PLENARY LECTURES

Dongling Ma (H-index: 57, citations: 9712; Scopus), “Rational design and synthesis ofnanohybrids for energy and biomedical applications”
Professor Dongling Ma (FRSC, FIAAM), holder of the Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Advanced Functional Nanocomposites, has been a professor at Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS), Varennes, Canada, since 2006 (https://inrs.ca/en/research/professors/dongling-ma). Her main research interest consists in the development of various nanomaterials (e.g., semiconductor quantum dots, transition metal catalytic nanoparticles, plasmonic nanostructures) for applications in energy, environment, catalysis and biomedical sectors. She has co-authored >200 articles in a broad range of areas, centered on materials science, in selective, high-impact journals such as J. Am. Chem. Soc, Nat. Commun., Adv. Mater., Adv. Energy Mater., ACS Nano, Adv. Funct. Mater., Energy Environ. Sci., Chem. Mater. and Chem. Soc. Rev. with H-index of 65 (Google Scholar). She has co-authored 6 granted patents and 4 book chapters. She has delivered >130 invited speeches at international conferences and prestigious universities/government laboratories. She is an associate editor of ACS Applied Nano Materials and also serves/served on multiple journal editorial advisory boards, including the prestigious ACS Energy Lett., Scientific Reports, Frontiers (Energy), PhotonX (Springer), etc. She also acted as the section Editor-in- Chief for the section “Solar Energy and Solar Cells” of Nanomaterials, and acts in Section Editor Group of National Science Review (NSR, Materials Science). Her recent awards include the 2022 Clara Benson Award from the Chemical Institute of Canada.
Mark Mahalingam Baskaran (H-index: 50, citations: 7160; Scopus), “210Po:210Pb:226Ra disequilibria in deep oceans and new insights on their utility as biogeochemical tracers: A global data synthesis of research over six decades”
Professor Mark Baskaran is a tenured full-time professor and chair in the Department of Environmental Science and Geology at Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA (https://clasprofiles.wayne.edu/profile/ag4231). He received his Ph.D. in Physics from Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), a premier research institution in India. After his Ph.D., he spent two years at PRL as a postdoctoral fellow before he moved to the Institute of Marine Science at the University of Alaska (Fairbanks, Alaska). After a year, he joined Texas A&M University (Galveston, Texas) where he taught introductory Physics and Geology courses in the Department of Marine Science, while conducting research related to atmospheric fluxes of radionuclides, mobility of radionuclides in groundwater, scavenging and particle cycling in marine environment and dating of recent sediments and carbonates. After his 11 year career as a teacher and researcher in Texas, he joined Wayne State University where he became a tenured full professor in 2007. He teaches both introductory level courses in oceanography, meteorology, and physical geology as well as upper level courses including Environmental Fate and Transport of Pollutants, Isotopes: Applications in Geological and Environmental Sciences and Environmental Geochemistry. Prof. Baskaran’s research work includes all subsystems of the Earth system. He has extensively collaborated with a large number of researchers from universities and institutions around the world. His work with marine systems (estuarine, coastal, shelf and open-ocean) on the investigations of particular organic carbon export, particle cycling and remineralization and colloidal thorium scavenging in the Arctic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, North Atlantic and East Pacific were funded by several funding agencies in the U.S. including the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Department of Energy (DOE). He has been funded by NSF as a part of the U.S. GEOTRACES group in four phases (Intercalibration, section studies in the North Atlantic, East Pacific and Western Arctic Ocean). He has served as a Chief Scientist in six major oceanographic expeditions in the Gulf of Mexico and Arctic Ocean.
Kattesh V. Katti (H-index: 44, citations: 6163; Scopus), “Radioactive gold nanoparticles as building blocks of nanoradiopharmaceuticals for theranostics”
Professor Kattesh V. Katti, M.Sc.Ed, PhD, DSC, FRSC, FNAI (https://katteshkatti.com) is globally recognized as the ‘Father of Green Nanotechnology’. He is a Curators’ Professor of Radiology, and Director of Institute of Green Nanotechnology, within the Medical School, University of Missouri, Columbia, USA. Dr. Kattesh is an internationally renowned as a leader in the interconnecting fields of — chemistry, radiopharmaceutical sciences, nanotechnology/green nanotechnology and nanomedicine — for biomedical applications, specifically for molecular imaging and therapy of living subjects. He has won the International Hevesy Medal Award (2015) — A Global award for excellence in Radiation Sciences and Nuclear Medicine — regarded as equivalent to a Nobel Prize in Nuclear Sciences. In 2023, Dr. Katti was elected to the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) College of Fellows in recognition of his invention of a new medical modality referred to as Nano-Ayurvedic Medicine—for which the United Patents Office granted him the first ever global patent on this new medical modality. Dr. Katti is an elected fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (FNAI in 2015) recognizing the discovery of ‘Katti Peptides’ — a group of peptides used in radiopharmaceuticals, biomedical sciences and nanomedicine product development. Dr. Katti is an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). His contributions in green and sustainable technologies have been recognized by the United Nations as he has led such programs globally. National Academy of Inventors—the largest Inventors Academy of the World has recently produced a documentary on Dr. Katti’s inventions which are used for combating COVID and related deadly infections: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OVI33BFMtk&t=13s. He represents the United States of America at the United Nations IAEA (2015-2023) — a program on Nano Radiopharmaceuticals — with 22 member Nations research and development program at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria. For over 35 years, Dr. Katti has served and continues to serve as an Executive Editor/member of the Editorial Board Member/Associate of a number of internationally reputed journals. He has published over 350 publications, reviews, and book chapters and is the principal inventor on over 150 inventions and over 50 patents. He has delivered over 500 Inaugural/Plenary/Invited lectures in 25 countries. Latest news releases: https://medicine.missouri.edu/news/katti-elected-american-institute-medical-and-biological-engineering-college-fellows. Listen to Dr. Katti explain his gold-based nanomedicine: https://bit.ly/35zpHPO; https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/father-of-green-medical-nanotechnology-featured-in-the-latest-episode-of-from-campus-to-commerce-301161331.html
Pablo Cirrone (H-index: 35, citations: 12666; Scopus), “Laser-driven ion beams and applications: status of the ELI-Beamlines (Czech Republic) and I-LUCE (Italy) facilities”
Dr Pablo Cirrone is Senior Researcher at the "Laboratori Nazionali del Sud" of the Italian Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN). He is an expert of Medical Physics, Monte Carlo methods for nuclear physics and laser-matter interaction for acceleration. Since 2018 Pablo has been responsible of the proton therapy and multidisciplinary beamlines of the INFN-LNS.He was appointed as spokesperson of the MC-INFN (Monte Carlo at INFN) and the ELIMED projects for the acceleration, transport and measurement of laser-accelerated radiation. In 2020 he became leader of the INFN group within the H2020 IMPULSE project. Pablo is today responsible for the I-LUCE (INFN Laser indUCEd radiation production) facility development that will install a 500TW/23fs/3Hz laser system at INFN-LNS for acceleration, nuclear and multidisciplinary applications.