We bring together academic and industry experts and thought leaders to share their knowledge and expertise. Our speakers are carefully selected to provide attendees with the most valuable and relevant information.

Click on links below to view bios of Speakers and Session Chairs:

Alhnan
Dr Mohamed

Andrews
Professor Gavin

Asare-Addo
Dr Kofi

Athanassiou
Dr Athanassia

Attfield
Ms Luisa

Badhan
Raj Singh

Bartzcak
Dorota

Cherkupally
Laxman

Conway
Professor Barbara

De Bruin
Professor Marieke

Fussell
Steven

Gaisford
Professor Simon

Heinrich
Professor Michael

Hibbard
Dr Thomas

Hilton
Professor Stephen

Jacobs
Dr Esther

Jones
Professor Stuart

Landfester
Professor Katharina

Lappert
Aurélia

Lewis
Dr Andy

Luciani
Professor Dr. Paola

Merkel
Professor Olivia

Moghimi
Professor Moein

Nokhodchi
Ali

Novakovic
Professor Katarina

O’Farrell
Dr Connor

Olajide
Professor Olumayokun

Østergaard
Professor Jesper

Paris
Juan Luis

Rivera
Dr Jeanne

Ryan
Dr Katie

Santos
Prof. Dr. Hélder A.

Taylor
Lynne S.

Teasdale
Dr Andrew

Teckoe
Dr Jason

Whiting
Dr Gail

Zandieh
MoMo

Professor Gavin P. Andrews, Head of School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University, Belfast, Ireland

Professor Gavin Andrews is Head of the School of Pharmacy at Queen’s University Belfast and Chair of Pharmaceutical Engineering. He is internationally recognised for his research in advanced drug delivery, biomaterials, and novel dosage form design. Professor Andrews has published extensively and leads major collaborative projects transforming pharmaceutical sciences and education.

Dr Kofi Asare-Addo, Reader in Pharmaceutics, Admissions Tutor for Pharmacy (MPharm), University of Huddersfield, UK and APS Chair 2026/2027, UK

Kofi became a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy in 2014. His research area includes UV Imaging in pharmaceuticals, particle engineering, drug-clay complexations for oral controlled release formulation applications and solubility enhancements (solid dispersions, salts and cocrystals). His work has been presented both nationally and internationally at various pharmaceutical science conferences. Kofi successfully collaborates with other universities and several pharmaceutical industries.

Professor Simon Gaisford, University College London, UK

Professor Gaisford is Vice-Dean (Impact & External Engagement) for the Faculty of Life Sciences, and holds a Chair in Pharmaceutics, at University College London. He joined UCL School of Pharmacy in 2003, having previously been a Lecturer in Pharmaceutical Science at the University of Huddersfield. He has published more than 250 papers (h-index 83 with >27,000 citations) and 4 books, has made the Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher list every year since 2019, is the Presenter of the educational YouTube channel Pharma Drama (with more than 50,000 subscribers) and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Ali Nokhodchi, Director of Materials Characterizations (Lupin Research Inc., Coral Springs, Florida, USA) and Emeritus Professor (University of Sussex, UK)

Ali Nokhodchi is a highly accomplished pharmaceutical scientist with an extensive career spanning academia and industry. He earned his pharmacy degree in 1989 and completed his PhD in Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology at Liverpool John Moores University, UK, in 1996. He is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Sussex, UK, and currently serves as Director of Material Characterization at Lupin Research Center, Florida, USA.

Nokhodchi’s research interests encompass formulation science, particle engineering of excipients and active pharmaceutical ingredients for pulmonary and oral drug delivery, dissolution enhancement, 3D printing, nanomedicine and controlled-release formulations. He has authored more than 450 peer-reviewed research articles, 10 book chapters, and a book. As of July 2026, Professor Nokhodchi has an H-index of 80, with his publications receiving over 21,000 citations. He serves as Associate Editor for several leading pharmaceutical journals and is a member of the editorial boards of more than ten international journals in the pharmaceutical sciences.

He is the inventor of four patents in pharmaceutical formulation technologies, including the innovative Liqui-Pellet® technology. Throughout his distinguished career, he has supervised 20 PhD students and more than 100 MPharm, MSc, and PharmD research projects.

In recognition of his outstanding contributions to pharmaceutical sciences, he was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Pharmaceutical Scientists (UK) in 2018. He also received the High Impact Award at the AAPS 360 Conference held in Orlando, Florida, USA, in 2023. Since 2016, he has consistently been recognized among the world’s top 1% of scientists in the field of Pharmacy and Pharmacology by Clarivate’s Essential Science Indicators.

Professor Jesper Østergaard, Professor of Pharmaceutical Physical Chemistry, Ph.D., M.Sc. (Pharm), Department of Pharmacy, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Jesper Østergaard is Professor of Pharmaceutical Physical Chemistry at the Department of Pharmacy, University of Copenhagen. He is a trained pharmacist (1999) and earned his Ph.D. in pharmaceutics from University of Copenhagen in 2003, focusing on molecular interaction studies and prodrug design. He subsequently joined the Department of Pharmacy as Assistant Professor in 2003, Associate Professor in 2006, and has served as Professor since 2019.

