Vânia André, PhD, University of Lisboa, Portugal
Dr Vânia André is an Assistant Researcher at the Centro de Química Estrutural, Institute of Molecular Sciences, Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), University of Lisbon, and IST-ID. She holds a degree in Chemical Engineering, an MSc in Applied Chemistry and a European PhD in Chemistry, with her doctoral work in solid-state chemistry. Her expertise lies in crystal engineering and supramolecular chemistry, with particular emphasis on the structural characterization and design of new solid forms of active pharmaceutical ingredients, including polymorphs. Dr André's work focuses on understanding and manipulating polymorphic behavior to enhance the physicochemical and biopharmaceutical properties of drug compounds. She explores the full spectrum of crystalline diversity, from pharmaceutical co-crystals to salt screening and metal-organic forms, emphasizing structure–property relationships. A core aspect of her research is the use of mechanochemistry to synthesize and study polymorphs, solvates, multicomponent forms, and coordination compounds under solvent-free or minimal-solvent conditions. This approach aligns with her broader commitment to sustainable and green chemistry in pharmaceutical development. Dr André has extensive experience in crystallographic techniques, including single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction, and is deeply engaged in polymorphic screening, solid-state characterization, and supramolecular analysis. With a strong publication record and active participation in the international crystallography field, Dr André’s work contributes to the rational design of alternative drug forms with targeted properties, including enhanced solubility, stability, and controlled release profiles.
Agris Bērziņš, PhD, University of Latvia, Latvia
Dr Agris Bērziņš is an Associate Professor and Senior Researcher at the University of Latvia, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, and currently the head of the Department of Chemistry. He earned his PhD in Chemistry from the University of Latvia. His main research field is crystal engineering of molecular crystals, with most research done using pharmaceuticals or their model compounds. His primary research interests are the formation and diversity of solid forms created by organic compounds, crystallization processes of organic compounds and the factors determining the resulting crystal form, polymorphism of active pharmaceutical ingredients, and application of molecular modeling in the study of organic solids and their stability. Recently, he has also been involved in the research of luminescent molecular crystals and drug dosage forms. He has been a scientific supervisor of several national research projects and is involved in the COST action BEST-CSP. He has received training in experimental and computational characterization methods of molecular solids by collaborating with internationally renowned researchers. He is collaborating with pharmaceutical companies and chemical manufacturers by implementing R&D projects on crystal form screening and characterization, and providing testing of solid materials. In addition to his research activities, Dr Bērziņš contributes to academic teaching and mentoring in physical chemistry.
Ashwini Nangia, PhD, UPES Dehradun, India
Dr Ashwini Nangia completed his MSc from I.I.T. Kanpur and PhD from Yale University. He joined the University of Hyderabad in 1989, was promoted to Professor in 2002, and Senior Professor in 2019. He was Dean of the School of Chemistry (2022-2024). His research interests in crystal engineering include polymorphs, cocrystals, salts, eutectics, and amorphous forms of drugs and pharmaceuticals. His recent academic interests are flow chemistry and AI-ML-cheminformatics in drug discovery. He has authored over 350 research publications with over 19,000 citations and has an H-index of 71. He is a Fellow of the three premier National Science Academies of India and the Royal Society of Chemistry, London. He has received the prestigious J.C. Bose National Fellowship. Dr Nangia was appointed Director of CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune (2016-2020). He is a member of the editorial boards of the American Chemical Society, the Royal Society of Chemistry, and the International Union of Crystallography journals. He has been ranked in Stanford University's top 2% scientists worldwide since its inception in 2020, now in its 4th year running, and is featured in the Highly Ranked Researchers of Scholar GPS 2024 among the top 30 scientists from India.
