Dr. Nozik received his BChE from Cornell University in 1959 and his PhD in Physical Chemistry from Yale University in 1967. Before joining NREL in 1978, then known as the Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI), he conducted basic research at the Allied Chemical Corporation and the American Cyanamid Corporation. Dr. Nozik became an Adjoint (1985) and then Research (1976) Professor in the Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder (UCB), He has established a leading position in the interdisciplinary fields of photoelectrochemistry, semiconductor-molecule interfaces, quantum size effects, hot electron transfer and cooling dynamics in semiconductor quantum wells, quantum dots, quantum wires, and nanostructures, multiple exciton generation (MG) in nanostructures, and applications of this science to improve the power conversion efficiency of solar photon conversion technologies. He has published more than 280 peer-reviewed papers, proceedings, and book chapters in these fields and in the related fields of photocatalysis, heterogeneous catalysis, the optical, magnetic, and electrical properties of solids, and Mössbauer spectroscopy. He has been cited more than 51,150 times (H-index = 101), and presented more than 380 invited, plenary, and keynote talks. Dr. Nozik has managed a large group of scientists engaged in basic and applied research on the direct photoconversion of light into solar fuels, chemicals, and electricity, and on the optical and electronic properties and applications of nanostructures. He has been awarded 11 U.S. patents and has received many national and international honors and awards, including: an Endowed /named annual Arthur J Nozik Lectureestablished in 2022 atthe Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI), University of Colorado, Boulder;the WilburLucius CrossMedalofthe Yale GraduateSchool, ClarivateAnalytica/ThomsonReutersHighlyCitedResearcherinPhysics (2018) and Chemistry (2014); HonorarySymposium:“StatusandPrognosisof FutureGenerationPhotoconversiontoPhotovoltaics and Solar Fuels” celebrating lifetime contributions, University of Colorado, Boulder, 2016; HonoraryNozikDirector’sFellowshipEstablishedatNREL(2014); HeinzGerischerAward,oftheElectrochemicalSociety (2013;Fellow of RoyalSocietyofChemistry(2013); Gustavus Esselen Awardfor Chemistry inthePublic Interest, American ChemicalSociety, (2011); Fellow,NREL-UniversityColoradoRenewableandSustainableEnergyInstitute,2009–present; ResearchAward,U.N.IntergovernmentalRenewableEnergyOrganization (2009); EniAwardforScience andTechnology(Italy),2008(hostedbythePresident ofItaly); HonoraryFestschriftIssueofTheJournalofPhysicalChemistrycelebrating70thbirthday,Dec.,2006; FellowoftheAmericanAssociationfortheAdvancementofScience(2003); ResearchAward,EnergyTechnologyDivision,ElectrochemicalSociety(2002); Distinguished Lecturer,Frontiersin Chemistry LectureSeries,CaseWestern Reserve University(2002); FellowoftheAmericanPhysicalSociety,(1999); MidwestResearch Institute(MRI)/Battelle Chairman’sAward forExceptionalPerformance(2007); NRELDirector'sAward(1993); MRIHubbardAward(NREL,1992); AmericanWesternUniversities–U.S.DOE LaboratoryDistinguishedLectureship(1989–1990); MRIVan Morris Award(1985); SERIOutstandingAchievementAward(1984)

Dr. Nicolas Abatzoglou is Professor, ex-Head of the Department of Chemical & Biotechnological Engineering of the Université de Sherbrooke. He is Adjunct Professor at the University of Saskatchewan. He has been inducted as Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering and Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada. He is a specialist in Process Engineering involving particulate systems in reactive and non-reactive environments. He is the Director of the interdisciplinary Research Centre CHBPUS regrouping the research activities of 12 professors in the field of Hybrid Biorefineries Processes Upscaling. He is also the Director of the GRTP (Group of Research on Technologies and Processes). The GRTP operates a brand-new and continuously developing R&D and Scale-up facility at the Université de Sherbrooke and is financed by both Canadian & Quebec institutional funding and per case industrial partners such as Rio Tinto Iron & Titane, Pfizer, CRB Innovations, Premier Tech, KWI and Soleno. His main teaching area is the Capstone Design course in Chemical Engineering, Multi-phase Chemical Reactor Engineering, Pharmaceutical Process Engineering, Biorefineries and Reflexive Method in R&D projects definition, Research, Development, Innovation and Technology transfer. From May 2008 to March 2021, he has been the holder of the Pfizer Industrial Research Chair in Pharmaceutical Processes. The highly successful output of this Chair led to a continuation of this association, which is now focusing on Process intensification, Analytical Technologies development and industrial applications. He has numerous collaborations and projects at national and international level, and he served as one of the Leaders in Canada’s NCE Network BioFuelNet on Biorefining. He is presently the Leader of the Canadian side of the projects GOLD funded by HORIZON 2020, as well as MIDAS and ICARUS funded by HORIZON Europe and comprising more than 50 partners from EU, China, India and Canada. He is co-founder of the company Enerkem Technologies, precursor of Enerkem, a spin-off commercializing technologies in the field of energy from renewable resources. He has received many academic and professional awards, and he is a world-renowned researcher and technology transfer expert. His scientific production includes 200+ publications, reviews, conferences, keynotes, plenaries and invited lectures, patents and three book chapters.