His research centers on developing methods for the physical-chemical characterization of drug substances and delivery systems, with particular emphasis on drug transport and release. A major focus is the advancement of analytical techniques for in vitro release testing, particularly for injectable formulations, often incorporating UV imaging. An additional area of interest is the investigation of molecular interactions and stability, especially as they relate to profiling drug substances using capillary-based methods such as Taylor Dispersion Analysis (TDA), Flow‑Induced Dispersion Analysis (FIDA), and Capillary Electrophoresis (CE).

Professor Østergaard has published more than 150 scientific papers and is the co-founder of two spin-out companies from the University of Copenhagen.

Juan L Paris, Principal Investigator, IBIMA Plataforma BIONAND. Allergy Unit, Regional University Hospital of Málaga, Spain

Juan Luis Paris is a Principal Investigator at IBIMA Plataforma BIONAND in Málaga (Spain), where he leads an independent research line on nanomedicine for diagnostics and therapy, with a particular focus on allergic and immune-related diseases. He obtained his PhD in Pharmacy from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid in 2017 and has since developed an international and interdisciplinary research profile through positions at the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory, Queen’s University Belfast, and research stays at the University of Oxford and Harvard Medical School. His multidisciplinary training in materials science, pharmaceutical technology, physical chemistry, stem cell biology, acoustic engineering and immunology has enabled him to develop innovative solutions that bridge fundamental science with translational medicine. He has authored 43 peer-reviewed publications, including work in leading journals such as Nature Biomedical Engineering, Nature Communications, ACS Nano, and Allergy, with over 2,500 citations and an h-index of 22. He has secured competitive funding as principal investigator exceeding €2.5 million, including a recent ERC Starting Grant, and currently leads a multidisciplinary team of postdoctoral researchers and PhD students.

Lynne S. Taylor, Retter Distinguished Professor of Pharmacy, Industrial and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Purdue University, USA

Lynne S. Taylor is the Retter Distinguished Professor of Pharmacy in the Department of Industrial and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Purdue University. Prior to moving to academia, she spent several years working at AstraZeneca in Sweden developing new drugs. Lynne received a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree with First Class Honours from the University of Bath in the UK. Her PhD was undertaken at the University of Bradford, UK, in the area of Pharmaceutical Technology. After her PhD, Lynne was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, US. Research in Lynne’s group is directed toward exploring the science underlying the preformulation, formulation and manufacturing of drugs and other bioactive substances, with a particular focus on poorly water-soluble compounds. She has published more than 390 peer reviewed articles. Lynne has received a number of awards including the Coblentz Society Craver Award in Applied Vibrational Spectroscopy (2014), the Ebert prize for the best manuscript in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences (2012, 2025), the Dale E. Wurster Research Award (2020), the UW-Madison School of Pharmacy Citation of Merit Award (2024) and the Research Ireland St. Patrick’s Day Medal (2026). Lynne is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, holds an honorary doctorate from Uppsala University, and is editor-in-chief of the ACS journal, Molecular Pharmaceutics.

Dr Mohamed A. Alhnan BPharm, PhD, MRPharmS, FHEA, Reader in Innovative Pharmaceutics, King’s College London, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences, UK

Mohamed A. Alhnan is a Reader in Innovative Pharmaceutics at the Institute of Pharmaceutical Science (IPS), King’s College London (KCL). His research focuses on applying the latest advances in material science and electronics in the pharmaceutical field. His fundamental research led to several world firsts; first example of using pharmaceutical grade polymers in fused deposition modelling (FDM) 3D printing (3DP) , first 3D printed tablets to meet the US and British Pharmacopoeias for delayed release products, and first examples of 3DP of liquid-filled capsules. He introduced and patented the innovative concept of tablets of complex architecture as a solution for fast disintegration and dissolution (WO2017072536A1) and invented a novel approach for polymer extrusion under low temperature (WO2016038356A1). Dr Alhnan (h-index 37) has published >60 peer-reviewed articles, 25 of which focus on manufacturing dosage forms using innovative technologies and generated over £3.5M from research council grants (EPSRC), MRC, Innovate UK and industrial collaborations.

Dr Athanassia Athanassiou, Italian Institute of Technology, Italy

Athanassia Athanassiou is a Principal Investigator at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) in Genoa, where she leads the Smart Materials Group. She also serves as Associate Director for the Nanomaterials Domain and, since August 2025, as Vice Scientific Director of the Institute.

She earned a Physics degree from the University of Ioannina (Greece), an MSc in Laser Photonics from the University of Manchester, and a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Salford (2000), supported by British Nuclear Fuels Limited.

From 2000 to 2005, she worked at FORTH in Crete as a postdoctoral and collaborating researcher, while also holding an academic role at the Technical University of Crete. In 2006, she joined CNR–Istitute of Nanoscience in Lecce. She moved to IIT in 2011, establishing the Smart Materials Group, which relocated to Genoa in 2012. She received tenure in 2014 and now leads an interdisciplinary team of about 40 researchers focused on sustainable materials for environmental and health applications.

In 2022 she founded Alkivio, a startup developing compostable biocomposites from paper waste, while since 2022 she has chaired the Scientific Committee of the Competence Centre for Sustainability at the Free University of Bozen–Bolzano.

