:: Keynote Speakers

We are honored to welcome Professor Edward Witten as a keynote speaker at the 4th International Conference on Holography and Its Applications. A distinguished figure in theoretical physics, Prof. Witten is renowned for his groundbreaking work at the intersection of mathematics and physics. His revolutionary contributions to superstring theory have fundamentally advanced our understanding of the unified theory of physical interactions. Most recently, his exploration of quantum duality symmetries in field and string theories has opened remarkable new perspectives in particle physics, string theory, and topology. Professor Witten's exceptional achievements have been recognized through numerous prestigious accolades, including the 2024 Basic Science Lifetime Award, the 2014 Kyoto Prize in Basic Sciences, the 2012 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, and the 1990 Fields Medal—the highest honor in mathematics. His unique blend of mathematical brilliance and physical intuition continues to shape the frontier of theoretical physics and inspire generations of scientists.

Prof. Leonard Susskind is the Felix Bloch Professor of Theoretical Physics at Stanford University. His research interests encompass string theory, quantum field theory, quantum statistical mechanics, and quantum cosmology. A distinguished member of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Susskind also serves as an associate faculty member at Canada's Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics and holds the position of distinguished professor at the Korea Institute for Advanced Study. Susskind is widely regarded as one of the fathers of string theory, having, alongside Yoichiro Nambu and Holger Bech Nielsen, independently introduced the revolutionary concept that particles could be understood as states of excitation of a relativistic string. In 2003, he pioneered the idea of the string theory landscape, a concept that has profoundly influenced theoretical physics. Susskind made a landmark contribution to theoretical physics with his work on holography. In 1995, he formulated the holographic principle in quantum gravity, expanding on earlier ideas by Gerard 't Hooft. His work culminated in the development of the Anti-de Sitter/Conformal Field Theory (AdS/CFT) correspondence with Juan Maldacena. This revolutionary principle suggested that information about a volume of space could be encoded on its boundary surface, much like a hologram. Susskind's contributions to holography have been instrumental in addressing the black hole information paradox and have fundamentally transformed our understanding of quantum gravity and spacetime.

Prof. Robert Mann is a distinguished physicist whose research spans gravitation, quantum physics, and their intersection. Educated at McMaster University (BSc, 1978) and the University of Toronto (MSc, 1979; PhD, 1982), Mann has made significant contributions to gravitational theory, black hole physics, and lower-dimensional gravity. His work explores fundamental questions about the foundations of physics, including quantum aspects of black holes and gravitational effects on quantum systems. Recently appointed as Executive Editor-in-Chief of Canadian Science Publishing and now retired from the University of Waterloo, Mann previously led a vibrant research group of approximately 10 students. His distinguished career includes numerous awards, such as the 2014 President's Award of Merit from the University of Waterloo, the 2010 Distinguished Teaching Award, and multiple 'Highlight of the Year' papers in Classical & Quantum Gravity. Mann has held prestigious positions including President of the Canadian Association of Physicists (2009-2010), Associate Editor for Classical and Quantum Gravity, and Divisional Editor for the Canadian Journal of Physics, while maintaining memberships in several professional organizations including the International Society for General Relativity and Gravitation.

Prof. Dr. Salvatore Capozziello is a Full Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Naples 'Federico II' and a leading expert in gravitational physics and cosmology. With over 700 published papers and an H-index of 110, he has made seminal contributions to our understanding of modified gravity theories and dark energy, notably introducing the concept of gravitational curvature quintessence in 2002. He currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Geometric Methods in Modern Physics and has held prestigious positions including President of the Italian Society of General Relativity and Gravitational Physics (SIGRAV). His research spans theoretical and phenomenological aspects of cosmology, gravitational waves, and quantum gravity, earning him international recognition including Honorary Professorship at Tomsk State Pedagogical University. As an educator, he has supervised over 70 Master's and PhD students and regularly teaches at international schools and programs across Europe and beyond.

Prof. Dr. Stefano Bellucci is a distinguished theoretical physicist and research leader at INFN-Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati, where he has served as First Researcher since 1987. He received his Ph.D. in Physics from SISSA, Trieste in 1986 and held visiting positions at several prestigious institutions including MIT, Brandeis University, and the University of Maryland. His research spans theoretical physics of fundamental interactions and matter, nanoscience, and nanotechnology, with significant contributions to supersymmetry, black hole physics, and carbon nanostructure applications. Dr. Bellucci has published over 1000 peer-reviewed articles, authored multiple Springer science books, and secured major European research grants including EU H2020 projects. He currently leads the NEXT nanotechnology laboratories at LNF and holds National Scientific Habilitation as Full Professor in both Theoretical Physics of Fundamental Interactions and Condensed Matter Physics. With a H-index of 63and over 18,000 citations, he has made lasting impacts across theoretical and applied physics domains.

Prof. Dr. Emmanuel N. Saridakis is a Principal Researcher at the National Observatory of Athens and a leading expert in theoretical cosmology and modified gravity theories. With a Ph.D. from the University of Athens and over 350 peer-reviewed publications garnering more than 25,800 citations (h-index: 92), he has made seminal contributions to f(T) gravity, dark energy models, and cosmological perturbation theory. His highly-cited review articles in Physics Reports and Reports on Progress in Physics have shaped the field's understanding of quintom cosmology and teleparallel gravity. Dr. Saridakis holds concurrent positions at USTC (China) and Baylor University (USA), has organized numerous international conferences, and serves as an editor for prestigious journals. His research on gravitational waves, modified gravity, and cosmological models has been presented in over 60 international conferences, including 45 invited talks at major venues like the Marcel Grossmann Meetings.

Professor Dr. Elias Kiritsis is a distinguished theoretical physicist currently affiliated with both Universite Paris Cite, CNRS, Astroparticule et Cosmologie in France and the University of Crete in Greece. With a remarkable publication record of over 280 scientific papers and more than 16,000 citations (h-index: 75), he has made significant contributions to various areas of theoretical physics, particularly in string theory, quantum chromodynamics, and holographic theories. His research spans particle physics, mathematical physics, and theoretical physics, with notable work in string field theory, instantons, and the AdS/CFT correspondence. Professor Kiritsis has made groundbreaking contributions to holographic theories, including pioneering work on effective holographic theories for low-temperature condensed matter systems and improved holographic theories for QCD. His innovative research on Lifshitz space-times and Schrödinger holography has opened new perspectives in the field. His expertise in holography and its applications to both high-energy and condensed matter physics makes him an ideal keynote speaker for The 4th International Conference on Holography and its Applications.