Moura is director, Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia and vice-Pres., World Meteorological Organization. He was previously: Dir. Gen., Intl. Res. Inst. for Climate and Society, Columbia U.; snr. researcher and dir. meteorology, INPE, Brazil; and physics prof., U. of Taubate, Brazil. He has advanced research in climate forecasting, El Nino and Atlantic influences on droughts in northeastern Brazil and contributed to application of meteorological satellites and climate modelling in agriculture and water resources. He works on climate forecast system for global food security and relationships between climate and vector-born diseases. Awards include: Rossby Award, MIT; Awards from U. Fed. de Minas Gerais, Brazil; Award for Young Scientists, WMO, Geneva; Santos Dumont Medal, Min. of Aeronautics; Tamandaré Award, Navy, Brazil; elected Hon. Fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society, 2013.

Pal is a distinguished scientist and former Director of Indian Statistical Institute. He founded its Machine Intelligence Unit & the Natl. Center for Soft Computing in Calcutta. Currently, he is a SERB-National Science Chair; ISI-President and Emeritus Professor; and AICTE-Distinguished Chair Professor. Obtained PhD (Sc) from Calcutta U. and PhD (Engg) & DIC from Imperial College, London. Worked at UC Berkeley; UMD, College Park; NASA JSC, Houston; and US Naval Research Lab, Washington, DC. His awards include: SS Bhatnagar; Padma Shri; GD Birla; OP Bhasin; J Nehru Fellowship; FICCI; Vikram Sarabhai; IETE-Wadhwa Gold Medal; INSA-Zaheer Medal; ISC-PC Mahalanobis Gold Medal; INAE Chair Professor; INSA Distinguished Professor; INAE-SN Mitra; INSA-JNBC Lecture; JC Bose Natl. Fellow; DAE Raja Ramanna Fellow; Al-Khwarizmi Intl. 1st Prize; NASA Space Act Tech Brief; NASA Patent Appl.; IEEE Distinguished Speaker; IEEE NN Soc. Outstanding Paper; NRC (USA) Senior Associate; and IEEE Editor. He is Fellow of all 4 Indian sci. and engg. academies, IEEE, IAPR, IFSA, IRSS & AAIA; and Member of European Acad of Sci & Arts. He has visited 45 countries as keynote/invited speaker and academic visitor.

Patnaik is INSA Senior Scientist and Adjunct Professor at the National Institute of Advanced Studies,and was Vice Chancellor, Defence Inst. of Advanced Technology (DIAT), Deemed Univ., Pune, India. He was previously Honorary Professor, Dept of Electronic Systems Engg, Prof., Dept. of Computer Science and Automation, and Convener, Computational Neurobiology Group, IISc. He obtained his PhD (1978) and DSc (1989) in computer science and engineering from IISc. He has been honoured with over 20 awards for contributions to electronics, communications, and information technology including the Technical Achievement Award (1999), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), USA, Computer Society; Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Natl. Award for Engineering and Technology, 1999; and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) Award for Innovation in Applied Research, 2002. He is a Fellow of IEEE and all 4 leading science and engineering academies in India.www.lmpatnaik.in.

Ramos is recognized for his studies on tectonic evolution of the South American basement and the Andes, in particular for his research in structural geology and tectonics. He is Emeritus Professor at the Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales of the Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), and a researcher of the Instituto de Estudios Andinos of UBA-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET). He is an honorary member of the Geological Society of America and of the Asociación Geologica Argentina, and a member of the national academies of sciences of Argentina, Chile, Brazil and the USA. He is also a member of many editorial boards of international journals and has received several natational and international scientific awards. His research includes topics like flat-slab subduction, collision of aseismic and seismic ridges in the Andes, as well as continental growth of South America. His major publications are related to the Andes.

