Dr Ahmad Ilyas Rushdan is a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. His expertise includes biodegradable polymers, biopolymers, polymer composites, and polymer gels. Additionally, Dr. Ahmad Ilyas specializes in material engineering, specifically in the areas of natural fiber reinforced polymer composites, biocomposites, cellulose materials, and nano-composites.Dr. Athanasia Amanda Septevani is a senior researcher at the National Research and Innovation Agency in Indonesia, specializing in polymers and nanotechnology. Her research focuses on engineering and designing sustainable materials derived from waste, combining both translational and fundamental research expertise. Dr. Septevani earned her PhD from The University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, in 2017. She has participated in global research collaborations as a Research Fellow at various institutions, including Oregon State University in the USA (2016), the University of Warwick in the UK (2019), and Politecnico di Torino in Italy (2021).Dr. Septevani's contributions to STEM have been recognized with several prestigious awards, including the L’Oréal UNESCO for Women in Science in 2018, the 1st place Merck Young Scientist Award in 2021, and the Japan International Award for Young Agricultural Researchers in 2022. In 2019, she was named one of the 99 Most Inspiring Women in Indonesia by Globe Asia, and in 2023, she was recognized as one of Asia's 100 Most Outstanding Researchers by Asian Scientist Magazine.Norfarhana Abdul Samad is a lecturer in the Department of Petrochemical Engineering at Politeknik Tun Syed Nasir Syed Ismail in Pagoh, Malaysia. She holds a Master of Science degree in Chemistry from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), where her research focused on rubber composite membranes. Her research interests span a variety of disciplines, including polymer sciences, material science, natural fibers, bio-composites, thermoplastic elastomer composites, and membrane polymers. With her extensive expertise, she is dedicated to advancing knowledge and skills in her field.Dr. Melbi Mahardika is an Associate Researcher at the Research Center for Biomass and Bioproducts within the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Indonesia. He completed his doctoral research in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Andalas University in Indonesia. His areas of expertise include packaging technology, nanocellulose, biocomposites, natural fiber reinforced polymers, nanotechnology for agroindustry, advanced material technology, nanomaterials Synthesis, and biomaterials.Dr. Alain Dufresne is a Professor at The International School of Paper, Print Media and Biomaterials (Pagora) at Grenoble Institute of Technology in France. He holds a PhD in Electronics from the National Institute of Applied Sciences in Toulouse, as well as a MSc in Chemical Engineering from Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal and in Solid State Physics from Paul Sabatier University in Toulouse. Dr. Dufresne is an expert in polysaccharide nanofibrils and nanocrystals, including cellulose, chitin, and starch. His research focuses on the processing and characterization of nanocomposites based on renewable resources and the valorization of biomass. Previously, he served as an Associate Professor in the Physical Metallurgy & Materials Physics Lab at INSA Lyon and was a professor at the Research Center on Vegetable Macromolecules (CERMAV) at Joseph Fourier University in Grenoble.
