Senior Professor N. A. K. P. J. Seneviratne is a distinguished Tier 4* Professor, attached to the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Kelaniya. He holds a BSc (Special) Degree in Chemistry from the University of Kelaniya and a Ph.D. from Wayne State University, USA. He conducted his postdoctoral studies at the University of British Columbia, Canada. He was a Commonwealth Fellow at the University of Leeds, United Kingdom and a Fulbright Fellow at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, United States of America. His early academic achievements were recognized with prestigious awards such as the Ceylon Tobacco Prize and the Esther and Stanley Kirschner Graduate Award. Prof. Seneviratne is a leading specialist in the chemistry and nutrition of edible oils, particularly coconut oil. He is acclaimed for being the first to report the presence of antioxidants in coconut oil and has contributed significantly to the field with ten national patents, one of which received international protection for a natural alternative to synthetic food preservatives. Prof. Seneviratne has received numerous accolades, including the Dr. C.L. de Silva Gold Medal, President’s Award, and Vice Chancellor’s Awards. He has published extensively and supervised many postgraduate students. He is the founding Director of the Center for Coconut Oil Research and Consultation and has played pivotal roles in university administration, including serving as Dean of the Faculty of Science and Dean of Graduate Studies at the University of Kelaniya. In 2024, he was appointed as the Chairman of the University Grants Commission, further strengthening Sri Lanka’s higher education sector.

Prof. M. Narayana is a distinguished academic and researcher in the field of Chemical and Process Engineering at the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka. Prof. Narayana has extensive experience in both teaching and industrial consultation. He has significantly contributed to the advancement of chemical process optimization, environmental engineering, Biochar, and sustainable technologies. His research interests span waste-to-energy conversion, process modeling and simulation, and cleaner production methods. Prof. Narayana has published widely in high-impact journals.He has supervised numerous undergraduate and postgraduate research projects, many addressing pressing national and global challenges. He is also actively involved in curriculum development and academic policy-making, aiming to align engineering education with industry needs and sustainability goals. The professor is a dedicated educator and mentor. He continues to inspire the next generation of engineers through his commitment to academic excellence and practical innovation.

Prof. Tilak Hewawasam is a Professor in Geology, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. He has won a number of awards including the Prestigious Ananda Coomaraswamy Medal for outstanding contribution towards the advancement of Sri Lankan Geology from the Geological Society of Sri Lanka (GSSL) in 2020 and the President's Award for Scientific Publication with a recommendation by the National Research Council (NRC), Sri Lanka. He is currently the chairman of Central Environmental Authority Sri Lanka

Dr. Yingchao Han is a professor of State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology.He received his Ph.D. degree of biomaterials science from Wuhan University of Technology in 2007.From June, 2010 to June 2012, he was postdoctoral fellow of University of Nebraska Medical Center. He is engaged in the studies of calcium phosphate bioceramic, nano biomaterials, biomedical composite and nano drug carriers. He is the principal investigator of National Natural Science Foundation of China, National Key Research and Development Program of China, Science and TechnologyPartnership Program of Ministry of Science and Technology of China and Wuhan International Science and Technology Cooperation Project. He has published about 80 papers in academic journals and got about 20 chinese andUSA/Europe invention patents. As the main member, he drew up one national pharmaceutical industry standard and two group standards of Chinese Society for Biomaterials, participated in the Dictionary of Silicate (2nd Ed.) : 20 Biomaterials and the Nano-Biomedical Ceramicsof Biomedical Ceramics.

Professor, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics Prof. Naiming Xie is a Full Professor at the Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (NUAA), where his research focuses on grey system theory and industrial engineering. He has held key academic leadership positions, including Director of the Institute of Grey System Studies and Vice Dean of the College of Economics and Management at NUAA. Prof. Xie is a prominent figure in the global grey systems community. He currently serves as Vice President and Secretary-General of the International Association of Grey Systems and Uncertainty Analysis, and President of the Grey System Society of China. Additionally, he is an Associate Editor of Grey Systems: Theory and Application, contributing actively to the advancement of research and practice in this field.

