Dear Colleagues,

On behalf of the Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Dr. Takayoshi Kobayashi, we wish to acknowledge our reviewers who so generously offer their time to review the papers submitted to Applied Sciences by presenting an award to the reviewers who have demonstrated their dedication, professionalism, and timeliness in reviewing manuscripts for Applied Sciences.

What are the pre-requisites to be eligible for this award?
All of the reviewers for Applied Sciences in 2023 will be automatically included.

Selection Criteria:
– Number of review reports;
– The quality and timeliness of review reports.

What will the winners receive?
There will be six winners this year, and each will receive the following:
– CHF 500;
– An opportunity to publish a paper free of charge in 2024 after peer review;
– A certificate.

When will the winners be announced?
The winners will be announced in March 2024 on the journal website.

How can I make myself eligible?
If you have not yet reviewed papers for Applied Sciences but would like to do so, you can register as a reviewer at the following link: https://susy.mdpi.com/volunteer/profile/edit.

Kind regards,
Applied Sciences Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce that Applied Sciences is now inviting nominations for the Applied Sciences 2023 Early Career Investigator Award. This prize will be given to two young investigators in recognition of their excellence in the field of applied sciences. All nominations will be assessed by an Award Evaluation Committee led by the Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Dr. Takayoshi Kobayashi.

The Prize:
– CHF 1000;
– The option to publish one paper free of charge in Applied Sciences after peer review before the end of 2024;
– An electronic certificate.

Eligibility and Requirements
– Must have received their PhD no more than 10 years prior to 31 March 2024;
– Must have produced ground-breaking research and made a significant contribution to the advancement of applied sciences;
– Candidates must be nominated by senior scientists.

List of Documents for Nomination
– Detailed Curriculum Vitae, including an updated publication list and a list of the researcher’s own research grants;
– Scanned copy of doctorate certificate;
– Signed nomination letters from two established senior scientists.

Schedule
– Nomination deadline: 29 February 2024.
– Winners announcement: 30 April 2024.

How to Submit Nominations?
The nominations must be submitted online.

Contact
Ms. Cara Li
Marketing Specialist
Email: [email protected]

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the "Applied Sciences 2022 Best Paper Award" for research and review articles published in Applied Sciences from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2022. Five reviews and five research articles will receive an award each. The papers will be selected after a thorough evaluation by the journal Award Committee led by the Editor-in-Chief Prof. Dr. Takayoshi Kobayashi.

Eligibility for the Award:
– Papers published in Applied Sciences from 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2022;
– Open to all career levels;
– Both regular and Special Issue submissions will be considered.

Selection Criteria:
The papers will be selected by the journal Award Committee according to the following criteria:
– Scientific merit and broad impact;
– Originality of the research objectives and/or the ideas presented;
– Creativity of the study design or uniqueness of the approaches and concepts;
– Clarity of presentation;
– Citations and downloads.

The Prize:
– Five review awards: CHF 500 and a chance to publish a paper free of charge in Applied Sciences in 2023 after peer review;
– Five research article awards: CHF 500 CHF and a chance to publish a paper free of charge in Applied Sciences in 2023 after peer review;
– Each winner will also receive a certificate.

The winners will be announced on the journal website in April 2024.

Kind regards,
Applied Sciences Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce that Applied Sciences will be granting the Travel Award to five junior scientists. The applications will be assessed by an Evaluation Committee consisting of senior scholars from the Applied Sciences Editorial Board. 

This award provides financial support for the winners to attend an international conference in the field of all aspects of applied natural sciences to be held in 2023, in order to hold a presentation, present a poster, or both.

Candidate Requirements:
— Postdoctoral fellows or PhD students.
— Plans to attend an international conference in 2023 (oral presentation or poster). 

Required Application Documents:
— Information of the conference the applicant is planning to attend and the abstract that will be submitted.
— Curriculum Vitae and list of publications.
— Justification letter describing the focus of the research (max. 800 words).
— Letter of recommendation from the supervisor, research director, or department head, which also confirms the applicant’s status as a postdoctoral fellow/PhD student.

The winners (five awardees) will each be awarded CHF 600 and a certificate. 

Please submit your applications for the Applied Sciences 2023 Travel Award online by 31 May 2023. Prizes will be awarded on 30 July 2023 and announced on the Applied Sciences website.

Kind regards,
Applied Sciences Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce that the winners of the Applied Sciences 2022 Early Career Investigator Award are Dr. Tianxi Yang and Dr. Maria Rosa Iaquinta.

Dr. Tianxi Yang is an Assistant Professor of Land and Food Systems at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver BC, Canada. Dr. Tianxi Yang’s research interests are the development of innovative analytical technologies and advanced materials to improve the safety, sustainability and resilience of agricultural and food systems. Her current research focuses on three major themes: (1) the development of novel nanosensors for food safety monitoring, (2) the design of smart nanomaterials to advanced precision agriculture and (3) the creation of sustainable packaging materials to improve food safety and quality. Dr. Tianxi Yang received her PhD in 2018, and her h-index is 19 on Scopus.

Dr. Maria Rosa Iaquinta is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Laboratories of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy. She was awarded her Ph.D. degree in Molecular Medicine in June 2022. Her current research project is on the “use of biomaterials as drug delivery systems for the treatment of osteosarcoma”.

As the awardees, Dr. Tianxi Yang and Dr. Maria Rosa Iaquinta each will receive an honorarium of CHF 1000, an offer to publish two papers with a 50% discount in 2023 in Applied Sciences after peer review, and an electronic certificate.

We would like to thank all the nominators from various fields of study for their participation and all the Award Committee Members for their evaluation of many excellent nominations.

