Keynote Speeches

Prof. Takahiro Namazu

Kyoto University of Advanced Science, Japan

Takahiro Namazu received the B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in mechanical engineering fromRitsumeikan University, Kusatsu, Japan, in 1997, 1999, and 2002, respectively.From 2002 to 2006, he was an Assistant Professor with the Department of Mechanical and Systems Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, theUniversity of Hyogo, Himeji, Japan. In 2007, he became an Associate Professorat the university. In 2010, he joined the Precursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology (PRESTO) program, “Nanosystems and Emergent Functions”of the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), as a Researcher. In the JSTPRESTO program, his research project was the emergence of self-propagatingexothermic nanomaterials for future semiconductor industry and human life care. In 2016, he became a Professor of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Aichi Institute of Technology, Toyota, Japan. In 2019, he joined the Kyoto University of Advanced Science (KUAS), Kyoto, Japan, as a Visiting Professor. In 2020, he will become a Professor with the Faculty of Engineering, KUAS.

He is currently engaged in studies on functional film materials, such asself-propagating exothermic materials, and their applications to micro/nanoelectro-mechanical systems (NMEMS). His research interests also include thedevelopment of material testing techniques for measuring the mechanicalproperties of micro/nanoscale materials, such as carbon nanotubes and siliconnanowires, which focuses on clarifying the nanomaterials’ size effect phenomenaand these mechanisms. The evaluation of the reliability of MEMS andsemiconductor devices is included as well in his interests for realizing thedesign of ultra-long life microdevices. Dr. Namazu has earned over 20 research awards for hisoutstanding materials research results and his contributions to the evolutionof the micro/nanoscale materials science field in the world.

Prof. Farid Abed

American University of Sharjah, UAE

Dr. Farid Abed is a Professor of Civil Engineering at the American University of Sharjah with over twenty years of research and teaching experience in structural engineering and mechanics. He has extensive research experience in the field of mechanics of concrete and FRP composites, constitutive modeling of materials under elevated temperatures and impact loading, nonlinear finite element analysis, and computational solid mechanics. He has more than 150 articles published in refereed and well-recognized journals and conference proceedings with a noticeable societal impact of more than 6,000 citations according to Google Scholar. He secured funding for more than 15 research projects as the Principal Investigator.