Plenary Speakers
Prof. Richard J Spontak
North Carolina State University
USA
Prof. Richard J Spontak
North Carolina State UniversityUSA
Biography
Dr. Richard J. Spontak is a Distinguished Professor of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering and Professor of Materials Science & Engineering at NC State University. He received his B.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Penn State University in 1983 and UC Berkeley in 1988, respectively. He then pursued post-doctoral research at the University of Cambridge (U.K.) and the Institute for Energy Technology (Norway) before joining the Procter & Gamble Company in 1990. In 1992, he accepted a faculty position at NC State University, where he supervises the Macromolecular Materials & Morphology Group. He has published over 300 peer-reviewed journal papers and over 35 scholarly works as book chapters and invited monographs, and his work has been featured on 31 journal covers and cited over 16,000 times according to Google Scholar. His primary research interests relate to the phase behavior and morphology/property development of nanostructured polymers, polymer nanocomposites and coatings, electron microscopy, and stimuli-responsive soft materials. In recognition of his research endeavors at NC State University, he is the recipient of the university-level Alexander Q. Holladay Medal for Excellence, the R.J. Reynolds Award for Excellence in Teaching, Research & Extension, the Alcoa Foundation Distinguished Engineering Research Award, and the Alumni Outstanding Research Award. In addition, he has received the IChemE Underwood Medal and Global Research Project Award, the ACS (PMSE Division) Roy W. Tess Award in Coatings and the Cooperative Research Award in Polymer Science & Engineering, the SPSJ International Award, the German Society for Electron Microscopy Ernst Ruska Prize, the ACS (Rubber Division) Chemistry of Thermoplastic Elastomers Award, the IOM3 Colwyn Medal, the SPE International Award, the 2022 Waterloo Filtration Institute Idea of the Year Award, and the 2021 IAAM Researcher of the Year Award. An elected fellow of the American Physical Society, IOM3, the Royal Society of Chemistry, and the ACS (PMSE Division), he was named the Lars Onsager Professor at the Norwegian University of Science & Technology, and is a member of the Norwegian Academy of Technological Sciences and the NC State University Research Leadership, Global Engagement and Outstanding Teaching Academies.
Speech Title
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Prof. Thomas J. Webster
Pittsburgh University
USA
Prof. Thomas J. Webster
Pittsburgh UniversityUSA
Biography
Thomas J. Webster’s (H index: 131) degrees are in chemical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh (B.S., 1995; USA) and in biomedical engineering from RPI (Ph.D., 2000; USA). He has formed over a dozen companies who have numerous FDA approved medical products currently improving human health in over 30,000 patients. His technology is also being used in commercial products to improve sustainability and renewable energy. He is currently helping those companies and serves as a professor at Brown University, Saveetha University, Hebei University of Technology, UFPI, and others. Dr. Webster has numerous awards including: 2020, World Top 2% Scientist by Citations (PLOS); 2020, SCOPUS Highly Cited Research (Top 1% Materials Science and Mixed Fields); 2021, Clarivate Top 0.1% Most Influential Researchers (Pharmacology and Toxicology); 2022, Best Materials Science Scientist by Citations (Research.com); and is a fellow of over 8 societies. Prof. Webster is a former President of the U.S. Society for Biomaterials and has over 1,350 publications to his credit with over 55,000 citations. He was recently nominated for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Prof. Webster also recently formed a fund to support Nigerian student research opportunities in the U.S.
Speech Title
Can you eliminate implant infection without antibiotics ? Yes, 30,000 patients and counting
Prof. Hanshen Li
Electric Power Planning and Engineering Institute
China
Prof. Hanshen Li
Electric Power Planning and Engineering InstituteChina
Biography
Prof. Hanshen Li received his B.S.E. degree in Electric Power Engineering and Automation from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), Shanghai, China, in 2016. He earned his M.E. degree in Information, Production, and Systems Engineering from Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan, in 2017, and another M.E. degree in Electrical Engineering from SJTU in 2019. He completed his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at North China Electric Power University (NCEPU), Beijing, China, in 2023. Since 2023, Prof. Li has been a researcher at the China Electric Power Planning and Engineering Institute (EPPEI). His research interests include the planning and operation of active distribution networks. Prof. Li has published over 50 papers with more than 200 citations. He has been a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Energy Science and Technology since 2023, and is also a member of IEEE, IEEJ, CSEE, and CES.
Speech Title
Will be Updated soon.
Prof. Nirbhay Rana
IILM University
India
Prof. Nirbhay Rana
IILM UniversityIndia
Biography
Nirbhay Rana is Associate Professor of Design at IILM University, Gurugram, and Regional Editor (Asia) for Bloomsbury’s Fashion Business Case Studies. With over 17 years of experience, his work focuses on sustainable fashion, indigenous material systems, and circular economy models. He is the author of Threaded Harmony: A Sustainable Approach to Fashion (Emerald Publishing), a title released in six countries. He has delivered keynote talks at international forums, including the World Fashion Summit ( Canada) and IIT Delhi, and frequently contributes to global edited volumes on design, sustainability, and community governance. Actively involved in curriculum design under NEP 2020, he is a strong advocate of design education that merges tradition with emerging technologies to shape an equitable and climate-resilient future.
Speech Title
Milkweed Fiber: A Regenerative Polymer Pathway for Circular Textiles and Biodiversity
