PLENARY SPEAKERS
Alessandro Gandini
For the last 65 years, I have been conducting Research and Teaching in Polymer Chemistry, Photochemistry, Physical Chemistry of Surfaces and Interfaces, in Switzerland, Canada, USA, Cuba, France, Brazil and Portugal, with additional visiting professorships in the UK, Italy, Tunisia, Uruguay, Costa Rica, Mexico, Argentina, Sweden and Spain.
Major research interest: polymers from renewable resources, which I pioneered in the 1980s and am to-day one of the recognized world leaders. Some 500 publications, three books (more than 31,000 citations, h-factor 87) and some 500 communications at scientific symposia, including ~130 invited or plenary lectures. More than 80 Doctorate Theses directed or co-directed.
I have been awarded Doctor Honoris Causa of St. Petersburg Forestry Academy and Havana University.
David Mecerreyes
David Mecerreyes is an Ikerbasque Research Professor and scientific director at POLYMAT (www.polymat.eu) ,University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU. His actual research interests include the design of new polymers for applications in emerging technologies in energy, and bioelectronics. During his career, he has published over 400 peer-reviewed articles. He is co-founder of the company Polykey Polymers (www.polykey.eu) and associate editor of the journal ACS Applied Polymer Materials.
Luc Averous
Professor Luc Avérous (University of Strasbourg, France) is Group Leader of BioTeam, Head of the Mutaxio Joint Lab with Soprema Group, and former Research Unit Director. As a polymer engineer, he earned his Ph.D. from Mines ParisTech in 1995, followed by postdoctoral positions (Canada and France), before becoming a Full Professor at ECPM-Strasbourg in 2003. His research focuses on the (bio)synthesis, formulation, and processing of sustainable, biobased, and/or biodegradable polymers for environmental and biomedical applications. As a leading international expert in these fields, he collaborates with major companies and institutions worldwide. He has published extensively (more than 250 articles, 40 book chapters, 15 patents) with around 30,000 citations.
Sylvain Caillol
Sylvain Caillol is Research Director at CNRS, working at the Charles Gerhardt Institute in Montpellier. He holds an engineering degree from the National Graduate School of Chemistry and a Master’s in Chemistry from the University of Montpellier, and completed his Ph.D. in Polymer Chemistry at the University of Bordeaux in 2001. He began his career at Rhodia, where he led the polymer research department at the Paris Research Center, and joined CNRS in 2007.
His research focuses on sustainable design of polymers. He is Adjunct Professor at Mohammed VI University (Morocco), Scientific Officer at the French National Research Agency (ANR) for public–private partnership programs and editor of scientific journals. Author of over 300 articles and patents, he has also earned multiple awards, including the Carnot Prize (2023).
INVITED SPEAKERS
Agnieszka Tercjak
Dr Agnieszka Tercjak has been Permanent Senior Researcher at University of the Basque Country since 2016. She has published more than 155 JCR scientific articles and supervised 9 PhD students. Her investigation is closely related to atomic force microscopy as versatile characterization technique for nanostructured polymers and their nanocomposites.
Aleksander Prociak
Prof. Aleksander Prociak has 35 years of experience in research related to various types of polyurethane materials, especially rigid and flexible foams. His publications address the potential use of eco-friendly raw materials in the production of polyurethanes and the impact of new components on the cellular structure and physical-mechanical properties of porous materials. He is the editor and co-author of the book «Polyurethane Materials» (in Polish) and co-author of the book “Microwave Enhanced Polymer Chemistry and Technology” (in English). His collaboration with industry focuses on developing innovative solutions for the production of sustainable polyurethane materials.
Camille Bakkali-Hassani
Camille Bakkali-Hassani was appointed as CNRS researcher in 2023 at the ICGM in the team “Chimie Matériaux MacroMoléculaires”. Prior this position, he spent one year in Australia (Monash University, Melbourne) as a research fellow working on continuous flow polymerisation for bio-engineering applications. Then, he studied the preparation of (non)conductive self-healing materials at ESPCI Paris and biobased composites at ICGM (industrial postdoc). During these positions, he developed original research interests and ideas, employing the tools offered by catalysis to solve challenges in material science towards sustainability and advanced functions. His research focuses on innovative catalysis for vitrimers/material synthesis and recycling of challenging thermosets.
