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Sara Hegy

Dr. Sara Hegy is an award-winning scientist turned visionary leadership expert and coach, committed to helping high-performing minds achieve not just success — but fulfillment.

Raised in an environment where results defined self-worth, she knows firsthand the silent pressure many driven professionals face. Despite excelling academically lifelong, she struggled to develop her SELF and skills during her PhD — until coaching gave her the clarity, language, actions and structure to transform her inner world.

Armed with science-backed mindset shifts and courageous action, she published her first author Nature paper titled: Ahmed, S.M.H., Maldera, J.A., Krunic, D. et al. Fitness trade-offs incurred by ovary-to-gut steroid signalling in Drosophila. Nature 584, 415–419 (2020), graduated with highest honors, won a prestigious the Richtzenhain Prize, and her research helped secure a $2.7 million grant from the NIH, USA.

Today, as the founder of a german company that serves globally, Dr. Hegy trains and coaches passionate purpose-driven leaders to create massively — while living lives they cherish.

Her mission is clear: to bridge science and soul, performance and purpose, so leaders no longer have to choose between results and well-being.

Location
Academic Info
Session
  • City: Berlin
  • Country of Residence: Germany
  • Academic Degree: PostDoc
  • Research field: Cancer Biology
  • Current affiliation: Leadership Coach and Founder of GenX Leadership Academy
  • Leading with Vision: How Purpose-Driven Leaders Spark Science-led Innovation that Lasts
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Osama Salti

Engineer and Architect Osama Salti studied Architecture (Bachelor and Master of Science) at the University of Kassel and Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering (Bachelor of Science) at the University of Damascus.

He was co-founder and managing director of the architecture and planning office atelier lipphardt salti in Kassel.

Further positions included the Building Authority of Kassel District as an officer for approval procedures and development plans, Facility Management as a project manager, as well as research and teaching at the University of Kassel (Architectural Theory and Design, and Bau-Kunst-Erfinden).

Currently, he is a project manager at a public sector company for project development, management, and supervision of construction projects for the city of Kassel. In parallel, he is a lecturer at IU International University.

Location
Academic Info
Session
  • City: Kassel
  • Country of Residence: Germany
  • Academic Degree: Master of Science
  • Research field: Modern Architecture, Bauhaus, Adaptive Architecture
  • Current affiliation: Housing Association of the City of Kassel
  • Workshop for Rebuilding, case Syria

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Anke Reiffenstuel

Ms Reiffenstuel is an experienced diplomat with an impressive career in the Foreign Office, a distinguished German diplomat whose career reflects deep dedication to international cooperation, humanitarian engagement, and science diplomacy.

She studied German and English at the Martin-Luther-University Halle, completing her M.A. in 1992. She joined the German Foreign Service in 1993, serving in London, New Delhi, and Cairo, before taking senior positions in Berlin, including as Head of the Division for Humanitarian Assistance and Mine Action.

From 2019 to 2023, she was Germany’s Ambassador to the Philippines, also accredited to the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and Palau. In Manila, she strengthened partnerships in sustainable development, education, and cultural exchange.

Since 2023, she has served as the Federal Foreign Office’s Commissioner for International Science, Education, and Research Policy and as Co-Chair of the German-American Fulbright Commission, fostering academic and cultural collaboration across borders.

Location
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Azza Soliman

Dr. Azza Soliman is a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Human Genetics, University Medical Center Mainz. She holds a Ph.D. in Biology (2025), a Master of Science in Molecular Mechanisms of Disease from Radboud University in the Netherlands, and a Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Sciences from Ain Shams University in Egypt. Specializing in neurogenetics and stem-cell modeling, her doctoral research focused on epigenetic regulation and chromatin dynamics—particularly POGZ mutations—using iPSC-derived neural progenitors, 3D brain organoids, and transcriptomic techniques such as RNA‑seq and CUT&Tag. Currently, her research explores regulatory variation using long‑read nanopore sequencing and its relevance to human disease. Dr. Soliman has presented her work at prestigious international forums, including the European Society of Human Genetics (ESHG) and the EMBL Brain Genome Symposium, and has experience mentoring master’s students in laboratory settings.

Location
Academic Info
Session
  • City: Mainz
  • Country of Residence: Germany
  • Academic Degree: PostDoc
  • Research field: Human Genetics, Molecular biology and Neuroscience
  • Current affiliation: Computational Systems Genetics Group, Institute of Human Genetics, Univeristy Medical Center Mainz, JGU
  • One Gene, One Voice: Genomic Imprinting and Inheritance in Consanguineous Populations
  • Session Time: 14:00 - 15:30
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Salah Eddin Mustafa

Dipl.-Ing. Salah Eddin Mustafa is an accomplished expert in artificial intelligence, digitalization, and advanced engineering management. Currently serving as Global Head of Partner Management at Innomotics GmbH (Siemens Business) and founder of Growflux Teybah GmbH, he brings over 15 years of leadership experience across Europe and the Middle East. Salah holds several recognized certifications in strategic management, digital leadership, and business development from institutions such as the University of Cambridge and DQS Germany. He has a proven track record in developing innovative digital solutions, managing international teams, and driving strategic business growth. His strong academic background in electrical and communications engineering, combined with practical and certified expertise, enables him to deliver insightful, real-world knowledge to students and professionals alike.

