 | Afshin Falsafi
3M Oral Care Solutions
St. Paul, MN USA
Presentation Title: Mechanics of Interfaces and the Science of Adhesion |
| Since joining 3M in 1999, Dr. Afshin Falsafi has invented or co-developed several direct and indirect dental restoratives including filling materials and cements. He is a platform leader for dental materials technologies and his expertise includes adhesion science, polymer science, glass ionomers, nanomaterials, rheology, contact mechanics, and tribology. Afshin holds a Ph.D. from University of Minnesota with an emphasis on Polymer Adhesion. He is the recipient of a National Science Foundation Fellowship, 1994-1998 and has authored several full-length peer-reviewed manuscripts, 2 book chapters and holds more than 30 patents and patent applications. He has lectured globally on a broad range of dental materials and has been a reviewer for prestigious journals such as Macromolecules, Langmuir, Journal of Esthetic Restorative Dentistry and European Journal of Oral Science. | |
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 | Kumiko Yoshihara
National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)
Takamura, Japan
Presentation Title: Functional Monomers to Adhere to Dentin |
| Dr. Kumiko YOSHIHARA received her Doctor Dental Surgery (DDS) degree from Okayama University, Japan in 2006. She defended her PhD at Okayama University, Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2011, and obtained a second PhD at KU Leuven, Belgium in 2014. Her academic career started at Okayama University Hospital, Center for Innovative Clinical Medicine, having been appointed as Assistant Professor from 2014 to 2019, upon which she joined as Senior Researcher the Health and Medical Research Institute of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) in Japan. Dr. Yoshihara’s major research objective is to contribute to the further advancement of dental adhesive technology. She designed, synthesized and developed novel (functional) monomers and resin-based dental materials (adhesives, composites, resin-based pulp-capping agents, glass-ionomer cements, etc.), as well as she developed new medical devices for medical application in orthopedics, digestive surgery and thoracic surgery. Furthermore, she coordinated several translational research and clinical trials at the Center for Innovative Clinical Medicine of the Okayama University Hospital. Her research work has been published in more than 64 international peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Yoshihara received several research awards, among which the 2014 IADR/AADR William J. Gies Award for the best paper published in the Journal of Dental Research, category Biomaterials & Bioengineering, and the 2020 IADR Stephen Bayne Mid-Career Award. | |
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 | Silke Christiansen
INAM Research Center for Nanotechnology and Correlative Microscopy
Forchheim, Germany
Presentation Title: Ceramic materials in dentistry - Advanced Understanding and Improved Properties based on Scale-Bridging Context Microscopy, Spectroscopy and Machine Learning Approaches |
| Silke Christiansen is appointed full professor since 11/2013 at the Free University – Berlin in the physics department and is managing a research department for Correlative microscopy and Materials data at the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramics materials and systems in Forchheim, Germany. She received several awards including the MRS student award, a research fellowship award by the Bayerische Forschungsstiftung for a research stay at Columbia University, NY, USA and a Feodor Lynen Fellowship awarded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation to carry out research in silicon technology at TJ Watson Research Center of IBM, Yorktown Heights, NY, USA. Moreover, she is distinguished honorary professor at the Material Science Dept., Chungbuk University in Korea for 6 years (2014-2020). She has significant experience in the field of nano-materials, in particular energy materials and context microscopy and spectroscopy, bio-medical sensing, bio-technology and opto- as well as large-area electronics. She advances materials based on correlated microscopies and spectroscopies for which she operates a labs@location unit with Carl Zeiss Microscopy. She gained her scientific experience at various institutions in Germany and the US, e.g. IBM’s T.J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, NY, USA, Columbia University, NY, USA, Max Planck Institute for Microstructure Physics and the Science of Light in Halle and Erlangen (group leader), Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin for Materials and Energy (institute director), Leibnitz Institute for Photonic Technology in Jena (department leader) and the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (PhD and habilitation). She has more than 370 peer-reviewed publications, more than 12 patents/- applications, ~ 12240 citations and an h-index of 56. | |
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 | Edgar Dutra Zanotto
Materials Engineer and Senior Professor, Center for Research, Technology and Education in Vitreous Materials
