Alberto Ciferri is currently a Visiting Professor at Duke University, an Associate at the National Research Council (ISMAC), and President of the Jepa-Limmat Foundation, which is devoted to advanced education in developing countries. His research has had significant impact in the areas of the rheological properties of natural and synthetic polymers, fibrous proteins, interactions between salts and macromolecules, liquid crystals, and supramolecular assemblies.

Angelo Perico is Research Director at the National Research Council, associated with the Institute for Macromolecular Studies, in Genoa, Italy. Dr. Perico's research is related to theory and modeling of synthetic and biological macromolecules and their dynamics, assembly, and functions, particularly the interactions among oppositely and similarly charged polyelectrolytes and on the electrostatic effects that promote the formation of complex biomolecular structures.