Dr Peter Singer has dedicated his career to building innovative institutions with high social impact. Since 2017, he has been Special Advisor to the Director General, supporting Dr Tedros to transform WHO into an Organization focused on measurable impact in countries. Dr Singer co-chaired the transition team; was the architect of WHO’s strategy and its “triple billion” target; supports strategy implementation; and during the pandemic was a strong advocate for vaccine equity. From 2008-2018 Singer was Chief Executive Officer of Grand Challenges Canada, and from 1996-2006 he was Sun Life Financial Chair and Director of the University of Toronto Joint Centre for Bioethics. He is Professor of Medicine at University of Toronto In 2011, Dr Singer was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada, recognized for his contributions to health research and bioethics and for his dedication to improving the health of people in developing countries, and in 2007 he received the Michael Smith Prize as Canada's Health Researcher of the Year. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, U.S. National Academy of Medicine, and TWAS.

Sur is Newton Professor of Neuroscience and Director of the Simons Center for the Social Brain at MIT. He studies the cerebral cortex of the brain, and has discovered fundamental principles by which cortical circuits are wired during development and change during learning. He received his BTech from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, and his PhD from Vanderbilt University, Nashville. His awards include: Charles Judson Herrick Award, American Association of Anatomists; A.P. Sloan Fellowship; McKnight Neuroscience Development Award; Sigma Xi Distinguished Lectureship; Distinguished Alumnus Award, IIT, Kanpur; Distinguished Alumnus Award, Vanderbilt University. He has been elected to the Royal Society, UK; National Academy of Medicine, USA; American Academy of Arts and Sciences; National Academy of Sciences, India; Indian National Science Academy; Neurosciences Research Program, USA; and Rodin Academy, Sweden.

Teixeira (MD) is full professor at the Department of Biochemistry and Immunology at the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG). He obtained his PhD in 1994 at the National Heart and Lung Institute, University of London. He was president of the Brazilian Society of Pharmacology (SBFTE, 2011-2014), Brazilian Society of Inflammation (SBIN, 2018-2020), Member of the Brazilian Academy of Science (currently vice-President responsible for Regions Minas Gerais and Center-west) and Commander of the National Order of Scientific Merit. He is currently Vice President of the International Association of Inflammation Societies (IAIS, 2023-). Teixeira demonstrated the crucial role of the microbiota and microbial-derived products in controlling inflammatory and behavioural responses, and the relevance of inflammation in mediating tissue damage and lethality during infectious diseases, especially arboviral infections. This knowledge has led to mechanistic molecular studies which have led to new targets for anti-inflammatory drug development. Special focus is given to molecules which bind and block the function of 7-TM chemotactic receptors and induce the resolution of inflammation.

Titanji is an emeritus Professor of Biochemistry and Biotechnology and an Honorary Dean at the Faculty of Science University of Buea. He is also the Vice-Chair AU-ASRIC . He served as Vice-chancellor, Cameroon Christian U. (2015-2019), vice-chancellor of the University of Buea (2002-2012) and pioneer coordinator, Biotechnology center, University of Yaounde1(1986-1997),Coordinator of Biotechnology Unit U. of Buea (1996-2012), Cameroon. He focuses on infectious diseases (malaria, river blindness, tuberculosis ,COVID-19) and protein phosphorylation as a regulatory mechanism in Onchocerca volvulus, the parasite causing River Blindness in humans. He discovered, cloned and characterized new antigens, employed for diagnosis and potential vaccines, in Onchocerca volvulus. He also works on immune responses to malaria and has discovered new vaccine candidates (UB05-09) and drug leads from med. plants for malaria intervention strategies. He is past pres. and member, Council of Fed. of Afr. Socs. of Biochem. and Mol. Biol., and received the IFS/DANIDA Prize and Cameroon Knight Order of Valour. He is fellow of the Cameroon Acad. of Sciences, Afr. Acad. of Sciences, and Inst. o

Victora (MD, 1976, Rio Grande do Sul; PhD, 1983, London) is Emeritus Professor, Federal University of Pelotas, Brazil; past-president, International Epidemiological Association; member, Brazilian Academy of Science. He holds honorary faculty appointments at Harvard, Oxford and Johns Hopkins Universities, and an Honoris Causa Doctorate from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. His prizes include the Gairdner Global Health Award (Canada); Carlos Slim Prize (Mexico); Conrado Wessel Prize (Brazil); and National Order of Merit Medals in Medicine and in Science (Brazil). He has conducted extensive research in maternal and child health and nutrition, birth cohort studies, inequalities in health, and on the evaluation of the impact of major global health programs in a large number of countries. He coordinates the International Center for Equity in Health, which produces disaggregated analyses of indicators on women’s and children’s health and nutrition for the World Health Organization, Unicef and other international agencies. He has over 650 peer-reviewed publications and is a member of the editorial boards of several journals, including The Lancet.