Richard Saykally is the Class of 1932 Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of California-Berkeley. Born in Rhinelander, Wisconsin and educated at UW-Eau Claire and UW-Madison, Saykally has been a professor at the University of California, Berkeley since 1979. A co-author of over 400 publications that have been cited over 50,000 times (H index > 100), the recipient of over 80 honors and awards from 15 different countries, Saykally is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and has received the E.O. Lawrence Award in Chemistry from the U.S. Department of Energy, the Hinshelwood Lectureship from Oxford University, the Inaugural International Solvay Chair in Chemistry from the Solvay Institutes of Belgium, the Peter DeBye Award in Physical Chemistry from the ACS, the J.C. Bose Lectureship from IACS-Kolkata, and the Faraday Lectureship Prize from the UK Royal Society of Chemistry. He is a UC-Berkeley Distinguished Teacher, and has been active at the national level in science education. Over 150 students and postdocs have trained under his direction, many of whom hold prominent positions in academic, government, and industrial institutions.

Kenji Uchino, one of the pioneers in piezoelectric actuators, is Academy Professor at Emeritus Academy, Founding Director of International Center for Actuators and Transducers, Materials Research Institute, and was Professor of EE and MatSE,Distinguished Honors Faculty of Schreyer Honors College at The Penn State University. He wasAssociate Director (Global Technology Awareness) at The US Office of Naval Research – Global Tokyo Office from 2010 till 2014. He was also the Founder and Senior Vice President & CTO of Micromechatronics Inc., State College, PA from 2004 till 2010. After being awarded his Ph. D. degree from Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan, he became Research Associate/Assistant Professor (1976)in Physical Electronics Department at this university. Then, he joined Sophia University, Japan as Associate Professor in Physics Department in 1985. He was then recruited from The Penn State University in 1991. He was also involved with Space Shuttle Utilizing Committee in NASDA, Japan during 1986-88, and Vice President of NF Electronic Instruments, USA, during 1992-94. He was the Founding Chair of Smart Actuators/Sensors Committee, Japan Technology Transfer Association sponsored by Ministry of Economics, Trading and Industries, Japan from 1987 to 2014, and is a long-term Chair of International Conference on New Actuators, Messe Bremen, Germany since 1997. He is currentlyEditor in Chief of J. Actuators, MDPI and J. Insight-Material Science, PiscoMed Publishing LLT.Uchino served as Administrative Committee Member (Elected) of IEEE Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control (1998-2000) and as Secretary of American Ceramic Society, Electronics Division (2002-2003). His research interest is in solid state physics, especially in ferroelectrics and piezoelectrics, including basic research on theory, materials, device designing and fabrication processes, as well as application development of solid state actuators/sensors for precision positioners, micro-robotics, ultrasonic motors, smart structures, piezoelectric transformers and energy harvesting. K. Uchino is known as the discoverer/inventor of the following famous topics: (1) lead magnesium niobate (PMN)-based electrostricive materials, (2) cofired multilayer piezoelectric actuators (MLA), (3) superior piezoelectricity in relaxor-lead titanate-based piezoelectric single crystals (PZN-PT), (4) photostrictive phenomenon, (5) shape memory ceramics, (6) magnetoelectric composite sensors, (7) transient response control scheme of piezoelectric actuators (Pulse-Drive technique), (8) micro ultrasonic motors, (9) multilayer disk piezoelectric transformers, and (10) piezoelectric loss characterization methodology. He has authored 582 papers, 83 books and 33 patentsin the ceramic actuator area. 63 papers/books among his publications have been cited more than 100 times, leading to his average h-index79. Total citation number 35,000and annual average citation number 1,500 are very high in College of Engineering. He was also awarded his MBA degree from St. Francis University (2008), and authored a textbook, “Entrepreneurship for Engineers” for College of Business. He is a Life FellowMember of American Ceramic Societyand IEEE since 2012, a Senior Member of National Academy of Inventors since 2019, and also is a recipient of34 awards, includingJapan Ceramics Award from Japanese Ceramics Society (2022),Wilhelm R. Buessem Award from the Center for Dielectrics and Piezoelectrics, The Penn State University (2019), Distinguished Lecturer of the IEEE UFFC Society (2018), International Ceramic Award from Global Academy of Ceramics(2016),IEEE-UFFC Ferroelectrics Recognition Award (2013),Inventor Award from Center for Energy Harvesting Materials and Systems, Virginia Tech (2011), Premier Research Award from The Penn State Engineering Alumni Society (2011), the Japanese Society of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics Award on Outstanding Academic Book (2008), SPIE (Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers),Smart Product Implementation Award (2007), R&D 100 Award (2007), ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) Adaptive Structures Prize (2005), Outstanding Research Award from Penn State Engineering Society (1996), Academic Scholarship from Nissan Motors Scientific Foundation (1990), Best Movie Memorial Award at Japan Scientific Movie Festival (1989), and the Best Paper Award from Japanese Society of Oil/Air Pressure Control (1987).