Maria Letizia Focarete, MD, PhD, is Associate Professor at the Chemistry Department "Ciamician" of the University of Bologna where she leads the Polymeric Materials and Biomaterials research group. She is member of the Health Sciences and Technologies - Interdepartmental Centre for Industrial Research at the University of Bologna. Her research interests are focused on the chemistry and technology of innovative nanostructures, smart and stimuli responsive polymers for several applications in biomedical, environmental and energy sectors. Specific know-how include: molecular, structural, morphological, and thermo-mechanical characterization of macromolecular systems; surface functionalization and surface characterization of polymeric materials mainly pointing at biomedical applications; use of the electrospinning technology to produce innovative nanostructures. ML Focarete is Director of a Professional Master's Programme on "Polymeric materials and products for the biomedical sector" of the University of Bologna and member of the scientific committee and teacher of the Professional Master's Programme on Composite materials. She is Tutor of Collegio Superiore of the University of Bologna. She is member of the Academic Board of the Doctoral programme on "Nanoscience for Medicine and Environment of the University of Bologna". She is a member of the Thematic Group of University of Bologna on Nanotechnologies, Advanced Materials and Processes. She is representative for the University of Bologna of the Erasmus programme with the University of Wolverhampton (UK) and she is responsible of the research and education agreement PIRE (Partnerships for International Research and Education) of the NSF (US). ML Focarete has been the coordinator of several national and international research projects and of industrial contracts with several companies. Chiara Gualandi is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Chemistry "G. Ciamician" at the University of Bologna. She received her PhD in Industrial Chemistry on porous polymeric bioresorbable scaffolds for tissue engineering. She had postdoctoral positions in the area of polymeric materials for biomedical and functional applications. Her research interests include structure-properties relation in polymeric materials, nanostructured materials from electrospinning and smart and stimuli-responsive materials. Seeram Ramakrishna, PhD, FREng is a Professor of materials engineering, and Director of the Centre for Nanofibers and Nanotechnology at the National University of Singapore. He pioneered nanotechnology in Singapore. He authored over 1,000 international journal papers and five books, which received ~72,000 citations and 127 H-index. He is a Highly Cited Researcher in Materials Science (Clarivate Analytics; Highly Cited Com). Thomson Reuters identified him among the World's Most Influential Scientific Minds. A European study (webometrics) ranked him at 3 among the only six researchers from Singapore with H index over 100, and among the^ 100) in the world. He is a member of World Economic Forum (WEF) Committee on Future of Production-Sustainability. He founded the Global Engineering Deans Council. He received PhD from the University of Cambridge, UK, and The General Management Training from the Harvard University, USA. He is an elected Fellow of UK Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng); Singapore Academy of Engineering; Indian National Academy of Engineering; and ASEAN Academy of Engineering & Technology. He is an elected Fellow of International Union of Societies of Biomaterials Science and Engineering (FBSE); Institution of Engineers Singapore; ISTE, India; Institution of Mechanical Engineers and Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining, UK; and American Association of the Advancement of Science; ASM International; American Society for Mechanical Engineers; American Institute for Medical& Biological Engineering, USA. His academic leadership includes University Vice-President (Research Strategy); Dean of Faculty of Engineering; Director of NUS Enterprise; Director of NUS Industry Liaison Office; Founding Director of NUSBioengineering; Founding Co-Director of NUS Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Initiative, NUSNNI; and Founding Chairman of Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore, SERIS.
