Announcements

We are pleased to announce that Prof. Dr. Stanislav N. Gorb has been appointed Editor-in-Chief of Biomimetics (ISSN 2313-7673).

Name: Prof. Dr. Stanislav N. Gorb
Email: sgorb@zoologie.uni-kiel.de
Affiliation: Department Functional Morphology and Biomechanics, Zoological Institute of the University of Kiel, Am Botanischen Garten 1–9, D-24118 Kiel, Germany
Interests: biological adhesion; functional morphology and biomechanics; evolution of structure and functions; behavior of arthropods; animal-plant interactions; friction; surfaces; tribology; biomimetics
Homepage: https://www.sgorb.zoologie.uni-kiel.de/?page_id=658

Prof. Dr. Stanislav Gorb is a Professor and Director at the Zoological Institute of Kiel University, Germany. He received his Ph.D. degree in zoology and entomology at the Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences in Kyiv (Ukraine). Prof. Dr. Gorb was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Vienna (Austria), a research assistant at the University of Jena, a group leader at the Max Planck Institutes for Developmental Biology in Tübingen and for Metals Research in Stuttgart (Germany). His research focuses on the morphology, structure, biomechanics, physiology, and evolution of surface-related functional systems in animals and plants, as well as the development of biologically inspired technological surfaces and systems. He received the Schlossmann Award in Biology and Materials Science in 1995, the International Forum Design Gold Award in 2011 and Materialica "Best of" Award in 2011. In 1998, he was the BioFuture Competition winner for the work he conducted on biological attachment devices as possible sources for biomimetics. Prof. Dr. Gorb is a Corresponding member of the Academy of the Science and Literature Mainz, Germany (since 2010), and a Member of the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, Germany (since 2011). He has authored several books, more than 500 papers in peer-reviewed journals, and four patents.

The following is a short Q&A with Prof. Dr. Stanislav N. Gorb, who shared his vision for the journal with us, as well as his views on the research area:

Biomimetics is a quickly growing and truly interdisciplinary field. It is very exciting to be involved in the latest results and developments.

My vision is (1) to maintain a balance between different disciplines (biology vs. engineering, experiments vs. theory, and basic vs. applied science); (2) to make the journal a forum, in order to unite scientists from different disciplines and parts of the world; (3) to increase the visibility and circulation of the journal worldwide.

The future of biomimetics is bright. If you look at the number of publications, patents and industrial developments inspired and influenced by biomimetics, you may immediately be convinced that the field will play an even stronger role in the future in different facets of research, and in life in general. However, biomimetics is not magic that can solve any problems in modern technology, and that is why its results/developments have to be critically considered in every single case. This is the mission of our journal.

Open access in publishing is the right way to go because it gives all scientists worldwide the chance to access the existing knowledge. However, publishers must also provide the same chance to scientists from lower-income countries to publish with discounts, or even free of charge; otherwise, we will experience an even stronger misbalance between the developed and developing world.

We warmly welcome Prof. Dr. Stanislav N. Gorb to his new role as Editor-in-Chief, and we look forward to his valuable input to Biomimetics for its continued success. In addition, we would like to sincerely thank Prof. Dr. Josep Samitier for his leadership and the exceptional work he has conducted as Editor-in-Chief in the past years.

We are currently recruiting Reviewer Board Members for Biomimetics (ISSN: 2313-7673). If you are an active researcher in the field, and are passionate about promoting the publication of cutting-edge research, please contact the Biomimetics Editorial Office (biomimetics@mdpi.com) to apply for this role.