Wasay is currently Alicharan endowed professor of neurology at Aga Khan University (AKU); past president, Pakistan Society of Neurology and Pakistan Stroke Society; president, Neurology Awareness and Research Foundation; chairman, advocacy and awareness task force of World Federation of Neurology; editor, Pakistan Journal of Neurological Sciences; chief editor, Jahan e Aasab (neurology public awareness magazine); chair, seed grants research committee at AKU; and co-chair, Non-Communicable Diseases Think Tank at AKU. Wasay received several national and international awards for educational, research and advocacy activities, including Teachers Recognition Award (American Academy of Neurology), Distinguished Teacher Award (Pakistan Society of Neurology), Outstanding Teacher Award (AKU), Gold Medal for Research (Pakistan Academy of Medical Sciences), Advocacy Leader of the Year Award (American Academy of Neurology), Victor Rivera Award (UT Southwestern Medical Center, USA) and Lester R. Bryant Founders Award (Marshall University, Huntington, USA). He was awarded fellowship of the Pakistan Academy of Medical Science and Gold Medal in Health Sciences by the Pakistan Academy of Sciences.

Wonkam is a professor of genetic medicine, and director of the McKusick-Nathans Institute and Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, US. He is also director of GeneMAP (Genetic Medicine of African Populations), and immediate past-deputy dean of research at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, South Africa. After an MD training with the Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Cameroon, he has completed a doctorate in medical sciences (cell biology) at the University of Geneva, Switzerland, and a PhD in human genetics at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Wonkam also trained as a medical geneticist in genetic medicine at the University of Geneva. His scientific results are reflected in more than 230 peer-reviewed publications. His research focuses on genetic and genomic variations in the African population with a focus on 1) Genomics modifiers of Sickle Cell Disease (SCD); 2) Genetics of hearing Impairment, and 3) Ethical, Equity, and Educational Issues in Genetic Medicine Research. Wonkam is president of the African Society of Human Genetics.

Wyse (PhD, 1995, Porto Alegre, Brazil) is full professor of Biochemistry of the Institute of Basic Health Sciences at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences. Her prizes include CAPES-Elsevier Award 2014, Pesquisador Gaúcho Award 2018 from the State Research Foundation and Scientist of the Year 2020 Award from International Achievements Research Center, USA. Her research work is focused on the neurotoxic mechanisms of homocysteine and neurometabolic and neurodegenerative diseases, as well as on neurobiology of menopause and neuroprotection, encompassing multiple experimental approach ranging from neurochemistry to behavior. Her studies have contributed to the understanding of biomolecule damage in hyperhomocysteinemic and homocystinuric patients and show potential to improve medical practice. She has published more than 400 scientific papers and has advised more than 70 masters and PhDs. Convinced that access to science and education are pillars to citizenship, she has launched a social project for underprivileged children of the public school system from the outskirts of her town, Porto Alegre. She published a book of poetry.

Sir Zumla was born in Chipata, Zambia in 1955. He is dually qualified in Medicine (MB.ChB) and Science (PhD). He nearly lost his life to meningitis when he was working as a junior doctor in London in 1982. He subsequently progressed to a meteoric, star-studded, and extremely successful career focussed on tackling killer infectious diseases. Sir Zumla's research, training, capacity development, advocacy and charitable contributions to World Health Organization's Research and Development Blueprint Priority Diseases of TB, TB/HIV, COVID-19, MERS, and other epidemic-prone Emerging and re-emerging infections, are an exceptional major body of work developed with an upward trajectory along these specific themes over three decades. As of Nov 2022, Sir Zumla has over 880 publications (inc. 760 PubMed; 22 medical textbooks; 67 book chapters, and 40 journal themed series). His Google Scholar H-index is 122, i10index is 560, with 68,200 citations. Sir Zumla has received over 28 prestigious accolades/prizes including: Knighthood from HM The Queen-2017; IUATBLD UNION MEDAL-2018; Mahathir Science Prize-2020; EU-EDCTP Pascoal Mocumbi Prize-2021; Roy.Soc.Trop.Med.Hyg Sir Patrick Manson Medal.

