Birgit Habenstein is a CNRS Chemistry research director focusing her work on the application and development of solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy to reveal the mechanistic bases in biomolecular self-assemblies. After her studies at the Technical University Berlin, a shared PhD work at the University of Lyon and the ETH Zürich, she left in 2011 for a post-doc at the Max-Planck Institute Göttingen. With an independent funding, she joined the CNRS and the University of Bordeaux in 2014 to build her research team at the Institute of Chemistry and Biology of Membranes and Nano-objects, where she now leads the group of Multiscale Biophysics. From 2020-2022,  family circumstances led to her return to Germany where she served as managing director of the German Society for Biomedical Engineering (DGBMT within VDE), leaving fundamental research for two years. She received >2 M€ funding for her research from regional, national and European organisms and has co-authed 82 peer-reviewed publications with 19 as corresponding author. A key feature of her work is the dual focus on methodological innovation and biologically grounded applications.

Claire DE MARCH is a CNRS researcher, where she explores the mysteries of olfaction, a common thread that has guided her career since its inception. After studying chemistry, she briefly worked in industry, an experience that enriched her vision of applied research. However, she chose to pursue a career in academia, devoting herself to the study of olfactory receptors through chemistry and biology. In 2023, her work was recognized with the Joliot-Curie Prize from the Ministry of Research and Higher Education and the Academy of Sciences, in recognition of her contributions to understanding the molecular mechanisms of smell. In particular, she participated in the publication of the first structure of a human olfactory receptor, a major breakthrough in the field. Committed to a more inclusive science, she is also involved in initiatives aimed at reducing gender inequality and the lack of diversity in research.

Lucie SANCEY is Director of Research of the French CRNS at the Institute for Advanced Biosciences, in Grenoble, France. Her research activities focus on the development and evaluation of innovative compounds for cancer imaging and treatment. This includes the development of nano-agents for cancer diagnosis and therapy, in particular for BNCT, as well as new multimodal optical contrast agents and new imaging techniques for biological tissues including fluorophores for image-guided surgery. She was responsible for translational activities to bring a theranostic nanoparticle from the lab to the bedside to improve radiation therapy (investigated in 8 clinical trials). She is co-author of more than 120 scientific communications, and participated in 2 start-up and 4 patents. She is a member of Scientific Steering Committee of the Cancéropôle Lyon Auvergne Rhône-Alpes, for the thematic axis "Innovations Technology for Health ». She is vice-president of the SFNano board (the French Society of Nanomedicine), codirector of the French research group “Nuclear Methods and Tools against Cancer”, vice-president of one of the French National Research Agency (ANR) committees, and member of the French National Research committee (CoNRS) section 26.