Keynote Speakers
PROFESSOR DR JOHN O. MASON
Professor Dr John O. Mason is a Professor of Molecular Neural Development at the Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences (CDBS), Institute for Neuroscience and Cardiovascular Research (INCR), University of Edinburgh.
His research focuses on neural development, cerebral organoids, and genetic mechanisms underlying brain disorders, with particular expertise in
transcription factors such as PAX6 and neurodevelopmental disease modelling. He has led major international research projects funded by
organisations including the Medical Research Council and the Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain. Prof. Mason is a Fellow of the Royal
Society of Biology and serves on multiple international scientific advisory and grant review panels.
PROFESSOR DR BASSEM SHABAN SADEK
Dr. Bassem Shaban Sadek is a Professor in the Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University.
He also serves as a Research Associate at the Heinrich Heine University of Düsseldorf, Germany.
He obtained his B.Pharm. (1994) and Ph.D. in Drug Design and Preclinical Drug Development from the Free University of Berlin, Germany.
His research focuses on medicinal chemistry, preclinical pharmacology, and clinical drug development, with particular emphasis on neurotransmitter
dysregulation and the neuroepigenetics of neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders.
Dr. Sadek is an active member of several professional societies, including the German Pharmacology Society and the European Histamine Research Society (EHRS),
where he currently serves as a Council Officer. He has authored more than 120 scientific publications and serves on editorial boards and as an ad hoc
reviewer for multiple peer-reviewed journals. He is a recipient of the Best Teacher Award from the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, UAEU,
and is listed among the top 2% of scientists worldwide in the PLOS–Elsevier-Stanford ranking.