Applied Sciences 2022 Early Career Investigator Award Evaluation Committee

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the winners of the Applied Sciences 2022 Outstanding Reviewer Award. The Applied Sciences Editorial Board and Editorial Team would like to gratefully acknowledge the time and energy dedicated by reviewers in checking the manuscripts submitted to Applied Sciences. It is due to their efforts that the high quality of the journal and quick turnaround are maintained.

Dr. Roman Mykhailyshyn
College of Natural Sciences and the Cockrell School of Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
Research Interests: robotics; gripping device; CFD; modeling; 3D printing

Dr. Chiranjibi Sitaula
Department of Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia
Research Interests: computer vision, deep learning, and image processing

Dr. Davide Forcellini
1. Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
2. Faculty of Civil and Environmental, University of San Marino, San Marino 47899, San Marino
Research Interests: earthquake engineering; soil structure interaction; finite element modeling; civil engineering

Dr. Giuseppe Ciaburro
Department of Architecture and Industrial Design, Università degli Studi della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, 81031 Aversa, Italy
Research Interests: acoustics; architecture; digital/ audio signal processing

Dr. Yang Song
Department of Structural Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim 7491, Norway
Research Interests: railway; Vibration; mechanics; aerodynamics; active control

Dr. Xiaoming Liu
School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
Research Interests: micro/nano robotics; tissue regeneration; microfluidic device

The Prize for Each Winner:
– CHF 500;
– An opportunity to publish a paper free of charge in Applied Sciences in 2023 after peer review;
– A certificate.

Kind regards,
Applied Sciences Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

As the Editor-in-Chief of Applied Sciences, it is my great pleasure to announce the winner of the Applied Sciences 2022 Best PhD Thesis Award. This award is for a PhD student or recently qualified PhD student who has produced a highly anticipated thesis with great academic potential.

The award has been granted to:

“Combined conversion of Recycled paper sludge to bioethanol and Crystalline Nano Cellulose via ozone-based processes” By Roi Peretz, Tel Aviv University, Israel.

The winner will receive CHF 800, a certificate and offer to publish a featured paper in Applied Sciences with the article processing charge (APC) waived for submission before 31 December 2023.

On behalf of the evaluation committee, I congratulate the winner on their accomplishments. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the applicants for submitting their exceptional theses, and thank the Award
Committee for voting and helping with this award.

Prof. Dr. Takayoshi Kobayashi
Editor-in-Chief, Applied Sciences

Dear colleagues,

As the Editor-in-Chief of Applied Sciences, I am pleased to announce the winner of the Applied Sciences 2022 Travel Award in Applied Biosciences and Bioengineering.

The award has been granted to Mr. Jonas Schwer, a PhD student at the Institute of Orthopaedic Research and Biomechanics, Ulm University Medical Centre, Germany.

With so many high-quality applicants, the evaluation process and final decision were both challenging. We would like to thank all of the applicants for submitting their diverse and fascinating range of research topics. On behalf of the Assessment Committee, I congratulate the winner on his excellent accomplishment.

Editor-in-Chief
Prof. Dr. Takayoshi Kobayashi, Applied Sciences

Dear Colleagues,

As the Editor-in-Chief of Applied Sciences, I am pleased to announce the winner of the Applied Sciences 2022 Travel Award in Earth Sciences and Geography. The award has been granted to Dr. Michele Cassetta, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Verona, Italy.

With so many high-quality applicants, the evaluation process and final decision were challenging. We would like to thank all of the applicants for submitting such a diverse and fascinating range of research topics. On behalf of the Assessment Committee, I congratulate the winner on his excellent accomplishment.

Editor-in-Chief
Prof. Dr. Takayoshi Kobayashi, Applied Sciences

Dear Colleagues,

As the Editor-in-Chief of Applied Sciences, I am pleased to announce the winner of the Applied Sciences 2022 Travel Award in Nanotechnology and Applied Nanosciences.

The award has been granted to Dr. Jie Wang, post-doctoral fellow at Stanford University, USA.

With so many high-quality applicants, the evaluation process and final decision were both incredibly challenging. We would like to thank all of the applicants for submitting their diverse and fascinating range of research topics. On behalf of the Assessment Committee, I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate the winner on his accomplishment.

Editor-in-Chief
Prof. Dr. Takayoshi Kobayashi, Applied Sciences

Dear Colleagues,

As the Editor-in-Chief of Applied Sciences, I am pleased to announce the winner of the Applied Sciences 2022 Travel Award in Optics and Lasers. The award has been granted to Dr. Philip Martin, postdoctoral fellow at Queen’s University Belfast, UK.

With so many high-quality applicants, the evaluation process and final decision were both challenging. We would like to thank all of the applicants for submitting their diverse and fascinating range of research topics. On behalf of the Assessment Committee, I congratulate the winner on his excellent
accomplishment.

Editor-in-Chief
Prof. Dr. Takayoshi Kobayashi, Applied Sciences

Dear Colleagues,

As the Section Editor-in-Chief of Applied Sciences, I am pleased to announce the winners of the Applied Sciences 2020 Best Paper Award in Materials Science and Engineering.

The awards have been granted to:

One article:
Low-Cost Biochar Adsorbents for Water Purification Including Microplastics Removal
By Virpi Siipola et al.
Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(3), 788; doi:10.3390/app10030788

One review:
Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of AISI 316L Produced by Directed Energy Deposition-Based Additive Manufacturing: A Review
By Abdollah Saboori et al.
Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(9), 3310; doi:10.3390/app10093310

Each winner (corresponding author) will receive CHF 400 and a certificate.

On behalf of the Assessment Committee, I congratulate the winners on their accomplishments. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the nominated research groups of the above exceptional papers for their contributions to Applied Sciences, and thank the Awards Committee for voting and helping with these awards.

