Microbial Interactions & Microbial Ecology

Inmaculada del Castillo is a Scientist at Azotic Technologies Ltd. She holds a PhD in Plant’s Microbiology by the University of Seville. Her main focus is the use of beneficial bacteria on agriculture and the impact of inoculants on the soil microbiome. She has studied the relationships established between bacteria through quorum sensing / quorum quenching mechanism, and conducted research on Microbial Ecology in different environments, agricultural and industrial, as a post-doc at the University of Seville (Spain) and at the University of Nottingham (UK)

Inmaculada del Castillo main focus is the use of beneficial bacteria on agriculture and the impact of inoculants on the soil microbiome

Reza Nassiri Dean of Global Health,Director of Institute of International Health ,Michigan State University, USA.He works on international public health issues and has expertise in global health education, research, policy and governance. He has made contributions in various fields of medical sciences including clinical investigation and health education. One the basis of his extensive experience and expertise in HIV/AIDS and TB, he developed Clinical Research Programs in Brazil, South Africa, Haiti, Dominican Republic and Mexico. The core foci of such programs are socio-cultural, bio-ethical determinant of HIV/AIDS and TB prevention, control, and intervention.

His research interests focuses on Clinical Pharmacology of HIV/AIDS & TB, prevention and control of infectious diseases, neglected tropical diseases, community health, global health, and socio-ethical determinants of health.

Professor Debabrata Biswas is a leading scientist at University of Maryland, USA. Debabrata Biswas completed PhD from University of Tokyo. Dr. Biswas’s research projects focused on the reduction of pre- and post-harvest levels of colonization and contamination these foodborne bacterial pathogens in foods specifically meat and meat products and development of vaccines that prevent colonization of animals by E. coli O157, C. jejuni and Salmonella enterica species which may reduce human gastrointestinal infections.

Pathogens transmitted from animals to human via contaminated food and water cause up to 33 million cases (>50% of human infectious diseases) of reported illness each year in North America. Six bacterial species including Campylobacter jejuni, Enerohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC), non-typhoid Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Clostridium perfringens andStaphylococcus aureus account for over one half of the illness.

Junfeng James Liang completed his Ph.D.at NanKai University, China. He has published so many articles in journals in the Chemistry and Chemical Biology. His research works on Bacteria Responsive Materials for Bio-Fouling and Medical Device Infections and Nano-Technology Enabled Bacteria and Cancer Cell Sensing. Present he is working as professor at Stevens Institute of Technology, USA

Design and synthesis of various smart molecules and bioactive peptides; development of novel systems/method for targeted drug delivery. Biomaterials, Polymer Science

Spiros Paramithiotis graduated from the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition of the Agricultural University of Athens, Greece, in 1996. In 1998 he received a scholarship for post-graduate studies from the State Scholarship Foundation of Greece and in 2002 he received the PhD degree in Food Microbiology from the Agricultural University of Athens. In 2003, he joined the Agricultural University of Athens, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Laboratory of Food Quality Control and Hygiene as a member of the scientific personnel where he works until today. His research interests lie mainly in the field of food fermentations, with particular emphasis on microbial taxonomy, metabolism, physiology, symbiotic patterns and the underlying molecular mechanisms. He has participated in several research projects funded by the EU, the Greek Secretariat of Research and Technology as well as food industries. He has edited the book entitled ‘Lactic Acid Fermentation of Fruits and Vegetables’ published by CRC Press, co-authored 48 publications in peer-reviewed journals, 28 book chapters, over 100 publications in national and international conference proceedings and has received more than 900 citations.

His research interests lie mainly in the field of food fermentations, with particular emphasis on microbial taxonomy, metabolism, physiology, symbiotic patterns and the underlying molecular mechanisms.

Professor Alexander A. Kamnev is a Leading Scientist at the Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Plants and Microorganisms, Russian Academy of Sciences (Saratov, Russia). His current research has been focused on the application of spectroscopic techniques in studying biomolecules, biocomplexes, supramolecular structures and microbial cells; spectroscopic detection of biospecific interactions using functionalized plasmonic nanoparticles; bioanalytical applications of vibrational (FTIR, Raman) and Mössbauer (nuclear gamma-resonance) spectroscopies. Professor Kamnev has published over a hundred papers in peer-refereed international journals, has been regularly involved as an organizer of, and as an invited/plenary lecturer at a number of international conferences and in refereeing manuscripts for many scientific journals published by Elsevier, Springer, Wiley, RSC, ACS, etc.

spectroscopic techniques in studying biomolecules, biocomplexes, supramolecular structures and microbial cells.

Amina Yousef Kandeel completed PhD from Mansoura University, medical school, Egypt at 2006 where she worked as lecturer of Medical microbiology and immunology. Currently she is microbiology consultant and director of infection control department in King Khaled general hospital , KSA. The research activities included different clinical microbiology and infection control subjects including molecular typing of resistant organisms, detection of resistance mechanisms and quality improvement projects in infection control practices. Member in Egyptian society of medical microbiology. She has published more than 15 papers in national and international journals.

clinical microbiology and infection control

Ziad A.ElNasser completed his Ph.D. in Pathology and Microbiology from Brigham Young University, 1986. He has completed Bsc. in Medicine and Surgery from University Of Jordan, 1980. Present he is Clinical Pathologist, (Clinical Microbiology) King Abdulla University Hospital, Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Health, York University, Toronto Canada, Director of CISEPO (Canadian International Science Exchange program ,Jordan Branch) and Associate Professor of Clinical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology.

Pathology and Microbiology

Abdul Haque completed his Ph.D. in Medical Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Osaka, Japan (1994). He has published so many articles. Mainly his research focussing on Human Infectious Diseases, Human Enteric Pathogens, Molecular Diagnostics, Conjugate Vaccines Development and Molecular aspects of virulence and drug resistance of human enteric pathogens. Present he is working as Dean Health Sciences, The University of Faisalabad, Pakistan.

Human Infectious Diseases, Human Enteric Pathogens, Molecular Diagnostics, Conjugate Vaccines Development, Molecular aspects of virulence and drug resistance of human enteric pathogens

Dr. Nassiri is a former Associate Dean of Global Health at the Michigan State University (MSU). He also served as MSU director of Institute of International Health. He is currently Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Professor of Family and Community Medicine, and, lecturer in Global Health, Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine. He currently works on international public health issues and has expertise in global health. He has made contributions in various fields of medical sciences including clinical investigation and health education. On the basis of his extensive experience and expertise in HIV/AIDS, TB and antimicrobial resistance, he developed clinical research programs in Brazil, South Africa, Haiti, Dominican Republic and Mexico. He had served as editorial board member for the journal of HIV and AIDS Review. He is currently on editorial board member for AIDS Patient Care and STDs. Prof. Nassiri has delivered seminar presentations on Tropical Medicine, HIV/AIDS, TB, Global Health and public health interventions in numerous national and international conferences and workshops. He is internationally recognized for his work in the areas of building effective international partnerships particularly in global health, community health, clinical care capacity building, and technical assistance mechanism. He is the founder of Michigan State University Osteopathic and Primary Health Clinic in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. He has developed academic and research partnership programs with Federal University of Para Institute of Tropical Medicine in Belem, Brazil.

He currently works on international public health issues and has expertise in global health. He has made contributions in various fields of medical sciences including clinical investigation and health education.

Diego Omar Serra is originally from Argentina, where he earned a Licentiate degree in biotechnology from The National University of Litoral and a Doctorate in microbiology from The National University of La Plata. In 2011, he joined Dr. Regine Hengge’s research group at the Free University of Berlin (Germany) as postdoctoral researcher under sponsorship of an Alexander von Humboldt fellowship. Currently, he is a Research Assistant associated to Dr. Regine Hengge’s group at the Humboldt University of Berlin. His research is focused on uncovering the molecular mechanisms by which Escherichia coli forms architecturally complex biofilms, with emphasis on understanding the role of extracellular matrix components as biofilm building materials.

He is interested in understanding how E. coli self-organizes into architecturally complex communities.

Professional experience: 1989 employed at Veterinary Faculty Ljubljana, Institute of Microbiology and Parasitology; 2004 Assist. Prof. in the field of microbiology and epizootiology; 2009 Senior Research Fellow in the field of microbiology and immunology; 2014 Research Counsellor in the field of microbiology and immunology; 2016 DipECVM (European Veterinary Specialist in Veterinary Microbiology).Mentor for five and co-mentor for three completed PhD dissertations. He has published more than 90 original scientific papers. He is a member of the editorial board and a reviewer for several international scientific journals and a member of the European Society of Mycobacteriology (chairman of the 31st ESM congress), International Association for Paratuberculosis, International Society for Infectious Diseases and Slovenian Microbiological Society (past president). A board member of the European College of Veterinary Microbiology.

He is engaged in development and implementation of the methods for diagnostics of zoonoses. He is also a leader of several scientific projects and a principal investigator one of the main research groups at the Veterinary Faculty.

Carmela Saturnino, professor in Medicinal Chemistry University of Basilicata. 1989 University L. Pasteur in Strasbourg (F) (.DEA - Pharmacologie et Pharmacochimie, option = Pharmacochimie. Supervisors prof.C.G.Wermuth and J.J.Bourguignon. 1991-1993: Fellow of the pharmaceutical industry -Servier in Paris and later the University of Caen (F). Co-autor: 112 (publications, 6 Patent, etc.)

Carbazoles, Metalocines, Pyrazoles, suzuki reaction, Design, Synthesis and biological studies and understanding of the mechanisms of action of new therapeutic molecules for: cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, antimicrobial agents.

Dr Paulina Baran-Rachwalska graduated from the University of Agriculture in Krakow, Poland, with a Master degree in Applied Biotechnology. In 2015, she obtained a PhD degree in Molecular Biology at the Institute of Pharmacology Polish Academy of Sciences. Currently, she is a postdoctoral researcher in Biomedical Sciences Research Institute at Ulster University, United Kingdom, and serves as a KTP Associate in SiSaf Ltd, Belfast, a specialty biopharmaceutical company with a unique patented next-generation drug delivery technology. Dr Baran-Rachwalska has been involved in several interdisciplinary research projects, has published the findings in reputed journals, and enthusiastically presented results at numerous international conferences.

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Dr. Saleh received the Ph.D. degree from the University of Toronto in 1997. Working at the Department of medical biophysics his work concerned the interaction of bacterial toxins and membranes. Prior to joining the Department of Biology at Laurentian University, I spent time as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and Colorado State University. Dr. Saleh is currently the Chairperson for the Department of Biology at Laurentian University.

The area of my expertise is molecular biophysics. My training in this area has been used in the past 15 years to study various aspects of bacterial physiology and their interactions with their environments. Several research programs were carried out in relation to interaction of bacteria with their environments in both pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria. In non-pathogenic bacteria, I used bioinformatics techniques to address certain questions on the process of protein secretion in bacteria. Specifically, how the structural features of signal sequences direct the membrane translocation of signal sequence-containing secretory proteins. I currently have a graduate student looking at the involvement of the mRNA of such secretory proteins in targeting the protein to the membrane for translocation and secretion. In terms of other aspects of bacterial protein secretion (relevant to pathogenesis), I'm interested in the secretion mechanisms and characterization of bacterial extracellular polypeptides. My group is involved in several projects at the present time to include work with RNA-binding proteins and their role in protein secretion, physiological and immunological comparative studies of Streptomyces and Mycobacteria, and the cloning and characterization of a number of virulence factors of mycobacteria, mycoplasma and streptomyces.

Dr Paulina Baran-Rachwalska graduated from the University of Agriculture in Krakow, Poland, with a Master degree in Applied Biotechnology. In 2015, she obtained a PhD degree in Molecular Biology at the Institute of Pharmacology Polish Academy of Sciences. Currently, she is a postdoctoral researcher in Biomedical Sciences Research Institute at Ulster University, United Kingdom, and serves as a KTP Associate in SiSaf Ltd, Belfast, a specialty biopharmaceutical company with a unique patented next-generation drug delivery technology. Dr Baran-Rachwalska has been involved in several interdisciplinary research projects, has published the findings in reputed journals, and enthusiastically presented results at numerous international conferences.

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Diego Omar Serra is originally from Argentina, where he earned a Licentiate degree in biotechnology from The National University of Litoral and a Doctorate in microbiology from The National University of La Plata. In 2011, he joined Dr. Regine Hengge’s research group at the Free University of Berlin (Germany) as postdoctoral researcher under sponsorship of an Alexander von Humboldt fellowship. Currently, he is a Research Assistant associated to Dr. Regine Hengge’s group at the Humboldt University of Berlin. His research is focused on uncovering the molecular mechanisms by which Escherichia coli forms architecturally complex biofilms, with emphasis on understanding the role of extracellular matrix components as biofilm building materials.

He is interested in understanding how E. coli self-organizes into architecturally complex communities.

Ahmed Hegazi is currently a Professor of Microbiology and Immunology in the National Research Center, Egypt. Prof. Hegazi received his master’s degree in 1979, and his PhD in 1981. He has published 211 scientific papers and articles in national and international journals. He also served on the board of multiple national and international scientific journals. Dr. Hegazi is also the president of the Egyptian Environmental Society for Uses and Production of Bee Products, secretary of the Egyptian Society of Apitherapy, secretary general of the African Federation of Apiculture Associations, and a member of the International Apitherapy Commission (APIMONDIA). Dr. Hegazi awards; First Class Decoration of Excellence, Egypt, 1995, The Senior Scientist Prize of National Research Center, Cairo, Egypt, 1996, The National Scientific Prize In Biological Sciences, Egypt, 1990, The Scientific Prize of The National Research Center, Cairo, Egypt, 1989, The Second Best Research Paper Award, International Congress of Propolis, Bones Aires, Argentina, 2000, Main Speaker Award,10th Academic Conference, PRA and NAS (Nippon Apitherapy Soc.) Japan, 2006, 2 Bronze medals from The International Innovation Fair of the Middle East, Kuwait, 2007 Awarded of Ghazi Wad Allah Salon Prize, 2008, Finally awarded the Merit Ward in Medical Sciences, National Research Centre, Egypt, 2016 and have 4 patents.

Hegazi's research work has been focused lately on bee products and their therapeutic effects. Hegazi organized and contributed to national and international research projects since 1977 and up till now; he has been the principal investigator on multiple research projects within the National Research Center.

Abeer Mostafa Abdalhamed is working as an Assistant Professor of Microbiology at Clinical laboratory Sciences at College of Applied Medical Sciences Shaqra University. She is an Editorial board Member of Donnish Journal of Biomedical Research (DJBR), Member of Journal of Immunology and Cellular Microbiology.

My research focuses on the Molecular Typing and Epidemiological Studies of Microbial Diseases of Human and Animal Origin with Special Interest of Molecular Bacteriology and Open Journal of Medical Microbiology.

Diego Omar Serra is originally from Argentina, where he earned a Licentiate degree in biotechnology from The National University of Litoral and a Doctorate in microbiology from The National University of La Plata. In 2011, he joined Dr. Regine Hengge’s research group at the Free University of Berlin (Germany) as postdoctoral researcher under sponsorship of an Alexander von Humboldt fellowship. Currently, he is a Research Assistant associated to Dr. Regine Hengge’s group at the Humboldt University of Berlin. His research is focused on uncovering the molecular mechanisms by which Escherichia coli forms architecturally complex biofilms, with emphasis on understanding the role of extracellular matrix components as biofilm building materials.

He is interested in understanding how E. coli self-organizes into architecturally complex communities.

Armelle Phalipon is group leader in the Molecular Microbial Pathogenesis Unit, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France. With about 25 years of experience working on Shigella, she has deciphered the targets and effectors of the humoral response to infection, discovered two novel molecular mechanisms of secretory IgA-mediated protection at mucosal surfaces, and highlighted the Shigella-mediated targeting mechanisms, and their functional consequences, on human B and T lymphocytes. In addition, in collaboration with Dr. Laurence Mulard (Institut Pasteur), she has developed a Shigella subunit vaccine candidate which is presented here. Armelle Phalipon has co-created the International Vaccinology Course launched at the Pasteur Institute in 2008, and is Co-Director since then. Dr. Phalipon was also a member of the WHO Steering Committee for Diarrheoal Diseases (2007-2009).

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Dr. Sztein is Professor of Pediatrics, Medicine and Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Maryland. In addition, Dr. Sztein is Associate Director for Immunologic Research, Leader of the Immunology Group and Chief of the Cellular Immunology Section and Flow Cytometry Core Laboratory at the prestigious Center for Vaccine Development. Dr. Sztein is an accomplished investigator in the area of immunology of infectious diseases. He has published 200 papers in peer-reviewed journals and written 35 invited chapters.

Dr. Sztein is Professor of Pediatrics, Medicine and Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Maryland. In addition, Dr. Sztein is Associate Director for Immunologic Research, Leader of the Immunology Group and Chief of the Cellular Immunology Section and Flow Cytometry Core Laboratory at the prestigious Center for Vaccine Development. Dr. Sztein is an accomplished investigator in the area of immunology of infectious diseases. He has published 200 papers in peer-reviewed journals and written 35 invited chapters.

