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Biography

Prof. Víctor M. Castaño is a recognized international leader in several areas of applied science and technology. He holds a B.Sc. degree in Engineering Physics and M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Physics from the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. He spent 2 years at IBM´s Thomas J. Watson Research Center in New York as postdoctoral fellow. He has been a lecturer at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (Faculties of Chemistry, Sciences, Engineering, Accounting and Administration and Dentistry), Universidad Autonoma de Querétaro (Faculties of Engineering, Medicine, Accounting and Administration, Psychology and Law), the Autonomous University of Nuevo León (Faculty of Physico-Mathematical Sciences), the Universidad Iberoamericana, the Instituto Tecnológico de Querétaro, etc. He was the founding Director of the Center for Applied Physics and Advanced Technology of the UNAM in Juriquilla, Querétaro.

Prof. Castaño has published more over 750 articles in international refereed and indexed journals, 242 articles in conferences proceedings, 22 book chapters, 5 books and 25 patents. It has 678 papers presented at conferences and 51 technical reports to various industries. He has been advisor to over 190 B.Sc., M.Sc. and Ph.D. thesis in Mexico, Peru, Argentina, Colombia, the USA, Canada, Spain and Germany. His work has received over 15,000 citations, especially in the last few years, when some of his pioneering contributions have begun to have great repercussion and have led him to receive international awards and recognitions and he is one of the most cited Latin American scientists in his area.

In this respect, it is important to emphasize the fact that Víctor Castaño is an engineer and scientist of great originality, who dares not only to explore subjects that do not represent the fashion of international science, but also has the capacity of having his proposals receiving worldwide attention. He is Associate Editor of several prestigious international journals and Editor-in-Chief of Recent Patents in nanoMedicine. He is Treasurer, by election, of the International Council for Materials Education and has been a member of several evaluation commissions in Mexico and abroad (United States, Canada, Spain, Costa Rica, Colombia, Brazil, etc.). Probably the areas where Prof. Castaño is best known is in materials science and biomedicine, where he invented a very extensive line of new materials and technologies for various applications.

Abstract:

The 2020 Pandemic has represented not only one of the most serious global problems in, perhaps, the last 100 years, but it will also mark the beginning of a New Era for humans, in terms of the multiple challenges that society, and even the Ecosystem, are already facing. Jobs, travel, sanitation, education, farming, poultry, and a very long etc. will have to adapt to the novel circumstances that post-COVID life has determined, in most cases, for good. Science and Technology will necessarily play a key role in this new world scenario and will also have to evolve to deal with conditions unknown and at a very fast pace. Of course, vaccines and medical drugs through innovative approaches are under way, and will discuss the main scientific challenges behind, but many other aspects of everyday life will require creativity and adaptability from the scientific community. We shall present, via a prospective methodology, the most likely areas that will emerge in the next couple of years in terms of technology needs. In particular, will analyze the role that Physics, Chemistry and Engineering will necessarily play in areas from transportation to teaching, including household measures, to ensure safety and sanitation. More specifically, will discuss how emerging areas as nanophotonics and nanobiotechnology represent opportunities to face efficiently some of the situations that will represent serious defiances in the near future.

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