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Meet the S4i '26 Speakers
The speakers are the heart of our event. Discover the great professionals of the Deep Science ecosystem from around the world who will attend Science for Industry. Browse their profiles below for more information
For as long as he can remember, there has been in him a constant restlessness for discovery, a driving force that has led him towards the world of science. In 1990, he obtained his degree in Chemical Sciences at the Autonomous University of Madrid. After obtaining a 3rd cycle scholarship from the UAM and later an assistant position, he immersed himself in the realization of his doctoral thesis and in his first experiences in teaching. Research during his doctoral thesis, focusing on anti-tumour compounds, connected him with the pharmaceutical industry, awakening a growing interest in knowledge transfer. In 1994, he completed his PhD at UAM and received a Human Capital and Mobility grant from the European Union for postdoctoral studies at the University of Dortmund (Germany). Subsequently, he undertook another research stay at the University of Virginia (USA). Upon rejoining the Department of Inorganic Chemistry at the UAM as a Doctoral Assistant, he began to play roles in both teaching and research. In 2002, he reached the position of Full Professor, and in 2020, he obtained the title of University Professor within the CAM Excellence program. Throughout his career, he has been a visiting researcher at the University of Newcastle (United Kingdom) and at the National University of Singapore since 2016. Currently, he is a member of the IMDEA Nanoscience Foundation, the Institute for Advanced Research in Chemical Sciences and the Institute Center for Condensed Matter Physics. His research has been developed at the intersection between Chemistry and Materials Science, specifically in the field of Nanoscience. His outstanding research work was recognized with the Research Excellence Award by the Royal Spanish Society of Chemistry in 2015. With more than 200 scientific articles published, he has consolidated part of his research through transfers, including patents and projects with companies. In addition, he has played a crucial role as partner and scientific advisor in UAM spin-off companies, such as Nanoinnova Technologies S.L., Porous Inks Technologies S.L. and Fourteen Energies S.L. Reflecting on his professional career, he highlights the privilege of being a university professor and underlines the importance of ties between student and teacher, collaboration in research, and the transfer of knowledge to society.
Alberto Díaz González (Bilbao, 1978), Partner of BeAble Capital and CEO and founder of Science 4 Industry. He initially developed his professional career as a M&A lawyer and later on in 2016, he founded BeAble Capital SGEIC, S.A., where he became an expert in Science Equity after the creation of two investment funds, BeAble Investment Fund, FCR, and BeAble Investment Science Equity, FCRE, from which he executed more than 35 investments in industrial technology start-ups from research centres in Spain, UK, Colombia, Argentina, Belgium and Switzerland. He is president of the board of directors of several technology companies within the fields of photonics, nanotechnology, advanced materials, 3D printing and microelectronics. He is also the author of the book Un camino para la industria tecnologia española (Ed. Pirámide).
Javier García-Martínez is a Professor of Inorganic Chemistry and Director of the Molecular Nanotechnology Laboratory of the University of Alicante (UA) where he leads an international team working on the synthesis and application of nanostructured materials for the production of chemicals and energy. Javier is the founder Rive Technology, which markets the technology he developed during his Fulbright postdoctoral stay at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Since 2012, the catalysts that Rive Technology sells are used in several refineries, significantly increasing fuel production and the energy efficiency of the process. In 2019, W. R. GRACE acquired Rive Technology. In June 2014, Javier was awarded the King Jaime I Award in his category of New Technologies and in 2015 received the Emerging Researcher Award from the American Chemical Society. In the summer of 2017, he was recognized by the American Chemical Society with the Kathryn C. Hach Award as the best US entrepreneur in the chemical sector. Javier is a member of the Council of Emerging Technologies and Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum, of the Global Young Academy, and Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. Since 2019, Javier has served as the Rafael del Pino Distinguished Professor in Alicante, Spain.
