International Advisory Board

Saïd El Alaoui

Covalab, Bron, France

Saïd El Alaoui, Ph.D., is the founder and CEO of Covalab, a biotechnology company based in Bron, near Lyon, France. Founded in 1995, Covalab specializes in the development and production of antibodies for research, diagnostics, and therapeutic applications. Dr. El Alaoui has extensive experience in immunology, biochemistry, and biotechnology, with particular expertise in antibody engineering and the development of antibody-based technologies. His scientific interests include immunotherapy, immunodiagnostics, and the use of antibodies to deliver therapeutic compounds to specific biological targets. Under his leadership, Covalab has developed innovative technologies for antibody production and site-specific conjugation and has participated in national and international collaborative research projects. His work combines scientific research with biotechnology entrepreneurship, helping to translate laboratory discoveries into practical applications in medicine and the life sciences.

 

Peter Faller

University of Strasbourg, France

Peter Faller is Professor of Chemistry at the University of Strasbourg, France, where he leads the Biometals and Biological Chemistry research group at the Institute of Chemistry. He has also served as Deputy Director of the Institute of Chemistry since 2018. His research focuses on bioinorganic chemistry, particularly the interactions of metal ions with proteins and peptides and their roles in biological processes and disease. His group has made important contributions to understanding how copper, zinc, and iron interact with amyloid-beta peptides, which are associated with Alzheimer’s disease. His current research also includes metal-based therapeutic approaches, antimicrobial compounds, and methods for detecting metals in biological systems. Before joining Strasbourg in 2015, he was Professor of Chemistry at the University of Toulouse. He was appointed a Senior Member of the Institut Universitaire de France for 2021–2026.

 

Sebastian Glatt

University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Austria

Sebastian Glatt is Professor of Systems Genetics at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Austria, where he leads the department of biological sciences and pathobiology. He started his scientific career with a PhD at the pharmaceutical industry and a postdoc at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg. Before moving to Vienna in 2024, he headed a Max Planck Research Group at the Małopolska Centre of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland. He also founded the Polish national cryo-EM facility at the Solaris Synchrotron in Krakow. His research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms controlling RNA modification, protein synthesis, and gene expression, using cryo-electron microscopy and biochemical analysis. He is an EMBO Member, received an ERC Consolidator Grant in 2020, the NCN Award in 2021, the Parnas award in 2023 and the Foundation for Polish Science Prize in 2024.

 

 

Stanislav Kopriva

University of Cologne, Germany

Stanislav Kopriva is Professor of Plant Biochemistry and Vice Dean for Research at the University of Cologne, Germany. His research focuses on plant mineral nutrition, particularly sulfur metabolism, as well as plant–microbe interactions and the evolution of photosynthesis. His group combines molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, and plant physiology to understand how plants acquire and use essential nutrients and respond to their environment. Before joining the University of Cologne in 2013, he led a research group at the John Innes Centre in Norwich, UK, and held research positions at the Universities of Freiburg and Bern. He is also Speaker of the Competence Area Food Security at the University of Cologne and has played an important role in the Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS). His research contributes to improving nutrient use efficiency and the nutritional quality of crop plants.

 

John van Noort

Leiden University, The Netherlands

John van Noort is a professor of Biophysics at the Institute of Physics of Leiden University. His research focuses on developing single-molecule techniques, investigating the molecular mechanisms of chromatin structure and dynamics, and developing statistical physics models to describe these processes. He serves on the editorial board of Biophysical Journal and co-founded 4ces, a Leiden University spin-out developing single-molecule analysis methods for pharmaceutical research.

 

Liliana Schaefer

Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Liliana Schaefer M.D., serves as a Full Professor of Pharmacology and Goethe Research Professor at the Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Goethe University, Frankfurt/Main, Germany. Additionally, she is an Adjunct Research Professor in the Department of Pathology and Genomic Medicine, Translational Cellular Oncology Program, the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia. Her pioneering research group redefined the role of the extracellular matrix, discovering that its components can act as “danger” signals during inflammation and tissue fibrosis. She has published over 190 papers, holds an h-index of 82, and has earned nearly 39,000 citations. Dr. Schaefer currently serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Physiology-Cell Physiology. She will assume the role of Editor-in-Chief of Physiological Reviews and of the Journal of Histochemistry and Cytochemistry on January 1, 2027.