Location
Academic Info
Session
  • City: Regensburg
  • Country of Residence: Germany
  • Academic Degree: Bachelor
  • Research field: Electrical and Communications Engineering, Digitalization, Automation, AI
  • Current affiliation: Sales Strategy & Operation, Innomotics GmbH - Founder growflux.de
  • Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Transforming Business and Unlocking New Skills
  • Session Time: 11:45-12:15
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Kai Sicks

Kai Sicks, born 1976, studied German Studies and Political Sciences in Frankfurt/Main, Cologne and Vienna. In 2008 he completed his Ph.D. in German Literary Studies. He was a research scholarship holder at the German Historic Institute in Washington, D.C. and at Cornell University (USA).

From 2008 until 2013 Dr Sicks acted as coordinator of the European PhD Network in Literary and Cultural Studies (PhDnet) at the International Graduate Center for the Study of Culture (University of Giessen) with partner organizations in Bergamo, Helsinki, Lissabon and Stockholm.

In 2013 Dr Sicks became managing director of the Bonn Graduate Center, the central service unit for early-career researchers at the University of Bonn. As of 2017, he was appointed as director of the University of Bonn’s International Office. In this position, Dr Sicks co-authored the University of Bonn’s Excellence Strategy and acted as Bonn’s project manager of the European University of Brain and Technology (NeurotechEU).

In April 2021 Dr Kai Sicks was appointed as Secretary General of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

Location
Academic Info
Session
  • City: Bonn
  • Country of Residence: Germany
  • Academic Degree: PhD
  • Research field: Research Management
  • Current affiliation: Secretary-General, German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst
  • Shaping Futures: The Role of Migrant Communities in Advancing Host Nations and Connecting with Origins
  • Session Time: 09:30 - 10:30
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Rani Bakkour

Dr. Bakkour is a senior scientist and lecturer at the Technical University of Munich, specializing in stable isotope techniques, high-resolution mass spectrometry, and the development of advanced analytical methods. His research supports applications in water quality monitoring, chemical pollution tracking, and environmental forensics. He leads interdisciplinary projects, collaborates with international institutions, and mentors students. Committed to capacity building and science-based decision-making, he promotes knowledge transfer and innovative tools to address environmental challenges.

Location
Academic Info
Session
  • City: Garching bei München
  • Country of Residence: Germany
  • Academic Degree: PhD
  • Research field: Environmental Analytical Chemistry; Compound-Specific Isotope Analysis; Specific Recognition & Selectivity Assessment; Natural Organic Matter Characterization; and Tailor-made Sorbents.
  • Current affiliation: Chair of Analytical Chemistry and Water Chemistry at the Technical University of Munich
  • Environmental Governance and Policy Are Not a Luxury: Challenges and Emerging Opportunities in Syria
  • Session Time: 15:45 - 17:15
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Gabriel Sigmund

Gabriel Sigmund is an Assistant Professor at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. His research aims to determine, better understand, and predict contaminant sorption, mobility and persistence in engineered- (e.g. sorbent filled reactors), as well as natural environments (e.g. soil passage). With his team he uses those insights on organic compounds and their transformation products to improve risk assessment, as well as the environmental footprint and performance of water treatment technologies. Gabriel leads an expert committee on persistent, mobile, and toxic (PMT) organic contaminants in the German Water Chemistry Society, is a board member in the International Panel on Chemical Pollution, and a steering committee member of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Interest Group on Persistence Science.

Location
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Session
  • City: Wageningen
  • Country of Residence: Netherlands
  • Academic Degree: Asst. Prof.
  • Research field: Environmental Science and Technology
  • Current affiliation: Wageningen University
  • Environmental Governance and policy are not a Luxury: Challenges and Emerging Opportunities in Syria.
  • Session Time: 15:45 - 17:15
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Bilal Alashkar Alhamwe

Syrian-born biomedical scientist and Principal Investigator at Philipps University of Marburg, Germany. With a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences and an MBA, his research focuses on tumor immunology, inflammation, and allergy-related mechanisms in cancer. He has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals and continues to lead cutting-edge projects exploring the immune system’s role in cancer progression and therapy.

Location
Academic Info
Session
  • City: Marburg
  • Country of Residence: Germany
  • Academic Degree: Principle Investigator
  • Research field: Tumor Immunology and Epidemiology
  • Current affiliation: Philipps- Universität Marbrug
  • Tumor microenvironment
  • Session Time: 11:15 - 11:45
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Frank Albrecht

Frank Albrecht heads the division “Philipp Schwartz Initiative and Academic Freedom” at the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. Since 2016, the Humboldt Foundation has supported around 70 displaced Syrian researchers in Germany through the Philipp Schwartz Initiative (PSI) and other programmes, a significant diaspora network of experts spanning a range of fields from plant genetics to legal studies.

Location
Academic Info
Session
  • City: Bonn
  • Country of Residence: Germany
  • Research field: Research Funding
  • Current affiliation: Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
  • Shaping Futures: The Role of Migrant Communities in Advancing Host Nations and Connecting with Origins
  • Session Time: 09:30 - 10:30
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