Sreenivasan is professor of physics, mathematical sciences and engineering at New York U. and pres. and dean of its Polytechnic School. He taught at Yale for 22 years where he was the Harold W. Cheel prof.; dist. u. prof. and dir., Inst. of Physical Science and Tech., U. Maryland; and Abdus Salam professor and dir. of the Intl. Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste. He is a member of the US Natl. Acad. of Sci.; US Natl. Acad. of Eng.; Accademia dei Lincei; American Acad. of Arts and Sci.; Indian Acad. of Sciences; Indian Natl. Science Acad.; Indian National Acad. of Eng.; and African Acad. of Sciences. His honours include the Guggenheim Fellowship; Otto Laporte Award and Dwight, American Physical Society; Distinguished Alumnus Award, Indian Inst. of Science; Intl. Panetti-Ferrari Prize and Gold Medal, Torino Acad. of Sciences; and Natl. Order of Scientific Merit, Brazil.

Tang is emeritus professor in the department of optical engineering at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China; former chairman, Optical Coatings Speciality Association of China; and member of the dditorial board of Acta Optica Sinica and Acta Photonica Sinica. His research has resulted in significant contributions to computer aided design of optical multilayer systems, specifically in applied optics. His awards include: Award of Science and Technology Progress, First Rank; Chinese National Outstanding Expert in Science and Technology; Chinese National Award in Natural Science, Fourth Rank, State Science and Technology Committee; and the Chinese National Invention Prize, Fourth Rank. He was former vice president of the Zhejiang Provincial Association of Science and Technology and former Vice President of the Zhenjiang University.

Balali-Mood (MD, Tehran Univ., 1968; PhD, Edinburgh Univ., 1981) is prof. of medicine and clinical toxicology; co-founder, Medical Toxicology Research Ctr (MTRC).and Clin Toxicol Dept (CTD), Mashhad Univ. of Medical Sciences (MUMS); clin. toxicol. adviser, OPCW and IPCS-WHO. His previous positions include: asst. prof. and dir. medical education, Ferdowsi Univ. Mashhad; res. fellow and lecturer, Edinburgh Univ.; dirs. MTRC and CTD, MUMS; and pres., Iranian Soc. of Toxicology and Asia Pacific Assoc. of Medi. Toxicol. He has received Int. and Nat. awards for teaching, research and medical care by Iranian authorities and Intl. organizations including Natl. Research Medal, Int Prof. Alireza Yalda Found. Award 2011 and The 2015 OPCW-The Hague Award. The National Elite Foundation recognized him as the Father of Toxicology of Iran and held commemoration in his birth place (Birjand, Mood) on 29 October 2016. Chief editor, JBUMS and assoc. editor of AJM. His membership includes: Iranian Medical Council; Iranian Acad. of Medical Sciences; Ir. Soc. Toxicology; Europ. Assoc. Poison Centr. Clin Toxicol; Asia pacific Association of Medical Toxicology and Program Advisory Committee, IPCS-WHO.

Balasubramanian is Distinguished Scientist and Director of Research-Emeritus, L.V. Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, India. After his PhD at Columbia Univ. and postdoctoral research (Univ. of Minnesota), he joined the IIT, Kanpur in 1967. In 1977, he moved to the Univ. of Hyderabad as Professor and later Dean. In 1982, he joined the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, where he was Director (1992-98). He is Fellow of all science academies of India, the German Acad. of Sciences Leopoldina, the Mauritian Acad. of Sciences, the African Acad. of Sciences, and of AAAS, US; member, Intl. Molecular Biology Network and World Innovation Foundation; winner, TWAS Prize in Medical Sciences; Khwarizmi Award, Iran; Bhatnagar, FICCI, Ranbaxy, Goyal and Bhasin Awards, India; UNESCO KALINGA Prize; Indira Gandhi National Award of India, Popularization of Science; Padma Shri; and Chevalier de l'Orde National du Merite, France. His field of research is: the biology of the eye

