Ao Wang | Biomass | Best Researcher Award

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Dr. Ao Wang | Biomass | Best Researcher Award

Institute of Chemical Industry of Forest Products, Chinese Academy of Forestry | China

Dr. Ao Wang is an Associate Research Fellow at the Institute of Chemical Industry of Forest Products, Chinese Academy of Forestry (CAF) and currently serves as a visiting scholar at Nanyang Technological University, fostering international research collaborations. His professional expertise centers on the preparation and application of advanced functional carbon materials derived from biomass, with a particular focus on electrochemical energy storage. He has led major research projects, including national key programs and fundamental research initiatives at CAF. Dr. Wang’s contributions include elucidating the evolution mechanism of carbon microcrystals during lignin and cellulose pyrolysis, demonstrating that the isotropy of carbon crystal seeds drives the ordered growth of graphite-like microcrystals, and revealing the critical influence of catalyst-induced pore sizes on the formation of closed pore structures in energy storage carbon materials. He has published over 30 articles in high-impact journals such as Progress in Materials Science, Advanced Functional Materials, and Carbon Energy, and has been granted 8 invention patents. His research skills encompass biomass carbon material synthesis, catalytic carbonization, pore structure engineering, and electrochemical characterization for lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries, as well as supercapacitors. Dr. Wang continues to advance the field of biomass-derived carbon materials for energy storage, demonstrating a strong commitment to sustainable energy solutions and functional material innovation, with a documented record of 1,899 citations, 99 documents, and an h-index of 24.

Profiles: Google Scholar | Scopus | ORCID

Featured Publications

Fan, M., Yuan, Q., Zhao, Y., Wang, Z., Wang, A., Liu, Y., Sun, K., Wu, J., Wang, L., … (2022). A facile “double‐catalysts” approach to directionally fabricate pyridinic N–B‐pair‐doped crystal graphene nanoribbons/amorphous carbon hybrid electrocatalysts for efficient … Advanced Materials, 34(13), 2107040. Cited by 163.

Fan, M., Wang, Z., Sun, K., Wang, A., Zhao, Y., Yuan, Q., Wang, R., Raj, J., Wu, J., … (2023). N–B–OH site-activated graphene quantum dots for boosting electrochemical hydrogen peroxide production. Advanced Materials, 35(17), 2209086. Cited by 150.

Wang, A., Sun, K., Xu, R., Sun, Y., Jiang, J. (2021). Cleanly synthesizing rotten potato-based activated carbon for supercapacitor by self-catalytic activation. Journal of Cleaner Production, 283, 125385. Cited by 118.

Chen, C., Sun, K., Huang, C., Yang, M., Fan, M., Wang, A., Zhang, G., Li, B., Jiang, J., … (2023). Investigation on the mechanism of structural reconstruction of biochars derived from lignin and cellulose during graphitization under high temperature. Biochar, 5(1), 51. Cited by 66.

Cao, M., Liu, Y., Sun, K., Li, H., Lin, X., Zhang, P., Zhou, L., Wang, A., Mehdi, S., … (2022). Coupling Fe3C nanoparticles and N‐doping on wood-derived carbon to construct reversible cathode for Zn–Air batteries. Small, 18(26), 2202014. Cited by 58.

 

Valeria Cafaro | Bioenergy | Best Researcher Award

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Dr. Valeria Cafaro | Bioenergy | Best Researcher Award

Post – Doc researcher | National Research Council of Italy – Institute of BioEconomy| Italy

Dr. Valeria Cafaro is a dedicated Post-Doctoral Researcher at the National Research Council of Italy – Institute of BioEconomy (CNR–IBE), Catania, Sicily, specializing in crop physiology, sustainable agronomic practices, and genetic improvement of Mediterranean crops under abiotic stress. She holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Science (Doctor Europaeus, University of Catania), where her research focused on strategies to improve crop resilience and productivity under challenging climate conditions. Professionally, she contributes to the Agritech PNRR project on tomato adaptation to climate change and collaborates on research initiatives including Multicanapa and Ricinolio. Her research interests encompass plant adaptation to drought, salinity, and climate variability, seed biology, sowing optimization, and integrating molecular tools with field experimentation to improve yield, quality, and nutraceutical properties. Dr. Cafaro’s research skills include advanced plant phenotyping, statistical data analysis, experimental design, and development of sustainable crop management protocols. She has authored 11 peer-reviewed articles in Scopus/WoS-indexed journals, with one under review, and presented over 20 contributions at international conferences such as SIA, SOI, EUBCE, and ISHS, earning multiple awards for excellence in plant physiology and agronomy research. She serves as Guest Editor for Horticulturae (Special Issue: “Seed Biology in Horticulture: From Dormancy to Germination”) and peer reviewer for reputed journals including Agronomy, Plants, and International Journal of Molecular Sciences. Professionally, she is a member of the Società Italiana di Agronomia (SIA) and holds formal qualifications as Agronomist and Biologist. Dr. Cafaro’s growing academic impact is reflected in 59 citations, 15 documents, and an h-index of 5, demonstrating her significant and sustained influence in the field of crop physiology and climate-resilient agriculture.