Federal University of São Carlos
São Carlos, SP, Brazil
Presentation Title: Designing Glasses and Glass-Ceramics guided by Native and Artificial Intelligence |
| Edgar D. Zanotto (EDZ) is a materials Engineer – Federal University of São Carlos (1976), MSc in Physics - IFSC-University of São Paulo (1979), Ph.D. in Glass Technology - the University of Sheffield, UK (1982). He spent sabbatical periods at the International School of Polymer Science, Ferrara, Italy, 1992, and as a Fullbright Fellow, visiting professor at the University of Arizona (1987), and University of Central Florida (2005), USA. Currently is a Senior Professor at the Federal University of São Carlos. His WORK includes fundamental and applied research on phase transformation kinetics and properties of glasses and glass-ceramics. Zanotto's technological branch includes projects in partnership with 25 companies and consultancy on tech projects to over 40 companies. He is also interested in the development of vitreous materials with improved or new functionalities. EDZ has received science 54 AWARDS and scientific distinctions. He has PUBLISHED approximately 350 original and review papers, 21 book chapters, 3 books, 5 book prefaces, 30 filled patents, and advised 90 theses and postdocs. 28 of his ex-students and postdocs became professors or glass researchers. His leadership index is 91%. According to the 2019 PLOS ranking of normalized citations, he ranks 13,000th-18,000th globally in all sciences, and 303rd in applied physics / materials. He is a member of 5 science academies (3 in Brazil and 2 international). His current POSITIONS in Brazil are: Senior professor at DEMa/UFSCar, Director of Fapesp's Cepid-CeRTEV glass research center, President of the Council of the São Carlos High Tech Park Foundation; Counselor Emeritus and Director of Brazilian Ceramic Society; Council Member of the IMPA and Serrapilheira Institute, President of the Institute I2Mat. Zanotto´s current INTERNATIONAL POSITIONS are: Editor of the Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids, Advisory board member of ten other journals, ICG Crystallization Committee member, ACerS Global Ambassador, Council member of the International Ceramic Federation, and the International Commission on Glass, Advisory board member of the European FunGlass Institute. | |
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 | Tanja Lube
Structural and Functional Ceramics
Montanuniversität Leoben
Leoben, Austria
Presentation Title: 3D Printed Ceramics and Testing Environment |
| Dr. Tanja Lube is Assistant Professor at Chair of Structural and Functional Ceramics of the Department of Materials Science at Montanuniversität Leoben, Austria. After receiving her Dipl.-Ing. degree in materials science in 1993 from Montanuniversität Leoben, she specialized in mechanical properties of structural ceramics during her PhD (defended 1999) at the then newly established Institute of Structural and Functional Ceramics. Since then she is engaged in developing and implementing test methods for ceramics and brittle materials, for example for the characterization of strength, fracture toughness and indentation toughness. Connected to these activities is her research in fracture mechanics, fracture statistics, fractography and failure analysis. A strong common focus of her work is the application of testing methods not only to specimens but also directly to components, taking into account geometrical limitations, in-service loading situations and specifics of manufacturing methods like additive manufacturing. She is author of over 100 scientific papers, reviewer for topical journals of ceramic materials science and member of the advisory boards of various international conferences in the field of ceramics. | |
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 | Ralf Kohal
Associate Professor, Department of Prosthetic Dentistry
University of Freiburg
Freiburg, Germany
Presentation Title: Oral Implants Made From Zirconia Materials - Potentials and Limitations |
| Dr. Ralf-J. Kohal is an Associate Professor at the Department of Prosthetic Dentistry, Center for Dental Medicine, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Germany. He got his doctoral degree (Dr. Med. Dent.) in 1991. From 1993 – 1995 he was a Visiting Assistant Professor at the Division of Periodontology. Dr. Kohal is Board Certified in Prosthodontics (DGPro) and has received a certification for Oral Implantology (German Society of Implantology, DGI). In 2002, he was awarded docentship (Dr. Med. Dent. Habil.) in Oral Health Sciences through the University of Freiburg. His main interests are located in the field of implantology (ceramic implants: preclinical and clinical) and (perio-)prosthodontics. Dr. Kohal is a member of several national and international societies. He is married and has three kids. | |
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 | Carmem Pfeifer
Professor, Division of Biomaterials and Biomechanics at OHSU School of Dentistry
Portland, OR USA