Prof. Dr. Philippe Lambin
Section Editor-in-Chief, Applied Sciences

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the winners of the Applied Sciences 2021 Best Paper Award in Section Optics and Lasers. All papers published in 2021 in Applied Sciences Section Optics and Lasers were considered for the award. After a thorough evaluation of the originality and significance of the papers, citations, and downloads, two winners were selected.

Review:
Trends in Performance Limits of the HOT Infrared Photodetectors
by Antoni Rogalski, Piotr Martyniuk*, Małgorzata Kopytko and Weida Hu
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(2), 501; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11020501

Article:
Performance Evaluation of a THz Pulsed Imaging System: Point Spread Function, Broadband THz Beam Visualization and Image Reconstruction
by Marta Di Fabrizio*, Annalisa D’Arco*, Sen Mou, Luigi Palumbo, Massimo Petrarca, and Stefano Lupi
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(2), 562; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11020562

Each winner will receive CHF 500 and a chance to publish a paper in Applied Sciences in 2023 after peer review.

Please join us in congratulating the winners of the Applied Sciences 2021 Best Paper Award in Section Optics and Lasers. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of our authors for your continued support of Applied Sciences.

Kind regards,
Applied Sciences Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the winners of the Applied Sciences 2021 Best Paper Award in Section Applied Biosciences and Bioengineering. All papers published in 2021 in Applied Sciences Section Applied Biosciences and Bioengineering were considered for the award. After a thorough evaluation of the originality and significance of the papers, citations, and downloads, two winners were selected.

Review:
Current Challenges and Future Opportunities for XAI in Machine Learning-Based Clinical Decision Support Systems: A Systematic Review
by Anna Markella Antoniadi, Yuhan Du, Yasmine Guendouz, Lan Wei, Claudia Mazo, Brett A. Becker and Catherine Mooney*
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(11), 5088; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11115088

Article:
Deep Learning-Based Methods for Prostate Segmentation in Magnetic Resonance Imaging
by Albert Comelli, Navdeep Dahiya, Alessandro Stefano*, Federica Vernuccio, Marzia Portoghese, Giuseppe Cutaia, Alberto Bruno, Giuseppe Salvaggio and Anthony Yezzi
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(2), 782; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11020782

Each winner will receive CHF 500 and a chance to publish a paper in Applied Sciences in 2023 after peer review.

Please join us in congratulating the winners of the Applied Sciences 2021 Best Paper Award in Section Applied Biosciences and Bioengineering. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of our authors for your continued support of Applied Sciences.

Kind regards,
Applied Sciences Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the winners of the Applied Sciences 2021 Best Paper Award in the Section “Nanotechnology and Applied Nanosciences”. All papers published in 2021 in the Applied Sciences Section “Nanotechnology and Applied Nanosciences” were considered for the award. After a thorough evaluation of the originality and significance of the papers, citations, and downloads, two winners were selected.

Review:
Fe₃O₄ Nanoparticles: Structures, Synthesis, Magnetic Properties, Surface Functionalization, and Emerging Applications
by Minh Dang Nguyen, Hung-Vu Tran, Shoujun Xu and T. Randall Lee^*
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(23), 11301; https://doi.org/10.3390/app112311301

Article:
Enhancement of Antimicrobial Activity of Alginate Films with a Low Amount of Carbon Nanofibers (0.1% w/w)
by Isaías Sanmartín-Santos, Sofía Gandía-Llop, Beatriz Salesa, Miguel Martí, Finn Lillelund Aachmann and Ángel Serrano-Aroca^*
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(5), 2311; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11052311

Each winner will receive CHF 500 and a chance to publish a paper in Applied Sciences in 2023 after peer review.

Please join us in congratulating the winners of the Applied Sciences 2021 Best Paper Award in the Section “Nanotechnology and Applied Nanosciences”. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of our authors for your continued support of Applied Sciences.

Kind regards,
Applied Sciences Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the winners of the Applied Sciences 2021 Best Paper Award in Section Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering. All papers published in 2021 in Applied Sciences Section Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering were considered for the award. After a thorough evaluation of the originality and significance of the papers, citations, and downloads, two winners were selected.

Review:
Machine Learning for Design Optimization of Electromagnetic Devices: Recent Developments and Future Directions
by Yanbin Li, Gang Lei*, Gerd Bramerdorfer, Sheng Peng, Xiaodong Sun and Jianguo Zhu
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(4), 1627; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11041627

Article:
Real-Time Extensive Livestock Monitoring Using LPWAN Smart Wearable and Infrastructure
by Roberto Casas*, Arturo Hermosa, Álvaro Marco, Teresa Blanco and Francisco Javier Zarazaga-Soria
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(3), 1240; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11031240

Each winner will receive CHF 500 and a chance to publish a paper in Applied Sciences in 2023 after peer review.

Please join us in congratulating the winners of the Applied Sciences 2021 Best Paper Award in Section Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of our authors for your continued support of Applied Sciences.

Kind regards,
Applied Sciences Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the winners of the Applied Sciences 2021 Best Paper Award in the Section “Robotics and Automation”. All papers published in 2021 in the Applied Sciences Section “Robotics and Automation” were considered for the award. After a thorough evaluation of the originality and significance of the papers, citations, and downloads, two winners were selected.

Review:
Inertial Parameter Identification in Robotics: A Survey
by Quentin Leboutet^*, Julien Roux, Alexandre Janot, Julio Rogelio Guadarrama-Olvera and Gordon Cheng
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(9), 4303; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11094303

Article:
Digital Twin for Designing and Reconfiguring Human–Robot Collaborative Assembly Lines
by Niki Kousi, Christos Gkournelos, Sotiris Aivaliotis, Konstantinos Lotsaris, Angelos Christos Bavelos, Panagiotis Baris, George Michalos and Sotiris Makris^*
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(10), 4620; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11104620

Each winner will receive CHF 500 and a chance to publish a paper in Applied Sciences in 2023 after peer review.

