Professor Arun S. Mujumdar, widely recognised as the world's 'Drying Guru,' is a towering figure in drying technology whose influence spans over five decades. His distinguished academic career includes long-tenured professorships at McGill University and the National University of Singapore, where he served as a Professor and Director of the Minerals, Metals and Materials Technology Centre (M3TC).

He is the founder of the International Drying Symposium (IDS) series and the founding chair of the Asia-Pacific Drying Conference (ADC) series, which he established in 1997 to foster regional collaboration. As the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Drying Technology for over 30 years, he has been the primary architect of the field's modern foundation. His seminal Handbook of Industrial Drying remains the definitive reference, often called the 'Bible of Industrial Drying'. As the Honorary Founding Chair and advisor to the ADC 2027 organising committee, his unparalleled vision and legacy continue to guide the global drying community.

Professor Min Zhang is a senior professor at Jiangnan University in Wuxi, China, where he has been a faculty member since 1995. He earned his PhD in Agricultural and Food Process Engineering in 1992 and completed two periods of postdoctoral research before joining the university.

His research focuses on fresh food processing and preservation, with particular expertise in drying, frying, and freezing technologies. He is a pioneer in Emerging and Novel Food Technologies, including food additive manufacturing (3D printing).

Prof Zhang has authored over 650 international journal papers and holds more than 230 invention patents. His awards include the China National Scientific and Technological Progress Award (2012), the prestigious Arun S. Mujumdar Medal (2015), and the commemorative medal for the 70th anniversary of the PRC (2019). He has been recognised as a 'Highly Cited Researcher' by both Elsevier and Clarivate. He currently directs the International Joint Laboratory for intelligent processing of fresh foods.

Professor Hongwei Xiao is a Distinguished Lead Professor and Doctoral Supervisor in the College of Engineering at China Agricultural University (CAU), China. He earned his BSc (2005) and PhD (2010) in Agricultural Engineering from CAU, and was a visiting scholar at University College Dublin. His research focuses on green, low-carbon, and intelligent food drying technology, particularly Pulsed Vacuum Drying (PVD).

An acclaimed researcher, Professor Xiao is a member of China's National 'Ten Thousand Talents Plan' and serves as Senior Associate Editor of the prestigious journal Drying Technology. He has published extensively in high-impact journals and holds numerous national invention patents. Crucially, his team's innovative systems are widely adopted across the industry for processing regional specialties like goji berries and medicinal herbs. Recognised globally, Prof Xiao served as Joint Chair of ADC2025

Professor Mohammad Djaeni is a Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Diponegoro University, Indonesia. He earned his bachelor's degree from Diponegoro University, his master's from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, and his PhD from Wageningen University in the Netherlands.

His research specialises in drying technology and food processing, with a focus on low-temperature dehumidification systems using natural adsorbents like zeolite and silica. He has also developed 'smart food' innovations, including nutrient-rich analog rice with slow-release properties. His work on rotary dryer optimisation for rice has been applied to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.

Prof Djaeni holds numerous Indonesian patents and design patents for drying systems for shallots, rice, and soybean products. He actively collaborates internationally with universities in Malaysia.

Professor Xu Duan is a Distinguished Professor at the College of Food and Bioengineering, Henan University of Science and Technology in China. He holds a PhD from Jiangnan University. His research focuses on advanced food drying technologies, including microwave vacuum drying, infrared-assisted spouted bed drying, and microwave freeze drying.

His work has contributed significantly to understanding drying kinetics, quality preservation, and process optimisation for agricultural products like Chinese yam, sea cucumber, and Camellia oleifera seeds. Prof Duan's research also explores the application of microencapsulation technology in functional foods.

Prof Duan has been recognised as an Innovative Talent in Science and Technology by Henan Province. He is a core member of the Drying Technology Professional Group of the Chinese Chemical Society and a Standing Council Member of the Henan Food Science and Technology Association.

Dr Poh Hee Joo is a faculty member in the Department of the Built Environment at the National University of Singapore (NUS). He earned his PhD from NUS, MEng and a BEng from NTU. Prior to his current appointment, he accumulated over 25 years of research experience at A*STAR's Institute of High Performance Computing, serving as a Senior Scientist and Domain Specialist.

His research expertise lies in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), integrated environmental modelling, building physics and sustainability, and urban microclimate analysis. He has completed over 70 industry consultancy projects and led the development of the Integrated Environmental Modeller (IEM), a multi-physics urban modelling tool.

Dr Poh's achievements include the President's Technology Award 2019 and the MTI Innovative Project/Policy Award 2020 (Silver). He was named a World Cities Summit Young Leader in 2014 and listed among the Asian Scientist 100 in 2020. He currently serves as President of IBPSA Singapore and on the Board of IABP.

Professor C. Anandharamakrishnan is the Director of CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (CSIR-NIIST) in Thiruvananthapuram, India. He earned his PhD in Chemical Engineering from Loughborough University, UK, as a Commonwealth Scholar, and holds BTech and MTech degrees from Anna University, Chennai.

His research expertise includes spray drying and spray-freeze-drying, 3D food printing, engineered human gastrointestinal systems, and nano-encapsulation of bioactive compounds. He developed India's first indigenous food 3D printer and Asia's first engineered human stomach model.

Prof Anandharamakrishnan received the prestigious Rashtriya Vigyan Shri Puraskar 2024 from the President of India, the Tata Transformation Prize 2024, and the ICAR-Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Award. He was also named a 2026 Top Agri-Food Pioneer by the World Food Prize Foundation. He serves as Associate Editor of Food and Bioprocess Technology and on the editorial board of Drying Technology.

Dr Somkiat Prachayawarakorn is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT), Thailand. He earned his PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, U.K., in 2000, following his MEng from KMUTT and BEng from Prince of Songkla University.

His research focuses on developing and optimising advanced drying technologies for agricultural products, particularly rice and fruits. He is a leading expert in fluidised bed drying, superheated steam drying, and impinging stream drying. His work extensively explores the impact of drying processes on the physicochemical and nutritional quality of foods, such as the enhancement of GABA content in germinated rice.

Prof Prachayawarakorn has authored over 100 publications. His recent research includes novel projects on aromatic steamed rice production using fluidised bed drying and foam mat drying of mango.