Remote Sensing Travel Award Ceremony and Winner Interview Successfully Held at EGU 2025
We are delighted to share the highlights from our recent participation at EGU 2025 from 27 April to 2 May 2025. MDPI held a successful exhibition at the conference, and one of the most exciting events was the Remote Sensing Travel Award Ceremony held at our booth #02, during which the Associate Editor of our journal and the Director of the UWL Faringdon Research Centre, Prof. Dr. Fabio Tosti, presented the Travel Award to Dr. Nicola Nocentini. This interview took place while Dr. Nocentini attended the conference, and our journal was exhibiting at the conference.
Prof. Dr. Fabio Tosti and Dr. Nicola Nocentini (from left to right).
Remote Sensing Travel Award
The Remote Sensing Travel Award was launched in 2017, and it is presented every year to encourage junior scientists to present their latest research at academic conferences in the remote sensing technology field, which helps to increase their influence. Applications are open from April to October, and winners are announced at the end of December every year.
We are honored to present an interview with the winner, Dr. Nicola Nocentini:
Could you briefly introduce yourself to our readers and tell us a little bit about your field of interest?
I am a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Florence. My background is in geology. My research mainly focuses on landslide forecasting using statistical methods, rainfall thresholds, as well as more rigorous physically based models and innovative machine learning algorithms. Currently, I'm also focused on designing tools and approaches for supporting landslides early warning systems.
What do you think is significant about this award for your research career and your participation in this conference?
This award is a great honor and a very strong encouragement for my research. It validates the efforts I put into my research. With this Travel Award, I was able to participate in this conference. It gave me the possibility to meet other researchers, do networking, and present my work. As a younger researcher, I really need this kind of encouragement right now.
As a result of our journal award, what are your thoughts on the role our journal plays in the academic community, especially supporting scholars like you?
In my opinion, the role of Remote Sensing, and MDPI in general, is really important for disseminating high-quality and open access research. It's very supportive for young researchers like me. The awards and other activities offered by the journal and MDPI, such as the opportunity to become an early career editor, are unique in the field compared to other journals. The efforts and help that the journal offers to younger researchers are very important.
Which research topic do you think will be of particular interest to the research community in the coming years?
In the coming years, I believe research will increasingly focus on the integration of machine learning and multi-source data for multi-hazard forecasting, especially in areas made more vulnerable by climate change and unplanned urbanization. Key priorities will include the development of scalable, interpretable, and real-time adaptive models capable of accurately forecasting hazards such as landslides, floods, and wildfires, and supporting both early warning systems and resilient urban planning.
What connections or conversations have you had at the conference that might spark new collaboration, even ones that might be unexpected?
Although I arrived late and didn't have much time for networking up to the time of this interview, I attended a poster session this morning and found many interesting works on the effects of haphazard urbanization in triggering landslides and floods. I think this is a very important topic for future research. Tomorrow, I'll have my oral presentation and present a poster. I'll have the opportunity to meet other researchers and exchange ideas.
We want to thank Dr. Nocentini for sharing his thoughts with us, and congratulate him again on his award.