Anna Hirsch read Natural Sciences with a focus on Chemistry at the University of Cambridge and spent her third year at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, doing a research project with Prof. Timothy Jamison on the total synthesis of amphidinolide T1.For her Master’s project, she returned to Cambridge to develop the double conjugate addition of dithiols to propargylic carbonyl systems reaction in the group of Prof. Steven V. Ley.She received her Ph.D. from the ETH Zurich in 2008. Her research was carried out in the group of Prof. François Diederich and consisted of de novo structure-based design and the synthesis of the first inhibitors for an enzyme as a novel approach to treat malaria.Subsequently, she joined the group of Prof. Jean-Marie Lehn at the Institut de Science et d’Ingénierie Supramoléculaires (ISIS) in Strasbourg, before taking up a position as assistant professor at the Stratingh Institute for Chemistry at the University of Groningen in 2010. In 2015, she was promoted to associate professor of structure-based drug design. In 2017, she moved to the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), where she heads the department for drug design and optimization.

Her work focuses on rational approaches to drug design (with a strong focus on anti-infective targets), including structure- and fragment-based drug design in combination with dynamic combinatorial chemistry and kinetic target-guided synthesis. Anna Hirsch was awarded the Gratama Science Prize in 2014, the SCT-Servier Prize for Medicinal Chemistry in 2015 and the Innovation Prize for Medicinal Chemistry of the GdCh/DPhG in 2017.

Richard Dybowski is a senior research scientist at Cambridge University. He have been involved with the application of artificial intelligence to medicine for over 20 years. This includes the use of deep learning for automatic image analysis and the use of Bayesian networks for optimizing clinical decision-making, including those cases associated with infectious diseases.

His research interests lie within the areas of stochastic models of biomedical phenomena, machine learning (particularly deep learning), and normative clinical reasoning.

Dr. Burton M. Altura is currently working as a Professor of Physiology, Pharmacology & Medicine State University of New York Downstate Medical Center. He completed his PhD from Newyork University School of Medicine. He published many articles. Dr. Burton M. Altura studies address the two most important issues in vascular biology today: stroke mechanisms; and irreversible cellular destruction in the cardiovascular system caused by alcohol and substance abuse. These studies have already led to the prevention of atherosclerotic lesions, hypertension and stroke-like events in experimental animal models.

Dr. Burton M. Altura‘s research interests include: Physiology, Vagal Maneuvers, Pharmacology, Medicine.

Sophia Boudjema is currently working at Aix Marseille University, Infectious Disease Unit North Hospital, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Marseille, France. She has published numerous research papers and articles in reputed journals and has various other achievements in the related studies. She has extended his/her valuable service towards the scientific community with her extensive research work.

Polynesia with molecular tools,Healthcare worker; Behavior; Healthcare practices; Isolation precautions.

Dr. Horng-Dar Wang is a full Professor and the Director of Institute of Biotechnology, and an adjunct Professor of the Institute of Systems Neuroscience at National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan. He received his PhD with honor in 1997 and worked as a postdoctoral fellow from 1997 to 1999 in Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Toxicology at University of Southern California, and as a postdoctoral scholar from 1999 to 2004 in Division of Biology at California Institute of Technology. He was an Assistant Professor in 2004, an Associate Professor in 2009, and promoted as a full Professor in 2015 in the Institute of Biotechnology at National Tsing Hua University.

Dr. Horng-Dar Wang’s research interest focuses on anti-aging research and applies his novel discoveries into anti-cancer and anti-neurodegeneration research.

María Esther Orozco Orozco is a Mexican biologist, researcher and politician. She has received the UNESCO/Institut Pasteur Medal, the L'Oréal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science

Cell Biology

Prof. Harish Padh obtained his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from University of Delhi. For 17 years, he has developed his academic career in USA at places like Temple University, University of Chicago, and Northwestern University. In 1996 he joined as Professor of Biochemistry at M. S. University of Baroda and then he joined as Director of B. V. Patel Pharmaceutical Education and Research Development (PERD) Centre in Ahmedabad. He joined Sardar Patel University as Vice-Chancellor in July 2010 and continued as VC in his second term ended on July 31, 2016.

His area of research is Cell and Molecular Biology as applied to Health and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

He has received the PhD in University of Gezira, Dept of Biochemistry in the year 2007. He has around 7 years of experience in the teaching field under the specialization of Biochemistry. He is rendering his service as the Chief of the committee of undergraduate & research laboratories from April 2014 till now. He underwent a Training Course On Malaria Prevention & Control, THAILAND, BANGKOK, March 2006.

He focuses on the advanced research in the field of Biochemistry and Microbiology.

Maysaa El Sayed Zaki PhD, MD in Clinical Pathology-Clinical Microbiology and Immunology is Professor at Mansoura Faculty of medicine and director of clinical microbiologylaboratories in Mansoura university children hospital and member of the higher promotion committee for Egyptian universities Professor (Clinical Pathology).Professor Dr Maysaa has over 160 scientific papers and projects either presented or published. She is internationally recognized expert in many areas of advanced medicine including clinical microbiology, diagnosis of infectious diseases, molecular biology, Clinical research and drug discovery. Recent publications also include books on the use of modern technology in laboratory diagnosis like omics technology and nanomedicine. Dr Maysaa has awarded the university award of Academic Excellence and is a member of Who,s Who for International Executives.

Medicine, Immunology, Virology, Clinical Pathology, Clinical Microbiology

Enid Owusu is a Lecturer in the University of Ghana. She specialises in the field of Medical Sciences. She has also published many articles like, Clinical and Histopathological Presentation of Buruli ulcer in Experimentally infected Grasscutters (Thryonomys swinderianus): The Internet Journal of Tropical Medicine and In-vitro susceptibility of Mycobacterium ulcerans to selected antimicrobial agents.

The Role of Antimicrobial agents in effective health delivery.

Dr.Inusah is a doctor in Ghana dedicated to the field of Medical Sciences. He works in Presbyterian University College in Agogo

Medical Sciences

Gregory A. Buck, Ph.D., is Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at Virginia Commonwealth University. He obtained his BS in Genetics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and his MS and Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Washington-Seattle studying the toxinogenic bacteriophages of Corynebacterium diphtheria. He did postdoctoral research at the Institut Pasteur in Paris studying the genetics of antigenic variation in African Trypanosomes, and subsequently joined the faculty in the department of Microbiology and Immunology at VCU. He founded and directs VCU’s Nucleic Acids Research Facilities which maintains VCU’s Next Generation Sequencing infrastructure, and Center for High Performance Computing which provides research computing capacity to VCU’s investigators. He founded the Center for the Study of Biological Complexity in 2000 under the umbrella of VCU Life Sciences, and directed that unit until 2017. His recent work has focused on high throughput microbial genomics and metagenomics, with a focus on women’s health.

Microbiology and Immunology

B.S. 1979, University of Costa Rica, Costa Rica M.Sc. 1991, University of Guelph, Canada Ph.D. 1995, The University of Texas at Austin Postdoctoral fellow 1995, The University of Texas at Austin

Microbiology & Molecular Genetics

Dr. Donovan has long cultivated a particular interest in medical mycology. After completing her residency in Iran, she attended graduate school at the Gifu University, School of Medicine in Japan and obtained her Ph.D. Her research focus was in Candida albicans. Dr. Donovan developed specific training and expertise in protein purification, molecular biology and gene manipulation techniques. Her research focused on the identification of virulence factors and the interaction of the fungus with the human host. After securing a post- doctoral fellowship position at the Medical College of Ohio, Dr. Donovan shifted her research to Coccidioides immitis. She identified and purified urease protein and constructed a urease knock out strain of this fungus which demonstrated lesser virulence in an animal model. Her research showed promise for the development of a Coccidioides immitis vaccine. She then moved to the University of Cincinnati where her emphasis was involved with genetic manipulation of Histoplasma capsulatum and the fungal-host interaction in an animal model. In 2004, Dr. Donovan was given an opportunity to begin a residency in Internal Medicine and later completed an Infectious Disease fellowship with a focus in tropical medicine. That experience and her years as a practicing infectious diseases physician gave her a unique appreciation and understanding of the attention to detail required of a research scientist and the challenge treating patients with opportunistic fungal infections. Her greatest challenges are treating severely neutropenic patients and those with HIV/AIDS. Returning to her roots at the Valley fever Center for Excellence (VFCE), Dr. Donovan proposes to evaluate her observation that an earlier diagnosis of coccidioidomycosis (Valley Fever) can reduce both unnecessary tests and treatments, thereby reducing morbidity and mortality. Additional benefits would include but not be limited to improving antibiotic stewardship, developing population management programs, and serving as a model to address other opportunistic infections.

As both a practicing physician and a research scientist, Dr. Donovan has long cultivated a particular interest in medical mycology. Her research focuses on the identification of virulence factors and the interaction of several fungi with the human host. Her goal is to identify and characterize regulatory mechanisms at a post-transcriptional level that have a crucial role in the development of Valley Fever in humans.

Ezendu Ariwa holds the position of Professor in Computer Science at University of Bedfordshire, UK, Department of Computer Science & Technology, with speciality in Practice in Computing. He is also a Visiting Professor at Gulf University, Bahrain, Visiting Professor in Engineering Sustainability and ICT, Anadolu University, Turkey, Visiting Professor, University of Lagos, Nigeria, Visiting Professor and Co-Director of the Centre of Excellence in Cloud Computing, IAMTECH University, Sierra Leone. He also holds the position of Director - Technical and Non-Executive Director and Research Professor for Enterprise Projects at Sun Bio IT Solutions Pvt. Ltd, India. He is also the Chair for the IEEE Consumer Electronics Chapter, UK & Republic of Ireland (UKRI). He is a Senior Member of Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers (SMIEE); Chartered FELLOW of the British Computer Society (CITP, FBCS). He is the Founding Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Green Computing (IJGC), Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Computing and Digital Systems (IJCDS), Journal of E-Technology. He is author of a number of books and more than 200 papers published in international journals and conference proceedings. He recently published a book on Green Technology Applications for Enterprise and Academic Innovation, 2014; Publisher: IGI Global, USA.

Computer Science & Technology

PhD, 2005, University of Texas School of Public Health, Houston, TX MS, 1999, University of Texas School of Public Health, Houston, TX BS, 1995, University of California, Riverside, CA

Internal Medicine and Microbiology & Immunology

Head of Microbiology Department, Ardabil Branch, Islamic Azad University from 2008- 2014 & Chancellor of Islamic Azad University, Sarein Branch, Iran in 2008-2011, also Dean of Educational Affairs, Islamic Azad University in 2002-2004. Research Interest include Interaction between bacteria and protozoa in hosts, Human parasites, New methods for detecting protozoan infections, Proteomics, Identification of antigenic and predominant immunogenic proteins of bacteria & protozoa, Using medicinal plants in treatment of parasites infections

Interaction between bacteria and protozoa in hosts, Human parasites, New methods for detecting protozoan infections, Proteomics, Identification of antigenic and predominant immunogenic proteins of bacteria & protozoa, Using medicinal plants in treatment of parasites infections

Working as a Professor of the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, at the University of Dhaka

Nucleic Acid Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry, Biomolecular Pharmacy, Biotechnology and Molecular Biology

Dr. Lazarovits was employed as a Research Scientist at Agriculture and Agrifood Canada from 1978 until 2010 and retired at a research scientist 5 level. He accepted the position as Research Director of a newly found company A&L Biologicals, a company dedicated to serving the needs of Canadian and International growers with services and research related to developing bio-rationale agro-ecosystems. Dr. Lazarovits’ research over the last decade has focused on examining plant health from an ecological perspective where both beneficial and detrimental organisms in soil are considered to affect plant vigor. He developed innovative model systems for studying soil processes and interactions between microorganisms and plants, as well each other. He serves on committees of Environment Canada and is a member of the UN Ozone Secretariat regulating the phase out of methyl bromide (MBTOC). Dr. Lazarovits was president of the Canadian Phytopathological Society. He was an active researcher and was a team leader with Agriculture and Agrifood Canada for over 32 years.

Developing bio-rationale agro-ecosystems

Prof. Elasayed Elsayed Wagih (Ph.D, DIC, CIDTT) is a Professor of Virology and Biotechnology and Vice President of the Arab Society for Biotechnology. He was born in Alexandria, Egypt, on the 21st of November, 1946. In 1970, he received a B.Sc. in Plant Pathology from University of Alexandria and in 1975 he gained an M.Sc. degree in Plant Bacterial Diseases from the same university. In 1981, he received a PhD degree in Virology from the Imperial College of Science (Technology and Medicine), University of London and was awarded in the same year a DIC from the Royal College of Science. In March 2008, he earned The Cambridge International Diploma for Teaching and Training (CIDTT) from University of Cambridge, United Kingdom. Since June 26, 1992, Prof. Wagih has been working as Professor of Plant Pathology and Biotechnology in the Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture,University of Alexandria, Egypt. He is the former Head of the Department and former Vice Director of research of the Biotechnology Centre of the College. He harvested a number of local and international awards, prizes and certificates of appreciation, the last most important of which was the "Highest National Award for Scientific Research Achievement" awarded by The Egyptian Academy of Science and Technology in 1998. Prof. Wagih served as a member of the National Committee for Promoting University Faculty for five successive years. He is also the former Representative of North Africa and a Board Member of the Governing Council of the African Crop Science Society (ACSS) for three successive interims. He has published over 80 papers most of them in reputable journals and is currently serving as Editor-In-Chief of the International Journal of Virology.

Virology and Biotechnology

Dr. Tamboli was a Senior Agriculturalist at the World Banking, Washington, D.C., where he worked on projects in 30 countries in Africa and Asia. He also has held positions as a Soil Fertility expertat the Food and Agriculture Organization (link is external) (FAO) of the United Nations, and as a professor and associate dean at Jawaharlal Nehru Agricultural University at Jabalpur (link is external) (M.P.), and was involved in designing and implementing All India Agronomic Trials throughout India.

Environmental Science, Soil biology,Agricultural

Professor of Medical Microbiology & Immunology, Faculty of Medicine-Ain Shams University (ASU)&The Head of the department at Armed Forces College of Medicine. She participated in International research projects collaborated with Pasteur institute &Co-authored international Publications. Actively participated as an infection prevention and control consultant (APIC member#180759), in the upgrading of medical services and accreditation of governmental &teaching hospitals according to Egyptian standards. As an Associate trainer (IBCT-MENA-AT063/08), she trained their staff on infection control measures. She is an Arbitrator (Promotion Committee, Supreme Council of Universities), Vice president of quality assurance unit, ASU& Egyptian fellowship in healthcare management. She is a member in Egyptian Scientific Societies of Medical Microbiology, immunologists, Infection Control, Arabic Society of infectious diseases& antimicrobials. She passed medical education courses from University 0f Michigan and is a member in Arabic association of medical education. She had been recognized as the “Ideal doctor” Egyptian Medical Syndicate, March 2006.

Microbiology & Immunology

Nadiya Boyko has defended her PhD in 1994 and doctor degree in 2010. From 2000 until 2005 she occupied sabbatical Research Fellow position in Laboratory of Mucosal Immunology in University of Pennsylvania, USA. She is permanently working as professor at the Uzhhorod National University, and occupied following positions: Director of the R&D Centre of Molecular Microbiology and Mucosal Immunology; Vice-President and CSO of CLS in Slovakia and co-founder and CEO of Ediens LLC. Research interests are: P4 medicine, personalised nutrition, pharmabiotics, human microbiome, noncommunicable diseases; food safety, knowledge transfer. Co-establisher of Ukrainian and Slovak Technology Platforms “Agro-Food”; experienced stakeholder manager with links to industry, academia and researchers in Europe. She has published more than 250 papers, including chapter in Mucosal immunology Elsevier press, h-index is 10. Member: SMI, SOMED, ASA, SMU; Editor of SOMED, Microbial Journal and European Journal of Nutrition, and Guest Editor of Frontiers Immunology.

Microbiome of soil, plants and humans

Dr. Taha Nazir has more than twenty (20) years of professional, research and academic experience in the field of clinical and applied pharmacy including drug screening and disease transmission models. He is also specialist in clinical microbiology; infectious diseases; molecular basis of antimicrobial resistance development and resistance patterns. Moreover; He has experience of handling Biosafety level 2 and 3 biological samples and performed biological and biochemical analyses including quantitative PCR analysis, chromatographic and spectroscopic based assays. He also has strong background in data acquisition, writing, editing, reviewing and conceiving literatures related to clinical microbiology, pharmacology and clinical pharmacy at graduation and post-graduation level with excellent team player spirit and good leadership qualities.