Presentation Title: Host and Bacterial Enzyme-Mediated Approaches to Produce Durable Biomaterials: Trends in Polymeric Materials for Dental Applications |
| Dr. Carmem Pfeifer (DDS, PhD) is Professor in the Division of Biomaterials and Biomechanics at OHSU School of Dentistry. Dr. Pfeifer teaches Dental Materials and serves as an instructor in several Restorative Dentistry pre-clinical disciplines. She has published over 100 research articles in the field of Dental Materials Sciences and Polymer Chemistry and serves as a standing member of the DSR study section for the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research at NIH. She has been recently appointed Associate Editor for the Journal of Dental Research. Dr. Pfeifer’s research focuses on the development of innovative polymeric materials for restorative dentistry, and she has received the inventor of the year award from OHSU for the commercial potential of her patented inventions, which have attracted the interest of several potential licensees. She has received over 12 million dollars in funding for her research and career development from the National Institutes of Dental and Craniofacial Research (including the hyper-competitive R35 – Sustaining Outstanding Achievement in Research award), Oregon Medical Research Foundation, National Science Foundation, as well as industry partners. | |
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 | Conrado Aparicio
Professor, Faculty of Odontology – UIC Barcelona
Fellow, FBA-BIST-UIC
Associated Researcher – IBEC, Institute for BioEngineering of Catalonia
Presentation Title: Peptides and Bioinstructive Polymers on Surfaces for Prevention of Oral Infections |
| Dr. Conrado Aparicio is Professor and chair of the Division of Research at the Department of Odontology of UIC Barcelona – Universitat International de Catalunya, Spain. He is elected fellow of the AIMBE-American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. Dr. Aparicio is a materials scientist and engineer by training. After starting his academic career at the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC) he moved to the University of Minnesota (UMN) where he spent 12+ years in the Department of Restorative Sciences, and was the Deputy Director of the MDRCBB-Minnesota Dental Research Center for Biomaterials and Biomechanics. Last year Professor Aparicio returned to his hometown, Barcelona, as FBA-BIST-UIC fellow. For two decades he has carried out multidisciplinary research on bioinspired biomaterials and interfaces for directing biological responses to repair/regenerate bone and oral mucosa as well as to prevent bacterial infections for dental applications. Using inspiration from nature’s molecules and structures, his team designs and develops bioactive surfaces using supramolecular assembly and enabling spatial-temporal control of bioactive responses. He has published 130+ research papers and has lectured around the World on bioactivation of synthetic biomaterials for reparative and regenerative dentistry and medicine. He is co-inventor of multiple patents, one of them licensed and marketed by a dental implant company. He has been awarded multiple national and international research projects from US and EC agencies, foundations and corporations, in interdisciplinary collaborations between academic and corporate engineers, biologists, and clinicians. | |
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 | Spiro Megremis
Director, Dental Materials & Devices Research
ADA Science & Research Institute
Chicago, IL USA
Presentation Title: The Intersection of Materials Product Development with the Standards and Regulatory Processes |
| Dr. Spiro Megremis is the Director, Dental Materials & Devices Research of the American Dental Association (ADA) Science & Research Institute LLC and Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor of Biomaterials in Orthodontics, University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Dentistry. Dr. Megremis has a BS and MS in mechanical and biomedical engineering (BME), respectively, from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, and a PhD in BME with a focus on biomaterials from Northwestern University, where he was a Murphy and NIH/NIDCR Fellow. He has over 25 years of research experience related to medical and dental materials and equipment, during which time he has published in peer-reviewed journals, written several book chapters, and lectured extensively on the subject of dental materials and equipment. He currently leads a team of scientists and engineers who perform general and applied dental research, including laboratory testing of dental materials and products, using both standard and novel test methods. He and his research group at the ADA hold three patents on dental testing equipment. Dr. Megremis also serves as chairman, convener, and U.S. expert for several ISO, ADA/SCDP, and ASTM working groups. He is a former President and Vice-President of the Chicago Section of the American Association for Dental Research, and former Chair and Vice-Chair of the Dental/Craniofacial Special Interest Group of the Society for Biomaterials, as well as a past Chair of the Devices and Materials Committee. | |
