Plenaries
We are pleased to introduce first high-ranking plenary speakers. The list of the plenary speakers is being permanently updated.
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Prof. Suzy Farid
University College London, UK
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Professor Suzanne Farid is Head of Biochemical Engineering at University College London and a globally recognized leader in bioprocess systems engineering. Her research focuses on developing advanced decision-support tools and algorithms to enable cost-effective, scalable, and sustainable manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals, including monoclonal antibodies, as well as cell and gene therapies. She has led major industry–academia partnerships, translating cutting-edge research into industrial practice, policy, and education. Her expertise is widely sought in international policy dialogues and leading scientific conferences. In addition, she has significantly influenced education and workforce development by integrating research-driven approaches into training programs. Her contributions have been recognized with multiple prestigious awards, highlighting her leadership and impact in the field.
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Dr. Christoph Herwig
Lisalis GmbH, Austria
AI-based digital twins for accelerating time to market and optimizing biomanufacturing
Christoph Herwig, bioprocess engineer from RWTH Aachen and obtained a PhD in bioprocess identification at EPFL, Switzerland. From 2008 to 2023, he was full professor for biochemical engineering at the Vienna University of Technology. The research area focused on the development of data science methods for integrated and efficient bioprocess development along PAT and QbD principles for biopharmaceuticals. During his employments in various industries, such as with Lonza, he was deeply involved in the design and commissioning of large chemical and biopharmaceutical facilities. In 2013 he founded the company Exputec, which is now part of Körber Pharma, pioneering data science software solutions for the biopharma life cycle. Here, Christoph currently also acts as senior scientific advisor for Körber. In parallel, he is serial entrepreneur catalysing bioprocess intensification and continuous bioprocessing using digital twins and control in various emerging organizations.
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Prof. Dr. Jørgen Magnus
RWTH Aachen, Germany
Methods and Technologies for Bioprocess Development in Microbial and Cell Culture Systems
Jørgen Magnus holds a Master of Chemical Engineering from the University of Manchester, Institute of Science and Technology and a PhD in Biochemical Engineering from the Research Center Jülich and the University of Stuttgart. He worked for NNE Pharmaplan on design, construction, and commissioning of pharmaceutical production facilities before he joined Bayer AG in 2009. There, he worked on topics related to Industrial and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and initiated process development programs for the fermentative production of aniline and phenol from sugar. In addition to being project lead for the development of a continuous process for monoclonal antibodies, he was head of the Bioprocess Technology group for five years, before taking the position as Strategic Program Management Lead Cell and Gene Therapy. In April 2023 Jørgen Magnus took over the Chair of Bioprocess Engineering at the faculty of Mechanical Engineering at RWTH Aachen University. There, his research focuses on the characterization of processes in bioreactors of all scales - from microtiter plates to fermenters – with applications in industrial and pharmaceutical biotechnology.
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Dr. Maria Papathanasiou
Imperial College London, UK
A systems engineering approach to accelerating sustainable, bioprocess development
Dr Papathanasiou, recipient of the IChemE Junior Sargent Medal (2023), leads the Life Science and Process Systems Engineering lab. Her research pioneers Process Systems Engineering tools to quantify and mitigate process development and manufacturing uncertainties, in (bio-)pharmaceutical and food product lifecycle, ensuring sustainable and uninterrupted production and delivery. Dr Maria Papathanasiou is an Associate Professor for Process Systems Engineering at the Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London. She holds a PhD degree in Process Systems Engineering from the Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London and a Diploma from the School of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens. Dr Papathanasiou conducted her Diploma Thesis in Food Process Engineering at the Technical University of Berlin.
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Prof. Karel Luyben
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Karel Luyben is Rector Magnificus Emeritus of the Delft University of Technology as of 2018. He was Rector Magnificus of the Delft University of Technology from 2010 till 2018. Before that he served as Dean of the Faculty of Applied Sciences for almost 12 years. In 1983 he was appointed full professor in Biochemical Engineering at the Delft University of Technology, and from there has gained experience in research, starting a SME, research leadership and leading European organisations like the European Federation of Biotechnology, CESAER and until recently European Open Science Cloud Association. The last decade he was primarily active in the domain of Open Science. Until 2023 he was National Coordinator for Open Science in the Netherlands. He was the Chairman of the Board of the Dutch Techcentre for Life Sciences for ten years and is involved with the Open Science Task Forces of CESAER and EUA and since 2020. From 2021 until the middle of 2025 he was the President of the European Open Science Cloud Association (EOSC-A). Throughout his career, he has provided and continues to provide consultation services to research organisations, industries and governments in the areas of Technology and Strategy & Policy.