Udit Batra is Chief Executive Officer of MilliporeSigma, the Û5.9 billion Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany and a member of its Executive Board Ñ the first American to hold this position in the company's 350-year history. In addition to leading MilliporeSigma, Udit has Board responsibility for the company's global Business Technology function.

Born in New Delhi, India, Udit is an accomplished executive who has dedicated his career to improving health for people globally, bringing more than 20 years' experience in healthcare and the life sciences. After Udit became CEO in 2014, he and his MilliporeSigma team developed and executed a growth strategy that included the 2015 acquisition of chemicals and technology giant Sigma-Aldrich. Udit architected and led this merger Ñ the largest acquisition in the history of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany and one of the largest ever in the life science industry.

Today, Udit continues to lead the business through a strategic transformation that has made MilliporeSigma a top-three player in the industry and an employer of choice in many regions where it operates around the world.

Prof. Lee Cronin FRSE, FRSC, Regius Chair of Chemistry,  University of Glasgow

Leroy (Lee) Cronin FRSE was appointed Regius Professor of Chemistry in Glasgow in 2013 after being a professor and reader in Glasgow since 2002. Between 2000-2002 he was a lecturer at the University of Birmingham. Lee was an Alexander von Humboldt research fellow at the University of Bielefeld. From 1997-1999, he was a research fellow at the University of Edinburgh.

In 1997, Lee obtained a Ph.D. in Bio-Inorganic Chemistry at the University of York. In 1994, he obtained a BSc. in Chemistry, First Class, University of York. Among Lee's many recognitions are a 2015 RSC Tilden Prize, a 2013 BP/RSE Hutton Prize, a 2012 RSC Corday-Morgan prize and election to the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2009.

His research has three main aims: (a) the construction of an artificial life form / work out how inorganic chemistry transitioned to biology / searching for new life forms; (b) the digitization of chemistry; and (c) the use of artificial intelligence in chemistry including the construction of 'wet' chemical computers.

Dr. Dana Kralisch,  CTO of JeNACell GmbH,  Friedrich Schiller University Jena

Dana is a chemist who is highly engaged in sustainable chemical and pharmaceutical process design supported by Life Cycle Assessment and Risk Assessment. She is a senior lecturer at the Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmacy of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena. In 2015, she received the German Habilitation degree.

In parallel to her academic work, Dana is the Chief Technical Officer at JeNaCell GmbH in Germany and is one of the two founders of this young biotech-company. From 2006 - 2011, together with Nadine Hessler, Dana developed the "Horizontal-Lift-Reactor" (HoLiR) process for continuous biotechnological cellulose generation. The pioneering work of both was awarded by the Sciene4Life Venture Cup, the Thuringian Research Prize and Falling Walls Venture.