Plenary & Invited Speakers

Plenary Speakers

Prof. Andrea C. Ferrari, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
Andrea C. Ferrari earned a PhD in electrical engineering from Cambridge University, after a Laurea in nuclear engineering from Politecnico di Milano, Italy. He is Professor of nanotechnology and Professorial Fellow of Pembroke College. He founded and directs the Cambridge Graphene Centre and the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Graphene Technology. He chairs the management panel and is the Science and Technology Officer of the European Graphene Flagship. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, Fellow of the Materials Research Society, Fellow of the Institute of Physics, Fellow of the Optical Society and he has been recipient of numerous awards, such as the Royal Society Brian Mercer Award for Innovation, the Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award, the Marie Curie Excellence Award, the Philip Leverhulme Prize, The EU-40 Materials Prize. He also received 4 European Research Council Grants.

Prof. Zeev Zalevsky, Bar-Ilan University, Israel
Title: "3D Printing of Functional Metallic Nano and Micro-structures"
Zeev Zalevsky received his B.Sc. and direct Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from Tel-Aviv University in 1993 and 1996 respectively. Zeev is currently a full Professor at Bar-Ilan University and its Vice President for academia industry relations. He is the former Dean of the faculty of engineering at Bar-Ilan University, Israel. His major fields of research are optical super resolution, biomedical optics, nano-photonics and fiber-based processing and sensing architectures. Zeev has published more than 1000 publications and about 100 patents. He is a fellow of many large scientific societies such as IEEE, Optica, SPIE and more. For his work he received many national and international prizes.

Prof. Stefan Kaskel, TUD Dresden University of Technology, Germany
Stefan Kaskel studied chemistry at Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen (Germany), and received his Ph.D. degree in 1997 from the same University. He was a group leader at the Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung in Mülheim a.d. Ruhr (2000-2004) in the group of F. Schüth. In 2004 he became full professor for Inorganic Chemistry at Technical University Dresden and 2008 also business field manager Chemical Surface Technology at Fraunhofer IWS, Dresden.
His research interests are focused on porous and nanostructured materials (high surface area MOFs and carbons) for applications in energy storage, catalysis, batteries and separation technologies. Stefan Kaskel has authored more than 500 publications with > 37000 citations (google scholar h-index 103) and has contributed as inventor to more than 50 patent applications. In 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 he was recognized as a Highly Cited Researcher by Thomson Reuters and Clarivate Analytics.

Invited Speakers

Prof. Karel Novotný, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
Title: "Spectroscopic aspects of laser ablation synthesis of nanoparticles"
A long-time researcher in the Laboratory of Atomic Spectrochemistry at the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University of Brno. Since 1999, he has been interested in the field of laser-assisted methods for elemental analysis and laser ablation synthesis of nanoparticles. He has more than 20 years of experience in atomic spectroscopy, including laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), laser ablation, and atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). He graduated from Masaryk University Brno in 1993 and received his Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the same institute in 2000. Since 2014, he has been an associate professor at the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University of Brno, and occasionally a senior researcher at Brno University of Technology.

Prof. Daniela Placha, Technical University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czechia
Prof. Daniela Plachá obtained her MSc. degree in the Faculty of Food and Biochemical Technology, Institute of Chemical Technology, Prague, the Czech Republic (1991), her Ph.D. in the Protection of the Environment in industry from the VSB - Technical University of Ostrava, the Czech Republic (2004). Since 2020 she is a full Professor (Prof.) of the Protection of the Environment, VSB – Technical University of Ostrava, Faculty of Mining and Geology (2020) teaching and tutoring students in field of organic chemistry, nanotechnology and environmental science.
Daniela Plachá started her career at the VSB - TUO in 1996 as analytical chemist in the field of chromatography. In 2008, she started to devote herself to science and research, namely the applications of nanomaterials in the field of the environment, and then to the development and research of nanocomposites for environmental and biomedical purposes.
Currently, she is the Head of the Nanotechnology Centre of the Centre for Energy and Environmental Technologies, VSB - TUO. She is a member of the Czech National Clay Group and AIPEA (Association Internationale Pour l´Etude des Argiles, Czech Chemical Society.

Prof. Nina Schalk, University of Leoben, Leoben, Austria
Title: "From synthesis to nanostructure: Investigation of TiSiN nanocomposite coatings using high-resolution methods"
Nina Schalk has been active in the field of multifunctional thin films for over 15 years and is head of the research group Advanced Surface Engineering at the Department of Materials Science, Montanuniversität Leoben, Austria. Her research focuses on the design, synthesis, and high resolution microstructural characterization of functional and nanocomposite coatings, aiming to correlate their nanostructure with functional properties. In 2022, she was promoted to Associate Professor of Surface Engineering. She has authored more than 80 publications in internationally peer-reviewed journals and has an h-index of 27 (Scopus).
Nina Schalk serves on the editorial boards of Surface & Coatings Technology and Surfaces. She is a member of the Long Range Planning Committee of the International Conference on Metallurgical Coatings and Thin Films (ICMCTF), and Chair of the Sustainability Division of the International Union for Vacuum Science, Technique and Applications (IUVSTA).