She has authored around 500 publications, holds numerous patents, and over the past decade her group has participated in 10 EU-funded projects, 9 institutional projects, and 44 industrial projects, also establishing two joint laboratories with industry partners.

Ms Luisa Attfield, University of Birmingham, UK

Luisa Attfield is a EngD student in Chemical Engineering at the University of Birmingham and GSK. Her research focuses on evaluating Process Analytical Technology (PAT) tools for pharmaceutical high shear wet granulation. Her work combines experimental granulation studies with computational modelling (using the discrete element method), enabling a deeper understanding of how real‑time measurement technologies can enhance process control, product quality, and manufacturing efficiency.

Prior to this, Luisa worked as a data scientist in early‑phase bioprocessing at GSK, where she contributed to upstream development activities for emerging biotherapeutics. Here she worked on using computational fluid dynamics and process modelling to aid scale up of upstream processes and worked on developing data driven tools and dashboards to assist laboratory scientists.

Dr Raj K. Singh Badhan, Senior Lecturer of Pharmacokinetics, Aston Pharmacy School, Aston University, Birmingham, UK

Dr Raj K. Singh Badhan is Senior Lecturer of Pharmacokinetics at Aston Pharmacy School, Aston University, and Programme Director for the MSc Pharmacokinetics. He is a UK-registered pharmacist with expertise in pharmacokinetics, pharmacometrics, physiologically based pharmacokinetic modelling, precision dosing and pharmaceutical development. His work sits at the interface of clinical pharmacology, pharmaceutics and translational pharmaceutical science, using modelling and simulation to understand how formulation, drug release, absorption, distribution and patient physiology influence medicine performance. His research focuses on improving medicines use in complex populations, including children, older adults, obesity, pregnancy, oncology and emerging space-health settings. He has published widely across pharmacokinetics, PBPK modelling, formulation science and model-informed drug development, and works across academic, clinical and industrial settings to translate quantitative pharmaceutical science into practical healthcare and development solutions.

Dorota Bartczak MEngSc, PhD, Science Area Leader, NML, LGC Limited, UK

Dorota Bartczak (MEngSc, PhD) is a multidisciplinary scientist with nearly 20 years of active research experience in physicochemical characterisation of nano- and micro-particles with applications in consumer products, medical devices and nanomedicines, as well as on novel contaminants such as nano- and micro-plastics. She is a Science Area Leader at LGC Limited, with headquarters in the UK. LGC has been home to the UK Government Chemist for over 100 years and is the UK National Measurement Laboratory (NML) and Designated Institute for chemical and biological measurements. Dorota was educated to a post-doctoral level at the University of Southampton, UK, where she was awarded a PhD in Life Sciences (Nanotechnology) in 2010. She has received her first degree, Master of Science and Engineering in Biotechnology, at the Technical University of Lodz, Poland in 2007. Dorota has ~50 peer reviewed publications and book chapters in the nanotechnology area and has received several prestigious awards, including the first prize and Mendel medal in Biomedical Sciences awarded at the House of Commons. She coordinates European Metrology Partnership projects (e.g. 25HLT05 QuanTheriac and 24NRM02 ConcenSus) with plans for initiation of new interlaboratory comparisons and documentary standards. Dorota is also involved in Reference Materials development (e.g. LGCQC5050) and provision of commercial measurements services, training and consultancy. She is the LGCs representative at the European and International standards development organisations, the current Chair of BSI NTI/1 ‘Nanotechnologies’ committee, and the Head of UK’s Delegation at ISO TC 229 and CEN TC 352. She also holds a role of Vice Chair of ETPN Safety and Characterisation Working Group and is a member of the CCQM Microplastics Task Group, ISO TC 24 SC4 and the UK’s subject matter expert. Dorota has led/co-lead development of documentary standards (e.g. ISO/TS 19590 on spICP-MS) and pre-normative interlaboratory comparisons (under BIPM CCQM and VAMAS TWA 35 and TWA 45).

Laxman Cherkupally, Associate Director, Pharmaceutical Development, Medicines for Malaria Venture, Switzerland

Laxman oversees CMC activities for a diverse portfolio of early- and late-phase drug development projects at Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV). Before joining MMV, he spent a decade at Novartis, where he gained comprehensive experience bringing life-saving medicines from the lab to launch. Laxman is deeply passionate about developing and delivering novel drugs, with a dedicated focus on protecting vulnerable pediatric populations

Professor Barbara Conway, Head of Pharmacy, University of Huddersfield, UK

Professor Barbara Conway is the Head of Pharmacy at the University of Huddersfield, and co-director of a multi-disciplinary research institute, the Institute of Skin Integrity and Infection Prevention (ISIaIP). She graduated in Pharmacy from Queens University Belfast, received her PhD in pharmaceutical formulation from Aston University and was awarded Fellowship of the APS in 2024. She has a multidisciplinary research portfolio with expertise across formulation development, pharmaceutical analysis, and drug delivery strategies with a strong focus on translation into clinical practice. She was also a Medici Fellow, specializing in driving forward innovation within the university sector and held several patents in the pharmaceutical area. She has supervised over 50 Ph.D. students and on-going research programmes focus on strategies to improve skin antisepsis and delivery of antimicrobials, antimicrobial stewardship, solubility enhancement for poorly soluble drugs, and development and characterisation of novel formulations.