Deekshatulu (PhD 1964, IISc Bangalore) is distinguished Fellow, Institute for Research and Development in Banking Technology(IDRBT) (Govt. of India), Hyderabad. He previously was: Professor, IISc; dist. scientist and dir., Natl. Remote Sensing Agency (NRSC), Hyderabad; dir., Centre for Space Science and Technology Education for Asia and the Pacific (CSSTEAP), 1995-2002; vis. prof., Dept. of Computer Sciences, U. of Hyderabad (2002-2011). His honours include: National Systems Award (Gold Medal), India; Sir M. Viwesraya Award; Brahmprakash Award, INSA; Biren Roy Award; Padma Shri; Om Prakash Bhasin Award; Sivananda Eminent Citizen Award; and the Bhaskara and Aryabhatta awards. His membership includes: Indian National Science Academy (INSA), Delhi; Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore; IEEE, USA; National Academy of Agricultural Sciences Newdelhi, National Academy of Engineering, India, Computer Society of India. Hon Member Asian Assocn. for Remote Sensing.

Garruto is prof. of biomedical anthropology and neurosciences and Dir. of the Biospecimen Archive Facility, State Univ. of New York, Binghamton. He received his PhD from Penn State Univ. and joined the Natl. Institutes of Health (NIH) in 1973 as a research scientist. He has done fieldwork in Asia, the Pacific Islands, the Caribbean, and Latin America. His honours include: Commendation Guam Legislature, 1987; Alumni Fellow, Penn State Univ., 1987; NIH Directors Award, 1993; Gorjanovic-Krambergeri Medal, Croatian Anthropological Society, 2000; Burroughs-Welcome Foundation Visiting Professorship, Basic Medical Sciences, 2001; Franz Boas Distinguished Achievement Award, Human Biology Assoc., 2005; National Honor Plaque of Panama, National Secretariat for Science,Technology and Innovation, 2011. He is a member of the US Natl. Acad. of Sciences and a fellow of AAAS.

Gunatilaka (PhD and DIC 1970-74, Imperial College, London) is professor and director of the Natural Products Center, School of Natural Resources and the Environment, U. of Arizona (UA). His was previously: Academic visitor, Imperial College, London; research associate at Stanford, USA; professor and head, Dept. of Chem., U. of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka; visiting professor and Snr. research scientist at Virginia Polytechnic Inst. and State U., USA. His awards include: Bikaji Framji Kahn Gold Medal for Academic Excellence, U. of Ceylon; Inst. of Chem. (Ceylon) Gold Medal; Sri Lanka President's Gold Medal for Scientific Achievement, UA Asian American Assoc. Outstanding Faculty Award, and UA Leading Edge Researcher Award for innovative research. He is a fellow of the Natl .Acad. of Sciences, Sri Lanka. He has published +250 peer-reviewed papers and delivered +100 invited lectures in 18 countries.

Hussain (PhD, Stanford, 1969) is President's Dist Chair in Engr and Science, and Snr Adv to the President, Texas Tech Univ (TTU), Mech Engr Dept. He was post-doc at Johns Hopkins, then moved to U. of Houston (UH) in 1971, where he became Prof (76), Dist Univ Prof (85), Cullen Dist Chair (89) before moving to TTU in 2013. His honours include: Eckhart Prize for Outstandg Dissertation, Stanford; Freeman Scholar and Fluids Engr Awards of Amer Soc of Mech Engr (ASME); Fluid Dyn Prize of Amer Phys Soc (APS); Fluid Dyn Award of Amer Inst of Aero and Astro (AIAA); Sigma Xi, Farfel, and other Research Excell Awards of UH; Gold Medal, Bangladesh Soc of Mech Engrs; and Inst of Engrs Bangladesh Medal. He is a Fellow of APS, ASME and AIAA; member of Natl Acad of Engr, Bangladesh Acad of Sci, and Johns Hopkins Soc of Scholars; Hon Prof of Peking Univ and Dean of Houston Methodist Research Institute.

Iaccarino obtained his MD at the Univ. of Naples (1962) and H. C. in Biology (1999) at the Univ. of Viterbo. Post Doc at Stanford Univ., visiting Prof. at Sussex Univ. Director of the International Institute of Genetics and Biophysics, Naples (1985-1993) and Director of the Institute of Molecular Genetics, Alghero (1994). Assistant Director General for Natural Sciences at UNESCO (1996-2000), where he organised several intergovernmental conferences, including the World Conference on Science (Hungary, 1999). Member of the Italian Evaluation committees for Research in Biology, Medicine and Biotechnology and of the evaluation boards of several international organisations (European Commission, EMBO, Human Frontier Science Program, and the British Council). Member of the EMBO Council and of the Council of ICSU, the International Council for Science.