Amaya Mendikoetxea Pelayo (Bilbao, 1962) is a Spanish philologist, professor and researcher, expert in English linguistics, Rector of the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid since 2021. Since 2019, she has been Professor of English Linguistics in the Department of English Philology, which she joined in 1991, when the degree in English Philology was being launched. She has also taught at the University of Deusto (1989-1991) and at the University of Leeds (UK) (1987-1989). She holds a PhD in Linguistics from the University of York (UK, 1992), where she also did an MA in Theoretical Linguistics, and a BA in English Philology from the University of Deusto (1986). She researches language as a biological property of human beings, focusing on its architecture (syntax) and its acquisition. She is particularly interested in the comparison between languages, as concrete manifestations of this property, in terms of what this comparison reveals about the properties of language as a cognitive system. He is a member of the consolidated research group GRATECOM (Theoretical and Comparative Grammar). In the 1993-94 academic year, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, thanks to a Fulbright grant. He has also completed other stays, including UCLA (1997) and Lancaster University (2006-07). She has taught on the degrees in English Studies and Modern Languages, Culture and Communication, as well as on the Master's degree in Applied English Linguistics and on numerous doctoral programmes. She has been Vice-Rector for International Relations (2013-2017), Vice-Dean of Undergraduate Studies (2009-2013) and Head of the Department of English Language and Literature (2003-2006).
His research interests are in the fundamental studies of atomically thin two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs). In particular, he studies the electronic and electrochemical properties of 2D TMDs. This involves synthesis by chemical exfoliation or chemical vapor deposition, characterization using advanced analytical techniques and fabrication of nanoscale devices. He also studies phase transformations in monolayered materials and utilization of phases with disparate properties for catalysis and energy storage.
Economist, currently working as a member of the Patent and Technology Observatory team at the European Patent Office (EPO). The Observatory conducts economic research, organises events, and develops data tools to better understand and discuss the future of innovation, making its insights accessible to the entire European innovation ecosystem. Alongside full-time work at the EPO, he collaborates on entrepreneurship research at INSEAD. He holds a Master’s degree in European Economic Studies from the College of Europe (Summa Cum Laude) and is an alumnus of Sciences Po and UCL (Cum Laude). His specialisation lies in the economics of innovation, with a particular focus on industrial, business, and technological policy in Europe. He has completed a research residency on business creation policies at the Impact Hub in Vienna and has experience as an innovation consultant and as a jury member for innovation competitions. He is also a co-founder of the College of Europe Think Tank – Bruges Student Institute on the Future of Europe, which works on EU foresight policy. He thrives in multicultural environments and is fluent in six languages.
Head of the Business Support Service, OEPM
John Allport gained a BEng degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Nottingham in 1985 as a Student Apprentice with the National Coal Board. He later worked in open cast mining in Australia before taking a role designing and installing centrifugal separation systems for the chemical and oil industries. Following another career change, John then gained over 25 years experience in the field of automotive engineering, covering a range of components, including crankshaft dampers, drive couplings, balance shafts, suspensions and turbochargers. During this time, he completed a PhD in Computer Aided Engineering of Elastomeric Engineering Components at Bradford University, having been awarded an Industrial Fellowship of the Royal 1851 Commission. John has also been awarded over 20 patents covering various aspects of dampers, couplings, bearings and turbochargers. In November 2013, he was appointed Professor of Automotive Engineering at the University of Huddersfield having spent the previous 11 years at Cummins Turbo Technologies, most recently as Training and Talent Development Leader, and prior to that as Worldwide Manager and Functional Excellence Leader - Applied Mechanics. As part of that role, John became Director of the Turbocharger Research Institute at the University. The Institute was established to conduct research and develop training to support companies at the forefront of this world leading technology. This work in turbomachinery has led to John's latest research which is based on the use of biofuels in clean energy generation, particularly in micro gas turbines. He is currently developing the Energy Integration Laboratory at the University, which is a pilot scale test centre for trialling processes for converting organic waste materials into useful energy. John is a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, serving on several Committees and Panels. He is also an active promoter of engineering in schools, particularly in widening gender diversity.
Dr. Jorge Gascon is a professor of chemical engineering at KAUST, recognized as a highly-cited researcher, patent holder and award winning scientist. From 2017 to 2024 he served as the Director of the KAUST Catalysis Center, and led the Circular Carbon Initiative between 2021 and 2024. Prior to joining KAUST in 2017, he taught for 11 years at Delft University of Technology, Netherlands, where he reached the rank of full professor. Professor Gascon maintains diverse professional affiliations, including membership on the editorial advisory board of Chemical Engineering Journal, ACS Catalysis and other scientific journals. In addition to his academic career, Gascon is the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of ClimateCrete, Inc., a Silicon Valley based startup with the mission of making the construction industry more sustainable. ClimateCrete has raised more than $5 million in Venture Capital investments and is embarking on the construction of its first industrial-scale plant. Professor Gascon's research interests fall at the intersection of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, including the development and demonstration of new nano-structured materials and composites. Applications include multifunctional catalysis, with special emphasis in C1 chemistry; Fischer Tropsch Synthesis; Methanol to olefins; CO2 valorization; photo-catalysis; and membrane and adsorbent development.
