Prof. Dr. Holzer studied polymer engineering and science at the Montanuniversitaet Leoben MUL, Austria. Eight years he worked in Switzerland in the industry in the field of rubber and thermoplastic processing, especially compounding and extrusion. Until 2009 he was the deputy head of the Institute of Polymer Nanotechnology INKA and associate professor at the FHNW in Switzerland.
Since 2009 he is head of Polymer Processing and full professor at MUL. Main research themes are injection moulding, extrusion, compounding, recycling, additive manufacturing, simulation and determination of material data. He is cooperating closely with the industry and nationally and internationally active in professional networks.
Photocredits: © Michael Schaffer-Warga, Foto Furgler

Luigi Botta is an Associate Professor of Materials Science and Technology at the University of Palermo, Italy. His research focuses on the processing and characterization of polymeric materials, with particular emphasis on polymer blends, composites, and biodegradable systems, including the valorization of agri-food by-products as bio-based fillers. His work also addresses the relationships between processing conditions, rheological behavior, and final properties, as well as polymer recycling and packaging applications. He has co-authored more than 140 publications (h-index 41, Scopus) and serves as Associate Editor of Frontiers in Materials and as a Section Board Member of Polymers.

Maciej Haranczyk is a Senior Researcher at IMDEA Materials Institute (Madrid), where he leads the Accelerated Materials Discovery Group and the AI & Digitalization Program. Previously a staff scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, his research has evolved from computational chemistry and materials informatics toward autonomous experimentation. His work focuses on developing methodologies to accelerate the discovery and development of advanced materials, particularly polymer blends and nanocomposites. His group builds self-driving laboratories combining robotic polymer processing, automated characterization, and AI-guided experimentation to explore composition–processing–property relationships more efficiently.