Kumar, Anil (PhD, IIT, Kanpur, 1969) is NASI-Senior Scientist Platinum Jubilee fellow, Indian Inst. of Science (IISc), Bangalore. He was postdoc, Georgia Tech., 19anilnmr@physics.iisc.ernet.in69-70; UNC at Chapel Hill, 1970-72; and ETH, Zurich, 1973-76, with R. Ernst (Nobel Pr., Chem. 1991). He joined the faculty at IISc in 1977, and served as chair., Dept. of Physics and convener, NMR Facility. He did sabbaticals at ETH Zurich, 1979-80, with K. Wüthrich (Nobel Pr., Chem., 2002), and UNC Chapel Hill, 1989-90. He is a fellow, Indian Acad. of Sciences, 1987; Natl. Acad. of Sciences, India (NASI), 1989; Indian Natl. Science Acad., 1991 and Intl. Soc. for Magnetic Resonance, 2009. He is the recipient of Sir CV Raman Award, UGC; Platinum Jubilee Lecture Award, Indian Science Congress; MSIL Chair, IISc; INSA Lecture Award; FICCI Award; Alumni Award, IISc; Goyal Prize; DAE-Raja Ramanna Prize Lecture, JNCASR; and JC Ghosh Award.

Parodi is Superior Investigator of the National Research Council (Argentina) and was president of the Fundacion Instituto Leloir (2005-2012). After his PhD work at the University of Buenos Aires and postdoctoral training at the Institut Pasteur in Paris and Duke University he returned to Argentina. Since then, he has been professor of Biochemistry at the University of Buenos Aires and Career Investigator of the National Research Council. He was a Howard Hughes International Research Scholar (1997-2011) and is a Foreign Associate of the National Academy of Sciences (USA). His membership includes: American Academy of Microbiology; Brazilian Academy of Sciences; Latin American Academy of Sciences; National Academy of Sciences (Argentina); and the National Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences (Argentina).

After retirement from WHO on 1st July 2014, Touré is researcher in medical entomology and professor of cell biology and genetics at the Faculty of Medicine and Odonto-stomatology (FMOS) of Bamako, Mali. He was the disease vector research Manager for WHO/TDR from June 2001-June 2014. Before joining TDR, he was a researcher in medical entomology and professor of cell biology and genetics at the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy (FMPOS), Bamako, Mali; director general of the National Research Council (CNRST) of Mali; and head of the Malaria Research and Training Center (MRTC), FMPOS. He holds a PhD (1985) in life sciences (vector population ecological genetics) from Université de Droit, d'Economie et des Sciences d'Aix-Marseille III, France. His honours include: Etoile d'argent du Mérite National du Mali avec effigie Abeille. He was a member of several WHO and WHO/TDR steering committees and technical advisory committees of research institutes in Mali and West Africa.

Agarwal is professor at the Texas A&M U.. He was educated at Banaras Hindu U., India, and the U. of Rochester where he obtained his PhD in 1969. He retired from Oklahoma State U where he held the regents professorship and Noble Foundation chair. His previous positions include dist. scientist and director of the Physical Res. Lab. in Ahmedabad; Indian Natl. Science Acad. Albert Einstein research professor; and professor (1977-95), School of Physics, U. of Hyderabad. His awards include Bhatnagar Award; Max Born Award of the Optical Soc. of America; GD Birla award; RD Birla award; Humboldt Research award, Eminent Faculty award of Oklahoma State U and TWAS Physics Prize. His fellowships include: The Royal Society, UK; 3 science academies of India; American Physical Soc.; Optical Soc. of America. He is also the recipient of honorary doctorates. He is the author of nearly 700 research publications, edited books and monographs. His recent text book "quantum optics" was published by the Cambridge University Press. He is an authority in quantum optics as well in nano photonics and plasmonics.