Election Bulletin: BioEM Board and President-Elect

Dear BioEM member,

The voting for the election of the new board of directors, including the president-elect, is now open. I am confident that all candidates are highly qualified, and regardless of the outcome, our society will have an exceptional new board of directors under the guidance of the new president Dr. Azadeh Peyman.

However, I would like to emphasize a crucial point. It is important that BioEM maintain a balance of board members that reflect the global diversity, gender, demographics, scientific disciplines of BioEM.

While it is not my role to provide voting advice, I would appreciate it if you consider diversity when casting your vote.

In any case, I hope you are motivated to participate in the voting process.

Thanks a lot!

Luc Martens

President, BioEM

Candidates for President-Elect

Micaela Liberti – Sapienza University of Rome – Italy
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Jianqing Wang – Nagoya Institute of Technology – Japan
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Candidates for Board Members

^{Click on the name to view the CV}

Yasir Alfadhl – Queen Mary University of London – UK
- I am deeply committed to the BioEM society through serving as board member of BEMS in 2020, LOC member of several BEMS/BioEM conferences, and recently as TPB Co-Chair of BioEM 2023, and I am honoured to be a candidate for the 2024 BioEM Board. My pledge, if elected, is to work with colleagues towards more international collaborations, and to amplifying the impact and reach of our society. Having firsthand experience in advancing the role and the impact of the interaction of Electromagnetic waves with biological materials, I understand the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. I am dedicated to promoting interdisciplinary research, fostering international collaborations, and enhancing our educational initiatives. Together, we can propel BioEM to new heights, ensuring our research continues to be at the cutting edge and our community remains a global leader in the field. I look forward to the possibility of serving you and our community on the BioEM Board.
Francesca Apollonio – Sapienza University of Rome – Italy
- I’m grateful for the opportunity to be nominated for the BioEM board renewal. Our community is extremely vital and fervent; however, some points could be enforced: Involvement of young students and scientists. It is important to involve the work of young scientist since this will be the future for the bioelectromagnetic community. To this regard some work on activation of schools, seminars, flagship events as well as focused webinars could be realized. Moreover, when programs focalized on the mobility of young students among laboratories are present, a space for a brief presentation of such activities to the whole BioEM community would be nice to have. Connections with other important international societies and association, establishing links and inter-relationships. Likewise, strong links should be put in place also with international organisms related to health and environmental effects of electromagnetic fields. Involvement of small companies/startup/spin-off at the flagship meetings with customized space for them like industry forum and/or panels. A space dedicated to EU and international call for projects in order to make networks and connections between members.
Joel Bixler – US Air Force Research Laboratory – USA
- Joel Bixler is a senior research biomedical engineer working for the Bioeffects Division as part of the US Air Force Research Laboratory. His research group focuses on the development of advanced imaging tools that can be used to directly visualize the interactions of pulsed electric field with in vitro cultures. This includes work in high-speed imaging of membrane charging and applying quantitative phase imaging to visualize mass movement following electropermeabilization. He has published over 30 peer reviewed manuscripts which have been cited over 1000 times.
Myles Capstick – IT’IS Foundation – Switzerland
- In 2006 I joined the Foundation for Research on Information Technologies in Society (IT’IS) in Switzerland where I immediately became involved in Bioelectromagnetic research, shortly after that I became a member of BioEM or rather its predecessor societies and I am happy and willing to help the society as a board member if elected.
Indira Chatterjee – University of Nevada Reno – USA
- I have been a member of the society almost from when the Bioelectromagnetics Society (BEMS) was started in the United States. I have served in the past as a member of the Board of Directors of BEMS. I am excited to nominated to be a part of the Board of Directors of BioEM and especially to work on getting more students (graduate and undergraduate) involved in the activities of the organization.
Ibtissam Echchgadda – Air Force Research Laboratory – USA
- I am honored by the board nomination and the opportunity to advance the field of bioelectromagnetics alongside esteemed BioEM board members. My research career as a government civilian within the United States Air Force Research Laboratory focuses on understanding the interaction of RF fields with biological systems, with a specific emphasis on induced genetic and neurological changes. If elected to the board, I will leverage my biological experience to further the BioEM’s mission of building a broader bioelectromagnetics community by bringing a fresh perspective to strengthen our conference, student programs, and international reach.
Anke Huss – Utrecht University – The Netherlands
- As an environmental epidemiologist, I’m happy to contribute my knowledge and expertise to BioEM, especially where it comes to working with our future experts.
Wou t Joseph – Ghent University/WAVES – Belgium
- The new BioEM society has now a single BioEM website and a review platform has been realized. Additional steps are needed to increase our visibility. We need a strong Q1 journal in the bioelectromagnetics domain. Therefore, special issues are important. Students are very important. For the BioEM conference, even reduced fees and more grants should be provided if possible for all students. Oral presentations for students are a must-have as they present the newest innovative research, and student awards are a plus. Finally, the organisation of workshops and tutorials at BioEM conferences is important, my focus will be about e.g., 5G-6G exposure assessment.
Lena Kranold – The University of Western Australia – Australia
