Confirmed Plenary Speakers:
Prof. Alejandro A. Franco
Prof. Alejandro A. Franco is a Full Professor at the Université de Picardie Jules Verne and an Honorary Member of the Institut Universitaire de France, with over 23 years dedicated to the multiscale modeling of electrochemical energy devices, and batteries in particular. His pioneering work, recognized by two ERC grants, integrates physics-based simulations, AI, and mixed reality to optimize battery manufacturing. He was honored with the 2019 French Prize for Pedagogy Innovation for his use of Virtual Reality in battery education, and is the recipient of the 2025 Battery Division Whittingham Mid-Career Award of the Electrochemical Society. Prof. Franco published more than 176 publications, 12 book chapters, 23 patents, and has delivered more than 230 invited lectures. He also coordinates the Erasmus+ i-MESC MSc. programme, at the crossroads between battery science, engineering and digitalization. He is the co-founder and science/tech lead of Aikemics, a startup providing unique digital solutions for the battery industry.
Prof. Curtis P. Berlinguette
Prof. Curtis P. Berlinguette leads an interdisciplinary team that designs and builds electrochemical reactors to accelerate decarbonization. Dr. Berlinguette is a Distinguished University Scholar at the University of British Columbia, where he is a Professor of Chemistry and Chemical & Biological Engineering. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, CIFAR Program Director, and Principal Investigator at the Stewart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute (SBQMI). His academic group has advanced a range of clean energy applications including CO2 utilization, membrane reactors for decarbonizing the chemicals industry, and lower-temperature fusion.