Juan Carlos de la Llera Martin is the President of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, a position he has held since March 2025. As President, he governs and represents the University, exercising full executive and administrative authority in accordance with the norms established by the Holy See. Appointed by the competent ecclesiastical authority for a renewable five-year term, he is responsible for leading the institution’s strategic direction, overseeing its governance and operations, and ensuring the implementation of policies, regulations, and institutional plans.

Professor de la Llera is a Full Professor at the School of Engineering at UC Chile. He holds a degree in Civil Engineering from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, as well as a Master of Science and a PhD in Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, with a specialization in structural dynamics and seismic control. He served as Dean of the School of Engineering from 2010 to 2022, completing three consecutive terms. His academic and research work has focused on earthquake engineering and the development of technologies to mitigate the impact of seismic events on critical infrastructure. He has published extensively in leading scientific journals and has received national and international recognition for his contributions to applied innovation.

In addition to his academic work, he has actively contributed to discussions on engineering education and innovation in higher education. He is a researcher at the Research Center for Integrated Disaster Risk Management (CIGIDEN) and a founding partner of SIRVE, a company dedicated to the design of low-cost seismic protection technologies for construction in earthquake-prone regions.

Dr. Tsu-Jae Liu is President of the National Academy of Engineering as of July 1, 2025. A distinguished engineer and academic leader, she earned her B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Stanford University. She joined the faculty of the University of California, Berkeley in 1996, and served as Dean of the College of Engineering from 2018-2024.

Liu is renowned for her research in microelectronics and for co-developing the FinFET transistor, now used in all leading-edge computer chips and smartphones. She has authored over 550 publications and holds 97 U.S. patents. Her recognitions include the DARPA Significant Technical Achievement Award and the IEEE Electron Devices Society Education Award.

She is a Fellow of the IEEE and the National Academy of Inventors, and a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering. Liu serves on the Boards of Directors for Intel Corporation and MaxLinear Inc., and has contributed nationally through leadership in microelectronics workforce development and service to advisory boards for NSF, NIST, and the White House PCAST.

As a five-time gold medalist at the Junior World Championships, Marco Odermatt made a lasting impression in Davos in 2018 – that of a future dominant force in the world of alpine skiing. He had previously graduated with honors from the Engelberg Sports High School and earned his high school diploma; he made his World Cup debut in 2016 at the age of 18.

A skilled Giant Slalom specialist who is equally at home in the Super-G and Downhill, Marco Odermatt won his first overall World Cup title in the 2021–22 season. This laid the foundation for a streak that continues to this day: he has won the big crystal globe five times in a row – in addition to eleven discipline titles.

Thanks to his strong work ethic, he has also become a three-time world champion and the most successful Swiss skier in Olympic history during this time: He followed up his gold medal in the giant slalom at the 2022 Beijing Games with two silver medals and one bronze medal at the 2026 Milan/Cortina Games. Over the years he has hardly ever been injured.

Thanks to his long-standing partners, he continues to make progress at every level, and his consistency led him to become a five-time winner in the Lauberhorn Downhill and the Giant Slalom at Chuenisbärgli in Adelboden during the 2025–26 winter season. With 54 World Cup victories, Marco Odermatt is now only behind Marcel Hirscher (AUT, 67) and Ingemar Stenmark (SWE, 86) – and has with 28 years still a long way to go.