Ákos Koller (HU)

Ákos Koller is a distinguished professor and leading expert in microvascular physiology, with an MD from Semmelweis University (1975) and a Ph.D. from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (1992). His groundbreaking research has significantly advanced the understanding of wall shear stress-induced vascular responses, endothelial function, and cerebral blood flow autoregulation, shaping the field of microcirculation. With around 200 publications, he has mentored numerous researchers and fostered international collaborations across Europe, the U.S., and Asia. His exceptional contributions have been recognized with prestigious awards, including the Gabor Kaley Award (2015), Malpighi Award (2019), Albert Szent-Györgyi Award (2021), Eugen M. Landis Award (2023), and Carl J. Wiggers Award (2025).

Michela Matteoli (IT)

Michela Matteoli is Full Professor of Pharmacology at Humanitas University and Director of the Neuroscience program at Humanitas Research Hospital, Milano. She is a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), of the Academia Europaea and of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, the oldest European academy. Her research activity focuses on the role of the immune system and inflammation in the formation and function of brain circuits. Michela serves/served in several international scientific committees, including the European Research Council (ERC), the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), and the Harvard-Armenise Foundation. She has received various prizes and in 2022 has been awarded with an ERC Advanced Grant.

Viacheslav O. Nikolaev (DE)

Viacheslav O. Nikolaev is a leading expert in experimental cardiovascular research and a Full Professor at the University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, where he heads the Department of Experimental Cardiovascular Research. His groundbreaking work on cyclic nucleotide signaling in heart function is advancing new therapeutic strategies for cardiovascular diseases and has earned him two patents, the Albert-Fraenkel Prize, the Scientific Prize of Lower Saxony, and other prestigious awards. A dedicated mentor, he has supervised over 40 BSc, MSc, PhD, MD students, and postdocs. He serves on the editorial board of Circulation Research and has held key roles in various international research committees.

Lydie Plecitá (CZ)

Lydie Plecitá is the Head of the Laboratory of Pancreatic Islet Research at the Institute of Physiology in Prague. Her research focuses on mitochondrial function and redox signaling in diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cancer. She earned her PhD in Microbiology from Charles University and the Institute of Microbiology in Prague, where her work on oxidative stress and aging in yeast was highly recognized. Her pioneering research utilizes advanced microscopy techniques to study mitochondrial morphology and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Awarded the Otto Wichterle Medal and the L’Oréal Prize for Women in Science, she has published 87 high-impact papers and mentored several PhD students.

 

Tom McWilliams (FI)

Tom McWilliams is Associate Professor of Mitochondrial Medicine at the University of Helsinki, Finland. He studied biochemistry in Ireland before moving to the UK to complete the Wellcome Trust Four-Year PhD Programme in neuroscience with Alun M. Davies FMedSci FRS and Stephen B. Dunnett FMedSci. Subsequently, he was recruited to the MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, where he made groundbreaking advances in the study of physiological mitophagy and Parkinson’s disease with Ian Ganley FRSE and Miratul Muqit FMedSci. In 2021, he was elected a Scholar of the FENS-Kavli Network of Excellence. His team has been generously funded by numerous sources, including the Novo Nordisk Foundation, the Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation, and the Research Council of Finland. A major focus of the lab is on understanding tissue-specific autophagy mechanisms, metabolic signalling, and neurodegeneration, with particular interest in identifying early inflection points and mechanisms that drive disease progression.

Ákos Koller (HU)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ákos Koller is a distinguished professor and leading expert in microvascular physiology, with an MD from Semmelweis University (1975) and a Ph.D. from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (1992). His groundbreaking research has significantly advanced the understanding of wall shear stress-induced vascular responses, endothelial function, and cerebral blood flow autoregulation, shaping the field of microcirculation. With around 200 publications, he has mentored numerous researchers and fostered international collaborations across Europe, the U.S., and Asia. His exceptional contributions have been recognized with prestigious awards, including the Gabor Kaley Award (2015), Malpighi Award (2019), Albert Szent-Györgyi Award (2021), Eugen M. Landis Award (2023), and Carl J. Wiggers Award (2025).

Michela Matteoli (IT)

Michela Matteoli is Full Professor of Pharmacology at Humanitas University and Director of the Neuroscience program at Humanitas Research Hospital, Milano. She is a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), of the Academia Europaea and of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, the oldest European academy. Her research activity focuses on the role of the immune system and inflammation in the formation and function of brain circuits. Michela serves/served in several international scientific committees, including the European Research Council (ERC), the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), and the Harvard-Armenise Foundation. She has received various prizes and in 2022 has been awarded with an ERC Advanced Grant.

Viacheslav O. Nikolaev (DE)

Viacheslav O. Nikolaev is a leading expert in experimental cardiovascular research and a Full Professor at the University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, where he heads the Department of Experimental Cardiovascular Research. His groundbreaking work on cyclic nucleotide signaling in heart function is advancing new therapeutic strategies for cardiovascular diseases and has earned him two patents, the Albert-Fraenkel Prize, the Scientific Prize of Lower Saxony, and other prestigious awards. A dedicated mentor, he has supervised over 40 BSc, MSc, PhD, MD students, and postdocs. He serves on the editorial board of Circulation Research and has held key roles in various international research committees.

Lydie Plecitá (CZ)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lydie Plecitá is the Head of the Laboratory of Pancreatic Islet Research at the Institute of Physiology in Prague. Her research focuses on mitochondrial function and redox signaling in diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cancer. She earned her PhD in Microbiology from Charles University and the Institute of Microbiology in Prague, where her work on oxidative stress and aging in yeast was highly recognized. Her pioneering research utilizes advanced microscopy techniques to study mitochondrial morphology and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Awarded the Otto Wichterle Medal and the L’Oréal Prize for Women in Science, she has published 87 high-impact papers and mentored several PhD students.

 

Thomas McWilliams (FI)          

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tom McWilliams is Associate Professor of Mitochondrial Medicine at the University of Helsinki, Finland. He studied biochemistry in Ireland before moving to the UK to complete the Wellcome Trust Four-Year PhD Programme in neuroscience with Alun M. Davies FMedSci FRS and Stephen B. Dunnett FMedSci. Subsequently, he was recruited to the MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit, where he made groundbreaking advances in the study of physiological mitophagy and Parkinson’s disease with Ian Ganley FRSE and Miratul Muqit FMedSci. In 2021, he was elected a Scholar of the FENS-Kavli Network of Excellence. His team has been generously funded by numerous sources, including the Novo Nordisk Foundation, the Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation, and the Research Council of Finland. A major focus of the lab is on understanding tissue-specific autophagy mechanisms, metabolic signalling, and neurodegeneration, with particular interest in identifying early inflection points and mechanisms that drive disease progression.