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).

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.

Marquet (PhD, 1993, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, USA) is Professor at the Departmento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in Santiago and External Faculty of the Santa Fe Institute (USA). His work has focused on the quest for general principles underlying the complexity of ecological systems, the impacts of Global Change on biodiversity, the integration of theories in ecology and the ecological basis of human social complexity. His works on scaling relationships and on species diversity and size evolution on islands, provided an explicit and novel connection between allometric scaling, island biogeography and evolution. These findings paved the way for later developments in macroecology and metabolic ecology and a deeper understanding of the extent to which our society is sequestering energy from the biosphere to fuel social complexity. He was a Guggenheim Fellow and is currently member of the Chilean Academy of Sciences, Foreign Associate of the National Academy of Sciences (USA), International Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and Fellow of the Ecological Society of America.

Victora (MD, 1976, Rio Grande do Sul; PhD, 1983, London) is Emeritus Professor, Federal University of Pelotas, Brazil; past-president, International Epidemiological Association; member, Brazilian Academy of Science. He holds honorary faculty appointments at Harvard, Oxford and Johns Hopkins Universities, and an Honoris Causa Doctorate from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. His prizes include the Gairdner Global Health Award (Canada); Carlos Slim Prize (Mexico); Conrado Wessel Prize (Brazil); and National Order of Merit Medals in Medicine and in Science (Brazil). He has conducted extensive research in maternal and child health and nutrition, birth cohort studies, inequalities in health, and on the evaluation of the impact of major global health programs in a large number of countries. He coordinates the International Center for Equity in Health, which produces disaggregated analyses of indicators on women’s and children’s health and nutrition for the World Health Organization, Unicef and other international agencies. He has over 650 peer-reviewed publications and is a member of the editorial boards of several journals, including The Lancet.

Pun (PhD, 2003, Middlesex University United Kingdom) is Professor, Faculty of Engineering, and past Campus Coordinator, School for Graduate Studies and Research, University of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago. He is Chinese engineering educator, Chartered Engineer, UK, Registered Professional Engineer, Australia and Trinidad and Tobago, European Engineer. He is Fellow of Institution Engineering Technology (UK), Institution Engineers Australia, Hong Kong Institution Engineers; he is Chair, Technology and Engineering Management Society Chapter, the IEEE Trinidad and Tobago Section; Chair, Local Member Community of the American Society for Quality, Trinidad and Tobago; Visiting scholar, Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Baptist University of Hong Kong, China. His work includes designing self-assessment scoring methods and developing process framework for manufacturing enterprises. Received the Most Outstanding Researcher Award, the IEOM Outstanding Service Award, the Vice-Chancellor's Award for Excellence, the Emerald Literati Network Award.

Williams (PhD, 1972, University of La Plata, Argentina) is Researcher of the National Research Council (CONICET) since 1977, in the field of thermosetting polymers. Co-author of 2 books, 17 book chapters and 233 scientific articles. He gave opening, plenary and keynote lectures in international symposia held in the Americas and Europe. He was Professor at the Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Mar del Plata (1976-2016). He was organizer (1982) and first director (1982-86, 1988-94) of the Institute of Materials Science and Technology (INTEMA). Member of the Directory Board of CONICET (1997-99). He is Fellow of the National Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences (ANCEFN, Argentina), since 2009, President of the Engineering Section (2012-16) and President of the Academy since 2016. In 2011, he received the Presidential Award (Investigador de la Nación), the maximum distinction given to a scientist in Argentina.