Drug screening and disease transmission models, clinical microbiology; infectious diseases; molecular basis of antimicrobial resistance development and resistance patterns

Dr Helieh S. Oz has DVM, and MS (U. IL); PhD (U. MN) and clinical translational research certificate (U. KY Med Center). Dr Oz is an active member of American Association of Gastroenterology (AGA) and AGA Fellow (AGAF). Dr Oz is Microbiologist scientist with expertise in infectious and inflammatory diseases, drug discoveries, pathogenesis, innate and mucosal Immunity, molecular biology, and micronutrient. Dr Oz has over 90 publications in areas of chronic inflammatory disorders (e.g. pancreatitis, hepatitis, colitis), microbial and infectious diseases (e.g. Toxoplasmosis, Trypanosomasis, Babesiosis, Coccidiosis, Pneumocystis pneumonia). She has served as Lead editor for special issues including Gut Inflammatory, Infectious diseases and Nutrition 2017 (Mediators of Inflammation); Nutrients, Infectious and Inflammatory Diseases 2017 (Nutrients); Gastrointestinal Inflammation and Repair: Role of Microbiome, Infection, Nutrition 2016 (Gastroenterology Research Practice), and co-editor for Parasitic infections in pediatric clinical practice 2017 (J Pediatric Infectious Disease), Chagas Disease, Intech Open Science 2017 and member of different advisory committees.

Gastrointestinal Inflammation and Repair: Role of Microbiome, Infection, Nutrition 2016 (Gastroenterology Research Practice), and co-editor for Parasitic infections in pediatric clinical practice 2017 (J Pediatric Infectious Disease), Chagas Disease, Intech Open Science 2017 and member of different advisory committees. Infection, Immunology of infectious disease, Innate Immunity, Microbiology

Prof. Elasayed Elsayed Wagih (Ph.D, DIC, CIDTT) is a Professor of Virology and Biotechnology and Vice President of the Arab Society for Biotechnology. He was born in Alexandria, Egypt, on the 21st of November, 1946. In 1970, he received a B.Sc. in Plant Pathology from University of Alexandria and in 1975 he gained an M.Sc. degree in Plant Bacterial Diseases from the same university. In 1981, he received a PhD degree in Virology from the Imperial College of Science (Technology and Medicine), University of London and was awarded in the same year a DIC from the Royal College of Science. In March 2008, he earned The Cambridge International Diploma for Teaching and Training (CIDTT) from University of Cambridge, United Kingdom. Since June 26, 1992, Prof. Wagih has been working as Professor of Plant Pathology and Biotechnology in the Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture,University of Alexandria, Egypt. He is the former Head of the Department and former Vice Director of research of the Biotechnology Centre of the College. He harvested a number of local and international awards, prizes and certificates of appreciation, the last most important of which was the "Highest National Award for Scientific Research Achievement" awarded by The Egyptian Academy of Science and Technology in 1998. Prof. Wagih served as a member of the National Committee for Promoting University Faculty for five successive years. He is also the former Representative of North Africa and a Board Member of the Governing Council of the African Crop Science Society (ACSS) for three successive interims. He has published over 80 papers most of them in reputable journals and is currently serving as Editor-In-Chief of the International Journal of Virology.

Virology and Biotechnology

Dr. Lazarovits was employed as a Research Scientist at Agriculture and Agrifood Canada from 1978 until 2010 and retired at a research scientist 5 level. He accepted the position as Research Director of a newly found company A&L Biologicals, a company dedicated to serving the needs of Canadian and International growers with services and research related to developing bio-rationale agro-ecosystems. Dr. Lazarovits’ research over the last decade has focused on examining plant health from an ecological perspective where both beneficial and detrimental organisms in soil are considered to affect plant vigor. He developed innovative model systems for studying soil processes and interactions between microorganisms and plants, as well each other. He serves on committees of Environment Canada and is a member of the UN Ozone Secretariat regulating the phase out of methyl bromide (MBTOC). Dr. Lazarovits was president of the Canadian Phytopathological Society. He was an active researcher and was a team leader with Agriculture and Agrifood Canada for over 32 years.

Developing bio-rationale agro-ecosystems

Shlomit Kenigsberg is an Independent Scientific Advisor. Her recent position is the Director of Scientific Affair in a leading Canadian company for Life-Sciences products, and a Senior Research Associate at Create Fertility Centre from Toronto Canada. She obtained her PhD studying DNA-methylation in the human malaria causing agent, Plasmodium falciparum, graduating in 2001, together with an MBA degree. Her first position was as a Product Manager for QIAGEN, an international BioTech company. She then accepted a Post-doctoral fellowship with the Department of Human Genetics at Ben-Gurion University, where she studied differential gene expression in polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) using microarray technologies. This unique experience led her to join Create Fertility Centre in 2006 as a Senior Research Associate to establish a new reproductive biology research laboratory and basic research program. Her recent projects focused on isolation and characterization of exosomes from various body fluids and conditioned media in the IVF lab. The project included downstream applications such as small RNA qPCRs arrays, NGS technologies, bioinformatics analysis, and proteomics. Although her specialty is in Ovarian Biology, she was also involved in mesenchymal-stem cells (MSCs) and andrology related research projects.

Bio-Medical professional specializing in Exosomes, Reproductive Sciences BioBanking and Effective Lab Management.

Dr. Azizur Rahman is the Research Head/Director of HiGarden Inc. and a Senior Research Scientist at the University of Toronto. He pursues a broad range of research interests that include environmental microbiology, freshwater/marine biology, environment and climate change, indoor ecosystems, biomineralization, inorganic chemistry, analytical chemistry, biotechnology and protein biochemistry.

Environmental microbiology, biomineralization, Climate change, Proteomics

Dr Andreas Vilcinskas is the Head of Applied Entomology at University of Giessen and also Project group "Bio-Ressources" at the Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology (IME).

Insect immunology, chemical ecology and interactions between pest insects and their host plants.

Wolfgang Holzgreve became a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology in Germany, did his postdoctoral fellowship in reproductive genetics at the University of California in San Francisco between 1982 and 1984 and became Assistant and Associate Professor at the University of Münster. In 1995 he was appointed as Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Basel, Switzerland. From there he was recruited back to Germany to become the Medical Director and Chair of the Board of Directors of the University of Freiburg.

Prof. Holzgreve´s main research has been in the area of prenatal diagnosis and therapy where he has been a strong advocate of Person-centered Medicine. Besides his involvement in the development of invasive techniques such as chorionic villus sampling, an emphasis in research and development over the last 20 years was Non-invasive Prenatal Diagnosis from maternal blood. His research resulted in more than 600 original papers, more than 10 books, Editorial Board memberships of 15 journals and a Hirsch-index of 41. He was Editor-in-chief of the Journal Fetal Diagnosis and Therapy for many years, and currently he is the Associate Editor of the International Journal of Gynaecology and Obstetrics as well as the Global Library of Women's Medicine.

K. Kormas received his Bsc (1994) and Phd (1998) from the Biology Dept of the University of Athens, Greece. He worked as a post-doc at the Trondhjem Biological Station, Norway and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, USA. Since March 2015 he is a professor of aquatic microbial ecology at the University of Thessaly, Greece.

His research focuses on the patterns and processes that underpin the distribution and abundance of microorganisms in different habitats of the aquatic environment, including plankton, bentos and symbionts. He has published more than 80 papers in peer-reviewed journals.

Bernd Rehm received his MSc and PhD degree (Microbiology) from the Ruhr-University of Bochum (Germany), in 1991 and 1993, respectively. He continued as a postdoc at the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of British Columbia, Canada. From 1996 to 2003, Dr. Rehm was a research group leader at the Institute of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology at the University of Münster (Germany), where he also completed his Habilitation. In 2003 he was appointed as Associate Professor of Microbiology at Massey University in New Zealand. Since 2005, Dr. Rehm is Full Professor and Chair of Microbiology at the same University. He is Editor in Chief and Editor of Current Proteomics as well as is member of the editorial board of ten scientific journals and sole editor of five books. He has authored over 170 scientific publications attracting >7900 citations resulting in an h-index of 51. More than 30 patents were granted naming him as inventor.

He is the inventing founder of the biotechnology start-up company PolyBatics Ltd which R&D activities he led as Chief Science Officer. Recent studies were focusing on the use of engineered microorganisms to produce functionalized nano-/micro-structures for applications in diagnostics, enzyme immobilisation as well as antigen delivery system.

Maulin P. Shah, currently Chief Scientist & Head – Industrial Waste Water Research Lab, Division of Applied and Environmental Microbiology Lab at Enviro Technology Ltd., Ankleshwar, Gujarat, India, received his Ph.D. (2002-2005) in Environmental Microbiology from Sardar Patel University, Vallabh Vidyanagar, Gujarat. He has served as an Assistant Professor at Godhra, Gujarat University in 2001. He is a Microbial Biotechnologist with diverse research interest. A group of research scholars is working under his guidance on the areas ranging from Applied Microbiology, Environmental Biotechnology, Bioremediation, and Industrial Liquid Waste Management to solid state fermentation. His work has been focused to assess the impact of industrial pollution on microbial diversity of wastewater following cultivation dependent and cultivation independent analysis. His major work involves isolation, screening, identification and Genetic Engineering of high impact of Microbes for the degradation of hazardous materials. He has more than 200 research publication in highly reputed national and international journals. He directs the Research program at Enviro Technology Ltd., Ankleshwar. He has guided more than 100 Post Graduate students in various disciplines of Life Science. He is an active Editorial Board Member in 149 highly reputed Journal’s in the field of Environmental & Biological Sciences. He was Founder Editor-in-Chief of International Journal of Environmental Bioremediation and Biodegradation (2012-2014) as well as Journal of Applied and Environmental Microbiology (2012-2014) (Science and Education Publishing, USA). He is also serving as a reviewer in various journals of national and international repute. Recently, he has been awarded as a Young Biotechnologist Medal by Biotechnological Society of Nepal”. He is Associate Editor in BMC Microbiology (Springer Nature), Advisory Board in CLEAN-Soil, Air, Water (Wiley), Editor in Current Pollution Reports (Springer Nature), Editor in Bulletin of Environmental Contamination & Toxicology (Springer Nature), Environmental Technology & Innovation – ELSEVIER

Environmental Microbiology, Biotechnology, Waste Water Research, Modified Ludzack Ettinger Process (MLE), Industrial Microbiology, Algal Biotechnology, Biochemical Engineering, Molecular Microbiology, Environmental Science & Engineering

Dr. Edmond Puca is currently working in University Hospital Center “Mother Teresa” in Tirana at Service of Infectious Disease. He has finished his specialization in Infection Disease at University Hospital Center Mother Teresa in Tirana on May 2008. He is a member of Albanian Society of Infectology. He is an Editorial Board Member of Clinical Microbiology Open Access, Journal of Tropical Diseases and Surgery, Journal of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.

Research Interests are tropical infection diseases especially hemorrhagic fever and leptospirosis, Clinical Microbiology

M.S. & Ph. D. degrees with distinction •Fulbright Scholar: 1964-1971 •Elected Fellow, American Academy of Microbiology (elected in 1995) •Two times recipient of Environmental Protection Agency’s Star Award •ASM Foundation for Microbiology Lecturer: 1991-1993 •Board Member, Northern Branch of the Society for Industrial Microbiology: 1990-1991 •Review Committee of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) 1992 – • Participant: Department of Energy plan development for Natural and Accelerated Bioremediation Research Program (NABIR), 1998. • Member (2 years each): Stanford: Recombinant DNA Panel; Biosafety Committee; Human Subjects Panel (IRB) (1984 – 2007) •Elected to the Steering Committee of Stanford Medical School Senate, 2008 – •Chair, Medical School Senate Task Force for Postdoctoral Affairs, 2010

A. C. Matin is a Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at Stanford University in Stanford, California. He has made pioneering contributions to microbiology in a number of areas; these include his notable research into the ways in which bacteria like Escherichia coli adapt and survive periods of nutrient starvation. His studies have been important in combating infections and the remediation of wastes.

Dr Mohannad AL-Saghir was born in Irbid, Jordan. He joined Ohio University Zanesville in 2006. He holds a PhD in Biology. He has taught many classes in microbiology and plant biology. His research is centered on Plant Systematics and Evolution, and my past and current work is focused on developing molecular phylogenies of economically important genera that have major crop plants, such as barley, peanut and pistachio.

His research extends to Medical Microbiology and public health. His most recent publication is "Joint spatial time-series epidemiological analysis of malaria and cutaneous leishmaniasis infection published in Epidemiology and Infection" in 2016.

Prof. Munch studied biology, chemistry and geology at the University of Strasbourg for his intermediate diploma and agrobiology at Stuttgart-Hohenheim University (diploma). He did his doctorate at the University of Hohenheim in 1980 and his lecturer qualification in soil science in 1990. Not long after that, he also qualified in the subject of biology at TU Braunschweig. In 1991, he became Head of the Institute of Soil Biology at the Federal Agricultural Research Center (FAL) in Braunschweig and a member of the lecturing staff at TU Braunschweig. Since 1996, he has held the position of full professor at the Chair of Soil Ecology at TUM. He is also Director of the Institute of Soil Ecology at Helmholtz Zentrum München.

Prof. Munch’s (b. 1949) research area in soil ecology is functional microbial diversity in soil. The extremely complex and multifaceted communities present in soil are only being fully analysed now thanks to developments in genomics, metabolomics and proteomics. The aim of his research is to gain an understanding of how to control and make increased use of selected microbial functions.

Professor in the Faculty of Biological Sciences of Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), New Delhi. Currently teaching the course work subjects related Microbial Biotechnology to the Ph.D students of CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST) registered with Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), New Delhi. Earlier (1991-1992) taught the following subjects viz. Mycology and Plant Pathology, Plant Biotechnology, Plant Anatomy and Environmental Biology to the Post-Graduate students (M.Sc. Botany) of PSGVP Mandal’s Science College, Shahada, Maharashtra (then affiliated to Poona University, Poona) for one year and one month.

Utilization of endophytic microorganisms and their bioactive metabolites associated with the rice plant grown in acidic soils and their application in improved paddy cultivation in acidic soils. Extraction, purification and characterization of bioactive metabolites from bacterial strains with special emphasis on plant growth promoting endophytic organisms. Structural elucidation of promising bioactive metabolites. Utilization of bioactive metabolites with currently using drugs for synergic and enhanced control of diseases with special reference to the diseases caused by Candia species. Isolation of microbial strains with capability of producing industrially important enzymes like cellulase, pectinase, protease and lipase and their application in extraction of active ingredients from botanicals. Screening of microorganisms with ability of producing multiple enzymes and their exploitation of active ingredients isolation from botanicals. Evaluation of the antimicrobial properties of nanoparticles and ceramic compounds with commercial importance. Bioconversion of organic compounds to drug or their intermediate compounds through microbial strains and/or their bioactive metabolites.

K. Kormas received his Bsc (1994) and Phd (1998) from the Biology Dept of the University of Athens, Greece. He worked as a post-doc at the Trondhjem Biological Station, Norway and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, USA. Since March 2015 he is a professor of aquatic microbial ecology at the University of Thessaly, Greece.

His research focuses on the patterns and processes that underpin the distribution and abundance of microorganisms in different habitats of the aquatic environment, including plankton, bentos and symbionts. He has published more than 80 papers in peer-reviewed journals

Bergman completed a PhD at MIT and postdoctoral training at the University of Michigan Medical School and The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR). He is currently the head of the Genomics Department at NBFAC. He has published more than 45 papers in reputed journals and serves on numerous advisory and editorial boards.

Bioforensic

Aneta Nitsch-Osuch, MD, PhD, Assoc. Prof. – a specialist in pediatrics, epidemiology and public health, the head of the Department of Social Medicine and Public Helath, Medical University of Warsaw (Poland). The senior consultant and the head of infection control team at the St Family Hospital in Warsaw. The member of the Polish Family Medicine Society, Polish Society of Pediatricians, Polish Society of Epidemiologists, Central Eastern European Pertussis Awareness Group. The member of the Scientific Board of the National Programme for Influenza Prevention and the member of the National Epidemiology and Bioterrorism Committee. The author of over 200 scientific publications in the field of epidemiology, vaccinology, public health.

The area of interests includes: pertussis as re-emerging disease (epidemiology and prophylaxis), influenza as a problem of public health (epidemiology and prophylaxis), vaccine hesitacy problem, hospital infection control issues, nosocomial infections (epidemiology and prevention), hospital antibiotic policies.

Goletti provides outpatient activity at the UOC of Pneumology directed by Dr. Francesco Nicola Lauria (Padiglione Pontano, ground floor). In this context her primary activity is to follow the patients with tuberculous infection or disease.

