillo Civic Distinction.

Tsay is a distinguished research Fellow at Academia Sinica, Taiwan. She is a plant biologist known for her research on nitrate transport, nitrate signaling, and nitrogen-use efficiency, widly recognized for identifying the first nitrate transporter gene in plants, elucidating novel mechanisms of nitrate transport, and pioneering studies demonstrating that transporters, now known as transceptors, can also function as sensors. She obtained her BSc and MSc degrees from National Taiwan University, in 1983 and 1985, respectively, and her PhD from Carnegie Mellon University, in 1990. She served on the editorial board of Plant Physiology from 2011 to 2022. She was named a KIA Laureate and has received several awards, including the Academia Sinica Outstanding Young Researcher Award, the MOST Outstanding Research Award, the Hou-Chin Dui Outstanding Award, the Taiwan Outstanding Women in Science Award, the MOE Academic Award, the ASPB Enid MacRobbie Corresponding Membership, and the CTCI Science and Technology Contribution Award. She was elected an international member of the US National Academy of Sciences in 2021, and an academician of Academia Sinica, Taiwan, in 2024.

Vasconcelos is a senior research scientist at Brazil’s National Laboratory for Scientific Computing, the first bioinformatician to be elected to the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, a scientist of the State of Rio de Janeiro, and a Fellow of the International Society for Computational Biology. In recognition of her contributions, she has received the Medal of Academic and Scientific Merit from the Brazilian Society of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology. She coordinates the Bioinformatics Laboratory and the Computational Genomics Unit. Her research focuses on developing computational methods for analyzing high-throughput sequencing data to address challenges in genetics, with applications in human and animal health, agriculture, the environment, and biotechnology. She has mentored dozens of students and made significant contributions to the advancement of bioinformatics in Brazil and Latin America. In addition to her scientific work, she serves on the board of the Brazilian Society for the Advancement of Science and previously served as vice-president of INTERCIENCIA, an association dedicated to advancing science across the Americas.

Woafo, a professor at the University of Yaoundé I, Cameroon, holds a third-cycle doctorate and a state doctorate in nonlinear physics. His research group on modeling and simulation in engineering, biomimetics and prototypes conducts both basic and applied research. He is a member of scientific academies and societies including the Cameroon Academy of Sciences, the Cameroon Physical Society, the African Physical Society, the European Physical Society, and a Fellow of the American Physical Society. He is also a Humboldtian, and has been an associate member of the ICTP in Trieste, Italy. In recognition of his achievements as a scientist, academic, science manager, and contributor to the development of physics and engineering sciences, he has received the TWAS Prize for Young Scientists, the C13 Commission Award of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics, and the American Physical Society Burton Award. He has authored many articles in physics and engineering journals, supervised PhD theses, and served as a reviewer for physics and engineering journals. He is also actively involved in various outreach activities promoting physics and engineering education.

Wong is a professor of plant pathology and biotechnology in the Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, who currently serves as deputy director of the Institute of Plantation Studies. She obtained her PhD from North Carolina State University, USA, in 2004. She has extensive international experience, including academic and research appointments at Cornell University, the Tokyo University of Agriculture, the University of California, Riverside (as a Fulbright scholar), French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development, France, and several research institutions in China and Indonesia. Wong is a Fellow of the Asian Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria Society for Sustainable Agriculture and the Academy of Sciences Malaysia. Her research focuses on molecular plant pathology, particularly plant-microbe interactions and plant immunity, as well as the development of sustainable crop protection strategies using microbial agents, botanicals, RNA interference (RNAi), and CRISPR-based technologies.

Sammer Yousuf is a professor of organic chemistry at the H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi. She is among the most promising young female scientists in Pakistan and is recognized for her original contributions to structural and bioorganic chemistry. She has authored more than 290 research papers published in leading international journals and five book chapters, with more than 4,180 citations and an h-index of 34. Yousuf is a pioneer of crystal engineering in Pakistan and established the first crystal engineering laboratory at the International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, where the structural, physicochemical, and therapeutic properties of co-crystals are extensively studied. She has successfully aligned her fundamental research in structural chemistry with emerging areas of science at the interface of chemistry and biology. Her research identifying medicinally important plants for the treatment of leishmaniasis, a rapidly growing neglected tropical disease, has resulted in a USA patent and has progressed to clinical trials.