Please join us in congratulating the winners of the Applied Sciences 2021 Best Paper Award in the Section “Robotics and Automation”. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of our authors for your continued support of Applied Sciences.

Kind regards,
Applied Sciences Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the winners of the Applied Sciences 2021 Outstanding Reviewer Award. The Applied Sciences Editorial Board and Editorial Team would like to gratefully acknowledge the time and energy dedicated by reviewers in checking the manuscripts submitted to Applied Sciences. It is due to their efforts that the high quality of the journal and quick turnaround are maintained.

Khaled Giasin
School of Mechanical and Design Engineering, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK

Jakub Krzysztof Grabski
Institute of Applied Mechanics, University of Technology, Poznań, Poland

Marcos Tostado-Véliz
Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Jaén, Linares, Spain

Luigi Pugliese
Department of Civil Engineering, University of Calabria, Rende, Cosenza, Italy

Francesco Bennardo
Department of Health Sciences, University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, Italy

Heriberto Perez-Acebo
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Bilbao, Spain

Each winner will receive CHF 500, a certificate, and an opportunity to publish a paper free of charge in 2022.

On behalf of the assessment committee, I would like to congratulate the winners on their accomplishments. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all winners for their contributions to Applied Sciences and the Award Committee for voting and helping with these awards.

Prof. Dr. Takayoshi Kobayashi
Editor-in-Chief, Applied Sciences

Dear Colleagues,

As the Editors-in-Chief of Applied Sciences, it is our great pleasure to announce the winner of the Applied Sciences 2021 Best PhD Thesis Award. This prize will be awarded to a PhD student who is about to graduate or participate in the graduation thesis.

The award has been granted to:

“Plasma Instabilities in the Plume of High Current Hollow Cathodes” by Dr. Giulia Becatti, University of Pisa, Italy.

The winner will receive CHF 800, a certificate, and a chance to publish a featured paper in Applied Sciences with the article processing charge (APC) waived before the end of 2022.

On behalf of the Evaluation Committee, I would like to congratulate the winner on her accomplishment. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of the nominated research groups of the above exceptional thesis for their contributions to Applied Sciences and the Award Committee for voting and helping with this award.

Prof. Dr. Takayoshi Kobayashi
Editors-in-Chief, Applied Sciences

Dear Colleagues,

As Editor-in-Chief of Applied Sciences, I am pleased to announce the winner of the Applied Sciences 2021–2022 Travel Award in Food Science and Technology.

The award has been granted to Dr. Márcia de Sousa Oliveira, a postdoctoral fellow in the University of León, León, Spain.

With so many high-quality applicants, the evaluation process and final decision were both challenging. We would like to thank all the applicants for submitting their diverse and fascinating range of research topics. On behalf of the assessment committee, I congratulate the winner on his excellent accomplishment.

Editor-in-Chief
Prof. Dr. Takayoshi Kobayashi, Applied Sciences

Dear Colleagues,

As Editor-in-Chief of Applied Sciences, I am pleased to announce the winner of the Applied Sciences Travel Award in Applied Biosciences and Bioengineering for 2021.

The award has been granted to Dr. Caroline Sarah Taylor, a postdoctoral fellow in the University of Sheffield, UK.

With so many high-quality applicants, the evaluation process and final decision were challenging. We would like to thank all the applicants for submitting their diverse and fascinating range of research topics. On behalf of the assessment committee, I congratulate the winner on his accomplishment.

Editor-in-Chief
Prof. Dr. Takayoshi Kobayashi, Applsci

Dear Colleagues,

As Editor-in-Chief of Applied Sciences, I am pleased to announce the winner of the Applied Sciences Travel Award in Chemistry for 2021.

The award has been granted to Dr. Raquel Viveiros, a postdoctoral fellow in the NOVA University of Lisbon, Portugal.

With so many high-quality applicants, the evaluation process and final decision were challenging. We would like to thank all the applicants for submitting their diverse and fascinating range of research topics. On behalf of the assessment committee, I congratulate the winner on his accomplishment.

Editor-in-Chief
Prof. Dr. Takayoshi Kobayashi, Applsci

Dear Colleagues,

As Editor-in-Chief of Applied Sciences, I am pleased to announce the winner of the Applied Sciences Travel Award in Energy for 2021.

The award has been granted to Dr. Alfonso González Briones, a postdoctoral fellow in the University of Salamanca, Spain.

With so many high-quality applicants, the evaluation process and final decision were challenging. We would like to thank all the applicants for submitting their diverse and fascinating range of research topics. On behalf of the assessment committee, I congratulate the winner on his accomplishment.

Editor-in-Chief
Prof. Dr. Takayoshi Kobayashi, Applsci

Dear Colleagues,

As Editor-in-Chief of Applied Sciences, I am pleased to announce the winner of the Applied Sciences Travel Award in Environmental and Sustainable Science and Technology for 2021.

The award has been granted to Dr. Alen Horvat, a postdoctoral fellow in the University Carlos III Madrid, Spain.

With so many high-quality applicants, the evaluation process and final decision were challenging. We would like to thank all the applicants for submitting their diverse and fascinating range of research topics. On behalf of the assessment committee, I congratulate the winner on his accomplishment.

Editor-in-Chief
Prof. Dr. Takayoshi Kobayashi, Applsci

Dear Colleagues,

As Editor-in-Chief of Applied Sciences, I am pleased to announce the winner of the Applied Sciences Travel Award in Materials for 2021.

The award has been granted to Dr. Marie Švecová, a postdoctoral fellow in the University of Chemistry and Technology, Czech Republic.