- I am currently a lecturer in biomedical engineering at the University of Western Australia and the Harry Perkins Institute for Medical Research in Perth, Australia. My research expertise lies in the fields of radio frequency radar for breast health monitoring, MR implant safety and compatibility, medical device development and test instrumentation. I bring with my candidature five years of experience on the Board of Directors of the IEEE Montreal Chapter. In the last two years, I benefited as a BioEM member from research related discussions during the flagship conference and learned from as well as advanced my research through articles published in the society’s journal “Bio Electro Magnetics”. With my candidature as board member, I am looking forward to giving back to the society by actively contributing to its future.
Sarah Loughran – Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) – Australia
- I am currently the Director of Radiation Research and Advice at the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency. I have extensive experience in non-ionising radiation and health research, am currently a member of the Scientific Expert Group at ICNIRP, a key contributor to several chapters of the WHO EHC Monograph on RF EMF, and a member of the WHO Task Group on Radiofrequency Fields and Health Risks. My background and various roles show a strong commitment to engage in, and lead, high quality research, as well as extensive experience in research translation within the scientific community, government, industry, and the wider community on the topic of non-ionising radiation and health. I am honoured to be nominated for this leadership role and believe my broad experience will enable me to contribute meaningfully to the BioEM Society’s Board of Directors.
Damijan Miklavcici – University of Ljubljana, Electrical Engineering – Slovenia
- Since the very beginning of my scientific carrier (starting already as a student) I was fascinated by the use and the role electricity in biology and medicine – its role in development of embryo, wound healing, muscle and nerve stimulation. The results and debate about possible harmful effects of electromagnetic fields convinced me further to dedicate my professional life to better understanding the interaction of electricity and electromagnetic fields with biological systems. In the past 30 years I was particularly intrigued by the phenomenon of electroporation on the membrane, cellular and tissue level. I was lucky enough to build and successfully lead an interdisciplinary team of biomedical engineers, electronics engineers, chemists, physicists, biologists, and medical doctors which allows us to investigate electroporation using wholistic/multifaceted approach and contribute to the development of electrochemotherapy for cancer treatment, gene transfection and lately irreversible electroporation as a new ablative technology for cardiac ablation. My commitment and dedication have always been to investigate and develop new treatments for the benefit of the patient. I am involved in basic research, in demonstrating on preclinical level the improved efficacy of treatments by electroporation, in developing new electrodes and devices for electroporation, and in providing numerical modelling approaches towards treatment planning.
Florence Poulletier De Gannes – CNRS – France
- As member of the Awards and Education Committees in the BioEM board, I strongly believe in the importance of making Bioelectromagnetism research appealing to younger generations. It’s not just important but absolutely crucial for our society’s future. I advocate for keeping up initiatives that involve younger members in our annual meetings and throughout the year. I am excited about the possibility of being part of the BioEM society board again. If elected, I promise to work hard to benefit the entire bioelectromagnetics community. Let’s work together to build a vibrant and inclusive future for BioEM.
Frank S. Prato – Lawson Health Research Institute – Canada
- Our BioEM will continue to be the world’s major interdisciplinary scientific society exploring biological effects of non-ionizing electromagnetic fields. From this research endeavor will come discoveries that will be adapted by other much larger societies who will garner large private sector investment for further development. One area on the horizon is the non-invasive deep brain stimulation which will result in new safe treatment for psychiatric, neurodegenerative and cognitive enhancing therapies. BioEM members will be, as they have in the past, the innovators that will drive the field.
Stefania Romeo – CNR-IREA – Italy
- I have been involved in the bioelectromagnetism community since the beginning of my scientific career, and I have always drawn great inspiration from participating in conferences, and from being able to interact with highly competent people in a highly multidisciplinary environment. Therefore, it would be a great honor for me to be a member of the board, to make my experience available to others, and to attract new and young researchers to this inspirational scientific field.
Brahi m Selmaoui – INERIS – France
- I am very interest to join the BioEM scientific society Board to make my contribution effectively to the BioEM community. I would be happy to serve the community and put my skills and know-how in certain areas for the benefit of the community.
Myrtill Simko – SciProof International AB – Sweden
- As a long-standing member of the bioelectromagnetic community and an enthusiastic supporter of science in general, I am committed to taking on tasks that will increase the impact and visibility of BioEM among scientists, regulators, industry, and the general public. With this in mind, a central tenet of working in the multidisciplinary field of bioelectromagnetics is the quality of studies. This relates to physical, technical, biological, and health-related aspects of studies. In particular, I would like to contribute to raising awareness and realising quality aspects by promoting the dedicated training of young scientists, attracting additional highly respected scientists to our community and strengthening quality awareness in our publications and at meetings.
Akira Ushiyama – National Institute of Public Health – Japan
- I have been engaging the research on the biological and health effects of electromagnetic fields for over 25 years. Upon being elected as a board member, I will strive to increase the number of members, especially in the Asian region, and promote the activities of the society. In addition, as I am also an Associate Editor of Bioelectromagnetics, I would like to make efforts to improve the quality of this journal and increase its impact factor.
Tongning Wu – China Academy of Telecommunication Research – China
- Simulation and modeling, for a better life
Maxim Zhadobov – University of Rennes – France
- My ambition is to contribute to maintaining and reinforcing the leading position of the society at the intersection of the electromagnetics, biology and health science. In particular, it is crucial to encourage scientific exchanges in this strongly interdisciplinary field, to support and motivate young scientists who are the future of the society, as well as to progressively expend the scope of bioEM activities to address new scientific, societal and biomedical challenges.