Speakers
Keynote Speakers
Prof. Dr. Rita Cortesi
Department of Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Agricultural Sciences (DoCPAS), University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
Dr. Maria Rosaria Plutino
Institute for the Study of Nanostructured Materials, ISMN–CNR, URT Messina, Messina, Italy; Department ChiBioFarAm, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
Invited Speakers
Prof. Jonathan Dawson
Centre for Human Development, Stem Cells and Regeneration, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
Dr. Luca Fiorillo
Multidisciplinary Department of Medical-Surgical and Odontostomatological Specialties, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy
Dr. Eduardo Manuel Costa
CBQF—Center for Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry—Associated Laboratory, School of Biotechnology, Catholic University of Portugal, Porto, Portugal
Prof. Alberto Saiani
Division of Pharmacy and Optometry & Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
Dr. Teresa Russo
Institute of Polymers, Composite and BIomaterials, National Research Council of Italy, Italy
Dr. Philippe Mésini
Institut Charles Sadron, UPR 22, CNRS-University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
Dr. Paola Petrini
Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering “Giulio Natta”, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy
Dr. Silvia Sfameni
Institute for the Study of Nanostructured Materials, ISMN–CNR, URT-Messina, Messina, Italy
Dr. Giulia Rando
Institute for the Study of Nanostructured Materials, ISMN–CNR, URT-Messina, Messina, Italy
Plenary Speakers
Name: Prof. Dr. Aldo R. Boccaccini
Affiliation: Institute of Biomaterials, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
Talk: Design and Characterization of Nanoparticle and Ion Loaded Hydrogels for Biofabrication
Bio: Aldo R. Boccaccini is Professor of Materials Science (Biomaterials) and Head of the Institute of Biomaterials at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany. He holds an Engineering degree from Instituto Balseiro, Argentina (1987), and a Doctorate in Engineering (Dr.-Ing.) from RWTH Aachen University, Germany (1994). He is also a visiting professor at Imperial College London and RWTH Aachen. His research focuses on ceramics, glasses, and composites for biomedical, structural, and functional applications, particularly bioactive materials, tissue engineering scaffolds, nanomaterials for drug delivery, biofabrication, and antibacterial coatings. He has published over 1100 papers, and has received numerous international honors. In 2025, he received both the George Winter Award (European Society for Biomaterials) and the Larry L. Hench Lifetime Achievement Award (American Ceramic Society).
Email: aldo.boccaccini@fau.de
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Name: Prof. Dr. Esmaiel Jabbari
Affiliation: Biomimetic Materials and Tissue Engineering Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, USA
Talk: Hydrogels in the production of in vitro cell-based cultured meat in food industry
Bio: Esmaiel Jabbari is Tenured Professor of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering at University of South Carolina. Prof. Jabbari’s laboratory specializes in the creation of multi-cellular tissue models for skeletal tissue engineering and cancer drug delivery. He received Berton Rahn Award in 2012 from AO Foundation and Stephen Milam Award in 2008 from Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Foundation. He was elected to the College of Fellows of American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering in 2013. Prof. Jabbari has authored >250 articles and presented >100 invited lectures. He serves as the Academic Editor for PLOS ONE and Associate Editor of Gels.
Email: JABBARI@cec.sc.edu
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Name: Prof. Srinivasa Raghavan
Affiliation: Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Maryland, USA
Talk: How to Stick Gels to Metals as well as Biological Tissues
Bio: Srinivasa (Srini) Raghavan is a Professor at the University of Maryland, where he heads the Complex Fluids and Nanomaterials Group (https://complexfluids.umd.edu). His contributions to colloid and polymer science include various smart fluids (e.g., fluids whose viscosity can be switched a million-fold by light), hydrogels (e.g., one that rapidly expands in seconds), capsules (e.g., those with multiple layers or compartments) and biomaterials (e.g., polymers that gel blood). A technology invented in his lab to stop bleeding has been translated into a product (Rapid-Seal Wound Gel) that is available in pharmacies across the USA.
Email: sraghava@umd.edu
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Name: Prof. Saad A. Khan
Affiliation: Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
Talk: Nanodiamond-containing Polymer Hydrogels with pH-tunable Rheology and Tribology for UV Protection
Bio: -
Email: khan@ncsu.edu
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Affiliation: Institute of Biomaterials, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany
Talk: Design and Characterization of Nanoparticle and Ion Loaded Hydrogels for Biofabrication
Bio: Aldo R. Boccaccini is Professor of Materials Science (Biomaterials) and Head of the Institute of Biomaterials at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany. He holds an Engineering degree from Instituto Balseiro, Argentina (1987), and a Doctorate in Engineering (Dr.-Ing.) from RWTH Aachen University, Germany (1994). He is also a visiting professor at Imperial College London and RWTH Aachen. His research focuses on ceramics, glasses, and composites for biomedical, structural, and functional applications, particularly bioactive materials, tissue engineering scaffolds, nanomaterials for drug delivery, biofabrication, and antibacterial coatings. He has published over 1100 papers, and has received numerous international honors. In 2025, he received both the George Winter Award (European Society for Biomaterials) and the Larry L. Hench Lifetime Achievement Award (American Ceramic Society).
Email: aldo.boccaccini@fau.de
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Name: Prof. Dr. Esmaiel Jabbari
Affiliation: Biomimetic Materials and Tissue Engineering Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, USA
Talk: Hydrogels in the production of in vitro cell-based cultured meat in food industry
Bio: Esmaiel Jabbari is Tenured Professor of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering at University of South Carolina. Prof. Jabbari’s laboratory specializes in the creation of multi-cellular tissue models for skeletal tissue engineering and cancer drug delivery. He received Berton Rahn Award in 2012 from AO Foundation and Stephen Milam Award in 2008 from Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Foundation. He was elected to the College of Fellows of American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering in 2013. Prof. Jabbari has authored >250 articles and presented >100 invited lectures. He serves as the Academic Editor for PLOS ONE and Associate Editor of Gels.
Email: JABBARI@cec.sc.edu
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Name: Prof. Srinivasa Raghavan
Affiliation: Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Maryland, USA
Talk: How to Stick Gels to Metals as well as Biological Tissues
Bio: Srinivasa (Srini) Raghavan is a Professor at the University of Maryland, where he heads the Complex Fluids and Nanomaterials Group (https://complexfluids.umd.edu). His contributions to colloid and polymer science include various smart fluids (e.g., fluids whose viscosity can be switched a million-fold by light), hydrogels (e.g., one that rapidly expands in seconds), capsules (e.g., those with multiple layers or compartments) and biomaterials (e.g., polymers that gel blood). A technology invented in his lab to stop bleeding has been translated into a product (Rapid-Seal Wound Gel) that is available in pharmacies across the USA.
Email: sraghava@umd.edu
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Name: Prof. Saad A. Khan
Affiliation: Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
Talk: Nanodiamond-containing Polymer Hydrogels with pH-tunable Rheology and Tribology for UV Protection
Bio: -
Email: khan@ncsu.edu
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