Assoc. Prof. Nadežda Kongi, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
Title: "Geometry as a Key to Overcome Scaling Relations in Electrocatalysis"
Assoc. Prof. Nadežda Kongi leads the Inorganic Functional Materials Lab (KongiLab) at the University of Tartu, Estonia, specializing in electrocatalysis, nanomaterials, and electrochemical energy conversion. Her research integrates synthesis, characterization, and computer modeling to develop advanced catalysts for CO2 reduction, oxygen reactions, and nitrogen conversion. She is recognized for pioneering geometry-adaptive catalyst concepts that explore how geometric parameters can overcome fundamental scaling relations in electrocatalysis. Dr. Kongi has worked as a visiting researcher in leading laboratories in Spain, and Canada. Her group actively collaborates with industry on clean energy and carbon conversion technologies. She is committed to advancing sustainable chemistry through interdisciplinary research and education.

Prof. Fabiola Martínez Navarro, University of Castilla–La Mancha, Spain
Fabiola Martínez Navarro is the Deputy Director of the Department of Chemical Engineering at the Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Biochemistry in Toledo. She holds this position at the University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM) and her research interests include chemical processes, bioengineering, and environmental technology.

Prof. Veronica Salgueirino, University of Vigo, Spain
Prof. Verónica Salgueiriño is a leading researcher and professor at the University of Vigo, Spain, specializing in Nanotechnology and Applied Physics.
Her research focuses on nanomaterials, particularly magnetic nanocrystals and nanocomposites, with a keen interest in their application in fields like biomedicine and environmental science. She is part of the Magnetic Materials group and the CINBIO research center at the university.
Prof. Salgueiriño is also known for her outreach work, promoting women in science. She has been recognized with a prestigious L'Oréal-UNESCO "For Women in Science" research grant in 2008.

Prof. Victor M. Prida, University of Oviedo, Spain
Title: “Fe-based nanotubes and core-shell nanostructures for multifunctional magnetic applications”
Dr. V. M. Prida is Full Professor of Applied Physics in the Department of Physics at the University of Oviedo, where he has led the Magnetic Materials and Nanomaterials research group since 2017. His main scientific interests focus on the synthesis and characterization of magnetic properties and magnetotransport phenomena in patterned ferromagnetic nanowires and nanotubes for spintronics applications, as well as on Heusler-based alloys exhibiting ferromagnetic shape memory and magnetocaloric effects. He is also an active member of the IEEE Magnetics Society, serving as secretary and chair of the Spanish Chapter for the 2021–2025 term.

Dr. Benjamin Mockenhaupt, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany
Dr. Benjamin Mockenhaupt is a chemist specializing in heterogeneous catalysis and catalyst engineering. He obtained his doctorate (Dr. rer. nat., magna cum laude, 2023) from the University of Duisburg-Essen, where he investigated the effects of trivalent cations on zinc oxide catalysts. His research focuses on catalyst design for CO₂ hydrogenation and methanol synthesis, combining laser-based synthesis, thermal catalysis, and operando spectroscopy.
Before leading his current group at the University of Duisburg-Essen, Dr. Mockenhaupt worked at Delft University of Technology and Kiel University. He has co-authored several peer-reviewed publications in leading journals such as Journal of Catalysis, Dalton Transactions, and The Journal of Physical Chemistry C.

Prof. Vasko Lazarov, University of York, UK
Prof. Vasko K. Lazarov is a materials physicist specializing in atomic-level structure–function relationships in advanced nanomaterials and biomolecular complexes. His research combines advanced electron microscopy, thin film growth, and first-principles modelling to understand and engineer materials for spintronic and electronic applications.
After research positions at Brookhaven National Laboratory (USA) and the University of Oxford, he joined the University of York, where he leads the Condensed Matter Physics Group.
His current work focuses on half-metals for spintronics, polar oxides for electronics and catalysis, and 3D topological insulators. Prof. Lazarov has published widely in Nature Materials, Nature Physics, Nature Communications, and Scientific Reports.

Prof. Milan Sykora, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia
Title: “Effect of charge doping on the electronic structure of strongly confined nanocrystals.”
Dr. Sykora obtained his MSc. in Chemistry from Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia and his PhD from Marquette University, WI, USA. After postdoctoral training at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, NC, USA he joined Los Alamos National Laboratory, NM, USA, where he worked as a technical staff member for sixteen years, focusing primarily on development and studies of nanomaterials and other advanced materials. In 2019, Dr. Sykora was selected as ERA Chair and a Director of a newly established Laboratory for Advanced Materials at Comenius University in Slovakia, which he currently leads. He is a co-author of more than seventy publications and is a co-inventor of five US patents.

