Tet Yeap is a professor at the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Ottawa and the School of Automation at the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications. He received a B.A.Sc in electrical engineering from Queen's University in 1982, followed by a master's and a doctorate in the same field from the University of Toronto in 1984 and 1991, respectively. He was the inaugural director of the Bell Advanced Research Laboratory in Ottawa (BARLO). He directed the BARLO Laboratory from 1996 to 2010, focusing on telecommunications research and development. He has published four book chapters, 40 journal and transaction papers, and 76 conference papers. He is also the holder of 75 patents. He was also the recipient of the Bell Canada IP Award in 2004, the Joseph Whitward Award, the Institute of Mechanical Engineers in 2005, and the IEEE CogMI 2025 Best Paper Award for work on the Restricted Hopfield Network. He is also the co-founder and president of AgriSmart Technologies Inc., a startup dedicated to advancing precision-farming research and expanding arable land through innovative, sustainable solutions.

Antonio Bevilacqua, full professor of Microbiology Antonio Bevilacqua holds a PhD in Food Product Biotechnology (2006) and a Master’s degree in Food Science and Technology from the University of Foggia, Italy, where he is currently Full Professor of Microbiology at the DAFNE Department and Coordinator of the Master’s Degree Programme in Food Science and Technology. His research focuses on food spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms, starter cultures and probiotics, predictive microbiology and mathematical modelling, risk analysis, and sustainable agriculture, including plant growth–promoting bacteria and bioremediation. He has coordinated several national and international research projects and serves as Associate Editor and Editorial Board member of leading journals in food microbiology.