Wasim Ahmad is a Tenured Professor at Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad, Pakistan. He obtained his PhD from Cambridge University UK in 1990. He did Post-doctorate from London University UK and Columbia University New York USA. He has made important Contribution in Human Genetics by identify several genes involved in hereditary disorders of skin, hair, skeletal, neurological and hearing impairment. His awards include COMSTECH award in Biology, Sitara-e-Imtiaz by Govt. of Pakistan, Distinguished Scientist and Gold Medal by Pakistan Academy of Science (PAS), National Distinguished Professor by Higher Education Commission (HEC). His membership includes fellow Pakistan Academy of Science and Third World Academy of Science (TWAS).

Alberts is a US Natl. Medal of Science awardee (2014). He has served as Editor-in-Chief of Science (2008-2013) and as one of President Obama’s first three United States Science Envoys (2009-2011). Alberts holds the Chancellor's Leadership Chair in Biochemistry and Biophysics for Science and Education at the University of California, San Francisco, to which he returned after serving two six-year terms as the president of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). Dr. Alberts is noted as one of the original authors of The Molecular Biology of the Cell, a pre-eminent textbook in the field soon to be in its sixth edition. Alberts has earned many honors and awards, including 16 honorary degrees. He currently serves on the advisory boards of more than 25 nonprofit institutions, including the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and the Strategic Education Research Partnership (SERP).

AlMomin is a Senior Research Scientist at the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) and Vice President of TWAS for the Arab partner since 2020. She contributed to the establishment of a Kuwaiti national biotechnology program and leads a Government initiative to establish a National Centre of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology. She initiated the inclusion of KISR as an affiliated centre with the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), being also Kuwait's Liaison Officer at ICGEB. AlMomin is a certified risk management professional from the International Federation of Biosafety Associations (IFBSA) and is a member of several entities, including the Commission of Science and Technology for Sustainable Development, the International Council for the Life Sciences, the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World. Her research interests are genetic engineering, diagnostics, population genetics, biodiversity, and biosafety. She led several pioneer projects and introduced several scientific innovations in her country and MENA region. She serves as a chair and member of several national and international committees.

Dr. Jean Claude Autrey, CSK, BSc (London), MSc, PhD, DSc (Exeter), FTWAS, FMAST, FRSB, CBiol, was previous Director of the Mauritius Sugar Industry Research Institute where his career spanned over 40 years. He is the Chancellor of the University of Mauritius, Past President of the Mauritius Academy of Science and Technology, General Secretary of the International Society of Sugar Cane Technologists and Chair of ACP Sugar Research Programme and Chair of the ACP Scientific Advisory Group on Sugar, Chair Board of Directors, Bonsucro Ltd, London. He has served on various national and international bodies many of which he has chaired. He is a Member of The World Academy of Sciences for the advancement of science in developing countries (TWAS). He is an appointed member of the Conservatoire Board since May 2015.He is Commander of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean (CSK) and Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International.

Babalola (Pr.Sci.Nat, MASSAF, FTWAS, FAS, FAAS, FISC) is the Vice President of the Org. for Women in Sci. for the Developing World. Baba, a National Research Foundation B-rated scientist with MBA, sits on several editorial boards and acts as an International Advisor to a few others. She was with Int. Inst. of Tropical Agric (Nigeria), ICIPE (Kenya), Weizmann Inst. of Sci. (Israel), Univ of the Western Cape, and now North-West Univ (South Africa). She has 21 years of rhizosphere research experience. She is passionate about capacity building & has trained 37 PhDs & 25 MScs. Many of her PhD products are in academics in the UK, Italy, America, Canada, Australia, Sweden, & Africa. She authored 400 publications. She is an AAAS-TWAS Science diplomacy alumnus, impacting the world in policymaking, diplomacy, and diplomatic engagement. Her international experience spans the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania. She enjoys global partnerships, and her efforts have received many awards, including the finalist, GenderInSite 2020, Clarivate 2022, 2023 & SAWISA 2024. Baba has an H-index of 75, 26,000 citations & 56 professional certificates. She is #1 in Africa for Soil Science and Plant Nutrition

