Abdool Karim, is a leading South African infectious diseases epidemiologist whose seminal contributions spanning over three decades have shaped the global HIV prevention landscape, notably in prevention technologies for women. She demonstrated that ARVs prevent sexually transmitted HIV that laid the foundation for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP); and has provided insights in Africa and globally on the impact of Covid-19 on HIV and in the evaluation of Covid-19 vaccines and therapeutics. She is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine (USA); and Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences, Royal Society of South Africa, Academy of Science of South Africa and the African Academy of Science. Her research contributions have been recognized nationally and internationally with over 30 honours including the 2014 TWAS-Lenovo Prize; the John Dirks Canada Gairdner Global Health Award; the 2020 Christophe Mérieux Prize; and the 4th Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize for Medical Research. She is the Associate Scientific Director of CAPRISA; Professor in Clinical Epidemiology, Columbia University, and Pro-Vice Chancellor for African Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Abdool Karim is Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, in South Africa, and Director of the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa. In the Unites States, he is a Professor of Clinical Epidemiology, at Columbia University and an Adjunct Professor of Medicine at Cornell University. He obtained his medical degree in 1983 and his PhD in 1999 from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. His scientific contributions are in HIV prevention (microbicides and vaccines) and AIDS treatment, including tuberculosis co-infections. His awards include the 2008 TWAS Prize in Medical Sciences; the 2011 Science-for-Society Gold Medals of the Academy of Science of South Africa; the 2015 African Union’s "Kwame Nkrumah Continental Scientific Award”, 2020, he received the Maddox Prize for his work defending science during both the HIV and Covid-19 pandemics, and the 2021 Special VinFuture Prize for Developing Country Innovators. He is a member of the World Health Organization Strategic and Technical Committee on HIV and Viral Hepatitis, the Academy of Science of South Africa, the African Academy of Science, the US National Academy of Medicine, among others.

Ibrokhim Y. Abdurakhmonov received his BS in Biotechnology from the National University, Uzbekistan, in 1997, an MS in Plant Breeding from Texas A&M University in 2001, and a PhD in Molecular Genetics and DSc from the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan in 2002 and 2009, respectively. He became a full professor at the same university in 2011. He founded the Center of Genomics and Bioinformatics of Uzbekistan in 2012. He received the 2010 TWAS prize and ICAC Cotton Researcher of the Year 2013 for his outstanding contribution to cotton genomics and biotechnology. Dr Abdurakhmonov was elected as a fellow of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) in 2014 and a member of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan in 2017. He served as the Minister of Innovative Development of Uzbekistan during 2017-2022. He was honoured as the 2022 Ambassador of Silk Road Friendship (Individual) by the China International Culture Exchange Center (CICEC) and Global People Magazine. He was appointed the Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Innovations of Uzbekistan in 2023.

Abegaz was Exec. Dir. of African Acad. of Sciences (2011-2017). He has contributed to the development of the Acad. by securing recognition by the African Union and NEPAD and steep increase of the fellows. Under his leadership and partnerships with global funders, AESA, the alliance for accelerating excellence in science in Africa has been established. He's been promoting South-South cooperation and is the co-founder of highly successful networks: Natural Product Research Network for Eastern and Central Africa (NAPRECA), Network for Analytical and Bioassay Services in Africa (NABSA), and pan-African Natural Products Library (p-ANPL). Abegaz served as Chair of UNESCO Science Board, the CSPR of ICSU, as sen. Advisor to IOCD, IFS, etc. He has also received a number of awards, the IFS-DANIDA award, the Pierre Crabbe Award and the CNR Rao Award. He is elected fellow of TWAS, AAS and EAS.

Abidi is Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He received his BSc in electrical engineering from Imperial College, London, UK, in 1976, and his MS (1978) and PhD (1981) in electrical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. He has also served in many other capacities including: Member, technical staff, Advanced LSI Development Laboratory, Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, NJ, 1981-84; visiting faculty researcher, Hewlett Packard Laboratories, 1989; and editor, IEEE Journal of Solid-state Circuits, 1992-95. He has received several honours including the IEEE Donald O. Pederson Solid-State Circuits Award; Lockheed-Martin Award for Excellence in Teaching, UCLA; IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits Best Paper Award; IEEE Millennium Medal; and membership in the US National Academy of Engineering and IEEE. He specializes in the design of analog integrated circuits, and is credited with single-chip CMOS radios.

Abidi is the inaugural holder of the Abdus Salam Chair at LUMS, Lahore, Pakistan.