Leading the early-stage development of gate dielectric technology specifically engineered to overcome challenge of defective interfaces with atomically thin semiconductors. Co-authored and secured ERC PoC grant £160,000 Driving core product development, market validation and business strategy to accelerate technical milestones and commercial traction. PhD candidate at University of Cambridge in Department of Materials science & Metallurgy in 2D Materials & Devices Lab with Prof. Manish Chhowalla. I specialize in nanofabrication and characterization of low-dimensional semiconductor devices with 3+ years of experience in micro/nanofabrication processes for development of electronics devices. Passionate about exploring the potential of 2D materials and devices for future electronics and nanotechnology. - Experience in device fabrication processes in Cleanroom CR1000 and CR 100 with Electron beam lithography (EBL) & photolithography, Laser Writer, Electron-beam evaporation and Semiconductor analyzer for electrical measurements. - Scientific knowledge and technical expertise in areas of Material physics, Materials for future electronics, semiconductor devices and semiconductor fabrication. My current research work is focused on Graphene and other 2D materials and their application in devices such as Field effect Transistors (FET) and ferroelectric-FET (FeFET). - Experience of material characterization techniques including: Scanning electron Microscopy (SEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Raman Spectroscopy and PL measurement. Vast experience in various AFM and Raman measurements for different 2D materials. Experience with AutoCAD and SolidWorks. - Recipient of Prestigious Erasmus Mundus Scholarship by European Union in 2021 for Double Master’s degree in advanced Functional Materials Engineering from TU Darmstadt, Germany and Grenoble INP, France. - Awarded with two Gold medal for highest GPA achiever in B.Sc. Metallurgical & Material Engineering from UET Lahore, Pakistan. As an aspiring scientist, driven by curiosity, she looks for the fundamental principles to understand mechanisms and simplify world with modern applications
Dr. Sai Shivareddy is an Industrial Visitor to the Cambridge Graphene Centre and the Engineering Department of Cambridge University. He is in the Nanomaterials and Spectroscopy Group in the Electrical Engineering Division. He is a research scientist at Tatasteel Europe R&D.
Elvira Fortunato has a career distinguished by scientific, academic, and political leadership, with recognized impact both nationally and internationally. She holds a PhD in Microelectronics and is a pioneer in the field of transparent electronics, being the inventor of the first paper transistor. She is currently the most cited researcher at NOVA University Lisbon. She has held high-level responsibilities, notably serving as Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, a role in which she promoted policies to bring science, higher education, and national priorities closer together. She led structural reforms such as the revision of the funding model for higher education institutions, the creation of specific quotas for low-income students (tier A), and the launch of the FCT-Tenure program, which fostered stability in scientific careers. She also coordinated the National Semiconductor Strategy, positioning Portugal within the EU Chips Act framework.As Vice-Rector for Research at NOVA, she led a structural transformation in the university’s research support system, established the Strategic Council for Science, created the NOVA Science journal and NOVA Science Day, and restructured the Research Support Office to focus on scientific strategy, project management, and research information systems. During this time, she also championed gender equality, coordinating the SPEAR project and founding the Office for Equality and Inclusion. She served as Chief Scientific Advisor to the European Commission, providing direct scientific advice to EU Commissioners and coordinating strategic studies on technologies for carbon capture and sustainable mobility within the EU's Scientific Advice Mechanism. Scientifically, she directed the Associated Laboratory i3N, a European reference in advanced materials, sustainable electronics, and nanotechnology, which has secured twelve ERC grants, hundreds of international projects, and dozens of patents. Under her leadership, i3N became the most prominent research institute in Portugal in Materials Science and Nanotechnology, pioneering the first national PhD program in Nanoscience and Nanotechnologies. Her achievements have earned her over 50 national and international honors, including the Pessoa Prize, the European Commission Horizon Impact Award, the Human Rights Medal of the Portuguese Parliament, and recognition as one of the 27 most inspiring women in Europe by the French Presidency of the EU. Beyond her scientific contributions, she is a passionate advocate for science education as a driver of social and economic development, promoting STEM fields, gender equality, and the training of new generations of scientists. She regularly participates in international conferences, forums, and science outreach initiatives, affirming science as a tool for inclusion, accessibility, and sustainability. Her vision integrates research, innovation, science policy, and civic commitment—reflected in a career of real, transformative, and lasting impact in service of society.