With so many high-quality applicants, the evaluation process and final decision were challenging. We would like to thank all the applicants for submitting their diverse and fascinating range of research topics. On behalf of the assessment committee, I congratulate the winner on his accomplishment.

Editor-in-Chief
Prof. Dr. Takayoshi Kobayashi, Applsci

Dear Colleagues,

As Editor-in-Chief of Applied Sciences, I am pleased to announce the winner of the Applied Sciences Travel Award in Mechanical Engineering for 2021.

The award has been granted to Dr. Venanzio Giannella, a postdoctoral fellow in the University of Salerno, Italy.

With so many high-quality applicants, the evaluation process and final decision were challenging. We would like to thank all the applicants for submitting their diverse and fascinating range of research topics. On behalf of the assessment committee, I congratulate the winner on his accomplishment.

Editor-in-Chief
Prof. Dr. Takayoshi Kobayashi, Applsci

Dear Colleagues,

As Editor-in-Chief of Applied Sciences, I am pleased to announce the winner of the Applied Sciences Travel Award in Nanotechnology and Applied Nanosciences for 2021.

The award has been granted to Dr. Michaël Lobet, a postdoctoral fellow in the University of Namur, Belgium.

With so many high-quality applicants, the evaluation process and final decision were challenging. We would like to thank all the applicants for submitting their diverse and fascinating range of research topics. On behalf of the assessment committee, I congratulate the winner on his accomplishment.

Editor-in-Chief
Prof. Dr. Takayoshi Kobayashi, Applsci

Dear Colleagues,

As Editor-in-Chief of Applied Sciences, I am pleased to announce the winner of the Applied Sciences Travel Award in Optics and Lasers for 2021.

The award has been granted to Dr. Lam Thi Ngoc TRAN, a postdoctoral fellow in the National Research Council, Italy.

With so many high-quality applicants, the evaluation process and final decision were challenging. We would like to thank all the applicants for submitting their diverse and fascinating range of research topics. On behalf of the assessment committee, I congratulate the winner on his accomplishment.

Editor-in-Chief
Prof. Dr. Takayoshi Kobayashi, Applsci

Dear Colleagues,

As Editor-in-Chief of Applied Sciences, I am pleased to announce the winner of the Applied Sciences Travel Award in Acoustics and Vibrations for 2021.

The award has been granted to Dr. Hanfei Mei, a postdoctoral fellow in th University of South Carolina, USA.

With so many high-quality applicants, the evaluation process and final decision were challenging. We would like to thank all the applicants for submitting their diverse and fascinating range of research topics. On behalf of the assessment committee, I congratulate the winner on his accomplishment.

Editor-in-Chief
Prof. Dr. Takayoshi Kobayashi, Applsci

Dear Colleagues,

As the Section Editor-in-Chief of Applied Sciences, I am pleased to announce the winners of the Applied Sciences 2020 Best Paper Awards in Mechanical Engineerings.

The awards have been granted to:

One article:

Real-Time Remote Maintenance Support Based on Augmented Reality (AR)
By Dimitris Mourtzis et al.
Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(5), 1855; doi:10.3390/app10051855

One review:

Dielectric Elastomer Actuator for Soft Robotics Applications and Challenges
By Jung-Hwan Youn et al.
Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(2), 640; doi:10.3390/app10020640

Each winner (corresponding author) will receive CHF 400 and a certificate.

On behalf of the Assessment Committee, I congratulate the winners on their accomplishments. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the nominated research groups of the above exceptional papers for their contributions to Applied Sciences, and thank the Award Committee for voting and helping with these awards.

Prof. Dr. Filippo Berto
Section Editor-in-Chief, Applied Sciences

Dear Colleagues,

As the Section Editor-in-Chief of Applied Sciences, I am pleased to announce the winners of the Applied Sciences 2020 Best Paper Awards in Applied Biosciences and Bioengineering.

The awards have been granted to:

One Article:

Observation of Potential Contaminants in Processed Biomass Using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy
By Jingshun Zhuang et al.
Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(12), 4345; doi:10.3390/app10124345.

One Review:

Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis 2020: Where We Stand
By Angelo Iacobino et al.
Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(6), 2153; doi:10.3390/app10062153.

Each winner (corresponding author) will receive CHF 400 and a certificate.

On behalf of the assessment committee, I congratulate the winners on their accomplishments. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the nominated research groups of the above exceptional papers for their contributions to Applied Sciences, and thank the Award Committee for voting and helping with these awards.

Section Editor-in-Chief
Prof. Dr. Roger Narayan, Applied Sciences

Dear Colleagues,

As the Section Editor-in-Chief of Applied Sciences, I am pleased to announce the winners of the Applied Sciences 2020 Best Paper Awards in Environmental and Sustainable Science and Technology.

The awards have been granted to:

One Article:

Chromium(III) Removal from Wastewater by Chitosan Flakes
By Loris Pietrelli et al.
Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(6), 1925; doi:10.3390/app10061925

One Review:

Unravelling the Environmental Application of Biochar as Low-Cost Biosorbent: A Review
By Antía Fdez-Sanromán et al.
Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(21), 7810; doi:10.3390/app10217810

Each winner (corresponding author) will receive CHF 400 and a certificate.

On behalf of the Assessment Committee, I congratulate the winners on their accomplishments. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the nominated research groups of the above exceptional papers for their contributions to Applied Sciences, and thank the Award Committee for voting and helping with these awards.

Prof. Dr. Dibyendu Sarkar
Section Editor-in-Chief, Applied Sciences

Dear colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the winners of the Applied Sciences 2020 Review Awards. The Applied Sciences Editorial Board and Editorial Team would like to gratefully acknowledge the time and energy dedicated by reviewers in checking the manuscripts submitted to Applied Sciences. It is due to their efforts that the high quality of the journal and quick turnaround is maintained.

