Program > Keynotes

Keynotes speakers

Bernard Cathala (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.

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.

And more to be announced soon...