Jens Smiatek has a PhD and habilitation in theoretical physics. He has taken various group leader positions in universities and research organisations, and his main biotechnological interests include modelling and advanced machine learning of coupled and single unit operations and formulation aspects. He is the author of more than 100 peer-reviewed articles with over 2600 citations (H-index 32). Since 2019, Jens has worked at Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG.

Stephan Kirsch is a versatile leader with interest in operational excellence, digitalisation and innovation, a scientific track record in mass spectrometry, and a focus on biologics drug substance development with major contributions to Zarzio and Beovu.

Dr. Ricardo Silva graduated in 2008 with a degree in chemical and biochemical engineering from the Faculdade de Cincias e Tecnologia – Universidade Nova de Lisboa and obtained his PhD (2013) in chemical and biochemical engineering with a specialisation in process simulation and optimisation from the same university. In 2014, Ricardo was a senior scientist in the animal cell technology unit at iBET in the downstream process development lab and since 2019 has been in the late-stage R&D unit. Ricardo’s current research topics are related to the development of efficient and integrated downstream processes for the purification of complex biotherapeutic targets, namely cell-based products, mAbs, virus-based biologics, recombinant proteins, and extracellular vesicles.

Dr. Moritz von Stosch is a thought leader in the area of digital process development and manufacturing and an author of more than 40 scientific publications, including the Book “Hybrid Modelling in Process Industries”. He is the chief innovation officer at DataHow AG, and prior to joining DataHow he led the process systems biology and engineering centre of excellence at GSK vaccines, for which he received an Innovation Performance and Trust award and was nominated as a change catalyst.

Yi Li has 20-plus years of industrial experience in leading and supporting clinical and commercial process development, process validation, global tech transfer and launch, IND and BLA filing, and post-approval life cycle management for various biologics and vaccines.

Dr. Stefan R. Schmidt, MBA, currently is CEO at evitria AG, a company dedicated to antibody discovery services in Zürich. Previously Stefan led operations at BioAtrium AG, a joint venture of Lonza and Sanofi in Visp, Switzerland, as COO. Before that he held the position of CSO and other senior executive roles at Rentschler Biopharma (Germany) with overall responsibilities for biologics development and manufacturing. Before that, he was CSO at ERA Biotech in Barcelona, Spain, directing the company’s R&D efforts based on fusion proteins. Prior to that, he worked at AstraZeneca in Sweden, where he led the unit of protein sciences within global protein science and supply as associate director. He started his leadership career 25 years ago at biotech companies in Munich, Germany, where he built up protein biochemistry teams for Connex and GPC-Biotech. He holds a PhD in biochemistry from the Julius Maximilians University in Wuerzburg, Germany, and an MBA from the University in Gävle, Sweden.

As a post-doc and automation engineer at the Austrian Centre for Industrial Biotechnology (ACIB), Touraj Eslami specialised in downstream processing. Touraj is dedicated to enhancing biopharmaceutical manufacturing through advanced control strategies and quality by design (QbD) principles. Touraj is passionate about digitalisation and its potential to enhance productivity, efficiency, and sustainability.

Dr. Edward Close is practice area director for bioprocessing in Siemens Digital Industries Process Automation Software business. He has an engineering doctorate in biochemical engineering from University College London in collaboration with Pfizer. Edward has over 10 years’ experience at Siemens leading the development and application of Siemens mechanistic and hybrid modelling solutions for bioprocessing to deliver value to across the process industries.

Stephen Judd is a chartered chemical engineer and fellow of engineers Ireland. He is an experienced technical manager and principal process engineer with more than 15 years’ experience in process engineering and facility design, mainly in biotech projects. He has an excellent mix of design office and field experience across a wide range of international clients with significant experience in process technology selection and facility design. He has experience across the full project life cycle from feasibility study to commissioning and qualification and now focusses on the early project phases developing the facility design and manufacturing philosophies. Stephen has significant experience with different process technologies across all parts of the manufacturing process for biologics, ATMP, and other novel therapies such as SPPS and mRNA vaccines. This includes selecting the optimum approach to suit the specific needs of the client/project with respect to hard-piped, single-use, or hybrid systems.

Stephen has also authored or co-authored a number of technical papers including a paper on multi-modal facility design published in the ISPE PE Magazine. He is actively involved in the development of a number of ISPE guides currently in development relating to C&GT topics.

