Li Wei is a professor and principal investigator at the Institute of Zoology (IZ), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). He received his BSc degree from Wu Han University (2006), and his PhD degree from IZ, CAS (2012). He joined IZ, CAS, in 2013, as a professor of Star Program, and established his own research group; there he was promoted to professor in 2016 after a stringent assessment, in which he scored excellent. In 2017, Li was promoted to the vice director of the State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology. His research focus is on stem cells and genetic engineering research: he aims to understand the genetic basis of certain reproduction- and regeneration-related functions/phenotypes, and to reconstitute such phenotype/function in a given cell or organism for research and therapeutic purposes. Current interests include developing cutting-edge genome engineering technologies and mammalian synthetic biology; dissection of genetic and epigenetic basis of reproduction- and regeneration-related phenotypes; clinical application of gene therapy. He is the recipient, among others, of the International Award of the Japanese Association for Laboratory Animal Science.

Phyu Phyu Lwin is an environmental scientist from Myanmar, who earned her PhD in agricultural science from Kyoto University, Japan, in 2018. She holds a MSc in forest sciences and forest ecology from Georg-August University, Göttingen, Germany (2013) and a BSc in forestry from University of Forestry (now University of Forestry and Environment Sciences), in Yezin, Myanmar (2006). She currently serves as a saff officer with the Forest Research Institute, Forest Department, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation (MONREC). Her initial interest focused on nature and conservation of natural forests, but then she realized that forests and people are intimately connected, and moved towards social science, intertwining them with nature and ecosystems. She is involved in providing information for policy reform in the forestry sector; she develops strategies to secure local livelihoods, and 'knowledge, attitude and practice' methods. Being aware of the importance of indigenous knowledge for forests well-being, she is exploring the traditional knowledge of local people who live in nearby forests, to merge this precious heritage with scientific data.

Jigme Tenzin has been working with the Department of Forests and Park Services since 2009, starting programmes that can be considered a pioneer contribution to science in Bhutan. He holds a PhD (2016) in forest management from the University of Natural Resources & Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria. He also has a MSc in Forest Management from the Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy, Dehradun, India (2008) and a BSc in botany, zoology and chemistry from the Sherubtse College, Kanglung, Bhutan (2005). He has received awards and honours such as the Australian Leadership Awards Fellowship (2011) and the Netherland Fellowship Program Awards (NUFFIC), in 2013. In 2014 he was promoted to senior forestry officer and in 2018 to Deputy Chief Forestry Officer with the Watershed Management Division (DoFPS). He has also trained local leaders on the concept of watershed management. Bhutan has a rich biodiversity of forests, which makes it difficult to develop management models for every tree species. Tenzin has grouped local species easing their ecological management, providing a framework that allows the assessment of the forest structure, between "natural" and "semi-disturbed" areas.

Munkhtsetseg Tsednee is a scientific researcher at Botanic Garden and Research Institute, Mongolian Academy of Sciences (MAS), in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. She earned a PhD in biotechnology from the Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan (2013); and a MSc (2005) and a BSc (2003) in chemistry, both from the National University of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar. She worked at Academia Sinica (Taipei), the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of Tokyo, as a postdoctoral researcher (2013-19), before returning back to MAS. She is a plant expert, interested in understanding the molecular basis of abiotic stress-adapted plants. Her research focuses on plant response to nutrient stresses and plant metal hyperaccumulation under soil heavy metal pollution. She has expertise in developing mass spectrometry based approaches for metabolomics and metal speciation. She received awards from Academia Sinica, Taiwan Society of Plant Biologists, Japan Society for the Promotion of Sciences; and served as a member of professional associations including Association for Women in Science (2015-present), Japan Society of Plant Physiologists (2017-2019), Taiwan Society of Plant Biologists (2012-2015).