Prof. Helder A. Santos (D.Sc. Tech., Chem. Eng.) is Full Professor and Chair in Biomedical Engineering, and Head of the Department of Biomaterials and Biomedical Technology at the University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen. He is co-founder of the startups Capsamedix Oy and Medixmicro Oy, and previously coordinated the MSCA-ITN P4 FIT network on tendon repair using nanomedicines (~€4.1M).

Prof. Santos holds Visiting Professorships at Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine and the University of Tartu, and is an Honorary Adjunct Fellow at the University of Technology Sydney. His research focuses on nanomedicines, biomaterials, and drug delivery systems for cancer, cardiovascular, and regenerative medicine. His lab uniquely bridges medical engineering, pharmaceutical nanotechnology, and tissue engineering to develop therapeutic formulations for clinical translation.

He has published over 550 peer-reviewed papers (>31,300 citations; h-index 99), co-authored 8 patents, and delivered 260+ invited talks worldwide. He serves on the editorial boards of leading journals, including Advanced Healthcare Materials, Chemical Society Reviews, and Journal of Controlled Release.

Prof. Santos has received numerous honors, including an ERC Starting Grant (2013), ERC Proof-of-Concept Grant (2018), the Academy of Finland Award for Social Impact (2016), and the CRS Young Investigator Award (2021). Since 2009, he has secured 35+ grants worth over €20M.