Tuberculous Infection

Professor Michel Wolff, head of the medical and infectious resuscitation department of the Bichat-Claude Bernard AP-HP hospital

Influenza

Bruno Pozzetto is head of Mucosal Immunity and Pathogen Agent Group

-Mucosal infection and immunity (notably HIV and Staphylococcus aureus) -CMV and MICI -Care-associated viral and bacterial infections -Molecular diagnosis of infectious diseases

Thierry Naas is part of

Expertise of Enterobacteriaceae Strains

After spending some years as formal employee of Federal Government Laboratories in Canada Kamaleldin Said has moved to McGill University in Montreal where he completed his PhD in molecular microbiology and genomics. He then continued at McGill to work on projects involving molecular typing and comparative genomic hybridizations of pathogens shortly before accepting a contract position at Qassim University, College of Pharmacy as assistant professor. He has published significangly on the development and validation of molecular markers for host- and organ-specific strain typing as well as genome-wide expression profilings for vaccine and therapetuic gene candidates. He is now a visiting scholar at Systems Biology, Carleton University and has many projects underway and many manuscripts ready for publicaton.

vaccines

Amaresh Das had completed his PhD from Calcutta University, India and did postdoctoral researchat the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia. Currently, he works as a microbiologist in the Reagents and Vaccines Services Section, Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, NVSL, STAS, VS, APHIS, USDA, Plum Island Animal Disease Center, Orient Point, New York. He has published more than 20scientific papers in reputed peer reviewed journals and wrote several chapters in books and proceedings. He also serves as reviewerfor many reputed peer reviewed journals

Vaccines

Iolanda Francolini has obtained a degree in Industrial Chemistry in 2000 from the Sapienza University of Rome. In 2003, she was a visiting scientist at the Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana, USA. In 2005, she obtained a Ph.D. degree in Chemical and Industrial Processes at the Sapienza University of Rome. She currently serves as a Lecturer in the Science and Technologies of Polymers at the Sapienza University of Rome and performs research on antimicrobial polymers. She has published more than 45 papers in reputed journals and has been serving as an editorial board member for International Journal of Molecular Science.

Biofilms

Joziana Muniz de Paiva Barçante has completed her PhD at the age of 27 years from Federal University of Minas Gerais and postdoctoral studies also from Federal University of Minas Gerais. She is the president of Brazilian Symposium of Neglected Disease and Chief of Staff of Federal University of Lavras. She has published more than 35 papers in reputed journals and has been serving as an editorial board member of repute.

Microbiology

J. Bishara has completed his MD at the age of 26 years from The First Pavlov Medical Institute of Leningrad, Leningrad, Russia. He is the director of Infectious Disease Unit at Rabin Medical Center; Beilinson Hospital, Petah-Tiqva, Israel, a Clinical Full Professor of Medicine at Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Israel. He has published more than 108 papers in reputed journals and has been serving as a reviewer of several prestigious journals in the field of infectious diseases.

Infectious diseases.

Neveen Saleh has completed her PhD at age of 34 years from Ain Shams University and has got postdoctoral studies from Massachusetts, Amherst (UMASS) University in Nanotechnology, Chemistry department. She is now amicrobiological researcher in National organization for drug control and research. She has published more than 10 papers in reputed journals.

Antibiotics

José S. Torrecilla received his B.Sc. and Ph.D (with honours) in Chemical Engineering from the Complutense University of Madrid, Spain (1996 and 2000, respectively). He received his B.Sc. in Prevention of Labour Risks (occupational health, ergonomics, safety engineering, and occupational Health & Safety), Integrated Management, and MBA degree with honours. He performed research to reduce the uncertainty in the measurements of reference gases (Reference Gases Laboratory, Spanish Metrology Centre, Spanish Science and Technology Ministry). In addition, he has collaborated with the Spanish Science and Technology Ministry to develop various R&D projects related with the modelling of food treatment and production. For five years, as a Senior Researcher (Ramón y Cajal researcher), he developed two R&D lines funded by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science. Among others, he led a public R&D project related to one of the aforementioned lines for three years (2006-2009). He also led the Spanish group in a consortium to carry out a European project related with the early diagnosis of lung cancer (LCAOS). He is the co-author in a high number of publications in prestigious scientific Journals, with high impact indexes. In addition, he has been invited as a speaker and chairman at multiple international scientific conferences.

His research fields are mainly focused on developing mathematical models in order to design chemometric tools in the chemical engineering, food technology, and health fields.

Dr. Marsh is a consultant and Executive Director of the Woodstock Institute for Science & the Humanities. He has worked to reduce world hunger by cutting food losses since 1992 and was awarded the 2015 Elisabeth Fleming Stier Award for humanitarian contributions for that work. He held the first endowed professorship in packaging science in the US and is a Fellow of the Institute of Packaging Professionals and the Institute of Food Technologists, a Certified Packaging Professional and Certified Food Scientist. He co-edited the Wiley Encyclopedia of Packaging Technology, 2nd edition. He presented aspects of packaging and food security at six World Food Congresses, two World Packaging Congresses, 1st Save Food Congress, and other forums. He represented IFT at the World Food Summit:five years later. He helped develop High-Energy, Nutrient-Dense Emergency Relief Food Product with the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences.

His interest includes Shelf Life Modeling, Environmental Concerns, Teaching and information Dissemination, Research that leads beyond current frontiers, Significant Innovations in Packaging

Dr. Marsh is a consultant and Executive Director of the Woodstock Institute for Science & the Humanities. He has worked to reduce world hunger by cutting food losses since 1992 and was awarded the 2015 Elisabeth Fleming Stier Award for humanitarian contributions for that work. He held the first endowed professorship in packaging science in the US and is a Fellow of the Institute of Packaging Professionals and the Institute of Food Technologists, a Certified Packaging Professional and Certified Food Scientist. He co-edited the Wiley Encyclopedia of Packaging Technology, 2nd edition. He presented aspects of packaging and food security at six World Food Congresses, two World Packaging Congresses, 1st Save Food Congress, and other forums. He represented IFT at the World Food Summit:five years later. He helped develop High-Energy, Nutrient-Dense Emergency Relief Food Product with the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences.

His interest includes Shelf Life Modeling, Environmental Concerns, Teaching and information Dissemination, Research that leads beyond current frontiers, Significant Innovations in Packaging.

Santiago Benito is a University Professor in the Madrid Polytechnic University. He is the Director of the Madrid University Experimental Winery, a scientific centre. He has published more than 25 papers in reputed journals and has been serving as an Editorial Board Member of repute.

Food Microbiology

Ahlam Badreldin El Shikieri has completed her PhD from Queen Margaret University, and has an MBA from Leicester University, UK. She is a registered Consultant Nutritionist, a Certified Public Health Nutritionist and an Associate Professor currently working in Saudi Arabia. She acted as an invited speaker at several workshops and conferences in Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Spain and Taiwan. She supervised several research projects for students both at Master and PhD levels and acted as an external examiner for postgraduate thesis in several universities. She taught nutrition, research and management related modules at the graduate and undergraduate levels. She designed pamphlets for patients with diabetes mellitus, obesity and cancer. She undertook several researches focusing on assessing the nutritional status of cancer patients, children, malnourished hospitalized patients and many others related to public health nutrition. She is a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, British Nutrition Society, World Public Health Nutrition Association and others. She is a reviewer for various journals including the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior and has acted as an author for more than 15 published research papers and newsletter articles.

Food and Nutrition

David Rodríguez-Lázaro is a Doctor in Veterinary Medicine (DVM), specialised in Food Science (BSc and MSc) and Molecular Microbiology (PhD). He is an Associate Professor of Microbiology and the Head of the Microbiology Division at the University of Burgos. He has performed research stays in the Danish Institute for Food and Veterinary Research (Denmark), University of Prague (Czech Republic), the Food and Environmental Research Agency (UK), and the University of Bristol (UK). He was a Leverhulme visiting Professor in the Institute of Advanced Sciences in the University of Bristol during the years 2004 and 2005 and Marie Curie Research Fellow in the Faculty of Medical and Veterinary Sciences in the University of Bristol (UK) until 2.007. He has published more than 100 international scientific papers (H-index 25) and book or book chapters regarding to Food Safety. He is currently member of the editorial board of “Applied and Environmental Microbiology”, “International Journal of Food Microbiology”, “Food and Environmental Virology” and “International Journal of Food Contamination”, associated editor of “Frontiers in Nutrition and Food Science Technology” and the editor-in-chief of the Journal “Food Analytical Methods”. He was awarded with the “XV Jaime Ferrán Award” in 2013 by the Spanish Society for Microbiology for his understanding promising scientific career in Microbiology. He is a fellow of the Academy of Veterinary Science of Castilla y León (Spain) since May 2016.

His research interest is focused on the characterisation of the prevalence of the main foodborne pathogens and the ecology of antibiotic resistance in food and food related environments, and the establishment of reliable, quantitative molecular strategies for detection of important food-borne pathogens from environmental sources and various types of foodstuffs. He has participated in a number of coordinated EU-funded projects such as PROMISE, BASELINE, VITAL, FOOD-PCR, SACROHN, and MONI-QA, having established active links with the leading European research groups working in Food Safety.

Mansel Griffiths is the Founding Director of the Canadian Research Institute for Food Safety & the Food Safety & Quality Assurance graduate program at the University of Guelph. His main research areas involve food safety - food borne microorganisms detection, bioluminescence, bacteriophage, microbial physiology, and microbial food ecology. Professor Griffiths has served as editor for many international journals such as Journal of Food Science, Journal of Food Protection, International Journal of Food Microbiology, Journal of Dairy Science, Food Research International, American Dairy Science Association, American Society for Microbiology and Canadian Institute of Food Technology.

Food science and Dairy science

Subhash Mann has been working globally in Quality Management in Food Industry since 1994 on managerial positions. Born in India, Subhash possesses Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Dairy Science and Technology from National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, India, an international pioneer research institute of dairying. In add-on, Subhash is credited with numerous Food Safety Management Systems Certifications notably SQF and HACCP from SQFI, USA and Silker, USA. Compliance of current techniques in quality management and regulatory with multi food sectors processing companies globally viz. dairy, bakery, airline food service, organic egg and seafood has been the notable achievement of Subhash Mann since completion of his education. Currently, Subhash is working as Director of Food Safety and Quality Assurance with Bar Harbor Seafood Company and lives in Orlando, Florida, USA as permanent resident of USA.

Food Safety and Quality Assurance

Born in Belgium, Doctor in Veterinary Medicine and post-graduated in Inspection of Foods of Animal Origin and Physiopathology of Animal Reproduction, Maurizio Ferri has more than 22 years of professional experience in the field of Veterinary Public Health and Food Safety. Since 1991 to date, he is employed as Veterinary Officer at Italian Veterinary Service, Health Unit of Pescara, with duties related to official controls, inspection and audit at food establishments, management of internal quality system and professional training. He was selected as Italian food safety expert for assisting the ex Food and Veterinary Office (FVO). He performed assessment missions and delivered EU TAIEX training in food safety and veterinary public health for the implementation of the acquis communautaire in EU acceding countries. He has gained broad experience in evaluating food safety microbiological risk and assessing Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures. He received training on QMRA at University of Maryland (USA). He lectured at Risk Analysis Annual meeting in Baltimore (USA) (2009), and Risk analysis European meeting in London (2010). He also contributed to several EFSA Scientific Colloquium Reports on: Risk assessment of food producing animals (2005); Risk-benefit analysis of food: method and approaches, (2006); Assessing health benefits of controlling Campylobacter in the food chain, (2008); Emerging Risks in Food-From Identification to Communication (2011). The latest one on Epigenetics and Risk Assessment (EFSA, 2016) and the Use of Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) of food-borne pathogens for public health protection (FAO, WHO, 2016).

His research area focuses on use of data mining, network analysis tools for food safety and political and regulatory environment for sharing food pathogens genome sequences via a global database.

Aura Daraba is Associate professor at Food Science, Food Engineering and Applied Biotechnology Department, University “Dunarea de Jos” of Galati, Romania and Research Associate at Food Science and Human Nutrition Department, Iowa State University, USA. She holds a PhD and MSc from University “Dunarea de Jos” of Galati, Romania. Dr. Daraba was a Norman Bourlaug/USAID Fellow at University of Kentucky, USA, and a postdoctoral fellow at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki funded by the Greek Government. She authored and co-authored nine books and book chapters, forty-three research publications, and twenty-six scientific presentations in the area of food safety and quality, foodborne pathogens control using non-thermal technologies and natural antimicrobials, and HACCP. Dr. Aura Daraba works extensively in reviewing for scientific journals and national interest projects (Meat Science journal-USA; Graduate Women in Science Fellowships-USA; Action “Cooperation 2011”- Ministry of Education, Lifelong Learning & Religious Affairs – Greece). Dr. Daraba organized several international conferences, workshops and webinars in the area of food safety and HACCP held in the USA, Romania, and Haiti (USAID/FAVACA/PADF project).

Aura Daraba’s research interests are related to Food safety and Food quality, Use of natural antimicrobials on meat, meat products, fruits and vegetables to control pathogens, Use of non-thermal food processing technologies (High pressure processing) to control pathogens, Implementation of HACCP in food industry and in food service units.

Dr. Ismail Mohamed Al Bulushi received Ph.D. in Food Microbiology from the University of Queensland (Australia) in 2009. Dr. Al Bulushi joined Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), Oman in 1989 as Technician, currently he is working as Assistant Professor in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at SQU. He is teaching Food Microbiology, Public Sanitation and fish courses. He supervised many undergraduate and graduate thesis projects in the several areas of Food Sciences. He organized several conferences, symposia, workshops, lectures and extension activities in the community services. Dr. Al Bulsuhi provided many national and international consultancies in several food Science areas His research areas focus on the microbial, chemical and physical characteristics of traditional foods, marine fish toxicity, freshness, safety, spoilage and processing, marine fish microbial flora,s composition with special references to the Gram-positive bacterial population and microbial spoilage and antimicrobial activities potential. Dr. Ismail published some papers in the international journals and participated in many international conferences in Oman and overseas.

Food Microbiology

Mariza Landgraf wass a pharmaceutical-biochemical faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences of UNESP (1975). She was completed her master's degree in Food Science in the year of 1978 and PhD in Microbiology in the year of 1989. Currently She is an Associate Professor III at the Department of Food and Experimental Nutrition. She is a Researcher and Co-Principal at Food Research Center (RAMS) and member of the Support Center for Research on Food and Nutrition, USP. She develops research in Food Microbiology, with emphasis on microbiological risk assessment in the study of pathogenic micro-organisms in food of plant and animal origin and control of micro-organisms by the use of irradiation and subsequent chemical and sensory changes in the product .

Food Microbiology

Dr. Lazarovits was employed as a Research Scientist at Agriculture and Agrifood Canada from 1978 until 2010 and retired at a research scientist 5 level. He accepted the position as Research Director of a newly found company A&L Biologicals, a company dedicated to serving the needs of Canadian and International growers with services and research related to developing bio-rationale agro-ecosystems. Dr. Lazarovits’ research over the last decade has focused on examining plant health from an ecological perspective where both beneficial and detrimental organisms in soil are considered to affect plant vigor. He developed innovative model systems for studying soil processes and interactions between microorganisms and plants, as well each other. He serves on committees of Environment Canada and is a member of the UN Ozone Secretariat regulating the phase out of methyl bromide (MBTOC). Dr. Lazarovits was president of the Canadian Phytopathological Society. He was an active researcher and was a team leader with Agriculture and Agrifood Canada for over 32 years.

Developing bio-rationale agro-ecosystems

Dr. Beverly Ramsey has completed her M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville in Systems Ecology. Dr. Ramsey is the Executive Director for the Division of Earth and Ecosystem Science, at the Desert Research Institute, the environmental research arm of the Nevada System of Higher Education (2014 – Present). Previously, Dr. Ramsey began her career as a Research Scientist at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. There she participated in the preparation of the first Environmental Impact Statement. Her research concentrated in the transport, fate and ecological/environmental, and effects of radioactive, hazardous and biological agents and hazardous materials. Dr. Ramsey also has completed a number of Certificate Programs in Integrative Medicine from the University of Arizona, College of Medicine.

Environmental Science

Bruce A. Fowler has completed his PhD at 1972 from University of Oregon Medical School. He has served as Assistant Professor to Professor in various Universities including University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, NC, University of Maryland at Baltimore etc. He is the director of Federal Legislative and NARFE-PAC Chair-Rockville. He has published more than 25 papers in reputed journals and has been serving as an editorial board member of repute.

Development of molecular biomarkers, Translation of computational toxicology .

As a government scholar, Professor Chen received his university education (both B.Sc. and D.Sc.) from Universite Catholique de Louvain in Belgium. Professor Chen joined NTU as an Associate Professor in 2002, and received his tenure award (Associate Professor) in 2008. He was promoted to tenured Full Professor of Biomolecular Engineering in 2011. At the University level, Professor Chen is the Director of the Food Science & Technology Programme. He is concurrently in charge of the Graduate Education Office at Nanyang Environment & Water Resource Institute (NEWRI). Professor Chen was honoured at the 2010 NTU convocation with the “Inspirational Mentorship”, in recognition of his effort in guiding the top undergraduate student in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering to be the recipient of both Lee Kuan Yew Gold Medal and Koh Boon Hwee Scholar’s Awards. In addition to teaching and research, Professor Chen has made dedicated service contributions to School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, NTU and Singapore society at large.