Prof. Kao Wu is currently serving as a full-time professor in the School of Life and Health Sciences, Hubei University of Technology, China. Prof. Wu is a young scientist active in both basic and applied research in molecular assembly structure of food soft matter and its relationship with the physical properties (e.g., gel properties, rheology properties, and texture properties), and the high-value exploitation and development of food raw materials (such as green or active packaging of foods; biomass-based aerogel). He has published more than 75 SCI papers in high profile journals such as Food Hydrocolloids, Food Chemistry, and Carbohydrate Polymers (with 3000 citations, h-index = 30, Google Scholar, May 2025). He has several high-quality Chinese invention patents and is the recipient of several academic awards. Prof. Wu has graduated dozens of postgraduate students. He was the principal investigator of several high-quality research projects, including the Young Scientist Fund of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and Hubei Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security.

Dr. Asanga Ranasinghe, the Director of Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM), University of Sri Jayewardenepura is also the current Chairman of Sri Lanka Standards Institution. Dr. Ranasinghe is a professional with a breadth of both industry and academic experience for over 30 years with proven leadership success both in Sri Lanka and internationally with a high level of managerial competence across the value chain in the fields of Corporate Strategy, Marketing, Sales and Customer Development, Supply Chain, Manufacturing and Research & Development. His work experience spans across diverse industries such as FMCG, LPG, Petroleum/ Lubricants, Automobile, Agriculture and Modern Retail. He also possesses close to a decade long postgraduate teaching experience and contributes to continuous professional development of self and others in the fraternity in management, marketing and strategy. With his experience in both private and public sector and in local and global organizations, he has acquired and has been able to display the conceptual skills and managerial competencies that are required to have a high level of strategic focus and a holistic thinking to lead effectively with high level of personal integrity in a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world as it is today. Dr. Ranasinghe’s first degree is in Chemistry with academic and professional and postgraduate qualifications in marketing and management. His doctorate is on Shopper Marketing, which is a fast-emerging field in business. He has also been able to publish in both local and international journals as well as contribute as a regular writer to business magazines. He is also a senior lecturer at PIM.

Professor N.P. Ravindra Deyshappriya is an accomplished scholar in the field of Economics, currently affiliated with the Faculty of Management at Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka. He holds a PhD in Economics from RMIT University, Australia, a Master’s degree in Development Economics from Nagoya University, Japan, and a First-Class Honours degree in Economics from the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. Prior to his tenure at Uva Wellassa University, Professor Deyshappriya served as Director of Research at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute—an eminent think tank operating under the purview of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka—and as a Research Professional at the Centre for Poverty Analysis. He is recognized as a Tier 4* researcher, the highest distinction awarded under the University Grants Commission’s classification system, and has made substantial contributions to the body of economic literature through numerous publications in internationally indexed and peer-reviewed journals. In addition, he authored five text books that span both theoretical and applied economic disciplines. His teaching expertise includes Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Econometrics, Research Methodology, Business Mathematics, Business Statistics, and International Trade and research interests are equally spread-out, with a particular emphasis on poverty and inequality, SME development, financial and stock market dynamics, and broader themes of economic growth and development.

Dr. Romesh Ranawana is the Group Chief Analytics and AI Officer at Dialog Axiata. He earned his DPhil in Artificial Intelligence from the University of Oxford. Dr. Ranawana has experience as an academic, entrepreneur, and business leader. At Dialog Axiata, he was instrumental in setting up an AI and analytics division, enhancing the company’s operational efficiency and customer service. He founded Enterprise Machine Learning (Pvt) Ltd, providing AI implementation support to various organizations. Dr. Ranawana also founded SimCentric Technologies, a simulation software company, and successfully exited the business after establishing it as a leader in its field. His efforts span multiple sectors, including simulations, gaming, drug design, telecommunications and UAV technology. In addition to his business achievements, Dr. Ranawana is the Chairman of the AI Advisory committee to the ICTA, the former chairman of the National Committee to formulate an AI Strategy for Sri Lanka and the former Chairman of SLASSCOM AI Center of Excellence. He has authored 14 peer-reviewed international publications.