Profiles: Google Scholar | Scopus | ORCID | ResearchGate | LinkedIn 

Featured Publications

1. Badagliacca, G., Testa, G., La Malfa, S. G., Cafaro, V., Lo Presti, E., & Monti, M. (2024). Organic fertilizers and bio-waste for sustainable soil management to support crops and control greenhouse gas emissions in Mediterranean agroecosystems: A review. Horticulturae, 10(5), 427. Cited by: 28

2. Arlotta, C., Ciacciulli, A., Strano, M. C., Cafaro, V., Salonia, F., Caruso, P., & Others. (2020). Disease resistant citrus breeding using newly developed high resolution melting and CAPS protocols for Alternaria brown spot marker assisted selection. Agronomy, 10(9), 1368. Cited by: 24

3. Cafaro, V., Alexopoulou, E., Cosentino, S. L., & Patanè, C. (2023). Germination response of different castor bean genotypes to temperature for early and late sowing adaptation in the Mediterranean regions. Agriculture, 13(8), 1569. Cited by: 12

4. Lippolis, A., Gezan, S. A., Zuidgeest, J., Cafaro, V., van Dinter, B. J., Elzes, G., & Others. (2025). Targeted genotyping (90K-SPET) facilitates genome-wide association studies and the prediction of yield-related traits in faba bean (Vicia faba L.). BMC Plant Biology, 25(1), 558. Cited by: 3

5. Cafaro, V., Alexopoulou, E., Cosentino, S. L., & Patanè, C. (2023). Assessment of germination response to salinity stress in castor through the hydrotime model. Agronomy, 13(11), 2783. 
Cited by: 6

Muhammad Ali Shahbaz | Bioenergy | Best Researcher Award

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Dr. Muhammad Ali Shahbaz | Bioenergy | Best Researcher Award

Assistant Professor | University of Engineering and Technology | Pakistan

Dr.-Ing. Muhammad Ali Shahbaz is an accomplished academic and researcher in Mechanical Engineering, currently serving as an Assistant Professor at the Automotive Engineering Centre, University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Lahore, Pakistan. He earned his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany, where his research focused on developing advanced endoscopic optical diagnostics for combustion engines, including temperature imaging, fuel film analysis, and soot incandescence studies. His M.Sc. research involved visualization of flame fronts using OH*-chemiluminescence and LIF techniques, and he holds a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from UET Lahore with a thesis on biodiesel synthesis and engine performance. Professionally, he has over 14 years of teaching and research experience, having supervised multiple master’s and bachelor’s theses, reviewed and developed graduate curricula, and advised government agencies on EV policy and emissions testing standards. His research interests span optical diagnostics for internal combustion engines, alternative fuels, pyrolysis for bio-oil and biochar, waste-to-energy technologies, renewable energy systems, and integrated solid waste management. He possesses strong experimental and analytical skills in LIF, chemiluminescence, soot imaging, MATLAB, instrumentation, and pyrolysis systems. Dr. Shahbaz has contributed to major projects including EU Horizon 2020 research, biodiesel optimization funded by HEC Pakistan, and vibration analysis for electric vehicle development. His work is widely published in reputed journals such as Applied Optics, Experiments in Fluids, and Energy Science & Engineering and presented at global conferences including the Gordon Research Conference and European Combustion Meeting. He is the recipient of multiple awards including the Best Teacher Award and DAAD Scholarship. His growing academic impact is reflected in 2,940 citations, 139 documents, and an h-index of 31, demonstrating his significant and sustained influence in the field of combustion diagnostics and sustainable energy research.

Profiles: Google Scholar | Scopus | ORCID | ResearchGate | LinkedIn

Featured Publications

1. Munir, M. A., Habib, M. S., Hussain, A., Shahbaz, M. A., Qamar, A., Masood, T., Sultan, M., Mujtaba, M. A., Imran, S., Hasan, M., Akhtar, M. S., Ayub, H. M. U., & Salman, C. A. (2022). Blockchain adoption for sustainable supply chain management: Economic, environmental, and social perspectives. Frontiers in Energy Research, 10, 899632. (Cited by 150)

2. Razzaq, L., Mujtaba, M. A., Shahbaz, M. A., Nawaz, S., Khan, H. M., Hussain, A., & others. (2022). Effect of biodiesel–dimethyl carbonate blends on engine performance, combustion and emission characteristics. Alexandria Engineering Journal, 61(7), 5111–5121.  (Cited by 33)

3. Nawaz, A., Ahmed, Z., Shahbaz, A., Khan, Z., & Javed, M. (2014). Coagulation–flocculation for lignin removal from wastewater – A review. Water Science and Technology, 69(8), 1589–1597. (Cited by 27)

4. Shahbaz, M. A., Jüngst, N., Grzeszik, R., & Kaiser, S. A. (2021). Endoscopic fuel film, chemiluminescence, and soot incandescence imaging in a direct-injection spark-ignition engine. Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, 38(4), 5869–5877. (Cited by 12)

5. Nawaz, A., Shahbaz, M. A., & Javed, M. (2015). Management of organic content in municipal solid waste – A case study of Lahore. International Journal of Environment and Waste Management, 15(1), 15–23. (Cited by 8)