1. Biomolecular Engineering for Environment-Host Interactions 2.Proteomics Platform for Clinical Biomarkers 3.Metabolic and Microbial Engineering for Valuable Chemicals 4.Environmental Engineering for Resource Recovery 5.Sustainable Production of Food Ingredients

Dr. Charles Trick has completed his PhD in Oceanography from University of British Columbia in 1982. He is the Beryl Ivey Chair for Ecosystem Health and Professor in Department of Biology and in Department of Microbiology and Immunology at University of Western Ontario, Canada. He has recently completed an UNU-INWEH assessment in the Persian Gulf and continues his research in harmful algal blooms. Dr. Charles Trick is a member of American Society of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO), American Geophysical Union (AGU) and founding member of International Society for the Study of Harmful Algae (ISSHA).

Ecology of phytoplankton in oceans, the Effect of Iron-complexing Ligands on Iron Availability to Phytoplankton in HNLC Waters of the Subarctic Pacific Ocean

Dr. Maria Dittrich currently holds the position of Associated Professor in the Department of Physical & Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough and associate graduate faculty at the Centre for Environment.

Environmental geochemistry of aquatic systems, biogeochemistry, geomicrobiology, modelling of early diagenesis.

Born in Catania in 1953, April 15, Degree in Biological Sciences in 1975, in Medicine and Surgery in 1983, Graduate Diploma in Microbiology and Virology, member of the Order of Physicians and Dentists of Province of Catania from 1984. Since 1987 Associate Professor, since 2002 Full Professor of Microbiology (sector MED/07), Head of an Operative Unit (Regional Reference Laboratory for Microbiology Opportunistic Infections) near Provincial Health Authority of Catania since 1995. Professor of Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology for Courses of Degree in Medicine and Surgery, Dentistry, and several Graduate Schools, carries out her teaching, research and clinical activity in full-time at the Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences of University of Catania. Component of Administrative Board of the University of Catania from 2008, is component of Committee of Teachers in Research Doctorate in Translational Medicine. Reviewer for MIUR, member of SIM (Italian Society of Microbiology), member of A.I.D.M. (Italian Society of Clinician Women) and component of a Committee on non-conventional Medicine, member of C.I.O. (Committee on Hospital Infections) by Sanitary Department of Province of Catania. In the past years, component of several Regional and Ministerial Committees, delegate of Italian Association of Clinical Microbiology (AMCLI) for Sicily, component of different examination committees for different rules at University.

Antibiotics and Clinical Microbiology

Dr. Sunil Kumar Lal is Professor of Microbiology, School of Science, Monash University, Sunway Campus, Malaysia (Aug. 2014 – present). He is working on Viruses from past 25 years. Dr. Sunil Kumar Lal has published 100+ publications and 3 books. He has conferred Hind Ratna Award, Highest NRI Civilian Honor by the Govt. of India (2016). He has also been awarded as International Ambassador of the year 2006 from the American Society for Microbiology, Washington DC. Dr. Lal has been bestowed with many Awards and honors that includes Regional Ambassador for 9 consecutive years (2002-2011)from American Society for Microbiology, 11th ICID New Investigator award by International Society for Infectious Diseases, Young Investigators Award 2002 from the Asia-Pacific Association for the Study of Liver (APASL).

Molecular Virology and Emerging Infectious Diseases. Molecular Biology of Host-Virus interactions. Genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic approaches to understanding host-virus relationships. Cell Death and Suvival pathways. Cell signalling and cell cycle progression. Cellular NF-kB, Enolase/S100A8, ubiquitin ligase and chaperone mediated modulation of host pathways by influenza viruses. Viral strategies to overcome host innate immune responses

Prof. Ismail Mehrez Ibrahim Shalaby has completed his Ph. D. at the age of 31 years from The University College of North Wales, GB. And postdoctoral studies at the University of Portsmouth, School of Biological Science, England, GB. He is now a full professor at both Taif University, KSA, and Suez Canal University, Egypt. He has published over 60 papers in reputed journals. He has carried out several research projects in his disciplines. He has been chosen as an editor for several journals boards. He has been a full professor since 1997.

Parasitology

Dr. Fatme Al Anouti is an associate professor at Zayed University Department of Natural Science and Public Health, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. She is the Assistant Dean of the College of Natural and Health Sciences. She holds a PhD degree in Clinical Biochemistry and M.Sc in Clinical Chemistry and another in medical Microbiology and Immunology. Her current research looks into the biochemical and genetic basis of Vitamin D Deficiency among UAE nationals. She also studies the use of molecular tools as drug based methods for the treatment of microbial diseases. She has recently been awarded the Abu Dhabi Medical Distinction Award for research contributions in public health field pertaining to vitamin D studies within the UAE. She has numerous publications and presentations at international and national conferences and is a member of many professional organizations like the American Association of Clinical Chemistry and the UAE Genetic Diseases Association.

Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Biotechnology

Prof Lise Korsten is a full professor in the Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology at the University of Pretoria (UP). Prof Lise Korsten has more than 20 years of experience working on fresh produce focusing on postharvest disease, food safety and disease diagnostics using molecular methods. She has published 73 peer-reviewed papers and 11 invited book chapters and has also compiled two series of books for the FAO covering horticultural supply chain management and food safety in selected fruit and vegetable chains.

Mushroom health and safety, Fresh Produce Food Safety, Biological control of citrus and tropical fruit diseases, Postharvest fruit pathology

Agronomist graduated at the Federal University of Paraíba, Brazil (1987), Master in Plant Pathology in the Federal University of Viçosa, Brazil (1994) and PhD in Plant Pathology at University of São Paulo, Brazil, in 2008. Researcher of the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation-EMBRAPA, works at Embrapa Cotton, where develops researches on cotton diseases, epidemiology and control of gray mold of castor bean and diseases of sisal. Was Deputy Head of Research and Development at Embrapa Cotton and it is currently member of the Executive Committee of the Asociación Latinoamericana de Investigación y Desarrollo del Algodón and of the Executive Committee of the International Cotton Researchers Association.

Plant Pathology

Prof. Elasayed Elsayed Wagih (Ph.D, DIC, CIDTT) is a Professor of Virology and Biotechnology and Vice President of the Arab Society for Biotechnology. He was born in Alexandria, Egypt, on the 21st of November, 1946. In 1970, he received a B.Sc. in Plant Pathology from University of Alexandria and in 1975 he gained an M.Sc. degree in Plant Bacterial Diseases from the same university. In 1981, he received a PhD degree in Virology from the Imperial College of Science (Technology and Medicine), University of London and was awarded in the same year a DIC from the Royal College of Science. In March 2008, he earned The Cambridge International Diploma for Teaching and Training (CIDTT) from University of Cambridge, United Kingdom. Since June 26, 1992, Prof. Wagih has been working as Professor of Plant Pathology and Biotechnology in the Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture,University of Alexandria, Egypt. He is the former Head of the Department and former Vice Director of research of the Biotechnology Centre of the College. He harvested a number of local and international awards, prizes and certificates of appreciation, the last most important of which was the "Highest National Award for Scientific Research Achievement" awarded by The Egyptian Academy of Science and Technology in 1998. Prof. Wagih served as a member of the National Committee for Promoting University Faculty for five successive years. He is also the former Representative of North Africa and a Board Member of the Governing Council of the African Crop Science Society (ACSS) for three successive interims. He has published over 80 papers most of them in reputable journals and is currently serving as Editor-In-Chief of the International Journal of Virology.

Virology and Biotechnology

Dr. Aly I. N.Abdel-Aal is professor of Soils and Water management work at Soil, Water & Environment Research institute, ”SWERI” Agricultural Research Centre “ARC”, Egypt. I have B.SC. Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University (1983), Post graduate Diploma & Master (Irrigation Science) from International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agricultural Studies (ICAMAS), Bari, Italy (1988) and PhD Degree, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University (1995). I have been working for Field Drainage Department Research since 1986 at the SWERI start from Research Assistant the promoted to Researcher, Assistant Professor and Professor (2005). Director of Agricultural Research Station at the southern part of Egypt, (Toshka) 1998 - 2010 to manage Agricultural Research activities in dry and extremely hot environmental conditions. Head of Research for the Drainage Department was in 2008 followed by Deputy Director of SWERI (2010-2011). I have been a Director of the institute SWER from 2013 to 2014. Take over presidency of the General Authority for Agrarian Reform in 2011 and then President of the General Authority for Rehabilitation Projects and Agricultural Development from 2011 to 2013. Then prime sector authorities and affairs of the Office Minister of Agriculture from 2014 to 2015 Participate in the preparation and implementation of projects related to agricultural development and the membership of the boards of directors of many organizations and official authorities in Egypt. Principal investigator of the effect of Sea Water Intrusion, Nile Delta project. Supervising scientific and research projects related to the development and improve the soils productivity and improve drainage conditions of waterlogged land in the northern areas of the delta. Participate in many international conferences for research in the areas of soils and water management with the climate change and its relationship to the productivity of crops. Published more than 60 scientific papers and articles.

Sea Water Intrusion, soils and water management with the climate change

Bergman completed a PhD at MIT and postdoctoral training at the University of Michigan Medical School and The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR). He is currently the head of the Genomics Department at NBFAC. He has published more than 45 papers in reputed journals and serves on numerous advisory and editorial boards.

Bioforensic

Aneta Nitsch-Osuch, MD, PhD, Assoc. Prof. – a specialist in pediatrics, epidemiology and public health, the head of the Department of Social Medicine and Public Helath, Medical University of Warsaw (Poland). The senior consultant and the head of infection control team at the St Family Hospital in Warsaw. The member of the Polish Family Medicine Society, Polish Society of Pediatricians, Polish Society of Epidemiologists, Central Eastern European Pertussis Awareness Group. The member of the Scientific Board of the National Programme for Influenza Prevention and the member of the National Epidemiology and Bioterrorism Committee. The author of over 200 scientific publications in the field of epidemiology, vaccinology, public health.

The area of interests includes: pertussis as re-emerging disease (epidemiology and prophylaxis), influenza as a problem of public health (epidemiology and prophylaxis), vaccine hesitacy problem, hospital infection control issues, nosocomial infections (epidemiology and prevention), hospital antibiotic policies.

Goletti provides outpatient activity at the UOC of Pneumology directed by Dr. Francesco Nicola Lauria (Padiglione Pontano, ground floor). In this context her primary activity is to follow the patients with tuberculous infection or disease.

Tuberculous Infection

Professor Michel Wolff, head of the medical and infectious resuscitation department of the Bichat-Claude Bernard AP-HP hospital

Influenza

Bruno Pozzetto is head of Mucosal Immunity and Pathogen Agent Group

-Mucosal infection and immunity (notably HIV and Staphylococcus aureus) -CMV and MICI -Care-associated viral and bacterial infections -Molecular diagnosis of infectious diseases

Thierry Naas is part of

Expertise of Enterobacteriaceae Strains

After spending some years as formal employee of Federal Government Laboratories in Canada Kamaleldin Said has moved to McGill University in Montreal where he completed his PhD in molecular microbiology and genomics. He then continued at McGill to work on projects involving molecular typing and comparative genomic hybridizations of pathogens shortly before accepting a contract position at Qassim University, College of Pharmacy as assistant professor. He has published significangly on the development and validation of molecular markers for host- and organ-specific strain typing as well as genome-wide expression profilings for vaccine and therapetuic gene candidates. He is now a visiting scholar at Systems Biology, Carleton University and has many projects underway and many manuscripts ready for publicaton.

vaccines

Amaresh Das had completed his PhD from Calcutta University, India and did postdoctoral researchat the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia. Currently, he works as a microbiologist in the Reagents and Vaccines Services Section, Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, NVSL, STAS, VS, APHIS, USDA, Plum Island Animal Disease Center, Orient Point, New York. He has published more than 20scientific papers in reputed peer reviewed journals and wrote several chapters in books and proceedings. He also serves as reviewerfor many reputed peer reviewed journals

Vaccines

Iolanda Francolini has obtained a degree in Industrial Chemistry in 2000 from the Sapienza University of Rome. In 2003, she was a visiting scientist at the Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana, USA. In 2005, she obtained a Ph.D. degree in Chemical and Industrial Processes at the Sapienza University of Rome. She currently serves as a Lecturer in the Science and Technologies of Polymers at the Sapienza University of Rome and performs research on antimicrobial polymers. She has published more than 45 papers in reputed journals and has been serving as an editorial board member for International Journal of Molecular Science.

Biofilms

Joziana Muniz de Paiva Barçante has completed her PhD at the age of 27 years from Federal University of Minas Gerais and postdoctoral studies also from Federal University of Minas Gerais. She is the president of Brazilian Symposium of Neglected Disease and Chief of Staff of Federal University of Lavras. She has published more than 35 papers in reputed journals and has been serving as an editorial board member of repute.

Microbiology

J. Bishara has completed his MD at the age of 26 years from The First Pavlov Medical Institute of Leningrad, Leningrad, Russia. He is the director of Infectious Disease Unit at Rabin Medical Center; Beilinson Hospital, Petah-Tiqva, Israel, a Clinical Full Professor of Medicine at Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Israel. He has published more than 108 papers in reputed journals and has been serving as a reviewer of several prestigious journals in the field of infectious diseases.

Infectious diseases.

Neveen Saleh has completed her PhD at age of 34 years from Ain Shams University and has got postdoctoral studies from Massachusetts, Amherst (UMASS) University in Nanotechnology, Chemistry department. She is now amicrobiological researcher in National organization for drug control and research. She has published more than 10 papers in reputed journals.

Antibiotics

Giulio Tarro graduated from Medicine School, Naples University (1962). Research Associate, Division of Virology and Cancer Research, Children’s Hospital (1965-1968), Assistant Professor of Research Pediatrics, College Medicine (1968-1969), Cincinnati University, Ohio. Oncological Virology Professor, Naples University (1972-1985). Chief Division Virology (1973-2003), Head Department Diagnostic Laboratories, (2003-2006). D. Cotugno Hospital for Infectious Diseases, Naples; Emeritus, 2006 -. Since 2007 Chairman Committee of Biotechnologies and VirusSphere, World Academy Biomedical Technologies, UNESCO, Adjunct Professor Department Biology, Temple University, College of Science and Technology, Philadelphia, recipient of the Sbarro Health Research Organization lifetime achievement award (2010). President Foundation de Beaumont Bonelli for Cancer Research

Murine Virology, Antiviral Chemotherapy,Vaccines, Effects of inhibitors on viraI replication,Studies on the role of herpesviruses in cancer, Tumor immunology,Pathology of AIDS

K. Kormas received his Bsc (1994) and Phd (1998) from the Biology Dept of the University of Athens, Greece. He worked as a post-doc at the Trondhjem Biological Station, Norway and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, USA. Since March 2015 he is a professor of aquatic microbial ecology at the University of Thessaly, Greece.

His research focuses on the patterns and processes that underpin the distribution and abundance of microorganisms in different habitats of the aquatic environment, including plankton, bentos and symbionts. He has published more than 80 papers in peer-reviewed journals

Sevgi Ciftci is the Associate Professor at the the Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Dentistry, Istanbul University, Turkey. Dr. Sevgi Ciftci obtained her BA in department of the medical biological sciences in Faculty of Medicine from the Dokuz Eylül University at Izmir- Turkey, and her PhD in Microbiology from the Medical Faculty of Istanbul University at Istanbul, in 2003.

Virology, Microbiology

Nikos Mavroudis is a Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader in Food Science and leads the laboratory of Food Engineering & Separation of Actives (FoESA) in the Dept. of Applied Sciences in Northumbria University at Newcastle. Previously Nikos was a Research Scientist and Project Leader for Unilever R&D for 9 years and has been responsible for developing the separation expertise within Unilever R&D Vlaardingen, the Netherlands. His research interests are focused on Food Security & Food Safety, particularly relevant is his interest on bacterial flow cytometry and surface decontamination. Nikos has published 10 research articles in peer review journals and 12 patents/patent filings and his work has attracted ca 325 citations excluding self-citations.

Food Safety: Surface decontamination of intact agricultural commodities and fresh cut fruit and vegetables. Bacterial flow cytometry as method for microflora enumeration and assessment of physiological states of Bacillus spores. Assessment of spore viability in GIT. Food Security: Generation of functional ingredients from agricultural commodities and agri-food waste streams. Application of biorefinery concepts for waste/by-product stream valorisation.

Dr. Horng-Dar Wang is a full Professor and the Director of Institute of Biotechnology, and an adjunct Professor of the Institute of Systems Neuroscience at National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan. He received his PhD with honor in 1997 and worked as a postdoctoral fellow from 1997 to 1999 in Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Toxicology at University of Southern California, and as a postdoctoral scholar from 1999 to 2004 in Division of Biology at California Institute of Technology. He was an Assistant Professor in 2004, an Associate Professor in 2009, and promoted as a full Professor in 2015 in the Institute of Biotechnology at National Tsing Hua University.

Dr. Horng-Dar Wang’s research interest focuses on anti-aging research and applies his novel discoveries into anti-cancer and anti-neurodegeneration research.