Biomimetics is an open access journal containing research pertaining to biomimicry and bionics, dedicated to research that relates to the most basic aspects of living organisms and the transfer of their properties to human applications. The journal aims to provide a forum and a survey for researchers and professionals in the fields of materials science, mechanical engineering, nanotechnology, and biomedicine, who are interested in exploiting biologically inspired designs in engineering systems, technology, and biomedicine, aimed at developing novel solutions that enable sustainable innovation. More information can be found on our homepage, which can be accessed via the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/biomimetics/about.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Biomimetic mechanism and design;
• Biomimetic robotics;
• Biofabrication and characterization;
• Biomimetic and bioinspired chemistry;
• Biosensing;
• Nanotribology, nanomechanics, micro/nanoscale studies;
• Plant biomechanics;
• Synthetic systems;
• Self-organization and cooperative behavior;
• Tissue engineering;
• Bioinspired, biomedical and biomolecular materials.

The benefits of joining our Reviewer Board are as follows:

• We will announce your entry information on the journal's reviewer board;
• For each review, we will offer you a discount code if a comprehensive and timely report is provided. These vouchers can be used for your future publications in all MDPI journals;
• You will receive a personalized reviewer certificate;
• You will have the ability to adjust your review frequency based on your schedule in our system;
• You can verify and showcase your peer-review and editorial contributions for our journal.

If you are interested in becoming a Reviewer Board Member of Biomimetics, please send your application, including a full academic CV, to the Biomimetics Editorial Office (biomimetics@mdpi.com). We look forward to collaborating with you in the future.

We are currently recruiting Topical Advisory Panel Members for the journal Biomimetics (ISSN: 2313-7673). The main responsibility of the new Topical Advisory Panel Members would be to regularly provide support to the Guest Editors and Section Board Members. The responsibilities of the Topical Advisory Panel Members can be viewed on the following website: https://www.mdpi.com/editors. 

Biomimetics is an open access journal containing research pertaining to biomimicry and bionics, dedicated to research that relates to the most basic aspects of living organisms and the transfer of their properties to human applications. The journal aims to provide a forum and a survey for researchers and professionals in the fields of materials science, mechanical engineering, nanotechnology, and biomedicine, who are interested in exploiting biologically inspired designs in engineering systems, technology, and biomedicine, aimed at developing novel solutions that enable sustainable innovation. More information can be found on our homepage, which can be accessed via the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/biomimetics/about.

To qualify as Topical Advisory Panel Member, applicants must:

• Have expertise and experience in the field related to the journal;
• Have received a Ph.D. in the last 10 years, approximately;
• Have a minimum of 6–8 published papers in the last 5 years, as a first author or corresponding author;
• Currently hold an independent research position in academia or a government institute.

If you are interested in this position, please apply via the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/biomimetics/topical_advisory_panel_application; alternatively, you may send an email to the Editorial Office (biomimetics@mdpi.com) with your academic CV. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

We are pleased to announce that the following seven Editorial Board Members have recently joined Biomimetics (ISSN 2313-7673):

Name: Prof. Dr. Jinyou Shao
Affiliations: 1. Frontier Institute of Science and Technology, Xi’an Jiaotong University, No. 28 Xianning West Road, Xi'an 710054, China
2. School of Mechanical Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, No. 28 Xianning West Road, Xi'an 710054, China
Interests: biomimetic functional materials; flexible electronics; flexible sensors; smart structures; robotics; energy storage devices; micro/nano-fabrication

Name: Prof. Dr. Shuai Li
Affiliation: School of Information Science and Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
Interests: biomimetic robots; neural networks; biomimetic algorithms

Name: Prof. Dr. Xinjian Feng
Affiliation: College of Chemistry, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
Interests: interfacial chemistry and catalysis; biosensor

Name: Prof. Dr. Fei Zhou
Affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control of Mechanical Structures, College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China
Interests: function films; surface engineering; materials for lithium-ion battery; tribology, wear, friction; water lubrication; hard coatings; soc estimation; thermal management in batteries

Name: Prof. Dr. Kyung-In Jang
Affiliation: Department of Robotics Engineering, DGIST, Daegu, Korea
Interests: bio-integrated electronics; bio-inspired mechanics

