Category: Speakers

Baroness Greenfield, Founder and CEO of Neuro-Bio Ltd (www.neuro-bio.com) is a neuroscientist, writer and broadcaster. She has published over 200 papers in peer-reviewed journals, based mainly at Oxford University but has held research fellowships at the College de France Paris, NYU Medical Center New York and Melbourne University. She holds 32 honorary degrees from UK and foreign universities, has received numerous honours including the Legion d’Honneur from the French Government, an Honorary Fellowship from the Royal College of Physicians, The American Academy of Achievement Golden Plate Award, and The Australian Medical Research Society Medal. She is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. 

Following a 25-year career with ICI, Unilever and BF Goodrich, Bob joined academia and served as Professor, Chair and Director of the School of Polymers and High-Performance Materials at the University of Southern Mississippi. Following retirement from the university in 2016, Bob founded Robert Lochhead Consulting LLC. Bob has served twice as the President of the SCC, and also as President of the International Association of Formulation Chemists. Bob is a Fellow of the SCC the Royal Society of Chemistry. Among other honours, he is a recipient of the SCC’s Maison G. DeNavarre Medal Award, the SCC’s Merit Award, the American Institute of Chemists’ Chemical Pioneer Award, and the Society of Plastics Engineers’ Education Award. Bob received the SCC’s Lifetime Service Award in December 2019 and was named one of the first three Fellows of the IFSCC in 2020.

Mark Birch-Machin, PhD, is Professor of Molecular Dermatology at Newcastle University UK (Translational and Clinical Research Institute), Director of Business Development (Medical Sciences) and Faculty Ambassador for the UK National Innovation Centre for Ageing.

He previously worked at Universities in Oregon, Paris and Toronto. He is a member of the Editorial Board of several international dermatology journals, and national/international advisory boards (including cosmetic companies) and grant committees for skin research and UK cosmetic regulation.

His research group focuses on the response of human skin to the environment (including sunlight and pollution), particularly within the context of skin ageing and has been funded over the last 30 years by UK research councils, charities, UK government as well as global companies. He has played a pivotal role in pioneering the use of mitochondrial DNA as a biomarker of sun damage in skin. He has an interest in understanding the role of mitochondria in UV and environmental-induced oxidative stress, skin cancer and the relationship between oxidative stress, nutritional status, pigmentation and skin ageing as well as the science and use of sunscreens. He has published extensively including 3 different Nature journals.

He has co-founded a number of spin out companies (Canada and UK), and is also a co-inventor on multiple patents including that of a dermatology product that sold in over a 1,000 stores in Canada.

Dr Tomonobu Ezure has an impressive record of recognition of his research and use of digital technology.  

His presentations at IFSCC 2020, Yokohama and IFSCC 2018, Munich included Shiseido research into a new technique to target skin aging. It combines scanning electron microscopy with a whole-skin, electron-conductive treatment to produce a 3D image that is then color-coded via artificial intelligence software. 

In 2018 Tomonobu won second place at the 12th China Cosmetics Academic Research Conference for his discovery of a skin-aging mechanism caused by sweat gland shrinkage. In 2016, he was recognized at the IFSCC Congress for his poster on the relevance of facial fat as an anti-aging target—the full study of which he published with Cosmetics & Toiletries.

Rachel Watson (BSc (Hons), PhD) is Professor of Cutaneous Science and is Head of the Division of Musculoskeletal and Dermatological Sciences within the School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine & Health at the University of Manchester. She received her BSc (Anatomy & Cell Biology) and PhD degrees from the University of Sheffield, where she worked on cell models of neurodegeneration.

Her research includes understanding the mechanisms which lead to skin ageing and the assessment of extracellular matrix repair, particularly by topical retinoids. She holds research council, charity and industry funding. As well as being the Academic Director of the MSc/PGDip/PGCert in Skin Ageing & Aesthetic Medicine at this University, she sits on the editorial boards of 3 scientific journals and is Section Editor (Translational Research) of the British Journal of Dermatology. Rachel also sits on the British Association of Dermatologists’ UK-TREND committee, which helps guide research priorities in the area of skin health and disease and is a board member of the European Society for Dermatological Research.

Franz J Wortmann obtained his PhD in Polymer Chemistry with Prof. H. Zahn at DWI (German Wool Research Institute, Aachen) in 1981. During and after his PhD studies he spent 3 years as Visiting Scholar at CSIRO Division of Textile Physics and at the School of Textile Technology of the University of New South Wales in Sydney (Australia). 

In 1983 he re-joined DWI as Research Group Leader and in 1995 became Head of Department for ‘Special Fibre Analytics & Cosmetics’. In 1991 he obtained his habilitation (venia legendi) for chemistry at RWTH Aachen and became Adjunct Professor in 1997. In 2006 he was appointed Professor of Fibre and Textile Technology at the School of Materials of the University of Manchester (UK). From this chair he partly retired in 2018 to a research-only position. His work is strongly industry-focussed, and he continues to develop and conduct a wide variety of research projects in the areas of fibre science and technology. In 2020, together with his wife Dr Gabriele Wortmann, he founded F & GW – Consultants based in Aachen (Germany). The company provides academic support to international companies in the area of hair cosmetics. During his career, Prof. Wortmann has written or contributed to about 140 academic and applied papers and presented at around 100 conferences.

Tony O’Lenick is President of Nascent Technologies Corporation, a product development and consulting company he founded in 1999 to develop raw materials and formulations that have an improved environmental footprint.  Prior to Nascent, Tony was President and Co-founder of Siltech LLC, a specialty silicone company for 31 years. He has also held technical and marketing positions at Alkaril, Henkel Corporation and Mona Industries.  

Tony is the author of seven books, 100 technical articles, and has over 300 patents. He teaches courses in silicone and organic chemistry and has received industry awards including the Samuel Rosen Award (American Oil Chemists’ Society), the Innovative Use of Fatty Acids Award (Soap and Detergents Association), and the Partnership to The Personal Care Award (Advanced Technology Group). Tony was Education Committee Chair of the International Federation of the Societies of Cosmetic Chemists (IFSCC) from 2016 -2020. He received the Maison G. de Navarre Medal Award in 2018 and the Merit Award in 2019 from the Society of Cosmetic Chemists, the Society’s highest accolade. Tony currently serves as a Board Member of the American Oil Chemists Society.