Prof. Dr. Basilio Pueo
Affiliation: University Institute for Computing Research, Faculty of Education. University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain.
Research Interest: Sport; Biomechanics; Instrumentation; Audio; Video; Performance; technology; rowing.

Dr. Khader Hamdia
Affiliation: Institute of Continuum Mechanics, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Hanover, Lower Saxony, Germany.
Research Interest: stochastic modeling; uncertainty analysis; Numerical Methods; finite element analysis; computational material design; fracture mechanics; solid mechanics; optimization; machine learning.

Dr. Alberto Fernández-Isabel
Affiliation: Research Group of Foundations and Applications of Data Science, Rey Juan Carlos University Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
Research Interest: environment simulation; intelligent transportation systems; road traffic simulation; agent-based systems; medical fraud detection; social behaviour and interaction; knowledge-based systems.

Dr. Jarosław Rybak
Affiliation: Faculty of Civil Engineering, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Wroclaw, Poland.
Research Interest: civil engineering, geotechnics, geotechnical investigation and design; deep excavations; foundations; foundation pile design and testing; monitoring of structures; soil structure interaction; vibration monitoring.

Dr. Giuseppe Ciaburro
Affiliation: Department of Architecture and Industrial Design, Università degli Studi della Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Aversa, Italy.
Research Interest: Architecture; Acoustics; Sound; Digital Signal Processing; Acoustics and Acoustic Engineering; Acoustic Signal Processing; Sound Analysis; Audio Signal Processing; Noise Analysis; Acoustic Analysis.

Dr. Maria Luisa Villani
Affiliation: ENEA-Centro Ricerche Casaccia, Via Anguillarese 301, Rome, Italy.
Research Interest: artificial intelligence, computational creativity; formal methods applications; linked data; model based software engineering; resilience.

Prof. Dr. Takayoshi Kobayashi, Applied Sciences.

Dear Colleagues,

As Editor-in-Chief of Applied Sciences, I am pleased to announce the winner of the Applied Sciences Travel Award in Earth Sciences and Geography 2020.

It has been granted to Dr. Nicolò Giordano, a Post-doc Fellow at INRS Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique.

It was a difficult decision with such high-quality applications for the award, and we would like to thank all applicants for submitting their diverse and fascinating range of research topics. On behalf of the assessment committee, I congratulate the winner for his accomplishments. We are proud to support this young scientists and wish him further success in their his careers.

Editor-in-Chief
Prof. Dr. Takayoshi Kobayashi

Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417; Applied Sciences-Basel in Web of Science) is an international, peer-reviewed, open-access journal, published monthly by MDPI AG, Basel, Switzerland. The journal is covered by leading indexing services, including Science Citation Index Expanded (Web of Science) and Scopus. Its 2018 Impact Factor is 2.217, and its five-year Impact Factor is 2.287. For further details, please refer to https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci.

Dear Colleagues,

As Editor-in-Chief of Applied Sciences, I am pleased to announce the winner of the Applied Sciences Travel Award in Energy 2020.

It has been granted to Dr. Alfonso González Briones, who holds a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from the University of Salamanca.

It was a difficult decision with such high-quality applications for the awards, and we would like to thank all applicants for submitting their diverse and fascinating range of research topics. On behalf of the assessment committee, I congratulate the winner for his accomplishments. We are proud to support this young scientist and wish him further success in his career.

Editor-in-Chief
Prof. Dr. Takayoshi Kobayashi

Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417; Applied Sciences-Basel in Web of Science) is an international, peer-reviewed, open-access journal, published monthly by MDPI AG, Basel, Switzerland. The journal is covered by leading indexing services, including Science Citation Index Expanded (Web of Science) and Scopus. Its 2018 Impact Factor is 2.217, and its five-year Impact Factor is 2.287. For further details, please refer to https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci.

Dear Colleagues,

As Editor-in-Chief of Applied Sciences, I am pleased to announce the winner of the Applied Sciences Travel Award in Environmental and Sustainable Science and Technology 2020.

It has been granted to Dr. Marco Vocciante, from the Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry at the University of Genova.

It was a difficult decision with such high-quality applications for the awards, and we would like to thank all applicants for submitting their diverse and fascinating range of research topics. On behalf of the assessment committee, I congratulate the winner for his accomplishments. We are proud to support this young scientist and wish him further success in his career.

Editor-in-Chief
Prof. Dr. Takayoshi Kobayashi

Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417; Applied Sciences-Basel in Web of Science) is an international, peer-reviewed, open-access journal, published monthly by MDPI AG, Basel, Switzerland. The journal is covered by leading indexing services, including Science Citation Index Expanded (Web of Science) and Scopus. Its 2018 Impact Factor is 2.217, and its five-year Impact Factor is 2.287. For further details, please refer to https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci.

Dear Colleagues,
As Editor-in-Chief of Applied Sciences, I am pleased to announce the winner of the Applied Sciences Travel Award in Nanotechnology and Applied Nanosciences 2020.

It has been granted to Dr. Daniel M. Balazs, who is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University.

It was a difficult decision with such high-quality applications for the awards, and we would like to thank all applicants for submitting their diverse and fascinating range of research topics. On behalf of the assessment committee, I congratulate the winner for his accomplishments. We are proud to support this young scientist and wish him further success in his career.

Editor-in-Chief
Prof. Dr. Takayoshi Kobayashi

Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417; Applied Sciences-Basel in Web of Science) is an international, peer-reviewed, open-access journal, published monthly by MDPI AG, Basel, Switzerland. The journal is covered by leading indexing services, including Science Citation Index Expanded (Web of Science) and Scopus. Its 2018 Impact Factor is 2.217, and its five-year Impact Factor is 2.287. For further details, please refer to https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci.

Dear Colleagues,

As Editor-in-Chief of Applied Sciences, I am pleased to announce the winners of the Applied Sciences Travel Award Optics and Lasers 2020.

They have been granted to Dr. Kayn Forbes, a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow at the School of Chemistry at the University of East Anglia, and Dr. Stefano Signorini, a Postdoctoral researcher from the University of Trento.

It was a difficult decision with such high-quality applications for the awards, and we would like to thank all applicants for submitting their diverse and fascinating range of research topics. On behalf of the assessment committee, I congratulate the winners for their accomplishments. We are proud to support these young scientists and wish them further success in their careers.

Editor-in-Chief
Prof. Dr. Takayoshi Kobayashi

Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417; Applied Sciences-Basel in Web of Science) is an international, peer-reviewed, open-access journal, published monthly by MDPI AG, Basel, Switzerland. The journal is covered by leading indexing services, including Science Citation Index Expanded (Web of Science) and Scopus. Its 2018 Impact Factor is 2.217, and its five-year Impact Factor is 2.287. For further details, please refer to https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci.

Dear Colleagues,

As the editor-in-chief of Applied Sciences, I am pleased to announce the winners of the Applied Sciences 2019 Best Paper Awards for Industry Section.

The awards have been granted to:

One Review:

The Potential of Additive Manufacturing in the Smart Factory Industrial 4.0: A Review
By Mehrshad Mehrpouya et al.
Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(18), 3865; doi: 10.3390/app9183865

One Research Article:

Development of a Smart Cyber-Physical Manufacturing System in the Industry 4.0 Context
By Ngoc-Hien Tran et al.
Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(16), 3325; doi: 10.3390/app9163325

Each winner (corresponding author) will receive 400 CHF and a certificate.

On behalf of the assessment committee, I congratulate the winners on their accomplishments. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the nominated research groups of the above exceptional papers for their contributions to Applied Sciences, and thank the Award Committee for voting and helping with these awards.

Editor-in-Chief
Prof. Dr. Takayoshi Kobayashi, Applied Sciences

The Applied Sciences Editorial Board and Editorial Team would like to gratefully acknowledge the time and energy given by reviewers in checking manuscripts submitted to the journal. It is thanks to their efforts that the high quality of the journal and quick submission to publication process are maintained. The median time to first decision is currently and impressive 15.5 days, and the median time to publication is 39 days, which is all because of you.

Please join us in congratulating the six referees below, who will receive the “Applied Sciences 2019 Outstanding Reviewer Awards” in recognition of the quantity, timeliness, and quality of their reviews in 2019. Each of them will receive 500 CHF and a certificate for their outstanding review work.

Prof. Gabor Sziebig
UIT The Arctic University of Norway, Norway

Prof. Hojong Choi
Kumoh National Institute of Technology, Korea

Dr. Aryan Rezaei Rad
EPFL ENAC IIC IBOIS, Switzerland

Dr. Ali Behnood
Purdue University, USA

Dr. Andreas Hoffmann
Max-Born-Institut, Berlin, Germany

Prof. Douglas O’Shaughnessy
Centre Énergie Matériaux Télécommunications, Canada

Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417; Applied Sciences-Basel in Web of Science) is an international, peer-reviewed, open-access journal, published monthly by MDPI AG, Basel, Switzerland. The journal is covered by leading indexing services, including Science Citation Index Expanded (Web of Science) and Scopus. Its 2018 Impact Factor is 2.217, and its five-year Impact Factor is 2.287. For further details, please refer to https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci.

Dear Colleagues,

As Editor-in-Chief of Applied Sciences, I am pleased to announce the winners of the Applied Sciences Travel Awards in Nanosciences field for 2019.

It has been granted to Dr. Giuseppe Cavallaro from the University of Palermo, who has demonstrated mobility in the field of Nanotechnology and Applied Nanosciences.

It was a difficult decision with such high-quality applications for the award, and we would like to thank all applicants for submitting their diverse and fascinating range of research topics. On behalf of the assessment committee, I congratulate the winner for his accomplishments. We are proud to support these young scientists and wish him further success in his career.

Editor-in-Chief
Prof. Dr. Takayoshi Kobayashi

ear Colleagues,

As Editor-in-Chief of Applied Sciences, I am pleased to announce the winners of the Applied Sciences Travel Awards in Optics field for 2019.

It has been granted to Dr. Juan Sebastian Totero Gongora, a Helena Normanton Research Fellow in Quantum Technology, University of Sussex, United Kingdom.

It was a difficult decision with such high-quality applications for the award, and we would like to thank all applicants for submitting their diverse and fascinating range of research topics. On behalf of the assessment committee, I congratulate the winner for his accomplishments. We are proud to support these young scientists and wish him further success in his career.

Editor-in-Chief
Prof. Dr. Takayoshi Kobayashi

The Applied Sciences Editorial Board and Editorial Team would like to gratefully acknowledge the time and energy given by reviewers in checking manuscripts submitted to the journal. It is thanks to their efforts that the high quality of the journal and quick submission to publication process are maintained. The median time to first decision is 15.5 days and the median time to publication is 37 days.

The following referees have been selected by the Editor-in-Chief of Applied Sciences, Prof. Dr. Takayoshi Kobayashi, to receive “Applied Sciences 2018 Outstanding Reviewer Awards” for the quantity, timeliness and quality of their reviews in 2018. Each of them would receive 500 CHF and a certificate for their outstanding review work:

• Dr. Ali Behnood
  Purdue University, USA
• Prof. Antonio D’Andrea
  University of Rome, Italy
• Dr. Antolino Gallego
  Universidad de Granada, Spain
• Dr. Carmelo Militello
  Italian National Research Council, Rome (CNR), Italy
• Dr. Cheng-Tien Chiang
  Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany

Dear Colleagues,

As Editor-in-Chief of Applied Sciences, I am pleased to announce the winners of the Applied Sciences 2018 Young Investigator Award in “Biosciences and Bioengineering” field:

It has been granted to Dr. Thanh Duc Nguyen, an assistant Professor in the Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut, USA.