She has published 200 peer-reviewed articles, along with patents, book chapters and conference abstracts.

Professor Marie Louise (Marieke) De Bruin, Professor in Drug Regulatory Science at Utrecht University and Scientific Director of the Utrecht Centre for Pharmaceutical Policy and Regulation, Netherlands

She was trained as a pharmacist (Utrecht University) and epidemiologist (Erasmus University Rotterdam) and holds a PhD in pharmacoepidemiology. She has combined academic research with advice for health authorities since 2008, both nationally (Pharmacovigilance expert for the Dutch Medicines Evaluation Board 2008-2016, Health Council of The Netherlands 2023-now) and internationally (European Commission appointed independent Scientific Expert of the Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC), at the European Medicines Agency 2012-2018).

Currently she holds leading positions in regulatory science networks and projects, including being Co-Chair of the Regulatory Science Network Netherlands (2023-now) and Member Program Board Oncode Accelerator (2024-now). Her Drug Regulatory Science research activities, focus on developing new tools, standards and approaches to evaluate the efficacy, safety, quality and performance of medical products in order to assess benefit-risk and facilitate a sound and transparent regulatory decision making. The most important research areas are ‘Regulation of Novel Methodologies and Therapeutics’ and ‘Pharmacovigilance Processes and Methods’.

Steven Fussell, Asymchem Research and Development Labs, UK

Steve earned his Chemistry degree from the University of Sheffield before beginning his career at Pfizer in 2002. There, he pioneered the use of high-throughput experimentation (HTE) in chemical development, establishing it as a core capability within the process development laboratories. His leadership was instrumental in the creation of a state-of-the-art robotic lab providing end-to-end experimentation whilst integrating HTE with machine learning.

Over his tenure at Pfizer, Steve contributed to more than 100 projects and played a key role in the development of 11 commercial medicines, spanning the entire drug development lifecycle, from early-stage enabling to full commercialisation. He has consistently been at the forefront of emerging technologies, collaborating with industry leaders and consortia to design and implement cutting-edge new technologies.

In 2024, Steve took on a senior management role at the newly established Asymchem Research and Development Labs in the UK. He leads the High-Throughput Experimentation team, driving innovation to enable smarter, greener, and more cost-effective pharmaceutical research and manufacturing.

Professor Michael Heinrich, UCL School of Pharmacy, London, UK

Michael Heinrich is a Professor of Ethnopharmacology and Pharmacognosy at the UCL School of Pharmacy. His academic journey took him from an MA in Anthropology (Wayne State University) to phytochemical research as a part of a Masters’ degree in Biology, to field on medicinal plants with a Mexican Indian group and subsequent studies on the anti-inflammatory and GI-effects of selected species. Since 1999 he has been at the School of Pharmacy U. London (now the UCL School of Pharmacy) with a global focus on the fast-changing global health needs and the associated chemical, pharmacological, analytical and ethnopharmacological questions including research on topical anti-inflammatory formulations, calue chain of herbal medicines and the impact of climate change on the sector.

Since 2022 he also is a Yushan Fellow at China Medical University, Taiwan (https://yushan.project.edu.tw/TopTalent/EN/Intro#section1) developing research on various aspects of Chinese herbal medicine.

Dr Thomas Hibbard, Maplethorpe Research Fellow, King’s College, London, UK

Thomas Hibbard is a Maplethorpe Research Fellow at King’s College, London, specialising in pharmaceutical formulation development. His current research focuses on developing a digital skin permeation model to aid topical formulation design. This incorporates the design of a miniaturised skin permeation testing device and the development of a quantitative FTIR spectroscopy method to achieve high-throughput permeation testing. He completed his PhD in pharmaceutical formulations and analysis from the University of Reading following registering as a Pharmacist.

During his PhD he was awarded the Geoffrey Phillips Analytical Science Award by the JPAG committee and presented his work at the APS PharmSci Conference.

Professor Stephen Hilton, Professor of Chemistry and Enabling Technologies, UCL School of Pharmacy, UK

Professor Stephen Hilton is a Professor of Chemistry and Enabling Technologies at University College London (UCL), based in UCL School of Pharmacy. He leads a multidisciplinary research programme at the interface of synthetic chemistry, advanced manufacturing, and immersive digital technologies.

He studied Chemistry with Management at King’s College London (BSc, 1996) and completed his PhD in 2002 under the supervision of Professor Keith Jones at King’s College London and Kingston University. He subsequently undertook postdoctoral research with Professor William Motherwell FRS at University College London (2002–2006) and at the Institute of Cancer Research, University of London (2006–2008). In 2008, he was awarded an RCUK Fellowship at the School of Pharmacy, University of London, which later became the UCL School of Pharmacy, where he now holds a Chair.

Professor Hilton has published over 50 peer-reviewed research papers and contributed to multiple book chapters. His research spans medicinal chemistry, reaction scale-up, catalysis, and enabling technology development, with a particular emphasis on the integration of 3D printing, continuous flow chemistry, virtual reality (VR), and AI-driven automation for pharmaceutical and synthetic applications. He is the inventor of the IKA FLOW continuous flow reactor, developed in partnership with IKA, incorporating modular 3D-printed reactor architectures pioneered within his research group.

