Wonkam is a professor of genetic medicine, and director of the McKusick-Nathans Institute and Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, US. He is also director of GeneMAP (Genetic Medicine of African Populations), and immediate past-deputy dean of research at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, South Africa. After an MD training with the Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Cameroon, he has completed a doctorate in medical sciences (cell biology) at the University of Geneva, Switzerland, and a PhD in human genetics at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Wonkam also trained as a medical geneticist in genetic medicine at the University of Geneva. His scientific results are reflected in more than 230 peer-reviewed publications. His research focuses on genetic and genomic variations in the African population with a focus on 1) Genomics modifiers of Sickle Cell Disease (SCD); 2) Genetics of hearing Impairment, and 3) Ethical, Equity, and Educational Issues in Genetic Medicine Research. Wonkam is president of the African Society of Human Genetics.

Gumel is a professor of mathematics and the Michael and Eugenia Brin Endowed E-Nnovate Chair in mathematics at the Department of Mathematics, University of Maryland, College Park. His research work focuses on using mathematical approaches—modelling, rigorous analysis, and data analytics—to gain insight and provide understanding on the transmission dynamics of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases of public health significance. He has authored more than 170 peer-reviewed research articles, supervised many graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, and written four edited books. He is the editor-in-chief of Mathematical Biosciences, one of the premier journals for mathematical biology research, and the recipient of numerous awards and honours, including the 2021 Bellman Prize. He was elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Mathematical Society, Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, African Academy of Sciences, Nigerian Academy of Science, African Scientific Institute and presented the 2021 Einstein Public Lecture of the American Mathematical Society.

Ovbiagele, MD, MSc, MAS, MBA, MLS, is professor of neurology and associate dean at the University of California, San Francisco. His primary research involves translation of evidence-based interventions into clinical practice and community settings, to improve stroke outcomes for underserved and vulnerable populations around the world. He currently leads several studies of stroke in the US and sub-Saharan Africa. Ovbiagele has published over 600 peer-reviewed articles (h-index 89) in the areas of stroke prevention, risk factors and outcomes. His work has been recognized with the Pessin and Wartenberg Awards of the American Academy of Neurology; Penn Award of the American Neurological Association; Mridha Humanitarian Award of the American Brain Foundation; Feinberg and Stroke Council Awards of the American Stroke Association; Haddock International and Distinguished Scientist Awards of the American Heart Association, and Meritorious Achievement Award of the National Medical Association. He chaired the International Stroke Conference (2016-2018) and is current editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American Heart Association. He serves on the board of the World Stroke Organization.

Nahar (MSc, Dhaka University; MA, PhD, Wayne State University) is an atomic astrophysicist at Ohio State University; adjunct professor, Cairo University and Aligarh Muslim University (AMU); Iron Lady of international Opacity Project and Iron Project; known for her seminal contributions in radiative atomic processes of photoionization and theoretical spectroscopy. She introduced a unified method for electron-ion recombination and x-ray spectroscopy for cancer treatment. Delivering research and lecture courses with computational workshops globally since 2013, she trained over 700 researchers. She is co-author of textbook Atomic Astrophysics and Spectroscopy (Cambridge), founder of NORAD-Atomic-Data database, co-founder, Indo-US STEM Education and Research Centre, AMU; founder, STEM research and education programme in developing countries; founder, International Society of Muslim Women in Science; director, Women in STEM Roadshow. Fellow of American Physical Society (APS), Bangladesh Physical Society, Bangladesh Academy of Sciences. Recipient of President's Golden Dome Award, Cairo University; Gold Medal, Topical Society of Laser Sciences; Medal, NRIAG; John Wheatly Award of APS.

Hung, PhD, is president for China Medical University and chancellor for China Medical University - Asia University System in Taichung, Taiwan. He was vice-president for basic research and professor and chair of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Oncology at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, The University of Texas. Hung is a basic scientist with a keen translational vision and especially his recent research effort has significantly contributed to understanding the biology of cancer and to developing combinational cancer therapies to overcome resistance. Up to date, Hung has published more than 600 peer-reviewed articles, of which over 160 were published in journals with impact factor 10 or above. His lifetime h-index reaches to 163 (Google Scholar). He is one of the members of the selection committee for Tang Prize in Biopharmaceutical Science category, and is one of the founding editorial members for Cancer Cell (2002–2020). He serves as member, Molecular Cell Advisory Board (2020–present); senior editor, Cancer Research (2018–2021); editor-in-chief, American Journal for Cancer Research (AJCR) (2015–2017; 2020–present); editor, Cancer and Metastasis Reviews (2018–present).

Eltahir is H. M. King Bhumibol Professor of hydrology and climate, and professor of civil and environmental engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Eltahir made significant contributions defining the role of land surface processes in climate system. He has been actively engaged in projecting future impacts of global climate change at local and regional scales, with the objective of informing and hence enabling proactive adaptation by local communities. Examples for topics of his projections include: water in Nile basin, malaria in Africa, droughts over Mediterranean, and extreme heatwaves in Asia. Eltahir is the director of the UM6P-MIT Research Program at MIT with a focus on sustainable development in Africa. He is also the lead principal investigator in a large Climate Grand Challenges Project at MIT with the goal of reinventing adaptation to climate change. He was recently elected Member of the US National Academy of Engineering. Eltahir is a recipient of the Kuwait Prize in Applied Science in 2000, an elected Fellow of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) in 2008, and a recipient of the Hydrologic Sciences Award in 2017, from AGU.

Hildebrand is Regents Professor Emeritus of Neuroscience at the University of Arizona in Tucson. He received his AB (biology) from Harvard University and PhD (biochemistry) from Rockefeller University. After 16 years of faculty service at Harvard and Columbia Universities, he moved to Arizona in 1985 as Founding Head of the Division of Neurobiology (1985–2009), later the Department of Neuroscience (2009–2013). Research fields: insect neurobiology and behavior, olfaction, chemical ecology, and arthropod vector biology. A past President of: Association for Chemoreception Sciences; International Society of Chemical Ecology; and International Society for Neuroethology. Elected member: National Academy of Sciences (currently International Secretary); American Academy of Arts and Sciences; American Philosophical Society; Brazilian Academy of Sciences; German National Academy of Sciences ‘Leopoldina’; Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters; Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters. Honorary Fellow: Royal Entomological Society (UK). Fellow: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS); Entomological Society of America, and International Society for Neuroethology.

Kwok, MD, PhD, graduated at University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. After residency in dermatology and postdoctoral training at Washington University School of Medicine, USA, he joined its faculty in 1993. He was Distinguished Fellow and Director of the Institute of Biomedical Sciences at Academia Sinica from 2017-2023, and Henry Bachrach Distinguished Professor at University of California San Francisco from 2002-2024. Kwok’s research focused on developing tools and strategies to study the human genome and the role of human variation in common diseases. He holds several patents on genomic analysis tools and played key roles in many large consortia, including the SNP Consortium, the International HapMap Project, the NSIGHT Consortium, and the CSER Consortium. He led the Taiwan Precision Medicine Initiative, where a reference database with genetic profiles and clinical data of 500,000 people was built to improve health through disease risk prediction and tailored heath management guidelines. Kwok is a Fellow of the AAAS and the recipient of the 2022 Chen Award for Distinguished Academic Achievement in Human Genetic and Genomic Research by the Human Genome Organization.