Since 1994 Alexander Steinbüchas been Full Professor of Microbiology and Director of the Institute for Microbiology at the University of Münster. After his PhD in 1983 he spent one year at the Rockefeller University New York and in 1992 he received the Philip Morris Research Award. Alexander Steinb?has over 250 publications to his name and has organized several symposia focusing on biopolymers.

Robert Marchessault has spent half of his scientific career in industry, mainly at the Xerox Research Center of Canada where he worked in the field of materials science, and the other half in academia. He is now Full Professor at the Chemistry Department of McGill University in Montreal with a current research interest in biopolymer materials for imaging applications and drug delivery.