Dr. Thomas Kurz is Professor of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry at the Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany. He was born in 1967 and studied Pharmacy at the University of Hamburg from 1990 - 1995. In 1999 he received his PhD in Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of Hamburg and in the year 2000 he was a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of Florida, Gainesville with Alan R. Katritzky. In 2007 he obtained his Habilitation degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of Hamburg and since 2007 he is Professor of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Düsseldorf. In 2014 he received the Phoenix Pharmacy Science Award for Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry.

The main research interests of Prof. Kurz are anti-infective and epigenetic drug discovery (parasitic infectious diseases & cancer). He is specialized in the development of metalloenzyme inhibitors and α-helix mimetics.

Dr. Sunil Kumar Lal is Professor of Microbiology, School of Science, Monash University, Sunway Campus, Malaysia (Aug. 2014 – present). He is working on Viruses from past 25 years. Dr. Sunil Kumar Lal has published 100+ publications and 3 books. He has conferred Hind Ratna Award, Highest NRI Civilian Honor by the Govt. of India (2016). He has also been awarded as International Ambassador of the year 2006 from the American Society for Microbiology, Washington DC. Dr. Lal has been bestowed with many Awards and honors that includes Regional Ambassador for 9 consecutive years (2002-2011)from American Society for Microbiology, 11th ICID New Investigator award by International Society for Infectious Diseases, Young Investigators Award 2002 from the Asia-Pacific Association for the Study of Liver (APASL).

Molecular Virology and Emerging Infectious Diseases. Molecular Biology of Host-Virus interactions. Genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic approaches to understanding host-virus relationships. Cell Death and Suvival pathways. Cell signalling and cell cycle progression. Cellular NF-kB, Enolase/S100A8, ubiquitin ligase and chaperone mediated modulation of host pathways by influenza viruses. Viral strategies to overcome host innate immune responses

Dr Fernando de la Calle is currently the Head of the Microbiology Dpt. within Drug Discovery (R&D) at PharmaMar, biopharma involved in the development and commercialization of anticancer drugs of marine origin. He received his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from UAM (Madrid) in 1998. He also completed an Executive-MBA at IDE-CESEM (Madrid) in 2005. Co-author of the current hemisynthetic process for manufacturing the anticancer Yondelis®, the first European marine derived compound approved. In addition, he has been external advisor for biotechnology issues to the Spanish Government (INCUAL), current member of the IAG of ERA-MBT, reviewer for H2020 projects and the scientific contact person from PharmaMar for FP7/H2020 EU projects related to Marine Biodiversity such as MAMBA, MaCuMBA, MicroB3 and H2020 INMARE as WP leader. Principal Investigator in more than 10 other nationally funded projects.

Dr Fernando de la Calle has more than 25 years’ experience working in drug discovery from marine microorganisms. He is an Expert in Applied Biotechnology, Molecular characterization of Bacterial Biodiversity and the use of Biotechnology tools for Drug Discovery.

Dr. Sergio de los Santos Villalobo.is the director of COLMENA and the Laboratorio de Biotecnología del Recurso Microbianos, MExico.He has completed his PhD at the age of 27 years from The Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute Campus Irapuato. He has published more than 15 papers in reputed journals, 3 book chapters, 3 patents, and has been serving as an Editor of Open Agriculture Journal, and Co-Editor of Revista Latinoamericana de Recursos Naturales".

Biochemistry of Microorganisms, Applied Microbiology, Microbial Ecology, Microbial Diversity, Soil Fertility, Agricultural Microbiology and Secondary Metabolite Production

Dr. Peter Proksch is full Professor and Director of the Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology and Biotechnology at the University of Düsseldorf, Germany. He was born in 1953, Ph D in Biology in 1980 at the University of Cologne, Germany. From 1980 – 82 Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of California, Irvine. Worked as a scientist at the Universities of Cologne and of Braunschweig from 1982 – 90. Since 1990 as Associate Professor at the University of Wuerzburg and since 1999 as a Full Professor at the University of Duesseldorf. He has published over 400 papers and has supervised over 70 PhD candidates.

Dr. Peter Proksch's research interests are in bioactive compounds from marine organisms and from fungal endophytes.

Diep B. Dzung is professor at Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU). He is Group leader, Laboratory of Microbial Gene Technology, Department of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science (IKBM), Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU). Dr. Dzung also served as Senior research scientist, Department of Chemistry, Biotechnology, Agricultural University of Norway (UMB). He has contributed to the publishing of 75 papers or book chapters. Currently 4 additional papers are in review.

Dr. Diep B. Dzung,s few are of reserach includes Bacteriocins, Lactic Acid Bacteria, Microbiota , Probiotics, Antimicrobials,Food Microbiology, Foodborne Diseases, Food Microbiology and Safety Food Preservation, Microbial Molecular Biology and Bacteriology.

Maulin P. Shah, currently Chief Scientist & Head – Industrial Waste Water Research Lab, Division of Applied and Environmental Microbiology Lab at Enviro Technology Ltd., Ankleshwar, Gujarat, India, received his Ph.D. (2002-2005) in Environmental Microbiology from Sardar Patel University, Vallabh Vidyanagar, Gujarat. He has served as an Assistant Professor at Godhra, Gujarat University in 2001.Maulin P. Shah, currently Chief Scientist & Head – Industrial Waste Water Research Lab, Division of Applied and Environmental Microbiology Lab at Enviro Technology Ltd., Ankleshwar, Gujarat, India, received his Ph.D. (2002-2005) in Environmental Microbiology from Sardar Patel University, Vallabh Vidyanagar, Gujarat. He has served as an Assistant Professor at Godhra, Gujarat University in 2001. He has more than 160 research publication in highly reputed national and international journals.He is an active Editorial Board Member in 75 highly reputed Journal’s in the field of Environmental & Biological Sciences. ”. He has been appointed as an Editor-in-Chief in two journals viz. (1) Research Journal of Microbiology & (2) Journal of Biotechnology and Biomaterials.

Maulin P. Shah is a Microbial Biotechnologist with diverse research interest. His work has been focused to assess the impact of industrial pollution on microbial diversity of wastewater following cultivation dependant and cultivation independent analysis. His major work involves isolation, screening, identification and Genetic Engineering of high impact of Microbes for the degradation of hazardous materials.

Professor Rajinder S. Ranu received his DVM from Panjab University, India and a M.S. & Ph.D in Microbiology from University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia USA. After a Special Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Biochemistry Department at The University of Chicago School of Medicine, he moved to Cambridge as a member of the Harvard University-Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Program in Health Sciences and Technology at MIT. After five years, he then moved to Colorado State University as a faculty member (Associate Professor, Professor and Professor Emeritus) of Cell & Molecular Biology/Genetics/Microbiology/Plant Pathology. He has extensively published on Molecular Biology of protein synthesis/translational regulation of gene expression/gene cloning/DNA sequencing/genomics in prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems. His publications record represent the best: from eleven papers in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and others in Nature, Journal of Biological Chemistry, Journal of Bacteriology, Journal of General of General Microbiology etc. Through citation analysis, The Institute for Scientific Information (ISI), Philadelphia has determined that ‘Dr. Ranu’s work is highly cited and important to the concept’; some of his work now forms a part of the text books of Biochemistry/Molecular Biology/Genetics/Cell Biology.

Cell & Molecular Biology, Genetics, Microbiology, Plant Pathology

Abd El Aziz Nour has completed his PhD in rumen microbiology 1976 from Alexandria University. He worked at Alexandria University as Demonstrator (1976-1981), Associate Professor (1981-1986), Professor (1986-2007), head of the Department of Animal and Fish Production (1999-2002) and Emeritus professor (2007 till now). As recognized leader in his field, he has an extended list of more than 230 publications in international and local Journals and conferences focus on :- 1- manipulation of rumen fermentation for microbial protein synthesis, 2-evaluation of aquatic microalgae as a natural food for filter feeding fish,3-biofloc technology in intensive tilapia farming, and 4-culture of marine microalgae for biofuel production.

Rumen Microbiology

Dilek Heperkan has completed her Ph.D. in 1986 from Egean University, Turkey. She worked as a researcher for 10 years in TUBITAK, National Scientific and Research Institute. She participated as a member of World Working Party of Mycotoxin (2002-2007). She worked as a visiting scientist in countries such as Belgium, Germany, Netherland and United Kingdom. She also worked for sabbatical in the USA in 2001. She also visited Universite de Vigo, Spain and gave lectures by Erasmus Programme in 2007. She organized a number of national and internatiol meetings. Recently, she organized 23rd International FoodMicro 2012 Congress together with ICFMH. She is currently working as a full time Professor in Istanbul Technical University, Food Engineering Department.

Food Engineering, Food Microbiology

Massimo Ciccozzi is currently associated with Istituto Superiore di Sanit, Italy. His/Her research interests include: Influenza, Virology, public health, Virus, infectious Diseases, and Infection. His/Her international experience includes various programs, contributions and participation in different countries for diverse fields of study. His research interest reflects in his publications in various national and international journals.

Influenza, Virology, public health, Virus, infectious Diseases, and Infection

C. A. Guzman graduated in Medicine and become Board Certified in Medical Bacteriology in Argentina. Later, he graduated as Doctor of Medicine and Surgery and obtained his Doctorate in Microbiological Sciences (University Genoa, Italy). In 1994 he became Head of the Vaccine Group (German Research Centre for Biotechnology, Germany). In 2005 he was appointed Head of the Department of Vaccinology and Applied Microbiology (HZI), becoming later also APL-Professor at the Medical School and Member of the Centre for Individualized Infection Medicine (Hannover). His work was instrumental for developing new adjuvants and antigen delivery systems, leading to more than 200 publications.

Vaccinology and Applied Microbiology

Joachim Wink studied biology at Frankfurt University and obtained his PhD at the institute of molecular biology in 1985 on “Modifications of the protein pattern of Bacillus subtilis during sporulation”. In the same year he moved to the Höchst AG where he started his business career in the core research functions, department of biotechnology as head of a laboratory. From 1992 to 2012 he continued his worked in the pharmaceutical research of the Höchst AG and its following companies Aventis and Sanofi. During these more than 27 years in the industry he was responsible for the microbial strain collection in natural product research and was specialized in isolation, cultivation and characterization of Actinobacteria and Myxobacteria. In 2004 he completed his habilitation dissertation at the Technische Universität Braunschweig on “The taxonomy of secondary metabolite producing Actinomycetes” in cooperation with the DSMZ. Since 2012 Joachim Wink is doing his research at the HZI and in 2013 he became head of the new work group microbial strain collection, he also holds lectures at the TU Braunschweig in biology of metabolite producing microorganisms.

microbial strain collection

Dr. Kathrin I. Mohr studied biology at the TU Braunschweig. During her postdoctoral time she investigated the “Biodiversity of algae and cyanobacteria in calcifying biofilms” and “in soil crusts from Namibia and South Africa” at the University of Göttingen. Since 2009 she works as a scientist at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, department Microbial Drugs, Braunschweig. Her main focus is set on the isolation of myxobacteria and their screen and enhancement of production of new and known secondary metabolites. She is author and co-author of about 30 papers in reputed journals.

My main focus is set on the detection and increase in production of new bacterial secondary metabolites. From our huge collection of gliding bacteria (particularly myxobacteria; see working group “Microbial Strain Collection”), strains showing bioactivity against Gram-positive or Gram-negative bacteria, yeasts, fungi or cell lines are selected for further investigation. But also new metabolites which do not show bioactivity in our internal test panel are of interest, because all new compounds are introduced in diverse test systems of numerous co-operation partners. Here formerly inactive substances can turn out to be a “hit”. By nature, production of secondary metabolites is often not sufficient. Higher yields of the desired compounds can be obtained by regulation of biotic and abiotic parameters like carbon or nitrogen sources, oxygen-concentration, temperature or pH etc. Furthermore, various parameters need to be optimized while upscale of the production cultures from shake flasks (100 ml) to fermenter (up to 1000 liter). Another objective of my work is the isolation of new myxobacterial strains. Soil samples from all over the world and from diverse habitats (sampled in consideration of the Convention on Biological Diversity, 1992) are suitable to isolate myxobacteria. With different isolation techniques, it is possible to isolate new myxobacteria representing novel taxa, which are in particular promising sources of new metabolites.

Patrick Fickers obtained a PhD from University of Liège (Belgium) in 2004. He worked as Post-doc at Polytech’Lille (France) and as a FNRS fellow at the Centre of Protein Engineering (Liege, Belgium). Between 2009 and 2014, he was an Associated Professor at Unversité libre de Bruxelles and the Head of the Biotechnology and Bioprocess Unit. In January 2015, he joined as a Professor the Microbial Processes and Interactions research unit (MiPI) at Gembloux AgroBiotech (Univerity of Liège). He has published 37 research papers in peer-reviewed journals and six book chapters. His researches focus on the development of yeast and bacterial strains by metabolic engineering and on process development in bioreactor for the production of valuable compounds.

Microbial Processes and Interactions

Svetlana Ermolaeva has completed her PhD from Gamaleya Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology where at present she leads a lab. She performed Postdoctoral studies at Complutense University of Madrid and University of Leon. She is a member of Director Board of International Society for Plasma Medicine. She has published more than 50 papers in peer-reviewed journals and serving as an Editorial Board Member and a reviewer of about 10 repute journals.

Epidemology, Microbiology

Bruca Maria Isabel has completed her PhD from Buenos Aires a University and postdoctoral studies from Abierta Interamericana University School of Medicineand from Catholic University. She is the coordinator in investigation group of Abierta Interamericana University, and Professor in Buenos Aires University and Abierta Interamericana University .She has published more than 14 papers in reputed journals.

Infection, Diagnosis, Treatment

Professor Ludmila Viksna is one of the most experienced experts in Infectology and Hepatology in Latvia. She is Chief Specialist of Infectology in Riga East Clinical University Hospital, Chief Infectologist of Ministry of Health of the Republic of Latvia, Head of the Department of Infectology and Dermatology in Riga Stradins University, Corresponding Member of Latvian Academy of Sciences and President of Association of Infectologists and Hepatologists of Latvia. Professor L.Viksna is the author of 5 books, more than 300 publications and she holds 15 patents.

Infectious Diseases

Barakat is an Assistant Professor at the school of Pharmacy at the University of Alberta, Canada. His research stands at the multidisciplinary interface of physics, biology and computer science. Barakat’s major focus is on developing and applying state-of-the-art computational drug discovery tools to discover new antiviral and immunotherapeutic drugs. Barakat has made great contributions in understanding the nature and biophysical processes underlying protein–drug, protein–protein and drug off-target interactions and predicting drug-mediated toxicity. He also received numerous awards including the CIHR and AIHS postdoctoral fellowships, the prestigious University of Alberta dissertation award and many distinction awards throughout his undergraduate and graduate studies. Dr. Barakat is also the editor of the Journal of Pharmaceutical Care & Health Systems and serves as a guest reviewer for several journals.

Dr. Barakat’s major focus is on developing and applying state-of-the-art computational drug discovery tools to discover new antiviral and immunotherapeutic drugs.

Patricia Poeta, is Full Professor at UTAD, Portugal. PhD in Veterinary Medicine and specialist in Medical Microbiology. Coordinator of the Research Group of Antibiotic resistance and head of Medical Microbiology Laboratory. Director of several doctoral and masters’ theses. Also responsible for research projects funded by private companies and inter-university projects, teaches International courses and Master’s degree. Has published more than 100 articles in journals from the SCI, book chapters, communications at international scientific meetings. Received 16 awards.

Medical Microbiology

He is a graduate at Biology from Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (1983), master's at Microbiologia from Universidade de São Paulo (1988) and PhD at Molecula Biology from Rijksuniversiteit Gent (1994). He has experience in Genetics, acting on the following subjects: Aspergillus nidulans and Aspergillus fumigatus. (Source: Lattes Curriculum)

Molecular Biology, Fungal Genetics, Microbiology

W. VERSTRAETE is born on April 25, 1946 in Beernem (Belgium). He graduated in 1968 from the Gent University as bio-engineer. He followed a summer course on Soil Microbiology at the Pasteur Institute of Paris. In 1971, he obtained a Ph D degree in the field of microbiology at the Cornell University, Ithaca (USA). Since 1971, he works at the Gent University, first as assistant and since 1979 as professor and head of the Laboratory of Microbial Ecology and Technology (LabMET - Faculty of Bioscience Engineering). His R & D has a central theme: processes mediated by microbial mixed cultures. His team deals with microbial transformations in waters and soils and the gastro-intestinal tract. A variety of biotechnological processes, based on microbial consortia, are subject to R&D at LabMET.

Microbial Ecology and Technology

Alexander Rapoport graduated Faculty of Biology, University of Latvia. The degree of PhD in Biology got at the Latvian Academy of Sciences, degree of DSc in Biology at Institute of Microbiology, Academy of Sciences of USSR (Moscow), degree of Dr. hab. biol. at Latvian Council of Science. He is Corresponding Member of Latvian Academy of Sciences. Alexander Rapoport worked at Institute of Microbiology, Latvian Academy of Science and now works at the Institute of Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Latvia. He is the Head of the Laboratory of Cell Biology. Professor of Microbiology and Biotechnology at University of Latvia. He has published about 210 papers. Main directions of his investigations are linked with physiology, cytology, biochemistry and biotechnology of microorganisms, dehydration and other stress treatments upon microorganisms and especially yeasts. He has revealed the main changes which take place in the cells at their transfer into the state of anhydrobiosis, the main factors which are important for the maintenance of viability of cells, a number of earlier unknown intracellular protective reactions.

