Program > Keynotes

Keynotes Speakers

Rachel Auzély-Velty (Professor at Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA), CERMAV-CNRS, Grenoble, France)

Rachel Auzély-Velty, is full Professor at Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA). She is leading the group “Structure and Modification of Polysaccharides” in CERMAV-CNRS (Grenoble) where she was recruited as a CNRS researcher in 1999 before being promoted to full Professor at UGA in 2005. Her research interests lie in the fields of chemistry and physico-chemistry of polysaccharides and of biomaterials (especially hydrogels). Potential target applications include controlled and targeted drug delivery, cell therapy and tissue engineering. She has published more than 110 papers related to polysaccharide chemistry, 6 book chapters, and 14 patents. She was a junior fellow of the Institut Universitaire de France (IUF) (2009-14) and she is Associate Editor of the RSC Applied Polymers journal (RSC).

Bernard Cathala (Senior Researcher at French National Institute for Agriculture, Alimentation and Environment (INRAE), Biopolymers, Interactions and Assemblies (BIA), Nantes, France)

Bernard Cathala is Senior Researcher at INRAE French National Institute for Agriculture, Alimentation and Environment and head of the Biopolymers, Interactions and Assemblies laboratory in Nantes (https://eng-ur-bia.angers-nantes.hub.inrae.fr/). He obtained his PhD in 1995 in organic chemistry from the university of Toulouse. His research focuses on the chemistry and physical chemistry of biopolymers and nanocellulose, with a view to developing bio-based materials. More specifically, his current research address the interactions between biopolymers (mostly hemicelluloses and polysaccharides) and cellulose surfaces in biomimetic contexts, with a view to the fabrication of smart coatings, hydrogels, aerogels and biomimetic assemblies. He has published over 140 papers and filed 10 patents, 5 of which are currently being exploited by companies. 

Anne Ladegaard Skov (Professor at DTU Chemical Engineering, heading the Danish Polymer Centre, Denmark)

Anne Ladegaard Skov is a professor at DTU in Denmark, heading the Danish Polymer Centre. She is a world-leading expert in silicone elastomer synthesis, characterization, and utilization. She has published more than 170 publications and has been granted 13 patent families. She is furthermore a cofounder of 3 companies that are either spun out or still in the incubator environment. Anne Ladegaard Skov has received multiple prizes for her work, including the EliteForsk award in 2022, granted by the Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science, and the Grundfos Prize in 2022, regarded as one of the most prestigious prized in Denmark for technical research.

Alba Marcellan (Professor, Sorbonne University and Soft Matter Sciences and Engineering Laboratory,ESPCI, Paris)

Initially with a background in materials and mechanics (Mines Paris), her integration at ESPCI Paris broadened her interests towards Chemistry and Soft Matter. Alba Marcellan has aspired to provide contributions in the field of materials science with a special interest in the impact of reversible sacrificial interactions on the deformation and fracture (bulk and adhesion) processes involved in polymer-based materials or assemblies. Her current research focuses on fibrous materials, as collagen filaments or biobased gels, exploring the effects of cooperativity, on mechanical or swelling responses. She worked in the group of Prof. Jian Ping Gong at Hokkaido University for 5 years, being member of the Global Station for Soft Matter. She was awarded by the French Polymer Society in 2015 for her contribution in the field and she joined the Institut Universitaire de France since 2017.

David Mecerreyes (Research Professor at POLYMAT University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain)

PhD in polymer chemistry by the University of Liege (Belgium) in 1998. Then he carried out a post-doctoral stay at IBM Almaden Research Center and Stanford University in California. Back to Spain he worked for 10 years in CIDETEC.  In 2011 he became Ikerbasque Research Professor at POLYMAT (www.polymat.eu), University of the Basque Country. Since then he coordinates the Innovative Polymers Group. From January 2025, he is the scientific-director of POLYMAT. His actual research interests include the synthesis of innovative polymers for energy and bioelectronics. In particular his team is dedicated to polymer chemistry of innovative redox polymers, poly(ionic liquid)s, ionogels and   conducting polymers. He is co-author of more than 350 scientific articles. Co-founder of the start-up company POLYKEY.

Salvatore Pagano (Senior Fellow at Michelin, Ladoux Research Center, France)

After graduation at Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Chimie Mulhouse in 1991, he pursued on a PhD dealing with « Sulfur olefin metathesis » at LCOMS-CPE at Villeurbanne with Pr. Jean-Marie Basset and sponsored by Elf Atochem (1992-1995). In 1996, he joined MFP Michelin company to manage early research on new rubber additives (coupling agents, antidegradants & vulcanization agents) potentiality till 2002. After training he started in 2004 material design research activity for tire (grip on ice, noise, longevity) through expatriation in Michelin Japan Research Center in Ota city (Gunma prefecture) until 2013 with managerial & technical leader position. Back to MFP Michelin in France at Ladoux research center he led material research for many topics for passenger car tire with a focus on dry and wet grip until 2018. Since 2019, he joined new projects to make raw materials (elastomers, fillers, additives, diluents…) for tire become sustainable and to support newly acquired business (belts, sealing, medical…). Currently, he is focusing his activity for research & support on material design for new businesses as senior fellow with particular emphasis to medical domain.

Daniele Parisi (Assistant Professor at Faculty of Sciences and Engineering, University of Groningen, The Netherlands)

Daniele holds a PhD in Materials Science and Technology (2019) from the University of Crete, awarded within the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network COLLDENSE (Colloids of Designed Response). He is a soft matter experimentalist with extensive expertise in rheology, rheometry, and the physics of polymers and colloidal systems. His research in the Parisi group focuses on understanding the structural and dynamic properties of (bio)polymeric and colloidal materials, both at rest and under deformation. Particular emphasis is placed on charged soft matter, including complex coacervates, functionalized biopolymers, and ionomeric melts. The goal is to elucidate how charge distribution, molecular architecture, and chain flexibility influence relaxation dynamics, interfacial behavior, and emergent rheological properties. Daniele’s approach combines advanced rheological measurements with in situ characterization techniques such as birefringence, light scattering, Raman, and FTIR spectroscopy. These tools are integrated with molecular-scale models to establish structure–property relationships and inform the design of functional, tunable soft materials for applications in adhesion, formulations, and biomimetic systems.