His current programme focuses on AI-enabled digital twin laboratories that integrate real-time reaction data, immersive VR interfaces, and automated control systems for continuous flow chemistry and advanced manufacturing. This includes the development of 3D-printed catalytic devices, embedded low-cost sensor systems for remote reaction monitoring, and intelligent control frameworks for smart laboratory environments. In parallel, he leads initiatives in VR-based laboratory training and global digital collaboration, deploying immersive environments and AI avatars to enhance technical skills development, laboratory safety, and equitable access to STEM education. His work in immersive and digitally enabled chemistry education has been recognised with the Royal Society of Chemistry Horizon Prize for Education and multiple international awards.

Dr Esther Jacobs, Associate Principal Scientist, Advanced Drug Delivery, AstraZeneca, UK

Dr Esther Jacobs is an Associate Principal Scientist in Advanced Drug Delivery at AstraZeneca, Cambridge. She specializes in enabling oral delivery for poorly soluble and beyond‑Rule‑of‑5 molecule, with expertise in amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs), lipid‑based formulations (LBFs), nanocrystals, and hot‑melt extrusion. At AstraZeneca she leads cross‑functional formulation strategies from early discovery through early clinical development. She holds a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Queen’s University Belfast on drug delivery using HME‑produced amorphous polymeric nanoparticles.

Professor Stuart Jones, Chair in Pharmaceutical Medicine, Director of the Centre for Pharmaceutical Medicine Research, King’s College London, UK

Professor Jones holds a chair in Pharmaceutical Medicine within the Pharmacy Department of the Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine at King’s College London. He began his career in the Pharmaceutical Industry at Pfizer in Sandwich, Kent, but left this role to complete a PhD in Inhaled formulation design under Professor Marc Brown and Gary Martin at King’s College London. After earning his PhD, he became Head of Research and Development at the dermal SME MedPharm Ltd, then transitioned back into academia 20 years ago by taking up a lectureship at King’s College London.

Professor Jones leads a pharmaceutical dermatology research team at King’s focused on designing innovative pharmaceutical formulations and devices. He is interested in how molecules interact with and penetrate skin tissue. He employs new discoveries in barrier transport processes to develop new diagnostic tools and drug delivery systems. To date, this work has received funding from 18 research grants totalling £9 million. He has published over 90 research articles, holds 10 patents, and has successfully supervised more than 12 postdoctoral researchers and 40 PhD students. Currently, he is heading large translational projects to launch a new vitamin D transdermal patch, a topical gas therapy for onychomycosis and a new diagnostic device (https://www.epinostics.co.uk)

Professor Jones is passionate about expanding global capabilities in medicines development through education. He completed an MA in Education while working at King’s, and he used this knowledge to establish the Centre for Pharmaceutical Medicine Research (https://www.cpmr.org.uk/) at King’s College London. This centre offered the world’s first MSc in Medical Affairs, the UK’s first level 7 apprenticeship in clinical pharmacology, and an online MSc in Global Medicines Development. It is dedicated to providing flexible education to train and upskill the next generation of medicines developers.

Professor Landfester, Director, Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Mainz, Germany

Katharina Landfester is Director at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Mainz. She studied at the Technical University of Darmstadt and received her doctoral degree from the University of Mainz with a work at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Mainz. After a postdoctoral stay at Lehigh University (US), she joined the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces (Golm, Germany). From 2003 to 2008, she was full professor at Ulm University (Germany). Since 2008, she is director at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research. She was awarded the Reimund Stadler prize and the prize of the Dr. Hermann Schnell Foundation, followed by the Bruno Werdelmann Lecturer (2012), the Bayer Lecturer (2014), the Liesegang prize (2024) and the Liebig Denkmünze (2024). She has published more than 800 papers in international journals, 30 reviews and holds more than 50 patents.

She pioneered the miniemulsion process for creating polymer-encapsulated multifunctional nanocarriers and demonstrated their applications in biology, diagnostics, and therapeutics. Her research connects fundamental chemistry with life-inspired function by designing artificial cells and nanocarriers that self-assemble, interact at interfaces, and adapt dynamically. Through advanced synthesis, high-resolution imaging, and machine learning, her group uncovers the principles by which molecules evolve into active, adaptive systems, enabling precision nanomedicine and advancing our understanding of life-like functionality.

Aurélia Lappert, Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine, Scientific Lead in Product Delivery Strategy and Innovation, France

Aurélia graduated in Chemistry Engineering Process and Formulation from the Engineering School of Chemistry, Physics and Electronics in Lyon, in 2010.

She started her career in Pharmaceutical Product Development in 2011, as a Formulation Scientist at UCB Biosciences in Germany, working on the development of transdermal delivery system. She progressed to a Drug Product Lead role in UCB Pharma in Belgium in 2013, managing several small molecule projects from pre-clinical to clinical development up to lifecycle management, for different target indications and dosage form types.

She joined Johnson & Johnson in October 2021 as a Drug Product Scientific Integrator managing several paediatric projects from formulation development up to supporting the preparation of Marketing Applications. She transitioned to a new role in March 2025 in Product Design Strategy and Innovation, supporting the identification of innovative opportunities and patient-centric medical solutions.