Rui Almeida leads ValGenesis’ product lifecycle management consultancy group, offering a range of services where science and engineering are coupled in areas such as process lifecycle management, quality risk management, and CMC strategy. Rui has a licentiate degree in biological engineering and a master's degree in engineering management and nearly two decades of pharmaceutical industry experience, holding senior positions in technical services, quality assurance of IMP/commercial products, and project management in small and large pharmaceutical companies. Prior to joining ValGenesis, he served as PMO group leader in the services business segment of a CDMO.

Daniel Myatt is a senior scientist in the analytical group at the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI, UK). He has a degree in biochemistry and a PhD in biophysics from the University of Manchester (UK). He has experience with a variety of biochemical and biophysical techniques gained from working in biopharma, academia, and at large-scale facilities.

Dhanuka Wasalathanthri, PhD, is an associate director at Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS), where his main role is to serve as the strategy lead for process analytical technology (PAT), analytical automation, and digital capability at biologic development in Devens, MA (USA). He is a versatile analytical science professional with about 10 years of industry experience. His expertise features strategic development and implementation of PAT, high-throughput automation, and digital technologies for biopharmaceutical processing. Dhanuka represents BMS at several academic and industry consortia such as NIIMBL and BioPhorum, and he holds a PhD in analytical chemistry from the University of Connecticut (USA).

Francisca Gouveia is currently leading the innovation data and digital team at Novartis BioProduction Operations in Huningue, France. Francisca is a SME in biotech manufacturing and process analytical technologies (PAT) and leads the implementation of advanced data analytics and innovative technologies in manufacturing units. Francisca holds an MSc in pharmaceutical engineering (IST, University of Lisbon) and received her PhD from Copenhagen University, working on data-centric lifecycle management initiatives for new and legacy products.

Dr. Eliot Boulanger is the head of artificial intelligence at Ovizio, a company active in the field of holographic microscopy for cell culture monitoring. Prior to that, he was leading the digital strategy of the biotech department of UCB biopharma. He holds a PhD in computational chemistry from the Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung and a post-doc in biophysics from the University of Chicago.

Dimitrios Lamprou (PhD, MBA) is a full professor (chair) of biofabrication and advanced manufacturing, and a director at MSc industrial pharmaceutics at Queen’s University Belfast (QUB). He is also the chair at United Kingdom and Ireland Controlled Release Society (UKICRS) and the chair of the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences (APS) emerging technologies focus group. Dimitrios is the author of over 150 peer-reviewed publications, has over 350 conference abstracts, has given over 150 invited talks in institutions and conferences across the world, and has secured funding of more than £4M.

Dimitrios has been recognised as a world leader in 3D printing and microfluidics. PubMed-based algorithms placed him in the top 0.088% of scholars in the world writing about 3D printing and in the top 0.071% of scholars in the world writing about microfluidics in the past 10 years. Moreover, PubMed-based algorithms placed him in the top 0.63% of scholars in the world writing about nanofibers.

Dimitrios has also twice been named in Stanford University’s list of the world’s top 2% scientists (2021 and 2022) for his research in pharmaceutics and biomedical engineering. His research and academic leadership have been recognised in a range of awards, including the Royal Pharmaceutical Society Science Award and the Scottish Universities Life Sciences Alliance Leaders Scheme Award. For more info, please visit www.emergingtechnologieslab.com.

Maximilian is the head of bioprocess modelling consulting at Novasign, where he is responsible for modelling projects for upstream and downstream processes. Leveraging his expertise in mathematical modelling, he collaborates with clients to design and accelerate process development and predict and control bioprocess performance. Maximilian holds a master’s degree in technical chemistry from TU Wien and earned his PhD from the prestigious University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences in Vienna, Austria, for which he was awarded the Award of Excellence from the Austrian Ministry of Education, Science and Research.

Fabian Stutz is the CEO and head of sales with Pharmabotix AG, a company that provides clients with innovative robotics and automation solutions for the pharmaceutical industry. From building an effective team to maintaining a large customer network, Fabian is adept at driving business development while delivering exceptional service to customers with a direct communications approach. He is passionate about trying new ideas and providing honest feedback on feasibility to ensure customer satisfaction.