2018 KEYNOTE
Elisabetta Traggiai, Novartis Biologics Center
Immunology Postdoc Mentor at the NBC in Basel (Switzerland)
Dr. Elisabetta Traggiai joined the Novartis Biologics Center 6 years ago as an Immunology Postdoc Mentor, where she is focusing on the understanding of mechanisms that contribute to B cell tolerance in healthy humans and autoimmune disease patients. She is a biologist by training and has a PhD in Neuroimmunology, which she obtained at the Department of Psychiatric Science in Florence, Italy. After a 5-year postdoc in Switzerland on the mechanisms responsible for the maintenance of serological memory, she started a position as a group leader in Immunology and Rheumatic Diseases in Italy. In 2011, she became lab head at the Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research in Basel and in 2012, she moved to her current position at the Novartis Biologics Center, where she is a group head. One of her projects includes the development of a B cell selection platform with high-throughput culture methods and molecular sequencing approaches, such as single cell PCR and next-generation sequencing of antibodies from different species (i.e., rabbit, llama).
Kristian Franze, University of Cambridge
Lecturer at the Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience
Dr. Kristian Franze is working as a lecturer at the Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience where he is using an interdisciplinary approach to investigate how cellular forces, local cell and tissue compliance and cellular mechanosensitivity contribute to CNS development and disease. His group is exploiting methods like atomic force microscopy, traction force microscopy, custom-built simple and complex compliant cell culture substrates, optical microscopy including confocal laser scanning microscopy and cell biological techniques. He published his research in high-ranked papers such as Nature Neuroscience, Nature Communications, Nature Materials, Science and PNAS, and his goal is to shed light on how and when cells in the central nervous system (CNS) actively exert forces and respond to their mechanical environment to better understand on CNS development, which could eventually lead to novel biomedical approaches to treat or circumvent pathologies that involve mechanical signalling, such as spinal cord injuries.
Massimiano Bucchi, University of Trento
Full Professor of Sociology of Science and Communication, Science and Technology at the University of Trento (Italy) and member of the editorial board of the journal ‘Public Understanding of Science’
Prof. Massimiano Bucchi holds a Ph.D. in Social and Political Science and has published several books, including Science and the media (London and New York, Routledge, 1998), Science in society, An Introduction to Social Studies of Science (London and New York, Routledge, 2004), Handbook of Public Communication of Science and Technology (with B. Trench, London and New York, Routledge, 2008), Beyond Technocracy. Citizens, Politics, Technoscience (New York, Springer, 2009), and essays in international journals such as History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences, Nature, New Genetics and Society, Science and Public Understanding of Science. He has served as advisor and evaluator for several research and policy bodies, including the US National Science Foundation, the Royal Society, the European Commission and the European Food Safety Authority. Moreover, he has carried out research and given seminars at several international institutions, such as the Royal Society, London School of Economics, University of California Berkeley, Royal Academy of Sciences Sweden, Science University Tokyo, Rikken Institute, American Association for the Advancement of Science and received recognition for his work, including the Mullins Prize awarded by the Society for Social Studies of Science (1997) the Merck-Serono special jury award for science books (2007), the international Calabria Prize for science books (2011). In addition, he is a member of the editorial board of the journal Public Understanding of Science and has chaired the international scientific committee organizing the 2012 World Conference on Public Communication of Science in Technology in Florence. He also regularly contributes to newspapers Repubblica, La Stampa-TuttoScienze e Nòva-Il Sole 24 Ore.