AMT 2026 - Advanced Materials and Technologies

Invited Speakers

Prof. Natalia Sobczak

Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland

Prof. Natalia Sobczak is a Head of the Department of Metallurgical Processes at the Institute of Metallurgy and Materials Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Krakow, Poland. She has a world-renowned reputation in high-temperature liquid state materials science with special attention to investigation of high-temperature phenomena in liquid-assisted processes (metal casting, joining, additive manufacturing, synthesis of metal matrix and ceramic matrix composites). Her research contributions include over 400 publication (h-index 25), 80 national and international projects (financed by European Space Agency, European Commission, United Nations Organization, Japan Society for Promotion Science, U.S.-Poland Maria Sklodowska-Curie Joint Fund) and 18 patents. She is also a holder of several prestigious national and international awards, i.a. Knight’s Cross of Polonia Restituta Order for all the scientific achievements in 2023 and Gold Cross of Merit, Gold Medals BRUSSELS EUREKA at the Belgian and Int. Trade Fair for Technological Innovations; American Vacuum Society and ASM International Award for “The Unique, Unusual and New Techniques in Microscopy”, 1st Prize Award at Kaohsiung Int. Invention and Design EXPO, Taiwan, etc.

Prof. Blaž Likozar

National Institute of Chemistry, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Prof. Blaž Likozar is the Head of the Department of Catalysis and Chemical Reaction Engineering at the National Institute of Chemistry (NIC) in Ljubljana, Slovenia. He leads the “Chemical Reaction Engineering” programme, as well as numerous research projects, including 15 H2020 projects and more than 50 Horizon Europe projects. His expertise includes, among others, heterogeneous catalysis materials, modelling, simulation and optimization of process fluid mechanics, transport phenomena, and chemical kinetics. He worked at the University of Delaware in 2014–2015 as a Fulbright Program researcher. He has authored more than 400 scientific articles and has been cited over 10,000 times, with an h-index of 61. He is also involved in many industrial projects, among others with Total Energies, Evonik Industries, UPM, Novartis, and Carbon Recycling International. He is a recipient of the Pregl and Zois Awards.

Dr. Diego Martinez Martinez

Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology

Dr. Diego Martinez Martinez is Lead R&T Scientist at the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST). He holds 2 PhD’s, in Inorganic Chemistry (Seville, 2007) and Applied Physics (Groningen, 2017). His research is focused on the deposition, characterization and properties of coatings for different applications, particularly oriented towards substrate protection against aggressive environments or harsh conditions. His contributions cover different aspects of tribology, mechanical properties, protection of flexible and complex substrates (e.g. cork and rubber) and coating engineering. He has worked in different academic institutions across Europe (Spain, Portugal, Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg), and he has published more than 65 SCI-indexed articles (h index 24) and holds four patents.

Dr. Juan Carlos Sanchez-Lopez

Institute of Materials Science of Seville, Spain

Dr. Juan Carlos Sanchez-Lopez is a Research Scientist at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) at the Institute of Materials Science of Seville (ICMS). He obtained his PhD in Chemical Sciences in 1998. His research is focused on the tailored design of nanostructured materials and functional thin films, with particular emphasis on magnetron sputtering and plasma-based vacuum technologies. His work addresses surface engineering, tribology, and energy-related applications, including selective solar absorber coatings with enhanced oxidation resistance and thermal stability. He has published over 130 SCI-indexed articles, holds three patents, and has extensive experience in national and European research projects.

22nd INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

22^nd INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE