Florian Arendt (Ph.D., University of Vienna) is a communication scientist working in the field of health communication. In general, his research addresses the role of the media in the health domain. His research operates at the intersection of communication/social science and medicine/public health. Behind the background that health communication scholarship is characterized by research in many different disciplines (e.g., communication, medicine, public health, and psychology).

On Wednesday, he will hold a keynote lecture titled "Strategic Communication during a Pandemic: Theoretical Insights from Health Communication".

Dr. Coombs’s (Centre for Crisis & Risk Communications) primary research area is in crisis communication. He has been developing and testing the Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT). SCCT provides theory ground and empirically tested strategic advice for the selection of crisis response strategies.

On Thursday, he will hold a keynote speech on "Politicization and Polarization: Complicating the Uncertainty of Risks for Communicators".

T C Melewar (Middlesex University) is Professor of Marketing and Strategy and the Head of Department (Marketing, Branding and Tourism) at the Business School, Middlesex University London, UK. His research and publications are in the areas of branding, corporate identity and international marketing.

On Thursday, he will hold a keynote speech on "Ranking, Reputation and Research (3Rs): Voyage, Vista and Viewpoint (3Vs)".