Padmashree Gehl Sampath is an author, academic and policy expert, whose work is situated at the nexus of trade, technology, and industrialization. Born and educated in India, Germany and the USA, she has been a visiting fellow at the University of Oxford (UK), and University of Berkeley (California) during her education. With an academic background in engineering, economics, and the law, she conducts interdisciplinary work on the impact of technological change on industrialization and society.
Her work has come to specialize in three sectors, which have now come to be known as the so-called grand challenges – pharmaceuticals and health, the digital economy, and energy and climate change. She serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Competition and Change, and her research has appeared or is forthcoming in the Michigan Journal of International Law, Harvard International Review, Harvard Public Health Review, and several other reputable outlets.
Padmashree is currently the Director of the Global Access in Action Program at the Berkman Klein Center, Harvard University, and a Visiting Professor at the University of Johannesburg, leading an international team examining the politics of vaccine production in Africa. She is also the Chair of the Technical Advisory Group of the COVID-19 Access Pool (CTAP) of the World Health Organisation
Reuben Langevin manages the design and implementation of operational processes, media strategy, and bridges communication with stakeholders across industries and organizations.
His background includes work in pharmaceutical industry collaboration in rare disease research, and data utilization as a tool in disaster/pandemic response planning at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He also managed program operations at the Harvard University Law School, where he worked with a broad range of stakeholders at the intersection of technology, social justice and policy. His other professional interests include the utility of data in shaping development policy.
He has extensive experience in LATAM where he worked in the technology sector, ecotourism, and as a delegate with governmental agencies in sustainable land development and construction projects.
Dr. Bertha Vallejo is a senior researcher at the Knowledge and Innovation Studies (KIS) Chair Group at IHE Delft – Institute for Water Education (the Netherlands) since 2022. She is also a research associate at the DST/NRF Newton Fund Trilateral Chair in Transformative Innovation, the 4IR, and Sustainable Development at the University of Johannesburg (South Africa). She holds a Ph.D. in Economics and Policy Studies of Technical Change from UNU-MERIT (Maastricht, NL). Her research expertise focuses on innovation dynamics, social and transformative innovation, and stakeholder engagement
Dr. Donatus Ayitey is currently a Senior Lecturer and Head of Department, Ho Technical University in Ghana. He was an Associate Senior Consultant and Team Leader at the Innovation Unit within the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) Consultancy, Innovation and Training Directorate (GCITD) in Accra.
Born on 23rd May, 1971, Donatus is an Economist-Statistician with key strengths and know-how in economics of innovation, international trade and economic development. He has over 15 years of progressive professional experience working in various capacities with international and local organizations including the: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Geneva; the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva and the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), University of Ghana.
Dr. Ayitey holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the UNU-MERIT, Maastricht University School of Business and Economics in the Netherlands; MSc. Applied Statistics from the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom; MPhil. in Economics from the University of Ghana; B.A. degree in Economics with Geography and Resource Management from the University of Ghana; and a Certificate in Professional Training for Social Scientists from the Said Business School, University of Oxford, United Kingdom.
Dr. Adekola’s expertise is in intellectual property law and international trade law. His research interests are principally in pharmaceutical patent law and biotechnology law and how these fields interface with key policy areas including sustainable development, industrial strategy, and public health. He is the author of the book titled ‘Access to Medicines and the Regionalization of Pharmaceutical Law and Policy: A Holistic View for Least Developed Countries (London Routledge 2023). He has published extensively in different highly ranked refereed international journals such as; Legal Studies( Cambridge University Press), Queen Mary Journal of Intellectual Property(Edward Elgar Publishing), Globalization and Health( Springer Nature), Journal of Intellectual Property Law and Practice (Oxford University Press), GRUR International (Oxford University Press), etc.
Adebisi is a public health and policy specialist and currently a Master of Public Policy (MPP) Candidate at the Blavatnik School of Government, Green Templeton College, University of Oxford.
Ruth L. Okediji is the Jeremiah Smith. Jr, Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and Co-Director of the Berkman Klein Center. A renowned scholar in international intellectual property (IP) law and a foremost authority on the role of intellectual property in social and economic development, Professor Okediji has advised inter-governmental organizations, regional economic communities, and national governments on a range of matters related to technology, innovation policy, and development.
Frederick Abbott, the Edward Ball Eminent Scholar Professor of International Law, is highly regarded for his scholarship and professional activities in international intellectual property rights and global economic issues. He has served as an expert consultant for numerous international and regional organizations, governments and nongovernmental organizations, mainly in the fields of intellectual property, public health, trade, competition and sustainable development. He is co-chair of the Committee on Global Health Law of the International Law Association, having served as rapporteur for the Committee on International Trade Law from the inception of its work in 1993 to its conclusion in 2014
Bryan Mercurio is the Simon FS Li Professor of Law at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Professor Mercurio’s work focuses on the intersection between trade law and intellectual property rights, free trade agreements, public health, and trade in services. Professor Mercurio is co-author of one of the most widely used case books on WTO law (Hart, 2018, 3rd ed) and co-editor of the leading collection on bilateral and regional trade agreements (CUP, 2nd ed, 2016).
Dr. Ndodo is currently the Chief Molecular Bioengineer at the National Reference Laboratory, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Abuja. Dr Ndodo is also the President of the Nigerian society of Human Genetics.
Professor Willie Siyanbola (a.k.a) is a Research Professor at the Centre for Energy Research and Development, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. He obtained his bachelor’s degree from the University of Ife (now OAU), his Masters’ and PhD from the University of Sussex, UK. He is also an alumnus of the Kennedy School of Government and Public Policy, Harvard University, USA where he received, Executive Education in Science Policy, Science Advice and Advocacy. For nearly a decade, he served as the Director-General/Chief Executive of the National Centre for Technology Management (NACETEM), an FMSTI Agency that provides knowledge support and policy advice to Governments within and outside Nigeria on STI matters.
A seasoned scholar and researcher, Prof Siyanbola has authored or co-authored over 100 academic articles in materials science, energy, environment, science policy, R&D and
innovation management. He has supervised and mentored over TEN Doctoral and master’s students. He is a recipient of many National and International Awards and a Fellow of several professional bodies.Prof Siyanbola is a Professor of Practice in that he conveniently operates at the Government Industry-Academia interface. Additionally, he regularly provides consultancy services to MDAs
and International Development Partners including the World Bank, WTS-Global and UNESCO.