Dr. Thanh Duc Nguyen was nominated by Prof. Cato T. Laurencin (Chief Executive Officer, Connecticut Institute for Clinical and Translational Science). Dr. Nguyen is a very impressive and innovative young investigator with outstanding research works focused on biodegradable polymers and technologies of transforming materials into “smart” structures at small scales without compromising their excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability for significant applications in vaccine delivery and medical devices.

It was a difficult decision with such high-quality applications for the award, and we would like to thank all applicants for submitting their diverse and fascinating range of research topics. On behalf of the assessment committee, I congratulate the winner for his accomplishments. We are proud to support young scientists and wish his further success in his career.

Editor-in-Chief
Prof. Dr. Takayoshi Kobayashi

Dear Colleagues,

As Editor-in-Chief of Applied Sciences, I am pleased to announce the winner of the Applied Sciences 2018 Young Investigator Award in “Environmental and Sustainable” field.

It has been granted to Dr. José Marcos Ortega, who is now an Associate Professor in the Civil Engineering Department of the University of Alicante, Spain.

Dr. José Marcos Ortega was nominated by the Head of the research group “Durability of materials and constructions in Engineering and Architecture” of the University of Alicante, Professor Miguel Ángel Climent Llorca. Dr. Ortega has continued working in the “Durability of materials and constructions in Engineering and Architecture” research group of the University of Alicante. Recently, he attained a position as an associate professor at the Civil Engineering Department of the University of Alicante, where he is also the secretary of the PhD program “Materials, Structures and Soil Engineering: Sustainable Construction”. 

It was a difficult decision with such high-quality applications for the award, and we would like to thank all applicants for submitting their diverse and fascinating range of research topics. On behalf of the assessment committee, I congratulate the winner for his accomplishments. We are proud to support young scientists and wish him further success in his career.

Editor-in-Chief
Prof. Dr. Takayoshi Kobayashi

Dear Colleagues,

As Editor-in-Chief of Applied Sciences, I am pleased to announce the winners of the Applied Sciences Travel Awards for 2018.

They have been granted to: Dr. Riccardo Frisenda, who was awarded a Rubicon postdoctoral fellowship by NWO (Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research); and Dr. Matthias Benjamin Jungfleisch, a postdoctoral researcher in the Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, USA.
Dr. Riccardo Frisenda is working at the Material Science Institute of Madrid (ICMM), Spain, researching two-dimensional layered semiconductors for applications in optoelectronics. In particular, his activity focuses on the study of the electronic structure of these materials and the changes induced by different external stimuli, such as strain or temperature.

Dr. Matthias Benjamin Jungfleisch has worked with Dr. Axel Hoffmann in the Magnetic Films Group at Argonne National Laboratory since 2014. His research resulted in an honorary mention of the 2016 Argonne Outstanding Postdoc Award. Dr. Jungfleisch’s research interest lies in the area of spintronics and magnetization dynamics. In particular, his work focuses on design, fabrication and characterization of nanoscaled magnonic elements and novel spin-torque devices.

It was a difficult decision with such high quality applications for the awards and we would like to thank all applicants for submitting their diverse and fascinating range of research topics. On behalf of the assessment committee, I congratulate the winners for their accomplishments.

Editor-in-Chief
Prof. Dr. Takayoshi Kobayashi

The competition for 2019 Applied Sciences Travel Awards will be open for applications in early June.

The Applied Sciences Editorial Board and Editorial Team would like to gratefully acknowledge the time and energy given by reviewers in checking manuscripts submitted to the journal. It is thanks to their efforts that the high quality of the journal and quick submission to publication process are maintained. The median time to first decision is 19 days and the median time to publication is 48 days.

The following referees have been selected by the Editor-in-Chief of Applied Sciences, Prof. Dr. Takayoshi Kobayashi, to receive “Applied Sciences 2017 Outstanding Reviewer Awards” for the quantity, timeliness and quality of their reviews in 2017. Each of them will receive 500 CHF and a certificate for their outstanding review work:

Augusto Cannone Falchetto
Technische Universität Braunschweig, Germany

Daniele Codetta-Raiteri
Università del Piemonte Orientale, Italy

Francesco Aletta
University of Sheffield, UK

Giuseppe Lazzara
University of Palermo, Italy

Xavier Chiementin
Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, France

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce the winners of the Applied Sciences Travel Awards for 2017.

The Travel Awards were granted to: Dr. Urcan Guler, a postdoctoral researcher in the joint research group of Professor Alexandra Boltasseva, Professor Alexander Kildishev, and Professor Vladimir Shalaev at Purdue University, USA; and Dr. Davide Bossini, who was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship for overseas researchers by the JSPS (Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science). Dr. Bossini is working in the research group led by Prof. Junji Yumoto and Prof. Makoto Kuwata-Gonokami at the University of Tokyo, Japan.

Dr. Urcan Guler works in the areas of nanophotonics and nanofabrication with a focus on design, development and characterization of material systems for utilization as plasmonic and metamaterial components in harsh environment applications.

Dr. Davide Bossini is researching the ultrafast manipulation of the magnetic order in solid state compounds. In particular, his activity focuses on the study of laser-induced coherent and incoherent spin dynamics on the femtosecond timescale in antiferromagnets.

Editor-in-Chief Prof.
Dr. Takayoshi Kobayashi