Prof. Ildoo Chung, Pusan National University, Republic of Korea
Title: "Biodegradable and thermoresponsive hollow porous micro/nanoparticles for sustained drug release"
Prof. Ildoo Chung received his Ph.D. in Polymer Science and Engineering from Pusan National University in 2000 and joined its faculty in 2005 after postdoctoral research at the University of Tennessee and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He is currently Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Adhesion and Interface and serves on the boards of several professional societies in Korea.
His research focuses on the design and synthesis of advanced functional polymers using controlled radical polymerization methods (ATRP, RAFT) for applications in biomaterials, drug delivery, 3D-printable materials, biodegradable polymers, and polymer composites.

Organizing Committee

Prof. Dominik Eder, Vienna University of Technology, Vienna, Austria
Prof. Dominik Eder is head of the "Molecular Materials Chemistry" division at IMC at TU Wien. His division currently consists of 4 subgroups (faculty members), 4 non-scientific staff and about 20 students and postdocs. His research interests include the synthesis and characterization of nanocarbon hybrids, 0-2D molecular inorganics, metal organic frameworks (MOFs), zeolites and ordered mesoporous transition metal oxides and their in-depth fundamental evaluation for catalysis/photocatalysis, photovoltaics and electrochemical storage applications. His group has been instrumental in the introduction and development of nanocarbon-inorganic hybrid materials as a new class of functional composites.

Prof. Pawel Kulesza, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
Pawel J. Kulesza is Professor of Chemistry at University of Warsaw, Fellow of the Electrochemical Society, and Member of the Polish Academy of Sciences. His recent interests concern development and characterization of hierarchical and functionalized inorganic nanomaterials and interfaces of importance to electrocatalysis, photoelectrochemistry, analytical chemistry, energy conversion and storage. He is Associate Editor of Electrochimica Acta (Elsevier) and a member of editorial boards of Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry, Electrocatalysis, Russian Journal of Electrochemistry (Springer) and Catalysts (MDPI). In Electrochemical Society, in addition to activity in many committees and organization of symposia at meetings, he has served as Chair of Physical Analytical Electrochemistry Division and Chair of European Section. He is a recipient of Alessandro Volta Medal of Electrochemical Society (2024). He is also a member of American Chemical Society, International Society of Electrochemistry, and Polish Chemical Society.

Prof. Alla Zak, Holon Institute of Technology, Holon, Israel
Title: "Inorganic nanotubes: new details in synthesis, properties and applications"
Prof. Alla Zak is Dean of the Faculty of Sciences and Head of the Nanomaterials Laboratory at HIT, and Scientific Advisor in the Dept. of Molecular Chemistry and Materials Science at the Weizmann Institute of Science. An expert in nanoscience and nanotechnology, she holds a PhD from the Dept. of Materials and Interfaces at the Weizmann Institute, and an MSc and BSc in Physics from Kishinev University in Moldova. Before joining HIT in 2012 she served as Chief Scientist at NanoMaterials Ltd. Prof. Zak holds 4 patents, has published more than 100 scientific papers, participated in more than 100 scientific conferences worldwide, and received several national and international awards and grants, in recognition of her excellence and innovation in research.
The research of A. Zak is focused on synthetic of nanospheres and nanotubes from layered transition metal dichalcogenides useful in various electro-mechanical or electro-optical implementations. The unique properties of these material already proved their effectiveness for such applications as strengthening of polymers, piezoresistive sensors, effective catalyst for electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), as solar cells, memory for artificial vision system and others.

Prof. Saim Emin, University of Nova Gorica, Nova Gorica, Slovenia
Title: "Electrocatalysis for Sustainable Chemical Transformations"
Saim Emin obtained his Bachelor of Science from the University of Sofia "St. Kliment Ohridski" in Bulgaria in 2003. He then completed his Master of Science and Ph.D. in Chemistry at Saitama University, Japan, in 2007 and 2010, respectively. He then undertook postdoctoral appointments at the National Institute for Material Science (NIMS) in Japan and the University of Nova Gorica (UNG) in Slovenia. Dr. Emin previously held a junior professorship in the Faculty for Environmental Sciences at UNG before becoming an associate professor. He received the individual Marie Skłodowska-Curie Career Integration Grant from the European Commission. Dr. Emin's research centers on utilizing nanotechnology to create functional materials, particularly in the fields of photovoltaics, electrocatalysis, water splitting, and CO2 conversion. He is acknowledged for his contributions to the subject and acts as an editor for the "Symmetry" journal published by MDPI. Dr. Emin is also the founder of the European Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Association. He has been involved in organizing the annual International Conference on Functional Nanomaterials and Nanodevices series since 2017. Dr. Emin has a prolific publication record, having produced over 50 papers and accumulating more than 1400 citations for his work.