PLENARY SPEAKERS
Professor Hyung Joon Cha
PLENARY SPEAKER 1
Title of talk: Biomolecules-based innovative functional materials for regenerative medicine and drug delivery
Professor Hyung Joon Cha received his PhD in Chemical Engineering from Seoul National University in 1995. From 1996 to 1998, he was the Postdoctoral Associate at the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute, USA and the Assistant Research Professor of the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park in 1998-1999. He joined POSTECH in 1999.
His area of interest includes biomolecules-based biomaterials, tissue and biomedical engineering, drug delivery system, and biosensors. He has published ~230 peer-reviewed research papers and holds more than 100-registered patents.
Currently, he is the Engineering Dean and SeAH Chair Professor of POSTECH and the Director of Biomaterials Research Institute (Previously, Marine BioMaterials Research Center) funded by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Korea through recognition of his prominent works on mussel-derived adhesive biomaterials for biomedical and healthcare applications. He is also the co-founder and co-CEO/CTO of Nature Gluetech Co., Ltd for the technology commercialization of mussel adhesive protein as an innovative medical bioadhesive.
His work has been recognized by many awards, selectively including a Korea Engineering Award of the Korea President, Inventor of The Year Award, a 2020 Future 100 Best Technologies and Researchers Award, a 2012 National R&D 100 Best Researches Award, and a Song-Gok Science and Technology Award.
He is currently the President of the Korean Society for Marine Biotechnology (KSMB), Assistant Deputy Secretary General of Publication Committee of the Asian Federation of Biotechnology (AFOB), Editor of Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering (SCI), and the Section Editor of BMC Biotechnology (SCI).
Professor Neil J Rowan
PLENARY SPEAKER 2
Technological University of the Shannon Midlands Midwest, Ireland
Title of talk: Simplifying sustaining and disruptive innovation for meeting challenges and emerging opportunities in the Biotech domain – ‘Making the Magic’
Professor Neil J Rowan is Director of the Bioscience Research Institute at Technological University of the Shannon Midlands Midwest (Ireland). Neil completed his PhD in Strathclyde University (Scotland converging the area of high voltage engineering with microbiology for development of pulsed light technology).
Neil has supervised 26 PhDs and mentored 18 postdoctoral Researchers in Biotechnology that captures bio-active refinement for One Health application, novel processing, sustaining and disruptive technology development and adaptation.
Neil is on the Editorial Board of Science of the Total Environment (STOTEN) and holds several professional fellowships. He was formerly a Senior Lecturer at Strathclyde University (Scotland) where his research was graded top of scale in UK Research Assessment Exercise (5*). He served for 12 years on Editor Board of Applied and Environmental Microbiology.
He was also appointed an Adjunct and Honorary Professor to several universities internationally (NUI Galway Ireland, University of KwaZuluNatal, South Africa), along with expert evaluator for Professorial Chair Appointments at Universiti Malaya, Malaysia.
His research has been cited ca. 6,000 times (H factor 42) where he also provides subject-matter independent reviews for Horizon Europe and Science Foundation Ireland. His published papers are optimised for impact, such as in STOTEN on the topics Green Deal Innovation, and COVID-19 which are on the most downloaded list of papers for this journal these past 9 months. He has presented as a keynote speaker at several national and international conferences on the development and adaption of technologies for addressing complex societal challenges.
Datuk Dr Ahmad Parveez Bin Ghulam Kadir
PLENARY SPEAKER 3
Director General
Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB), Malaysia
Title of talk: Creating Opportunities with Innovations in Oil Palm Biotechnology
Datuk Dr Ahmad Parveez is currently the Director General of the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB). He was appointed as Fellow of Academy Science Malaysia in 2016 and Member of National Biosafety Board (2018 – 2022). In July 2021, he was appointed as a Member of the Science Council of Malaysian Agricultural Research & Development Institute (MARDI). He sits on various other Boards; Board of Trustee of Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC, 2019 -2022), Board of Trustee of Malaysian Palm Oil Certification Council (MPOCC, 2019 – 2023) and Board of Trustee of Institute of Malaysian Plantation and Commodities (IMPAC). Datuk Dr Ahmad Parveez was previously the Chairman of Genetic Modification Advisory Committee under the National Biosafety Board (GMAC, 2010 – 2018). Recently, Datuk Dr Ahmad Parveez was appointed as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University Putra Malaysia (UPM). He is also very active in various professional societies including as the President of the International Society for Oil Palm Breeders (ISOPB), Chairperson for the Asian Section of American Oil Chemists’ Society (AOCS) and Board Member of The International Society of Biocatalysis and Agricultural Biotechnology (ISBAB).
Datuk Dr Ahmad Parveez was born in Taiping, Perak and obtained his secondary education at Sekolah Menengah King Edward VII, Taiping. He graduated with Bachelor of Science (UKM) in Genetics, Master of Science (UKM) in Molecular Genetics and a PhD (UPM) in Plant Genetic Engineering. He has 32 years of experience in Plant Molecular Biology, Genetic Engineering and Biosafety. He developed world first transgenic oil palm in 1997. His interest is in genetic modification of oil palm, biosafety of living modified organisms and oil palm sustainability.
He has obtained a number of prestigious awards both locally and internationally. He has 17 patents filed and six of them have been granted. He has authored and co-authored almost 100 papers in refereed journals and more than 250 conference papers.