Microbiology and Biotechnology

Sevgi Ciftci is the Associate Professor at the the Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Dentistry, Istanbul University, Turkey. Dr. Sevgi Ciftci obtained her BA in department of the medical biological sciences in Faculty of Medicine from the Dokuz Eylül University at Izmir- Turkey, and her PhD in Microbiology from the Medical Faculty of Istanbul University at Istanbul, in 2003.

Virology, Microbiology

Prof. Dr. Ajit Varma Distinguished Scientist & Professor of Eminence, Amity Institute of Microbial Technology (Amity University Uttar Pradesh) & Vice Chairman, Amity Science, Technology & Innovation Foundation Chair, Faculty Research Committee (FRC), Biosciences & Biotechnology Amity Campus, Sector 125, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India E-mail: ajitvarma@amity.edu Qualification: M.Sc. (1959), Ph. D. (1964), Allahabad University, Allahabad, India Professional Experience  Microbiologist (Assistant Professor) IARI, New Delhi 1963-1971  Senior Microbiologist (Associate Professor) IARI, New Delhi 1971-1974  Associate Professor, JNU, New Delhi 1975-1984  Professor, JNU, New Delhi 1985-2004  Distinguished Scientist & Professor of Eminence, Amity Institute of Microbial Technology (Amity University), Noida (adjacent to Delhi); since September 2004  Director, Rootonic Pvt Ltd Delhi (since 2012)  Board of Directors, Prathista Industries Limited, Secunderabad (since 2013) Visiting Professorship & Visiting Research Scientist  Technical University, Graz (Austria)  University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen (Germany)  Friedrich Schiller University, Jena (Germany)  Philipps University, Marburg (Germany)  Technical University, Muenchen (Germany)  Kingstan, Jamaica  Max Planck Visiting Professorship (Germany)  Zhejiang University, Hangzhou (China)  HelmholtzZentrum, Muenchen (Germany)  Gutenberg University, Mainz (Germany)  CSIC, Madrid (Spain)  University of Dundee (Scotland)  University of Ljubljana (Slovenia)  ICGEB (Italy)  Adjunct Professor, National Mandela University of Science & Tech (Tanzania) Awards & Recognition:  Commonwealth Fellowship (Australia)  National Research Council (Canada)  Alexander von-Humboldt Foundation (Germany)  National Science Foundation (USA)  Indo-Czechoslovakia Exchange Programme (Prague)  DAAD Fellowship (Germany)  Deutsches BMFT Programme, George-August University, Gottingen (Germany)  RAISA Fellowship for Innovative Research in Biotechnology (Italy)  Swiss Federal Research Fellowship (Switzerland)  BP Koirala award (Nepal)  DFG-INSA Fellowship (Indo-Germany)  FAMI Award 2011 (India)  Honorary Diploma, UMF, Cluj-Napoca, Romania (2011)  Life time achievement award, Bombay University (2011)  Special felicitation for outstanding research in the field of microbiology, JNU (2012) Number of Ph.D. Degree awarded: 67 Number of D.Sc. Degree awarded: 1 Publications:  Published over 314 research articles, which appeared in National and International, journals of repute and also several major review articles and chapters in books.  Published 73 books in the area of Microbial Technology, published by Academic Press, London, CRC Press, Florida, USA, IDRC, Canada and Springer-Verlag, Germany.  Nominated as Editor-in-Chief by Springer-Verlag (Germany & New York), the leading science-publishing house, to prepare 50 volumes on Soil Biology  Nominated as Editor-in-Chief by IK Internationals to make series of books on Microbial and Biotechnological Research.  Academic Editor - ‘International Journal of Plant & Soil Science’ Memberships:  National Academy of Agriculture Sciences  International Society of Symbiosis, Boston, USA  Indian Science Congress Association  Executive Council, Amity University Uttar Pradesh  University Research Council, Amity University Uttar Pradesh  Academic Council, Amity University Rajasthan  ASSOCHAM Knowledge Millennium Council  ASSOCHAM Expert Committee on Agriculture and Food Processing  ASSOCHAM Expert Committee on S&T and Innovation Vast experience of organizing national and international training workshop/symposium and congress

Soil Biology

Prof. Carlos A. Guzmán (MD, PhD) is head of the department Vaccinology and Applied Microbiology at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research and also APL professor at the Hannover Medical School. He studied Medicine at the National University of Rosario and received his specialization in Medical Bacteriology in Argentina. With a scholarship from the Italian Foreign Ministry he then conducted research at the Institute of Microbiology at the University of Genoa, Italy. He acquired his doctorate in Medicine and Surgery, becoming also a doctor in Microbiological Sciences. In 1994 he moved to Germany and became head of the Vaccine Research group at the HZI, formerly GBF. He has been active in the field of Vaccinology since 1989. His work led to the discovery of new adjuvants and the establishment of Salmonella spp. as a delivery system for DNA vaccines and therapeutic molecules. He has published over 160 papers in international journals and is co-inventor of numerous international patents. Prof. Guzmán is part of the editorial board of Infection and Immunity, Microbial Biotechnology, Open Immunology Journal, Current Immunology Reviews, Open Vaccine Journal and Open Microbiology Journal. He is also review editor of Frontiers in Mucosal Immunology, as well as associated editor of Human Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics. Further he is external Lecturer Doctorate in Biotechnology at the University Catania, Italy. In addition he is speaker of the topic “Immune Response” of the program “Infection and Immunity” of the Helmholtz Alliance.

Vaccinology and Applied Microbiology

Patrick Fickers has completed a PhD from Université de Liège (Belgium) and postdoctoral studies from Polytech’ Lille (France). He joined then the Centre of Protein Engineering (Liège, Belgium) as a FNRS fellow. Since 2009, he is an Associated Professor at Unversité libre de Bruxelles and the head of the Biotechnology and Bioprocess Unit. He has published 34 research papers in peer-reviewed journals and 6 book chapters. His researches focus on the development of yeast and bacterial strains by metabolic engineering and on process development in bioreactor for the production of valuable compounds.

Microbial Processes and interactions

Armen Trchounian has completed Ph.D at the age of 25 years from Yerevan State University (YSU), Armenia, and D.Sc. at the age of 33 years from Tbilisi State University, Georgia. He was Professor, Department of Biophysics (1993-2011); from 2011 he is Head, Department of Microbiology & Plants and Microbes Biotechnology, YSU. He was Fulbright Scholar at University of Chicago, USA; Fellows at Chiba University, Japan; University of Reading, UK; University of Virginia, USA; Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg, Germany; others. He published more than 250 papers in international peer-reviewed journals, several text-books for schools and universities, review-book. He is serving as editor and editorial board member of numerous journals.

Microbiology & Plants and Microbes

Rup Lal is a Professor of Molecular Biology at the Department of Zoology, University of Delhi and currently, he is also the Dean, Examinations. He is the recipient of Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship and the DBT Overseas Fellowship. He has over 30 years of research experience highlighting the aspects of the genetics of hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) degradation, exploring microbial diversity, genetic manipulation of rifamycin producer Amycolatopsis mediterranei, microbial genome sequencing and metagenome analysis of stressed niches. He has a US patent to his credit for the development of cloning vectors of A. mediterranei strains. He has nearly 175 publications in peer reviewed journals with 3197 ISI citations & h-index 30. He along with his collaborators developed a mutant of Amycolatopsis mediterranei that produces an analogue of rifamycin B. The derivatives of this analogue also known as 24-desmethyl rifampicin and 24- desmethylrifamycin S were found to be effective against MDR strains of Mycobacteria. He is the ASM Ambassador to the Indian Ocean Region. He is also a member of several national and international committees: was a member of the review committee for the ASM-IUSSTF Indo – US Professorship in Microbiology. He is also a Member of International Education Committee (IEC), American society for Microbiology. He is the Fellow of Indian Academy of Sciences, New Delhi (FNA), Fellow of National Academy of Sciences, India (FNASc), Fellow of National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (FNAAS) and the Fellow of Association of Microbiologists of India (FAMI).

Zoology

Dunja Bruder studied biotechnology at the Technical University of Braunschweig and passed her diploma in 1996. She already showed a high interest in immunology during her studies and analyzed immune responses against bacterial toxins during her PhD thesis at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (1996-1999). In the following years, Dunja Bruder worked as a postdoc in the junior group “Mucosal Immunity” and established transgenic mouse models for the investigation of autoimmune diseases. During several scientific stays abroad, for example at the Harvard Medical School in Boston and the Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, she deepened her immunological knowledge and tightened important cooperations. Her successful research activity was rewarded with the Young Investigator Award of the Society of Mucosal Immunology in 2005.

Since October 2006 Dunja Bruder leads the research group “Immune Regulation” at the HZI and was rewarded as the “Supervisor of the year 2008” for her exemplary education of PhD students. In December 2009 she completed her habilitation thesis for immunology at the Hanover Medical School. Since August 2011 Dunja Bruder has a professorship for infections immunology at the Otto-von-Guericke-University in Magdeburg.

immunology

Dr Rita Kumar has completed her PhD in 1984 from Delhi University, India. Currently, she is an Emeritus Scientist in CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology at Delhi, India (CSIR is a premier autonomous industrial R&D organization in India). She has also served as Chairman cum Managing Director of National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) at Delhi, India (NRDC is an enterprise under Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India). She has published more than 60 papers and has to her credit 123 patents (98 granted) in the field of environmental biotechnology. She has commercialized two technologies viz., BODSEED and BOD BIOSENSOR – for quick monitoring of wastewater, which are currently in the market.

Genomics and Integrative Biology

Massimo Ciccozzi is a Professor at Istituto Superiore di Sanità

Viruses

Giulio Tarro graduated from Medicine School, Naples University (1962). Research Associate, Division of Virology and Cancer Research, Children’s Hospital (1965-1968), Assistant Professor of Research Pediatrics, College Medicine (1968-1969), Cincinnati University, Ohio. Oncological Virology Professor, Naples University (1972-1985). Chief Division Virology (1973-2003), Head Department Diagnostic Laboratories, (2003-2006). D. Cotugno Hospital for Infectious Diseases, Naples; Emeritus, 2006 -. Since 2007 Chairman Committee of Biotechnologies and VirusSphere, World Academy Biomedical Technologies, UNESCO, Adjunct Professor Department Biology, Temple University, College of Science and Technology, Philadelphia, recipient of the Sbarro Health Research Organization lifetime achievement award (2010). President Foundation de Beaumont Bonelli for Cancer Research

Vaccines

Prof. Chakrabarty genetically engineered a new species of Pseudomonas bacteria ("the oil-eating bacteria") in 1971 while working for the Research & Development Center at General Electric Company in Schenectady, New York

Bacteriology

Alexander W. Friedrich is 41 years old and is since 2011 Professor and Chair of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention and Head of Department at the University Hospital in Groningen, The Netherlands. He studied human medicine from 1990-1997 at the Universities of Würzburg (Germany), Coimbra (Portugal) and Rome (Italy). He did his specialist training at the Institutes of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene of the University of Würzburg and the University Hospital Münster between 1998 to 2003. From 2003 to 2004 he was medical intern at the infectious disease unit of the internal medical clinic of the University Hospital Münster. In 2004, he became Specialist for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Infectious Disease Epidemiology, in 2005, he became Specialist in infectious disease (Infectiologist - DGI). From 2006 to 2010 he was senior physician at the Institute of Hygiene, head of unit for infection control and hospital hygiene, physician responsible for the microbiological laboratories of the Institute of Hygiene. In 2006, he made his habilitation (Privatdozent) and Venia legendi for the subject "Hygiene and Microbiology" at the Medical Faculty of the University of Münster. In 2011 he was appointed to full professor and chair in the current position. His research focus lies in the broad spectrum of infectious disease and infection control pointing out the need of close co-operation between academic and public health institutions. His research activities comprise basic and clinical-microbiological research in the field of zooonotic and food-borne infections, as infections due to Shiga Toxin-producing E. coli and applied research in the field of molecular epi- and pathotyping strategies ("genetic fingerprint") in order to combat effectively micro-organisms that are cause of hospital acquired infections

Infection control, patient safety,antimicrobial stewardship

Dr. Amin Fadl obtained his PhD from University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA and completed a postdoctoral training at the University of Texas Medical Branch. Currently he is an Assistant Professor of Microbiology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has published more than 44 papers in reputed journals.

His research focuses on the molecular pathogenesis, immune and inflammatory responses, and host-pathogen interaction of Salmonella.

Professor John G. Thomas is recognized as an “International Educator and Global Microbiologist “ (www.globalbugs.com) having lectured in more than 43 countries while a clinical microbiologist in pathology , dentistry and medicine for 51 years , He has over 50 publications , multiple book chapters , significant grant support , pending patents and over 100 posters/abstracts at national and international meetings. His sabbatical at Cardiff University , Wales, UK (2007) was a driving influence . He has been a member of the ADA Scientific Advisory Committee for the last 8 years . As Faculty at 6 Universities during his career , he has received Alumni and University awards for research and International Student Mentoring ; retiring from WVU in 2013 after 23 years as Professor Emeritus , he presently is expanding his research/teaching utilizing the advanced resources of the Allegheny Health Network in Pittsburgh ,PA , Carnagie –Mellon University and Mass. Gen. Hospital , Boston , MA, all under the umbrella of his Global Microbiology Consulting .(www.globalbugs.com)

John G Thomas research emphasizing biofilms and medical devices including endotrachs and the connection between oral diseases, VAP and wound infections (“Intellectual Design”) with the recent integration of micro 3-D- bio Printing using bio-plastics and unique Prebiotics (Therapeutic Bacteria ) for intervention.

Professor Gianfranco Donelli obtained his master degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Rome "La Sapienza" in 1966 and since 1967 he has been a researcher at the Italian National Institute of Health (ISS-Istituto Superiore di Sanità ) in Rome, working on molecular biology and ultrastructure of phages and human intestinal viruses. In 1975 he was appointed Director of the Electron Microscopy Unit and in 1979 he was the winner of a public competition for the position of Research Director in molecular biology. In 1982 Professor Donelli founded the Laboratory of Ultrastructures of ISS that has been leaded by him till 1996. In those years his main research interests have concerned many aspects of cellular microbiology, with special reference to the mechanism of action and the pathogenetic role of toxins and other virulence factors of gastrointestinal bacteria. Concerning his teaching activity, Professor Donelli has been invited since 1977 to serve as visiting professor in the Universities of Ancona , Naples, Perugia, Rome and Urbino and in the year 1999, after the winning of a national public competition, he became full Professor of Microbiology. In the two last decades Professor Donelli has been appointed as Vice-President of the Advisory Committee for Biological and Medical Sciences of the Italian National Research Council (1994 - 1999) ; International Affairs Officer of the Italian Society of Microbiology and FEMS delegate (since 2002) ; President of the Society for Microbial Ecology and Disease (2006 - 2009); Vice-Chairperson of the Executive Committee of ESCMID Study Group for Biofilms (2009- 2013); Editor in Chief of Advances in Microbiology, Infectious Diseases and Public Health (since 2015). Starting from 1999 the research activity of Professor Donelli has been mainly focused on biofilm-based healthcare-associated infections and the strategies to prevent and counteract the development of biofilms in the human body. Professor Donelli is author of over 270 full-length papers published on international scientific journals (H-index = 41) and since 2010 he has become Director of the Microbial Biofilm Laboratory at the Fondazione Santa Lucia research hospital in Rome.

Microbial biofilms in healthcare-associated infections and their resistance to antimicrobial drugs Strategies to prevent and counteract biofilm formation on biotic and abiotic surfaces Development of innovative antibacterial and antifungal coatings for medical devices Probiotics as antibiofilm agents.

Massimo Clementi is a full Professor of Microbiology and Virology, University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy (2001-present) Academic and institutional activity. Director of the Laboratory of Microbiology, San Raffaele Research Institute and Hospital – Faculty of Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy. Director of the Postgraduate School in Microbiology and Virology (2004-2011). Professor of Virology and Microbiology in degree courses of the Faculty of Medicine and in several postgraduate schools. He is a President of the Degree in Medicine and Surgery, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University (2007-2012). Board member of the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University University (2011-2013). Component of commissions of the Faculty, the University, the Lombardy Region, the Ministry of Health-ISS. Vice-Chancellor of the University Vita-Salute San Raffaele (2013 to present). Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, University Vita-Salute San Raffaele University (2010-present). Member of the Academic Senate of the University Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy (since 2004). Scientific Experience. Author of over 300 scientific papers published in international journals, cited in the literature over 5700 times, for a total IF higher than 1500 and an h-index of 40 (Google Scholar). Author of more than 20 review articles by invitation and the author of 5 texts of Microbiology and Virology with educational purposes. Holder of 11 patents (more than half granted in Europe and the United States), mostly antiviral drugs. Holder, in person and with the coworkers, of many research funds of private and public institutions, national and international (MIUR, FIRB, Ministry of Health, ISS-AIDS, the European Community, CNR, ANRS, EEC Foundation, in addition to GSK , Merck, Sanofi-Pasteur). Evaluator of research projects for EU, Ministry of Education, National Research Council, National Institute of Health, Tuscany and Veneto Regions, the Welcome Trust.