Badran (MSc and Phd. at Mich State U.) is Chairman Board of Trustees U. of Jordan, Chancellor U. of Petra, with more than 120 pubs., including 46 books and 4 patents. He was awarded honorary doctorates from, Sungkyunkwan U., Seoul; an Honorary Doctorate in Science from Michigan State U.; West Watkins distinguished Lectureship Award and Hall of Fame Alumni Award from Oklahoma State U. USA; Honorary Professorship from Eurasian National U. Kazakhstan; Honorary Doctorate in Business, Yarmouk U., Jordan. Awarded Arab Thought Foundation for best Arab Scientist in higher education research; TWAS Regional Prize for Building Scientific Institutions; Asia award for Outstanding Contribution to education. Badran is a former Prime Minister of Jordan (2005), Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Education, Former Deputy Director General of UNESCO Paris 1990-1998, President Arab Academy of Sciences and AFED.

Baharvand (PhD, 2004, Khwarizmi University) is a Professor, Founder, and Director of Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Tehran, Iran. His prizes include Mustafa Prize, TWAS Prize in Biology, UNESCO-Equatorial Guinea International Prize, Islamic Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) Prize in Biology, three Razi Research Awards from Iran Ministry of Health and Medical Education, two Khwarizmi International Awards from Iran Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, two Dr. Hadavi’s Awards from Academy of Medical Sciences of Iran, Prominent Professor in 3rd term of Allameh Tabatabaei’s Award from Iran Vice Presidency for Science and Technology and National Elite Foundation, etc. He is a member of the International Society for Stem Cell Research, the International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy, International Society for Extracellular Vesicles. He is currently the editorial board member of eight international journals (e.g., Journal of Biological Chemistry and Scientific Reports from Nature Publishing Group).

Balasubramanian is Distinguished Scientist and Director of Research-Emeritus, L.V. Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, India. After his PhD at Columbia Univ. and postdoctoral research (Univ. of Minnesota), he joined the IIT, Kanpur in 1967. In 1977, he moved to the Univ. of Hyderabad as Professor and later Dean. In 1982, he joined the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, where he was Director (1992-98). He is Fellow of all science academies of India, the German Acad. of Sciences Leopoldina, the Mauritian Acad. of Sciences, the African Acad. of Sciences, and of AAAS, US; member, Intl. Molecular Biology Network and World Innovation Foundation; winner, TWAS Prize in Medical Sciences; Khwarizmi Award, Iran; Bhatnagar, FICCI, Ranbaxy, Goyal and Bhasin Awards, India; UNESCO KALINGA Prize; Indira Gandhi National Award of India, Popularization of Science; Padma Shri; and Chevalier de l'Orde National du Merite, France. His field of research is: the biology of the eye

Basu was educated at Presidency College and Univ College of Science, Kolkata. He obtained his MSc (1964) and PhD (1968) in biochemistry. He is currently JC Bose Chair Professor of the Natl Academy of Sciences India at the Natl Inst of Science Communication and Information Resources, New Delhi. His previous positions include: Faculty associate, Dept of Microbiology, Michael Reese Med Ctr, Chicago; instructor and asst professor, Southwestern Med School, Dallas; asst director, Indian Inst of Chem Biol, Kolkata; deputy director, acting director and director, Inst of Micro Technol, Chandigarh; professor, Jawaharlal Nehru Ctr for Adv Scientific Research, Bangalore; director and professor of eminence of the Natl Institute of Immunology, New Delhi. He is elected member of the Indian Natl Science Acad; Indian Acad of Sciences; Natl Acad of Sciences India; and Amer Soc of Biochem and Mol Biol.

Beyene earned his PhD in prehistory in 1992 from the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, France. He is researcher at the Ethiopian Heritage Authority and affiliated with the French Center for Ethiopian Studies in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Beyene is Fellow of the Ethiopian Academy of Sciences, and International Member of the American Academy of Sciences. He is recipient of the Order of Academic Palms from the French Ministry of Education, France. He is corresponding member of the Institut de paléontologie humaine (Paris, France) and of the Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny (CARTA), University of Sandiago, CA, USA. He is actively leading and co-leading paleoanthropological research programmes in Ethiopia. He represented Ethiopia in the World Heritage Committee at UNESCO between 2009 and 2012. He initiated and prepared the nomination file for the Konso Cultural Landscape on UNESCO’s World Heritage list (nominated in 2011). He also led the field research and preparation of the dossier for the nomination of the Gedeo Cultural Landscape for UNESCO’s World Heritage List.