Eleftheria Diamanti
Dr. Eleftheria Diamanti studied Engineering of Science and Technology of Materials at the University of Ioannina, Greece, and earned her PhD in Applied Chemistry and Polymeric Materials in 2016 from the University of the Basque Country (Spain). She has 14 years of experience in surface engineering, physicochemical characterization for biomedical applications as well as in biocatalysis. Currently, she is a Postdoctoral Fellow (HORIZON-WIDERA-2023-TALENTS-02-01) at the Institute of Chemical Biology in National Hellenic Research Foundation, developing a bioactive hydrogel as a sustainable and environmentally friendly carrier system for natural bioactive compounds, utilizing biocatalytic approaches specifically designed for applications in dermal diseases.
Filomena Barreiro
Filomena Barreiro, PhD in Chemical Engineering, is a Coordinator Professor at Bragança Polytechnic University (IPB) and Vice-Coordinator of the Mountain Research Centre (CIMO) (ORCID iD: 0000-0002-6844-333X). Her main research interests include synthesis of materials from renewable resources (e.g., lignin-based materials), polyurethane chemistry (e.g., water-based polyurethane dispersions), biobased products (natural and functional ingredients and materials), micro/nanoencapsulation and emulsion technology (e.g., Pickering emulsions), applied to different industrial fields (textile, cosmetic, leather, pharmaceutical, biomedical, and food and packaging industry).
Hynek Beneš
Hynek Beneš obtained his PhD degree at the University of Chemical Technology in Prague in 2007. His dissertation dealt with the chemical recycling of waste polyurethane foams, and since then Hynek’s research interests have always been linked to «sustainability». In 2007-2008 he was a postdoctoral fellow in prof. Jean-Francois Gerard group at INSA Lyon, France. Currently, Hynek works as a senior researcher and deputy head of the Department of Polymer Processing at the Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague. His current research interest involves synthesis of bio-based thermosets, environmental-friendly polymerizations, (bio)degradable polymers and chemical recycling of polymers.
Juan Francisco Rodríguez
Full Professor and Head of Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Castilla-La Mancha. Former Director for 14 years of the Institute of Chemical and Environmental Technology (ITQUIMA). Supervisor of 22 Doctoral Theses and author of 12 Patents, more than 240 papers published in national and international journals, 30 book chapters and more than 200 communications in national and international conferences. Main Responsible of more than 35 research projects funded by European (8), national and regional public organizations and more than one hundred research contracts with private companies. Active in the fields of biopolymer synthesis and processing in supercritical scCO2, micro and nanoencapsulation and Polyurethane synthesis and recycling. Awarded with the Enterprise University Foundation Award in 2024 to best regional researcher in Castilla-La Mancha, in 2002 the Regional Merit Medal 2003 and the Best Research Centre of Castilla-La Mancha 2012.
Raquel Rodriguez
BSc in Chemistry (Specialty: Macromolecules) at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). She completed an MPhil in the department of Pure and Applied Chemistry at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. European Thesis at POLYMAT and the Chemical Engineering Group UPV/EHU; PhD. Thesis: “Silicone-Modified Acrylic Nanoparticles by Miniemulsion Polymerization”. Working at TECNALIA in the sustainable and functional polymers department. She has extensive experience in the synthesis of functional and/or biobased polymers such as polymeric binders for coating and adhesive formulations and micro/nanocapsules containing active substances (self-healing, PCM slurries, fragrances…). She has participated in numerous research projects at the regional, national and European level, and is the author of more than 10 publications and 3 patents. Actually, coordinator of TORNADO project funded by the European Commission related to the development of new PFAS free biobased water and oil repellent coatings.
Reza Hosseinpourpia
Reza Hosseinpourpia is an Associate Professor in Forest Biomaterials at the Department of Forestry and Wood Technology, Linnaeus University, Sweden. He leads the Forest Products research group with a major on improving the material properties of natural polymers as a sustainable alternative to fossil-derived ones in wood products.