Dr. Mamadalieva is currently Senior Scientific Researcher at the Institute of the Chemistry of Plant Substances in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Her work focuses on the phytochemical and biological investigation of active compounds derived from medicinal plants growing in Central Asia. The field of natural substances, a tradition at the Tashkent Institute, is gaining more interest in western countries for the development of efficient nutraceuticals and the discovery of new lead compounds for the pharmaceutical industry. Mamadalieva is the recipient of a number of international fellowships which have allowed her to travel extensively and develop a strong network of international collaborators.  She received her MSc from Fergana State University in Uzbekistan and her PhD from the Institute where she is currently researcher in Tashkent.  In 2011 she received the UNESCO-L’Oreal Award for Young Women in Life Sciences.

Dr. Paniagua-Zambrana’s research focuses on documenting and protecting traditional knowledge of plant use by indigenous populations and local communities, especially in Bolivia. She works to provide local populations with tools that allow them to make decisions about the conservation of their natural resources and associated traditional knowledge. Dr. Paniagua-Zambrana’s research has mostly focused on native palms of the Andes and the Amazon.

She has worked consistently to disseminate the results of her research among the local communities with which she works. Her research has been incorporated into educational materials in local schools and has also served as important documentation protecting the traditional knowledge of local communities. The communities are enabled to elaborate strategies to conserve their natural resources, and encouraged to share and expand their knowledge regarding their use and maintenance.

Dr. Paniagua-Zambrana was born in La Paz, Bolivia. She received her PhD in Biological Sciences from the Autonomous University of Madrid in Spain in 2016. Dr. Paniagua-Zambrana is one of the most published researchers in Bolivia, according to a regional report by Elsevier. Her research has resulted in numerous scientific articles published in journals including Nature Plants, PlosOne, and the Journal of Ethnopharmacology, among others, and she also acts as a reviewer of numerous scientific journals. She has published more than 100 book chapters and 15 books.

In addition, she works with undergraduate, masters and doctoral students around the globe who are interested in ethnobotanical studies, many of them young women scientists. She is a member of the Society for Economic Botany, where she currently serves on the council, the Latin American Association of Botany, the Latin American Group of Ethnobotany – Bolivia Chapter, the Bolivian Organization for Women in Science, and the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD).

Velma is a PhD candidate in Plant Breeding and Biotechnology at Makerere University, Uganda. She develops disease-resistant groundnut varieties using genomic tools to address critical agricultural challenges in sub-Saharan Africa. She is also a Project Coordinator at the JR Biotek Foundation where she supports agricultural innovation, farmer engagement, and scientific project coordination contributing to climate-resilient food systems across Africa. She has served as a Junior researcher with the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics and contributed to projects with Innovations for Poverty Action aimed at improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers.

Renuka Attanayake is a plant pathologist working on crop disease identification and management in Sri Lanka. Her projects include the optimization of a rapid detection method of coconut phytoplasma in Sri Lanka, and the identification of genetic diversity of white mold pathogen on cabbage and black mold on onions. With her work, she is contributing to the development of resistant inducer treatments and farmers’ education to reduce the negative effects of some of the most common crop diseases in her country.

Dr Tasrina Rabia Choudhury is a chemist from Bangladesh with expertise ranging from water quality improvement to environmental restoration, from climate change to risk assessment and environmental modeling, and more. She is working to pioneer novel approaches in the remediation techniques of toxic elements from wastewater and drinking water, ensuring the delivery of safe drinking water to underserved communities. Tasrina has actively engaged with local communities, implementing awareness campaigns that educate them about the importance of hygiene and efficient water use.