Dr. Weili Zhang is a Regents Professor and Director of Graduate Program in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Oklahoma State University. His research interests include terahertz optoelectronics, nano- and micro-structured materials optics, ultrafast phenomena, and semiconductor photonics. Dr. Zhang has authored or co-authored over 400 articles in peer-reviewed journals. He serves as Associate Editor of Photonics Insights and Research and as Section Editor-in-Chief of Materials. Dr. Zhang was named a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher in 2019-2023 and was elected a Fellow of The Optical Society (OSA) in 2015.

Ingo Dierking received his PhD in 1995 from the University of Clausthal in Germany. After a postdoc at the IBM TJ Watson Research Center, he joined Chalmers University in Sweden where he was appointed docent, before joining the University of Darmstadt as lecturer and the University of Manchester in 2002 as senior lecturer. He has published more than 180 scientific papers, as well as several books, and is the 2009 awardee of the Hilsum Medal, the 2016 recipient of the Samsung Mid-Career Award for Research Excellence, the 2021 recipient of the G.W. Gray Medal, and the winner of the Luckhurst-Samulski Prize 2023. Dierking is a former President of the International Liquid Crystal Society (ILCS) and a former Chair of the British Liquid Crystal Society (BLCS). His research interests lie in the field of soft matter physics with an emphasis on liquid crystals and liquid crystal-based composites with polymers and nanomaterials.

Geo Paul is a Tenure-track Professor at the Department of Science and Technological Innovation, University of Eastern Piedmont, Italy. He holds an M.Sc. in chemistry from the University of Calicut, India and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, Münster, Germany. His research area includes the development of new sustainable cementitious systems, the development of refractory materials for high-temperature thermal energy storage applications, CO2 storage in depleted oil wells, design and development of novel aerogels for various applications. He has co-authored over 100 international peer-reviewed research papers with over 3000 citations and an H-index of 32.

Vlassios Likodimos is Full Professor in the Department of Physics at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. His research currently focuses on the design and development of nanostructured photonic materials based on metal oxides, and plasmonic and carbon nanomaterials for energy and environmental applications, such as semiconductor photo(electro)catalysis as well as optical SERS sensors. He has participated in several EU and national research projects (three as PI) with more than 190 papers in peer-reviewed journals (h index 52), while he serves as reviewer in more than 60 international journals and as Editorial Board member of Materials (Section Editor-in-Chief of Materials Physics).

Abdollah Saboori is an associate professor of advanced materials processing in the Department of Management and Production Engineering at Politecnico di Torino, Italy, where he is also affiliated with the Integrated Additive Manufacturing Center (IAM@PoliTO). His research focuses on process–structure–property relationships in metal additive manufacturing, advanced metallic materials, and the post-treatment of additively manufactured components. He earned a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from Politecnico di Torino and previously worked as a visiting researcher at the University of Birmingham. He has authored/co-authored more than 160 scientific publications and holds a US patent for the AM of ceramics. He also serves on the Editorial Boards of several international journals and has received multiple awards and official recognition for his scientific contributions.

Michele Penza earned a Degree in Physics in 1990 from the University of Bari, Italy. He joined ENEA as a researcher in 2001 and has worked as a prime researcher since 2023. He manages R&D projects on materials science, sensors and solid-state devices. His research interests include sensor materials, nanomaterials, advanced materials, gas sensors, portable sensor systems, functional applications, environmental technologies and measurements. He has co-authored 180+ Standard Papers, 3 Book Chapters, 1 Book, 14 Special Issues, 2 International Reports, 150+ Communications, 40+ Keynote Talks, and 3 Patents. His H-index is 43 (May 2026). He previously served (2015-2024) as the ENEA Head of Lab Functional Materials and Technologies for Sustainable Applications (45 persons) at Brindisi Research Center. He has a National Qualification as a Full Professor in Experimental Physics of Matter and Applied Physics. He also works as an adjunct professor at the University of Salento, working as part of the Bachelor’s Program in Engineering for Sustainable Industry (2024-25; 2025-26). Since 2020, he has been ranked among the top 2% of the world’s scientists. Penza also works as a Section Editor-in-Chief for Sensors (MDPI).