Joanna Wojewoda-Budka is Director of the Institute of Metallurgy and Materials Science at the Polish Academy of Sciences in Kraków. Her research focuses on intermetallic phase formation, thin film characterization, and advanced electron microscopy methods. She was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta in 2023 for outstanding scientific achievements.

Lorenz Romaner is a researcher in computational materials science at Montanuniversität Leoben. He directs the Christian Doppler Laboratory for Crystal Growth and leads projects combining ab initio methods with multiscale modeling for advanced materials design.