Dr Andy Lewis PhD BPharm(Hons) FCRS, Chief Scientific Officer, Quotient Sciences, UK

Andy is currently Chief Scientific Officer at Quotient Sciences responsible for a team of scientific and technical experts across both the UK and USA supporting our clients drug development programmes from preclinical formulation development through to commercial drug product manufacturing. After obtaining a pharmacy degree and PhD from the University of Nottingham he has worked in the pharmaceutical industry for over 25 years for organisations of all sizes – from start-up biotechs to large pharmaceutical companies. He has a passion for the application of advanced drug delivery technologies to address unmet clinical needs, particularly in the areas of protein and peptide drug delivery, solubility enhancement and controlled release. He is a member of the Academy of Pharmaceutical Scientists of Great Britain and is a Fellow of the Controlled Release Society.

Professor Dr. Paola Luciani, Pharmaceutical Technology Research Group, Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bern, Switzerland

Paola Luciani is Full Professor of Pharmaceutical Technology at the University of Bern and Director of Studies of the Bachelor in Pharmaceutical Sciences. Before moving to Bern in 2019, she was an Associate Professor for Phospholipids in Drug Development at the University of Jena, Germany. She held research positions at the University of Florence and ETH Zurich. Paola served as Vice-President and President of the Controlled Release Society Local Chapter for Germany/Switzerland/Austria (2024-2026) and is currently Vice-President Science of the Swiss Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Paola acts as external Specialist for Pharmaceutical Quality of Swissmedic (Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products) and Expert of the NANO (Nanomedicine) Working group of the European Pharmacopoeia. She has been a member of the Scientific Advisory Council of the Phospholipid Research Center since 2019. In 2024, she co-founded the Center of Extracellular Research at the University of Bern. She serves as Editor for the International Journal of Pharmaceutics.

Her scientific contributions have earned her multiple recognitions, including an ERC Synergy Grant, the Breaking Barriers Breakthrough Award from the Controlled Release Society, and the title of Emerging Investigator from the Royal Society of Chemistry. Her research centers on the design and characterization of lipid-based delivery systems for drug delivery and diagnostics, with a focus on treatments for fibrotic and inflammatory diseases, including women’s health.

Professor Olivia Merkel, Professor and Chair of Drug Delivery, LMU Munich, Germany

Olivia Merkel has been a Professor of Drug Delivery at LMU Munich since 2015, Chair since 2022, and Vice-Director of the Department of Pharmacy since 2024. She is a Registered Pharmacist, received a MS (2006) and a PhD (2009) in Pharmaceutical Technology as well as numerous awards, including an ERC Starting Grant, ERC Proof-of-Concept Grant, and ERC Consolidator Grant, the APV Research Award and the Carl-Wilhelm-Scheele-Award. Merkel is the co-spokesperson for the BMBF Future Cluster CNAT-M and an author of over 150 articles and book chapters. She served as NIH reviewer from 2014-2015, SNSF reviewer from 2018-2022, is an Editorial Board member for JCR, EJPB, Molecular Pharmaceutics and other journals, Associate Editor for DDTR and WIREs Nanomedicine and Nanobiotechnology, was the President of the German Controlled Release Society in 2020 and the Chair of the CRS Focus Group on Transdermal and Mucosal Delivery from 2020-2022, and currently is a scientific advisory board member of Coriolis Pharma, AMW, and Corden Pharma as well as a co-founder of RNhale.

Her research focuses mainly on RNA formulation and pulmonary delivery for the treatment of a variety of lung diseases.

Professor Moein Moghimi, Newcastle University, UK

Moein Moghimi is a Professor of Pharmaceutics and Nanomedicine at the School of Pharmacy, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, and Centre for Biomedical Engineering at Newcastle University (UK). He also serves as an Adjoint Professor at the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, USA, and Guest Professor at the China-Italy Joint Laboratory of Pharmacobiotechnology for Medical Immunomodulation, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. He is also co-founder of three spin-offs in USA and UK, Editor-in-Chief of Drug Delivery (Taylor & Francis) and Associate Editor of Molecular Therapy (Cell Press). Prof. Moghimi is globally recognised as a leading authority in pharmaceutical nanotechnology, drug delivery and immunological safety with over 300 peer-reviewed publications and secured patents. His research has fundamentally shaped and provided crucial insights into how nanoparticles interact with the body’s defences and this knowledge has proved essential for design and engineering of immune-safe, long-circulating and target-specific nanomedicines. For the sixth consecutive year, the Stanford University-Elsevier’s “Updated Science-Wide Author Databases of Standardized Citation Indicators – Version 8” ranks Prof. Moghimi among the world’s leading 0.08% of all scientists within 22 scientific fields and places him in the top 50 scientists in the world under Pharmacology & Pharmacy Science-Metrix subfield on a career-long basis. In 2024, he received the Chinese Academy of Sciences PIFI Distinguished Scientist Award. He graduated with Honors in Biochemistry from the University of Manchester (UK) in 1985 and then completed a PhD in Biochemistry (liposome immunobiology) at Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School (Imperial College, London).

