Christoph Neinhuis is Professor of Botany at TU Dresden in Germany. He received his PhD from the University of Bonn. His research focuses on study of the mechanical properties of unusual tree like plants such as monocots (Aloe, Yucca, Dracaena) or hydro-actuated plants organs (papaya stems or ice plant seed capsules), as well as study of the architecture and biomechanics of the vascular system of columnar cacti as a model for new branched composite materials in light weight engineering.

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Thomas Russell is Silvio O. Conte Distinguished Professor of Polymer Science and Engineering at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. He received his PhD in Polymer Science and Engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. His research focuses on the surface and interfacial properties of polymers, the use of polymers as scaffolds and templates for the generation of nanoscopic structures, the interfacial assembly of nanoparticles, polymer upcycling, and organic ad perovskite-based solar cells.

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Erik Thiele is a materials scientist who has worked in industry for more than 25 years. He received his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania and followed this with a two-year postdoc at EPFL in Switzerland. Erik has spent his entire professional career at the companies DuPont, and its recent spinout, Chemours, beginning as a research chemist specialising in colloidal and particle science. Since 2008, Erik has been in diverse management roles, leading teams in new product development, technical service, continuous improvement and marketing.