February 28, 2025
“Around the table” Hosted by H.E. Arthur Mattli
On February 28th, XPANSE advisory council members and key partners gathered for an evening of deep discussion on the next theme of XPANSE 2025 and the desert’s profound significance.
Hosted by His Excellency Arthur Mattli, Swiss Ambassador to the UAE, and Dr. Zina Jarrahi Cinker, Ph.D., Director General of MATTER, the dinner became a catalyst for powerful conversations on the convergence of art and science, shaping a shared human experience.
The evening was part of the MATTER Salon Series, where scholars, eminent minds, and distinguished figures gather in the long-standing tradition of discourse over a shared trusted table. The invited guests convene in the spirit of thoughtful exchange, bound by a common pursuit of knowledge and connection for shaping what lies ahead.
Thank you to our esteemed host, guests and partners who brought significant weight, guidance and insight to this conversation: Embassy of Switzerland to the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Bahrain, Dr. Ebrahim Alhajri, Alexandra Sandu, Jaap Kalkman, Imani James Waddy, Pradeep Sharma, Jan Loop, Tatiana Kourochkina
In partnership with NYU Abu Dhabi, MATTER brought together new media artists from our initiative, ART Proxima, and desert scholars from NYU Abu Dhabi for the “XPANSE in the Desert” Workshop, in preparation tp the next theme of XPANSE 2nd Edition - The Desert.
In partnership with Layers of Reality at IDEAL Barcelona, 3rd MATTER Annual Meet-Up was held, bringing together MATTERSPHERE, XPANSE, and PUZZLE X partners & friends.
XPANSE advisory council members and key partners gathered for an evening of deep discussion on the next theme of XPANSE 2nd Edition and the desert’s profound significance.
I am curious guy working and learning in science, technology and commercial development.
In my whole career as a biophysicist, brain scientist and now as biotechnologist, I have always been most productive at the interface between science - exploring and understanding – and Technology - designing and building.
I am a dedicated materials scientist passionate about pioneering advancements in smart and sustainable materials that will redefine industries and improve everyday life.
I’m a mathematician who got lost and ended up finding interesting questions in physics and philosophy and spends a lot of time thinking about the universe.
Professor Yahya Zweiri, Department of Aerospace Engineering, and Director of the Advanced Research & Innovation Center (ARIC) at Khalifa University, UAE.
I’m a computational scientist on a mission to push the boundaries of knowledge using the unmatched power of supercomputers and simulation
I am a scientist. With over 15 years of experience in quantum photonics labs, and a passion for the Space sector, I focus on merging the best of both worlds to enhance our everyday life.
I am a scientist. With over 15 years of experience in quantum photonics labs, and a passion for the Space sector, I focus on merging the best of both worlds to enhance our everyday life.
I am the founder and CEO of Cortical Labs. I was previously the CTO and founder of a medtech company making Internet-connected medical devices called CliniCloud. Before CliniCloud, I was a medical doctor doing my residency in Emergency Medicine. I am also a software developer and have worked on apps and machine learning research.
I am a Space scientist. Whatever flies in outer Space, I am in!
My name is Arben Merkoçi and I am ICREA Professor and Group Leader at Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, ICN2, in Barcelona.
I am a Materials Scientist and currently serve as the Group Leader of the Nanofabrication and Devices Group at the Center for Nanoscale Materials, Argonne National Laboratory.
Since I was five years old I have been fascinated by using computers to extend human capabilities. My company makes a platform that supports this goal and then we use this platform to implement solutions for companies around the world. (You could say I support human augmentation / cyborgification).
I am a neurobiologist working to understand how the human brain is built in health and disease.
I am a materials science researcher who is fascinated by challenges in Space that are cross-cutting and are useful on earth as well.