Professor Katarina Novakovic, Newcastle University, UK

Katarina Novakovic is a Professor of Polymer Engineering at Newcastle University. She obtained a degree in Chemical Engineering from Belgrade University, after which she worked in the pharmaceutical industry at Solid Forms Plant, Hemofarm, Serbia, before obtaining a PhD from Newcastle University in the area of mathematical modelling of polymerization processes. Her research focuses on the development of technologies aimed at sustainable living, spanning from engineered polymeric materials for novel pharmaceutical formulations to technologies aimed at plastic waste reduction and management. Katarina’s research attracted many prestigious awards including EPSRC Career Acceleration Fellowship, New Directions for EPSRC Leaders Fellowship, and EPSRC Healthcare Technologies Impact Fellowship. Katarina’s role in the development of organic oscillatory reactions has been acknowledged by naming them Bruk Temkin–Gorodsky Novakovic (BT-GN) reactions, after the core contributors. In 2023 Katarina became EPSRC-WES Women in Engineering Ambassador (where WES stands for Women’s Engineering Society) and led formation of School of Engineering Women’s Engineering Network at Newcastle University. Katarina is dedicated to breaking barriers and actively promoting women in engineering, brainstorming together and shaping our engineering community.

Dr Connor O’Farrell, InnoGI Technologies, The Netherlands

Dr Connor O’Farrell is a Chemical Engineer by training with a PhD in Formulation Engineering. Connor specialises in the development and application of advanced in vitro and in silico models in biopharmaceutics and process engineering.

Professor Olumayokun Olajide, Professor of Cellular & Molecular Pharmacology, School of Applied Sciences, University of Huddersfield, UK

Olumayokun (Mayo) Olajide is a Professor of Cellular & Molecular Pharmacology in the School of Applied Sciences, University of Huddersfield where he leads the ‘Drugs from Nature Targeting Inflammation’ Research Group. He completed his PhD in Pharmacology at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. This was followed by Humboldt Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in the Center for Drug Research (Pharmaceutical Biology), Department of Pharmacy, University of Munich, and the Neurochemistry Research Laboratories, University of Freiburg Medical School, Germany. His research on the pharmacology of natural products focuses on translating indigenous knowledge to pharmacology (ethnopharmacology), conversion of agricultural and food wastes into pharmacologically active healthcare products (valorisation), cellular and molecular pharmacology of drugs from nature targeting inflammation, and pharmacological modulation of neuroinflammation with natural and synthetic compounds. Prof. Olajide is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Dr Jeanne Rivera, Science Lead, National Measurement Laboratory (NML) at LGC, UK

Jeanne Rivera is the Science Lead for the Cell Metrology team of NML at LGC based in Nexus, Leeds. Jeanne joined NML at LGC in April 2022 where she oversaw the laboratory design and renovation of the cell biology lab and led the management and upkeep of ISO9001 lab certification. Her role involves people and project management, project delivery of core metrology and building collaborative relationships through partnerships. Jeanne is an active participant in international metrology committees including CCQM Cell Analysis Working Group, ISO TC 276 Biotechnology: Cell Characterisation and NIST Flow Cytometry Consortium. She has also led on various commercial projects including Innovate UK: Analysis for Innovators. Jeanne is currently leading to multidisciplinary research and development focused on the measurement of cells and cell-derived particles, ensuring accurate evaluation of Critical Quality Attributes (CQAs) such as morphology, viability, potency, and extracellular vesicle profiling. Her role underpins the standardisation of methodologies, supports regulatory alignment, and advances novel technologies for cell therapy, diagnostics, and biomedical research.

Dr Katie Ryan, Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, University College Cork, Cork, Irleand

Dr Katie Ryan is a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Pharmaceutics at the School of Pharmacy, University College Cork. A qualified pharmacist, she holds a BSc (Pharm), PhD in Pharmaceutics, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Quality Improvement from Trinity College Dublin, as well as a Master’s in Teaching and Learning from UCC. She is a past President of the United Kingdom and Ireland Controlled Release Society (UKICRS) and current management committee member for the IMPROVE COST action network focused on improving the quality of biomedical science with 3Rs concepts. Her research is translational, involving collaborations with industry in pharmaceutical formulation and combination medical device development. She has secured over €1.2 million in research funding from Research Ireland (formerly SFI), Enterprise Ireland and industry partners. She is also a funded investigator within the RINN Pharma & Biopharma centre. Her research focuses on the formulation and processing of challenging therapeutic agents, including proteins and poorly soluble drugs, for applications in drug delivery, medical devices and tissue regeneration. Current projects are investigating clinically relevant in vitro 3D models, pulmonary delivery of RNA therapeutics and implants for the management of posterior ocular diseases.

