Polymers 2022 - New Trends in Polymer Science: Health of the Planet, Health of the People

Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Macedonia, Greece;
Dimitrios N. Bikiaris is a Professor at the Chemistry Department of AUTH since 2015. His research interests include: synthesis and characterization of polyesters, development of polymers using biobased monomers, synthesis and characterization of nanocomposites, the use of polymers to remove contaminants and the use of polymers in tissue engineering and pharmaceutical applications. His work has been published in more than 365 scientific papers, with over 13500 references and h-index 63 (scopus). He participated in more than 50 research projects, has written 4 chapters in international scientific books and he holds 15 international patents and 2 Greek. He has participated in more than 200 international and 50 national conferences, having 150 oral presentations as a simple and invited speaker, and 250 poster presentations. He has been a reviewer in more than 150 international journals and is member of editorial committees in six scientific journals.

Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA;
Winner of Polymers Young Investigator Award 2018

Polytechnic University of Turin, Turin, Italy;
Claudio Gerbaldi is Professor of principles of chemistry for applied technologies and Chair of Chemistry from nine years. He is the leader of the Group for Applied Materials and Electrochemistry (GAME-Lab, https://www.facebook.com/GAMELabPoliTO) at the Department of Applied Science and Technology – DISAT. The specific mission of GAME Lab is the development and thorough characterization of innovative electrochemical energy storage and conversion systems, which are nowadays fundamental to exploit the full potential of future technologies requiring high performance, such as smart electronics, storage from renewables and electric transportation, with strong collaboration with academy/research centers worldwide and effective connections with industry and EU. He is author/co-author of about 135 scientific research articles published in international ISI journals with >1000 annual citation counts in recent years (>4700 total citations) and h-index 43 (source SCOPUS, 08/2019), 5 International granted patents, 4 research book chapters, and participated in > 60 national/international conferences (>80 oral talks and/or poster presentations), 12 as distinguished invited/keynote speaker. Among others, he has received the International “Roberto Piontelli” Award – International award delivered in the presence of the President of the Italian Republic, for outstanding scientific or technological contributions in the field of electrochemistry for energy-related applications, corrosion or physical chemistry (2015) and the ‘‘UniCredit Award’’ for the Young Innovation in Research (2007).

University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy;
Gaetano Guerra received his doctor degree in Chemistry under the direction of Paolo Corradini. He was researcher at Montedison and professor at the Naples University. Presently he is Professor of Macromolecular Chemistry, at the University of Salerno. Most of the scientific activity of Prof. Guerra has been devoted to theoretical and experimental studies relative to polymeric materials. This research activity is documented by more than 300 scientific papers on international journals and by many industrial patents. He is a member of Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei and President of Italian Association of Chemistry.

Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA;
Dr. Kurtz is a Principal and the Director of Exponent's Biomedical Engineering practice. He serves as a part-time Research Professor and Director of the Implant Research Center at Drexel University's School of Biomedical Engineering, Science, and Health Systems. Dr. Kurtz’ research activities have emphasized point-of-care additive manufacturing of medical devices and implants; real-world clinical performance of medical devices, including orthopedic, spine, and cardiovascular implants, as assessed by human implant retrieval specimens, national implant registries, and national health care databases; clinical studies of medical devices; and the mechanical behavior of synthetic biomaterials. His recent research interests include 3D printing of high-temperature polymers, including PEEK, to create novel drug delivery devices that treat spine and orthopaedic implant infection. Dr. Kurtz is active in many professional societies, including the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons, the Hip Society, the Knee Society, and the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). Dr. Kurtz has edited 10 books and written over 240 journal articles and 500 conference abstracts. He has co-edited STP 1591: Modularity and Tapers in Total Joint Replacements for the ASTM in 2015 and recently completed the PEEK Biomaterials Handbook, 2nd Edition, which was published in 2019.

University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands;
Katja Loos is Professor at the Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials of the University of Groningen, The Netherlands holding the chair of Macromolecular Chemistry and New Polymeric Materials. She specialized in Organic Chemistry and Polymer Chemistry during her university studies at the Johannes Gutenberg Universität in Mainz, Germany and the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, USA. She moved into the field of Enzymatic Polymerizations during her doctoral research at the University of Bayreuth, Germany and the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brasil. After a postdoctoral research stay at Polytechnic University in Brooklyn, NY, USA she started an independent research group at the University of Groningen. Katja Loos pioneered the field of enzymatic polymerization, especially the biocatalytic synthesis of polysaccharides and polyamides, and the synthesis and self-assembly of PVDF containing block copolymers. Already early in her career Katja Loos was awarded two travel scholarships of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and she received the very prestigious Feodor Lynen Fellowship award of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation to conduct her postdoctoral research. During her independent research career, on the basis of her unique approach in combining modern polymer synthesis, (macro) molecular self-assembly, and utilization of the arising structures the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) has awarded her the prestigious VIDI grant in 2009 and VICI grant in 2014 and the German Research Council (DFG) the Eleonore Trefftz guest professorship within the scope of its excellency initiative. Katja Loos is a distinguished scientist with over 200 scholarly peer-reviewed publications, various patents and book chapters. She is the editor of the only currently available textbook in the field of Enzymatic Polymerizations (Biocatalysis In Polymer Chemistry; Loos, K. Ed.; Wiley-VCH, 2010) and co-author of a introductory textbook on Polymer Science widely sold and used in The Netherlands and Belgium.

Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany;
Prof. Dr. Rolf Mülhaupt studied chemistry at the University of Freiburg, Germany and received his PhD degree at ETH Zürich, Switzerland. After industrial research at Dupont Central Research in Wilmington, Delaware/USA and Ciba Plastics and Additives Research in Marly, Switzerland, in 1989 he was appointed full professor for macromolecular chemistry at the University of Freiburg Germany, where he is the managing director of the Freiburg Materials Research Center (FMF). His research spans from polymerization catalysis to sustainable materials, nanocomposites, specialty polymers, and 3D printing.

University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK.;