Steering Committee

The IBO Steering Committee is the executive board of the international IBO Association. It manages the daily affairs of the association and represents the IBO legally. It also oversees the operations of the yearly IBO Competition, enacts its rules and guidelines and aides the host in their preparations. The Steering Committee members illustrate the diversity of this worldwide competition.

Please contact the Steering Committee via the IBO Office, office@ibo-info.org.

Chairperson – Saman is a professor of biochemistry in Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran. His research focuses on the development of bioluminescence-based assays to investigate and quantify different modalities of cell death. He has been actively involved with the International Biology Olympiad (IBO) since 2000. In 2018, he served as Chair of the Scientific Committee for the 29th International Biology Olympiad, hosted in Iran. Since 2022, he has been a member of the IBO Steering Committee.

Vice-chairperson – Yi-Ling is a physiologist and neurobiologist. Her main professional interest focuses on the mechanisms of neurogenesis after brain injury, traumatic brain injury-induced neuronal damage, and the extinction of conditioned fear. She is a Professor at the Department of Biochemical Science and Technology, National Chia-Yi University (Chinese Taipei). Yi-Ling has been actively involved in the IBO for years as a dedicated jury member and country representative. With her passion for international academic exchange and student mentorship, she was elected as a member of the Steering Committee in 2026.

Secretary – Roel is a lecturer of chemistry and life sciences at Inholland University of Applied Sciences, Amsterdam, Netherlands. He has been part of the IBO since 2012 and has contributed substantially to IBO's transition towards an international association. He was NBO coordinator for team Netherlands from 2020 to 2025.

Treasurer – Renée is a high school biology teacher at Hvitfeldtska gymnasiet, Gothenburg, Sweden. She has been part of the IBO since 2013 and took over as the NBO coordinator for team Sweden in 2021.

Member – Takao is an assistant professor and the vice-dean for student affairs at the Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Poland. His primary research focus is on bioprospecting of cold-adapted enzymes from psychrophilic and psychrotolerant bacteria found in Arctic regions. He has been working with the IBO since 2017 as the national coordinator for Team Poland. Additionally, he was a member of the International Scientific Committee for the 34th IBO held in Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates.

Member – Leyla is a professor of molecular biology and genetics at Gazi University, Ankara, Türkiye. Her research focuses on molecular biology, genetics, biotechnology, antimicrobial drug discovery, DNA–ligand interactions, and the molecular mechanisms of oxidative stress. She has been actively involved in the International Biology Olympiad (IBO) for many years as the Turkish National Coordinator. In 2026, she was elected as a member of the IBO Steering Committee.