He has research interest in microbiology specifically virology and antiviral drugs,infectious diseases,medicine and surgery.

Dr. Giorgio Palu is a professor of Microbiology and Virology in department of Histology, Microbiology and Medical Biotechnologies, University of Padova Medical School, Italy.

Cancer Therapy, Gene Therapy and Molecular Biology.

Patricia Poeta, is Full Professor at UTAD, Portugal. PhD in Veterinary Medicine and specialist in Medical Microbiology. Coordinator of the Research Group of Antibiotic resistance and head of Medical Microbiology Laboratory. Director of several doctoral and masters’ theses. Also responsible for research projects funded by private companies and inter-university projects, teaches International courses and Master’s degree. Has published more than 100 articles in journals from the SCI, book chapters, communications at international scientific meetings. Received 16 awards.

Medical Microbiology

Dr.Rao is working as Professor & Head Microbiology and Immunology, and Dean of students affairs in the Avalon University School of Medicine, Curacao.He is having 42 years of experience in this field of microbiology. He has published research papers/articles in international journals.

Dr. Rao is having 42 years of experience in the field of immunology & microbiology.

Chaoqun Yao completed a MD and PhD from Tongji Medical University and University of Georgia, respectively. He pursued post doctoral training at Washington State University and University of Iowa where he was promoted to Associate Research Scientist. He was a tenure-track Assistant Professor at University of Wyoming with a concomitant appointment of Parasitologist at the Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory. He is currently an Associate Professor at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine. He has published more than 45 papers inpeer-reviewed journals and has been serving as an editorial board member and adhoc reviewer for many journals.

Mycology, parasitology

B Y Chin received her degree in Physiology and Toxicological Sciences from the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at Johns Hopkins University,Baltimore, Maryland. She continued her research at the Department of Surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts after completing her Post-doctoral fellowship at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, US, Department of energy in Richland, Washington. She also had a joint Faculty appointment at Harvard Medical School since 2006. She has published over 33 peer review journal articles and is an active member on 3 editorial boards. Currently, she is a Professor of Medical Sciences and Associate Dean of Health Sciences at the International Medical University.

Toxicology and physiology

K. D. Mwambete holds a PhD (Experimental & Molecular Pharmacology) from University Complutense of Madrid. Already has acquired over ten years of experience in lecturing and conducting researches in Antimicrobial Resistance and Microbiological Quality of Consumer Products; collaborated with several researchers, technical team members to the end of the same. He is aware of the importance of frequent communication among project members and of constructing a realistic project plan, timeline, and budget. Moreover, over these years he has demonstrated academic and administrative capabilities; record of successful and productive research projects management in different occasions and his expertise and experience have prepared him to participate fully at any proposed project.

Molecular Biology (Screening for molecules of pharmacological interests) and Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring

Dr. Brent E. Korba is working as Research Professor at the Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Georgetown University Medical Centre. He completed his Ph. D in the University of Maryland Baltimore County in the year 1981. He is working in Georgetown University Medical Center since 1984. Currently he is having lab for both PhD students and Post-Doctoral Fellows. The laboratory is focused on antiviral therapies against hepatitis B and C viruses using a variety of cell culture and enzyme-based technologies. Investigations examine a wide range of parameters (DNA, RNA, proteins), both viral and cellular utilizing a variety of molecular biology-based techniques. Studies extend from basic screening (e.g. drug discovery) to mechanisms of action.

Antiviral therapies against hepatitis B and C viruses

Thomas Bosch studied Biology at the Univboschersity of Munich and Swansea University College in the UK from 1976 to 1983. He earned his doctorate from the University of Munich in 1986. From 1986 to 1988, Bosch held a postdoctoral position at the University of California, Irvine, USA. After a position as research associate at the University of Munich, he was appointed to professorship for Zoology at the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena in 1997. Since 2000 Bosch is Professor of General Zoology at Kiel University. From 2010 to 2013 he served as Vice-President of Kiel University and was responsible for Kiel University’s institutional strategy and international relations. Since November 2013 Bosch is heading the interdisciplinary research center “Kiel Life Science” (KLS) at Kiel University. Bosch is spokesperson of the Collaborative Research Center (CRC/SFB 1182) “Origin and Function of Metaorganisms” (2016-2019) which addresses the relatively newly recognized role of multi-organismic interactions for health and disease. Bosch also is Editor-in-Chief of “Zoology”. He currently (2016/2017) is President of the German Society of Developmental Biology (GfE) and a member of several national and international Academic Committees and Boards. In 2015/2016 he will also serve as Deputy President of the German Zoological Society / Deutsche Zoologische Gesellschaft e.V. (DZG). His awards include a Dr. honoris causa degree from St. Petersburg State University, Russia (2004).

evolutionary developmental biology

Chit Laa Poh completed her PhD Monash University(Australia) in 1980 and conducted short periods of postdoctoral training at the Pasteur Institute, Cambridge University and the University College London (UCL). She is a Distinguished Professor in the Vice Chancellor’s Office(VCO), Sunway University and has been appointed as the Head of the new Research Centre for Biomedical Sciences. She has previously worked in the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine , National University of Singapore (NUS) for 25 years. She has a H-index of 33 She has published more than 85 papers in reputable journals and has been serving as an editorial board member of Journal of Biosceince and Bioengineering (Japan), Austin Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygeine (USA), Journal of Virology and Emerging Diseases (USA). She has successfully supervised and graduated PhD and MSc students from NUS, Swinburne University of Technology, University of Malaya and Sunway University.

Her research interests are focused on the development of antiviral agents and novel vaccines against Enterovirus 71(EV-A71) which causes hand, foot and mouth disease(HFMD). Currently, there are no FDA approved antivirals or vaccines that can be applied or treat EV-A71 infections. She is interested in gaining an understanding of the molecular determinants of neurovirulence which may explain the differences between virulent and non-virulent EV-A71. Her group is committed to develop effective antiviral agents such as antiviral peptides and morpholino oligomers as anti-sense agents, live-attenuated vaccine strains carrying multiple site specific mutations and viral strains bearing specific microRNAs as novel vaccines.

I joined bioMérieux in 2007, my current position is EU R&D Microbiology Director at bioMérieux in charge of all microbiology products developments for bacterial culture (conventional media culture, chromogenic media (ChromIDTM…), identification (API® system, mass spectrometry (VITEK® MS)… ) and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing: Etest®, VITEK®2 expert system, RAPIDEC ® Carba, ATB® sytem…) I received my Pharm D from the University of Lyon. After an Internship in medical biology in the Lyon area and obtaining an MSc in French National Reference Center for Staphylococci, I completed my residency in Clinical biology at the Hospices Civils de Lyon, France where I earned my PhD.

I conducted my research work at the French National Reference Center of Staphylococci. My research was focused on Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) mainly on typing and virulence factors. I described a new emerging MRSA clone (Durand et al, Detection of New Methicilllin-Resistant-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Clones Containing the Toxic Shock Sydrome Toxin-1 Gene responsible for Hospital-and community–acquired Infections in France, J. Clin. Microbiol 2006;44:847-853). This clone is now well known as “Geraldine’s clone”. As the leader of the bioMérieux Europe R&D microbiology group in recent years my research was directed on rapid microbiology (Van Belkum et al, Ann Lab Med.2013;(33(1):14-27, on mass spectrometry (Spinali et al, J Clin Microbiol.2015;53(3):760-5, and also on laboratory automation, mainly driven on the medical value brought by imaging technologies for bacterial culture (24th ECCMID, O075; 25th ECCMID, S097). My latest research covers S. aureus characterization through whole genome sequencing (EpiSEqTM service).

Haifaa Altalhi, Head of Infection Control Department in King Saud University Medical City (KSUMC), Co-chairman of Infection Control Committee of KSUMC. Haifaa is a Medical Technologist, Microbiologist and Board certified infection control expert. She has a special interest in engaging the community in infection prevention and control the transmission of infections both in healthcare facility as well as the public. She is extensively involved in Education of Microbiology and infection prevention and control, she is best known for being highly energetic and motivated leader. She participated in creating a system to monitor surgical site infections, participated in the infection control awareness and education group during Hajj of 2009, in year 2015 and 2016 led a group of volunteers and hospital employees to execute a country wide influenza awareness and vaccination campaign.

Infection diseases, Public Health, Microbiology, Vaccines, Infection Control

Dr. Anju Kaushal obtained her Bachelor and Master in Microbiology from Central Research Institute, Kasauli affiliated with H.P. University, Shimla, India and her PhD in Microbiology from Panjab University, Chandigarh, India in 2003. She’s awarded as Senior Research Fellow at Mycology Lab ( Centre for Advanced Research in Medical Mycology and Reference Laboratory for National Culture Collection), Microbiology Department, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research ( PGIMER), Chandigarh, sponsored from Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), New Delhi in 1995. After that she joined Microbiology Department, Panjab University in a project sponsored by Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Sciences, New Delhi in 1997. She also worked in Private Industrial Sector for few years.

Anju mainly worked on Rabies, Invasive Aspergillosis, Antifungal- susceptibility for non-albicans for Candida sps. , pathogenic Cryptococcus sp. isolation from environment, Fermentation technology & downstream processing, Enzymes characterization, HIV- virus & its diagnostics. Her main competences are in Diagnostics (Microbiology/ Virology/ Biotechnology), R&Ds, Quality Control/Assurance for Biologicals/ Immunobiologicals and Process validation.

Nikos Mavroudis is a Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader in Food Science and leads the laboratory of Food Engineering & Separation of Actives (FoESA) in the Dept. of Applied Sciences in Northumbria University at Newcastle. Previously Nikos was a Research Scientist and Project Leader for Unilever R&D for 9 years and has been responsible for developing the separation expertise within Unilever R&D Vlaardingen, the Netherlands. His research interests are focused on Food Security & Food Safety, particularly relevant is his interest on bacterial flow cytometry and surface decontamination. Nikos has published 10 research articles in peer review journals and 12 patents/patent filings and his work has attracted ca 325 citations excluding self-citations.

Food Safety: Surface decontamination of intact agricultural commodities and fresh cut fruit and vegetables. Bacterial flow cytometry as method for microflora enumeration and assessment of physiological states of Bacillus spores. Assessment of spore viability in GIT. Food Security: Generation of functional ingredients from agricultural commodities and agri-food waste streams. Application of biorefinery concepts for waste/by-product stream valorisation.

Nikos Mavroudis is a Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader in Food Science and leads the laboratory of Food Engineering & Separation of Actives (FoESA) in the Dept. of Applied Sciences in Northumbria University at Newcastle. Previously Nikos was a Research Scientist and Project Leader for Unilever R&D for 9 years and has been responsible for developing the separation expertise within Unilever R&D Vlaardingen, the Netherlands. His research interests are focused on Food Security & Food Safety, particularly relevant is his interest on bacterial flow cytometry and surface decontamination. Nikos has published 10 research articles in peer review journals and 12 patents/patent filings and his work has attracted ca 325 citations excluding self-citations.

Food Safety: Surface decontamination of intact agricultural commodities and fresh cut fruit and vegetables. Bacterial flow cytometry as method for microflora enumeration and assessment of physiological states of Bacillus spores. Assessment of spore viability in GIT. Food Security: Generation of functional ingredients from agricultural commodities and agri-food waste streams. Application of biorefinery concepts for waste/by-product stream valorisation.

Dr. Elliot Ryser received his B.S. in Bacteriology, and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Food Science from University of Wisconsin under Dr. Elmer Marth. After research positions at INRA (Jouy-en-Josas, France), Silliker Laboratories (Chicago Heights, IL) and University of Vermont under Dr. Catherine Donnelly, he joined the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Michigan State University in 1998 where he is now a Professor. An internationally recognized authority on Listeria and co-author/co-editor of the well-known book Listeria, Listeriosis and Food Safety, Dr. Ryser’s research is now focused on quantifying the extent of bacterial cross-contamination during mechanical slicing of deli meats and simulated commercial production of fresh-cut produce using a unique pilot plant-scale processing line with his findings now helping to refine various risk assessments. Dr. Ryser has advised 61 graduate students (9 PhD and 16 MS as major professor), authored/co-authored 28 book chapters, 103 research articles and 203 abstracts. He is currently one of four Co-Scientific Editors for the Journal of Food Protection, a past recipient of the Elmer Marth Educator, Maurice Weber Laboratorian and GMA Food Safety Awards from the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) and a Fellow of both IAFP and the Institute of Food Technologists.

Quantitative transfer of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes during production of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables including lettuce, tomatoes, cantaloupe, celery and onions; sanitizer efficacy during washing of fresh produce as influenced by organic load in the wash water; pathogen growth/survival in fresh-cut produce during commercial transport, retail storage and display as influenced by the type of packaging; cross-contamination of deli meats with Listeria monocytogenesduring mechanical slicing; incidence of Listeria in retail deli meats; persistence of Listeria in biofilms; pathogen inactivation using X-ray irradiation; pathogen migration and thermal resistance in marinated whole-muscle meat and poultry products; optimizing the design and operation of commercial cooking systems for ready-to-eat meat and poultry products; thermal inactivation of sublethally injured Salmonella in fresh meats and low moisture foods; pathogen contamination and microbial diversity in poultry processing facilities; microbiological standards for blueberries; development of edible antibacterial films and casings from whey protein; reduction of Listeria, Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 on alfalfa sprouts, lettuce, cantaloupe, berries and apples using chlorine dioxide gas and various sanitizers; microbial safety and quality of fermented and non-fermented dairy products.

Professor Phillips is the Director of the Institute of Health and Wellbeing. After a BSc and a PhD in Microbiology at Cardiff University, Professor Phillips undertook post-doctoral positions at Sussex University and the Cancer Research Institute before joining the NHS as a clinical scientist. Following a career break she joined the University of Northampton (then Nene College) as a lecturer in the early 1990s. Since then she has been a Senior Lecturer, then Reader and is now Professor of Microbiology and Deputy Dean (Research) in the School of Health.Locally she sits on the Health and Wellbeing Board, is a Director of Healthwatch Northamptonshire CIC and a Governor of Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Professor Phillips is a Fellow of Society of Biology and a Fellow of Institute of Food Science and Technology (of which she was President 2009-2011) and is active on several national committees of these organisations. She has published widely with 60+ journal articles and two books and has presented internationally at many conferences.

Her present research portfolio focuses on natural anti-microbials, particularly essential oils being especially interested in the use of these in healthcare settings to prevent and treat chronic infections such as Pseudomonas aeroginosa and MRSA.

Dr. Leon Gorris is Director for Regulatory Affairs for Unilever, specialized in food safety. He joined Unilever in The Netherlands in 1997 and was based in the UK from 2001-2010 and in Shanghai from 2010-2014.Before joining Unilever, Leon worked at the Agrotechnological Research Institute (ATO-DLO) in Wageningen, The Netherlands, which then was part of the Agricultural Research Department, Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries, The Netherlands (1990 – 1997). Previously, he conducted a post-doc at the Department of Microbiology, Catholic University of Nijmegen (now called Radboud University), The Netherlands (1989 – 1990).His education & professional experience include an MSc in Biology (1982) and a PhD in Microbiology (1987) at the Catholic University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands. From 2002–2012, Dr. Gorris held a part-time professorship and served as the European Chair in Food Safety Microbiology at the University of Wageningen in The Netherlands. He is currently a visiting professor at China Agricultural University’s School of Food Science and Nutrition in Beijing, Shanghai Ocean University and the University of Shanghai for Science and technology. He is a member of the International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods (ICMSF), responsible for coordinating Codex matters for ICMSF. In 2014; he was elected as co-chair of the IUFoST International Expert Panel on Food Safety.

Food safety management in food chains; Design of safe foods and implementation of design in operational practice; Hygienic design of food plants and processing equipment; International food safety management policy developments; Developments in assessments of risks associated to foods; Concepts of acceptability and tolerability of risks in foods

Dr Richard Fuchs is a Principal Scientist and food safety specialist at the Natural Resources Institute of the University of Greenwich at Medway. He is currently Programme Leader for the MSc Food Safety and Quality Management. He has over 30 years of international experience in research, teaching and training where he has designed and delivered numerous courses, and consultancy work. He also spent time as Head of Programme at the International Foundation for Science in Sweden. He has worked with small food companies to implement food safety systems, including HACCP, Safer Food Better Business and meeting the requirements of the BRC Food Safety Standard. He has designed microbiology testing laboratories and has assisted them in meeting the requirements of ISO 17025. His research interests have focused on Listeria monocytogenes in foods, traditional food fermentations and food safety management systems.

Food Safety and Quality Management