Professor Dr Hélder A. Santos (D.Sc. Chem. Eng.), Head of the Department of Biomaterials and Biomedical Technology and Head of the Translational Bionanomicro Theragenerative Medicine Lab, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, The Netherlands

Prof. Santos (D.Sc. Tech., Chem. Eng.) is a Full Professor and Chair in Biomedical Engineering, and the Head of the Department of Biomaterials and Biomedical Technology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen. He was also a former Full Professor and Head of Division of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology at the University of Helsinki, Faculty of Pharmacy. Prof. Santos is also the co-founder of the startups Capsamedix Oy and Medixmicro Oy, and was the Coordinator of a large MSCA-ITN P4 FIT network in tendon repair (~ 4.1 m€). He holds an Honorary Adjunct Fellow at the University of Technology Sydney, and held previously Visiting Professorships at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine and University of Tartu. Prof. Santos research interests include the development of nanoparticles/nanomedicines and biomaterials for biomedical applications, particularly cancer and heart diseases. Currently, he (co)-supervises +30 PhD students and 5 MSCA-postdoctoral fellowships. His lab makes the unique bridge between medical engineering, pharmaceutical nanotechnology, and tissue engineering by combining unique techniques to develop novel therapeutic formulations for translation into the clinic. He is co-author of more than +650 publications (+35000 citations; h-index = 106) and 8 patents. He has +300 invited talks around the world. He has (co-)supervised +50 PhD students and +40 postdocs. His former lab members +10 are know well established professors around the world. He is also in Editorial board member of Advanced Healthcare Materials, Advanced Therapeutics, Journal of Controlled Release, VIEW, Journal of Functional Materials, Precision Nanomedicine, Biomedical Technology, Smart Medicine, among many others. He is Associate Editor of Nano Select, and Drug Delivery and Translational Research, among others. Prof. Santos has received prestigious honours, awards and grants, such as the “Talent Prize in Science” in 2010 attributed by the Portuguese Government, the European Research Council Starting Grant in 2013, the European Research Council Proof-of-Concept Grant in 2018, the Young Researcher Award in 2013 attributed by the University of Helsinki, the Academy of Finland Award for Social Impact in 2016, the Controlled Release Society Young Investigator Award 2021, and the APV Research Award for Outstanding Achievements in Pharmaceutical Sciences 2026. Altogether, Prof. Santos has secured, since 2009, +35 research grants nationally and internationally worth of +25 M€.

Dr Jason Teckoe, Director of Film Coating Technical Strategy, Colorcon Limited, UK

Dr Jason Teckoe recently took on the role of Director of Film Coating Technical Strategy at Colorcon, where he leads global technical initiatives to advance film coating technologies for solid oral dosage forms. Since joining Colorcon in 2007, he has held senior technical and leadership roles across Europe and the United States, driving innovation in pharmaceutical coatings and excipients.

During his time in the US, Dr Teckoe led new product development programs that delivered a portfolio of immediate, delayed, and extended-release film coating systems. Returning to the UK in 2017, he served as Technical Director for EMEA, strengthening scientific leadership, expanding academic collaborations, and enhancing customer engagement across a diverse regional landscape.

A Chartered Chemist with a PhD in Polymer Physics, Dr Teckoe brings over 25 years of experience in formulation development and advanced film coating design. He is passionate about translating material science and digital innovation into practical solutions that enhance drug delivery, improve manufacturing efficiency, and ultimately provide better patient outcomes.

Dr Andrew Teasdale, Owner ATCMC Solutions Limited, UK

Andrew Teasdale PhD has over 30 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical industry as an analytical chemist and within quality assurance and regulatory roles. Recently retired from AstraZeneca, Andrew used to chair AZ’ Impurity Advisory Group. He has also led a number of Industry groups including being a past chair of the Extractables and Leachables safety Information exchange (ELSIE) and the Joint Pharmaceutical analysis group JPAG) and a member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RSC) science board. He has also led a number of industry expert groups; these include both safety and quality groups within Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), Product Quality Research Institute (PQRI). He has also represented EFPIA in ICH Q3C-D-E working groups.

Andrew has published a number of books and papers relating to ICH Q’ guidelines, mutagenic impurities, N-Nitrosamines, extractables and leachables and other impurity related matters and is the inventor of the purge factor concept.

On the personal side, Andrew is a long time Newcastle football fan and enjoys traveling.

Dr Gail Whiting, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), UK

Gail Whiting is a Principal Scientist in Proteomics and Mass Spectrometry at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Her role involves development of mass spectrometry techniques for the analysis of biological medicines such as vaccines and biotherapeutic products, particularly quantitative approaches for the mass assignment of biological reference standards. Gail Whiting holds a PhD in Molecular Microbiology from University College London. Her post-doctoral studies at University College Medical School and at the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC) focused on microbial pathogenicity.

MoMo Zandieh, Leverhulme Early Career Fellow, Department of Chemistry, Institute for Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London, UK

MoMo Zandieh earned his MSc in Biotechnology Engineering from Sharif University of Technology, Iran, before completing his PhD in Chemistry at the University of Waterloo, Canada, in 2023. He then joined the laboratory of Stefan Howorka at University College London (UCL) as a Research Fellow. In September 2026, he will begin his independent research career as a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow in the Department of Chemistry at UCL.

His research sits at the interface of environmental nanoscience, DNA nanotechnology, and biological systems. During his doctoral and postdoctoral work, he developed innovative molecular approaches to study nanomaterials, including the discovery of plastic-binding DNA aptamers. At UCL, he has broadened his research into membrane biophysics and cellular systems.

By integrating concepts from chemistry, nanotechnology, and biology, his work aims to create molecular tools that address fundamental questions at the boundary between synthetic materials and living systems.

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