Dr Selina Ambrose, Technical Manager at Promethean Particles, UK

Selina entered the field of Nanotechnology when she began her PhD at The University of Nottingham. Her post- graduate studies were based in the School of Chemical Engineering with her project topic on the continuous-flow synthesis, and characterisation of, nanomaterials for biomedical applications.

Using a novel synthesis process, Selina sought to push the boundaries on nanomaterial production while also gaining expertise in typical analytical techniques used in material science.

After completing her PhD in 2012, Selina joined the technical team at Promethean Particles and applied her knowledge to the development of nanomaterials for commercial clients, as well as leading the company’s technical work on EC-funded collaborative projects.

In February 2018, Selina was promoted to the role of Technical Manager at Promethean, supervising the company’s team of Research Scientists, managing all of Promethean’s R&D projects and securing new grant-funded projects under the Horizon 2020 framework or SMART grants funded by Innovate UK. Selina also leads the technical team in new product development to allow the commercial supply of novel nanomaterials; this involves process optimisation, upscaling of manufacturing procedures and the implementation of QC protocols.

Dr. Richard Berry, Vice President & Chief Technology Officer of Celluforce, CA

Leader of the nanotechnology initiative at FPInnovations until moving to CelluForce in 2011, Dr. Berry has numerous scientific accomplishments and a long experience for overseeing the industrial application of his numerous inventions. He received the 2009 Nano-industry award from NanoQuébec for his exceptional contribution to the development of Nanocrystalline Cellulose. He is the winner of the 2012 Purvis Memorial Award, is one of Canada’s Clean 50 honourees and most recently was honoured with the first TAPPI Nanotechnology Division Award and IMERYS prize. The initiatives Dr. Berry has spearheaded in recent years have allowed Canada to position itself as a world leader in the development of this new nanotechnology industry.

Dr. Berry has taught numerous courses for TAPPI and PAPTAC, and chaired the 2000 International Pulp Bleaching Conference in Halifax Canada.  He has received many pulp and paper Industry awards and is a TAPPI Fellow. Berry also holds more than 30 patent families, and his work has been published in more than 100 articles and 5 chapters in monographs.

Dr-Ing Laurent Guy, Global Technical Marketing Manager at Solvay, BE

 Laurent Guy is the Global Technical Marketing Managar at Solvay. Holding a PhD in Chemistry, he has been with Solvay for 19 years.  Laurent occupied several roles at the company: from materials engineer to  lab manager working namely with silica markets. Now Laurent oversees the coordination of  the WW Technical Marketing Network at Solvay.

 

Landon Mertz, Chief Executive Officer of Cerion Nanomaterials, US

Landon Mertz is the Chief Executive Officer of Cerion Nanomaterials and is a member of its Board of Directors. Under his leadership, he has overseen a period of expansive business growth and investment into innovations to make advanced expertise in custom nanomaterial design & manufacturing both accessible and cost-effective for use by industry.

Throughout his 10+ year tenure with Cerion, Landon has been frequently recognized for his work to advance the growth and maturity of the nanomaterial community. An active member and participant in industry groups, he is a passionate champion of the critical concepts for successful commercialization of products utilizing nanomaterials and is frequently featured as a keynote speaker and contributor to industry publications.

Landon has over twenty years of experience building and monetizing new, innovative businesses across a diverse number of industries. Previously he was the Chief Operating Officer of Festival Network, a firm who develops and acquires large-scale consumer entertainment events across the globe. Prior to that he was the Chief Executive Officer of Intermedia, an experiential event marketing firm that produces events, meetings and conferences on behalf of Fortune 500 and 1000 companies. Landon is currently Chair of NIA's Board of Directors.

Dr. Valérie Moise, Sr. Regulatory Affairs Manager at Cabot Corporation, BE

As a PhD Chemist, Dr. Moise started her career as scientific collaborator at SCK-CEN Nuclear Research Centre. Since then she held different Product Safety and Regulatory roles within the Glass Fiber industry and at Cabot Corporation. She has more than 15 years’ experience in product safety and risk assessment. At Cabot, She is in charge of REACH compliance program, toxicological review, and product safety inquiries for Fumed Metal Oxides and Specialty compounds business. Moise represents Cabot in several industry groups; I chair ASASP (Association of Synthetic Amorphous Silica Producers) Regulatory Group and the EU MBC (EU producers of masterbatches and compounds) association. As a regulatory toxicologist [ERT certified since May 2018], she ensures that chemicals developed and marketed by Cabot are safely handled by workers and customers, comply with national and international regulations, and that toxicology concerns are considered when determining which chemicals will be developed for commercial applications.
 

Dr Eldara Rodríguez Cobo, Innovation Manager at NANOGAP, ES

Eldara has a PhD in Chemistry (University of Santiago de Compostela-USC), between the fields of nanotechnology and organic chemistry. In 2006 she participated on NANOGAP foundation, a novel nanomaterials supplier, where she was incorporated in 2011 to the R&D department. In 2015 she was promoted as Innovation Manager, being responsible of funded projects management, technology transfer and IP management. In 2017 she also got involved on the regulatory issues of the company, actively participating on different projects and organizations.

Gregor Schneider, Head of Department at RAS AG, DE

Gregor Schneider, at RAS AG is responsible for Business Development in the Business unit „agpure® nanosilver“, this means acquisition of new customers and taking care of all key account customers. During his work he gained a lot of experience and therefore is also responsible for all regulatory aspects on this nanostructured biocide, including the creation of a biocidal substance dossier for nanosilver.