Professor Olanike Adeyemo pioneered scholarship and leadership in “One Health”, an innovative transdisciplinary research that cuts across traditional boundaries and paradigms to create novel conceptual, methodological, and translational innovation at the environment-livestock-wildlife-human interface. Her findings from studies on environmental pollution, food safety /anti-microbial resistance, and emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases provides credible transdisciplinary research-backed evidence on the complex linkage between Environmental, Animal and Human Health with significant policy implication for Nigeria, the African Continent and indeed the rest of the world. Among other preferments, she is a Fellow of International Science Council (2022), Fellow, the Nigerian Academy of Science (2016), Fellow, African Academy of Sciences (2012). She was featured in “Women in Science - Inspiring Stories from Africa”, “Black Achievers in Science and Technology” and recently recognized as “Scientist of the Year 2020” in the “Natural Sciences category” of the Open International Competition by the International Achievements Research Center, Chicago, IL, USA.

Agarwal is professor at the Texas A&M U.. He was educated at Banaras Hindu U., India, and the U. of Rochester where he obtained his PhD in 1969. He retired from Oklahoma State U where he held the regents professorship and Noble Foundation chair. His previous positions include dist. scientist and director of the Physical Res. Lab. in Ahmedabad; Indian Natl. Science Acad. Albert Einstein research professor; and professor (1977-95), School of Physics, U. of Hyderabad. His awards include Bhatnagar Award; Max Born Award of the Optical Soc. of America; GD Birla award; RD Birla award; Humboldt Research award, Eminent Faculty award of Oklahoma State U and TWAS Physics Prize. His fellowships include: The Royal Society, UK; 3 science academies of India; American Physical Soc.; Optical Soc. of America. He is also the recipient of honorary doctorates. He is the author of nearly 700 research publications, edited books and monographs. His recent text book "quantum optics" was published by the Cambridge University Press. He is an authority in quantum optics as well in nano photonics and plasmonics.

Agrawal is Professor in Computer Science department at IIT Kanpur. He obtained his PhD in 1991 from the same department, spent a few years in Chennai Mathematical Institute before joining IIT Kanpur in 1996. His awards include Clay Prize, Godel Prize, Fulkerson Prize, Bhatnagar Prize, TWAS Prize, ICTP Prize, Infosys Prize, and Humboldt Award. He is a member of all three science academies and engineering academy in India as well as Foreign Associate of US National Academy of Sciences.

Ahmad (PhD, OSU) is Principal Investigator of Biosaline Research Projects since retiring as Professor of Botany and Dean, Faculty of Sciences, U. of Karachi. He has been awarded certificates of appreciation for research from the USDA in 1987; US AID, 1990; BOSTID-Natl. Acad. of Sciences, USA, 1994, CSIRO Australia, 1996 and Univ. of Karachi. He was president of the Pakistan Botanical Society from 1968-1970; Regional Director of Halophyte Biotechnology Center, U. of Delaware, 1995; and member of the Expert Committee for Establishment of the Intl. Center of Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) in Dubai, UAE, up to 1990. He is currently a member of the Pakistan Acad. of Sciences and was elected as Secretary and Vice-President of PAS, Sind Chapter (2000-2004). He has been presented a shield for achievements and contribution in the field of Botany by faculty members of the U. of Karachi, 2014. He was most recently awarded with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 6th International and 15th National Botanical Conference at Sardar Bahadur Khan University of Quetta (2017). His research work is concerned mostly with afforestation and agriculture at sandy deserts using saline water in irrigation.

Wasim Ahmad is a Tenured Professor at Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad, Pakistan. He obtained his PhD from Cambridge University UK in 1990. He did Post-doctorate from London University UK and Columbia University New York USA. He has made important Contribution in Human Genetics by identify several genes involved in hereditary disorders of skin, hair, skeletal, neurological and hearing impairment. His awards include COMSTECH award in Biology, Sitara-e-Imtiaz by Govt. of Pakistan, Distinguished Scientist and Gold Medal by Pakistan Academy of Science (PAS), National Distinguished Professor by Higher Education Commission (HEC). His membership includes fellow Pakistan Academy of Science and Third World Academy of Science (TWAS).

Ahmed (PhD, 1987, Mines ParisTech, France) is Professor, School of Sciences, Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad, India. An earth scientist, he worked extensively on groundwater hydrology in his 37 years’ career at CSIR's National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad. Later he was Chair Professor in Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. He led a large number of national and international projects on Earth science including the National Aquifer Mapping, India using heli-borne geophysics. He has more than 150 SCI publications and supervised 40 doctoral theses. He is Secretary of the Asian Global Network on Water and Development Information for Arid Lands. His awards include National Geoscience Award, International Prize for Water Sciences, National Mineral Award, INC-IAH Excellence Award, NGRI-AHI National Lecture Award, IGU-Annie Talwani Memorial Prize, Young Scientist Award. He is Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences of India. Ahmed has led the Indo-French Centre for Groundwater Research in Hyderabad for almost two decades as its founder head. He has been visiting Fellow to the Aligarh Muslim University and visiting professor to Kashmir University, India.