Bio
Dr. Rivera is a Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Neurology at Baylor College of Medicine and Emeritus/Honorary Neurologist at Houston Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas, USA. He is considered an international Key Opinion Leader on multiple sclerosis and has been recognized with unprecedented Lifetime Achievement Awards by the Consortium of MS Centers (CMSC) and the US National MS Society and received the 2022 Giants of MS recognition from the CMSC, Global Impact Category.

Bio
Dr. Rasheed obtained his PhD from the University of Toronto in 2017, followed by a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. Here his work focused on the influence on metabolic pathways on disease burden in atherosclerosis. Dr. Rasheed’s original research, review and editorial work during his fellowship was published in several high-impact journals in the cardiovascular field, including ATVB, Nature Cardiovascular Research, Circulation Research and Science. Dr. Rasheed began his appointment in the Immunology Center of Georgia in November of 2023. As an Assistant Professor, Dr. Rasheed continues to serve within leadership committees of the American Heart Association and has published review articles and perspective pieces in Lipidology, Immunohorizons, Frontiers in Immunology and Cell.

Bio
Dr. Meghna Gupta is a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical Physiology and Biochemistry at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) in Portland, Oregon, USA. Her lab studies membrane protein structure and function in the context of human health and disease, using biochemistry, biophysics, cryo-electron microscopy, and cryoelectron tomography to connect molecular mechanisms with cellular function. Dr. Gupta completed her Ph.D. at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi, India and her postdoctoral training at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, California, USA. Her work has appeared in reputed journals including PNAS, Science, Nature Communications, and Science Advances, and she is an active contributor to mentorship and community-building initiatives in the scientific community.

Bio
João Carlos Silva is a Research Assistant (Tenure-track) at the Stem Cell Engineering Research Group (SCERG) from the Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences (iBB) and Invited Professor at the Department of Bioengineering from Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa - Portugal, where he is the PI of the "Biomimetic and Functional Regenerative Biomaterials Lab". João Carlos Silva received his PhD in Bioengineering - Cell Therapies and Regenerative Medicine (Distinction and Honours) in 2019 from Instituto Superior Técnico(IST) - Universidade de Lisboa and the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute(NY-USA). JCS was also awarded a prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowship (2024-2025) to work at Politecnico di Torino (Italy) and develop innovative bioreactor-based platforms for investigating the key mechanobiology mechanisms involved in osteochondral tissue maintenance and regeneration. His research group focus mainly on: i) tailoring biomaterials structure and composition to mimic stem cell microenvironments; ii) development of novel biomimetic and bioactive scaffold-based approaches for regenerative medicine and in vitro disease modelling applications with particular focus on bone, periodontal and articular cartilage regeneration; and iii) design and prototyping of bioreactor devices for the fabrication of tissue-engineered constructs under controlled "in vivo-like" biophysical stimulation. Author of 55 original scientific articles and 27 indexed conference abstracts published in international peer-reviewed scientific journals, 1 book chapter, 1 encyclopedia entry, 1 granted patent, and 43 oral and 40+ poster communications presented in relevant international conference meetings in the fields of Biomaterials and Regenerative Medicine (h-index: 21; 1850+ citations).

Bio
Dr. Karolina Beton-Mysur is a researcher in biomedical spectroscopy and nanotechnology, with a growing international profile in vibrational spectroscopy, cancer diagnostics, and translational biomedical research. Based at Lodz University of Technology, where she works as an Assistant Professor, she integrates Raman spectroscopy, vibrational imaging, and nanomechanical profiling with advanced data analysis and machine learning approaches to address challenges in gastrointestinal oncology and precision medicine. Her research focuses on identifying label-free spectroscopic biomarkers of cancer progression and understanding how biologically active compounds influence cellular metabolism and proliferation in human gastrointestinal models. Through combining spectroscopy, cellular biology, and computational analytics, she aims to advance rapid and non-invasive diagnostic strategies for future clinical applications. Dr. Beton-Mysur has led several research projects, including international initiatives, and actively promotes STEM, science communication, and mentoring programs supporting young researchers, particularly women in science. She also works as a trainer and educator, conducting scientific workshops and interdisciplinary training sessions. Outside academia, she finds inspiration in mountain hiking, martial arts, and exploring the world through both science and travel.