Name: Dr. Peng Yang
Affiliation: College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
Interests: amyloid-inspired protein assembly and interfacial materials; biointerface; organic surface photochemistry; soft materials; lipid membrane and vesicles; nanobiotechnology; polymer surface modification, functionalization; surface patterning; biomimetic chemistry and related micro/nano material synthesis; surface-initiated polymerization; protein microarray; organic/inorganic hybrid film; liquid crystals; organic synthesis

Name: Prof. Dr. Xu Hou
Affiliation: College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and College of Physical Science and Technology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
Interests: bio-inspired materials; liquid gating technology; bio-inspired nanofluidic iontronics; membrane science and technology; microfluidics; nanofluidics; interfacial science; physical chemistry; nano/micro

We wish them every success in their new positions, and we look forward to their contributions to the journal.

Further details about the Biomimetics Editorial Board can be found via the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/biomimetics/editors.

Biomimetics (ISSN 2313-7673) has been accepted for inclusion in the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/biomimetics/indexing) in the Web of Science, in the “Materials Science”, “Biomaterials”, “Engineering”, and “Multidisciplinary” categories (coverage from Vol. 4 onwards). It is expected that Biomimetics will receive its first journal impact factor in the June 2022 release of the Journal Citation Reports.

To take advantage of this opportunity, we would like to invite you to submit a paper to Biomimetics. If you have a paper on any topic within the scope of the journal, please feel free to submit here.

We look forward to collaborating with you in the future.

Biomimetics Editorial Office

Biomimetics (ISSN 2313-7673) is now recruiting Editorial Board Members (EBMs). If you are an active researcher in the field and passionate about publishing cutting-edge research, or if you could recommend potential candidates, please do not hesitate to contact the Biomimetics Editorial Office at biomimetics@mdpi.com.

Biomimetics is an open access journal on biomimicry and bionics, dedicated to research that relates to the most basic aspects of living organisms and the transfer of their properties to human applications. The journal aims to provide a forum and a survey for researchers and professionals in the fields of materials science, mechanical engineering, nanotechnology, and biomedicine interested in exploiting biologically inspired designs in engineering systems, technology, and biomedicine aimed at developing novel solutions that enable sustainable innovation. You can find more information on our homepage: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/biomimetics/about.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: biomimetic mechanism and design; biomimetic robotics; biofabrication and characterization; biomimetic and bioinspired chemistry; biosensing; nanotribology, nanomechanics, micro/nanoscale studies; plant biomechanics; synthetic systems; self-organization and cooperative behavior; tissue engineering; and bioinspired, biomedical and biomolecular materials.

Benefits of Biomimetics Editorial Board Members include the following:

• Publication of one paper per year free of charge in Biomimetics, and extra papers with special discounts;
• A recognition certificate as an Editorial Board Member of Bimimetics;
• Additional sponsorships offered by Biomimetics for conferences organized by Editorial Board Members.

The responsibilities of Biomimetics EBMs include the following:

• Supervising the editorial process, including prescreening submissions and making final decisions on whether to accept or reject papers;
• Choosing to edit a Special Issue on a topic related to your research, or recommending potential topics and Guest Editors;
• Promoting Biomimetics and published papers among your peers or at conferences that you attend or organize.

We believe that by combining our rigorous editorial policies with your expertise, we can build a high-quality journal.

We thank you in advance for your interest, and we look forward to collaborating with you.

We are pleased to announce that the following four Editorial Board Members have recently joined Biomimetics (ISSN 2313-7673).

Name: Prof. Dr. Longjian Xue
Affiliation: School of Power and Mechanical Engineering, Wuhan University, South Donghu Road 8, Wuhan 430072, China
Interests: bioinspired adhesives; superwettability; drag reduction; porous material; additive manufacturing

Name: Dr. Olga Speck
Affiliation: Plant Biomechanics Group, Botanic Garden, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestraße 1, D 79104 Freiburg, Germany
Interests: bioinspired materials systems: self-repairing materials systems, adaptive materials systems, and composite materials; functional morphology and biomechanics of plants; biomimetics and sustainable technology development; education and training in the field of biomimetics

Name: Prof. Dr. Norberto Roveri
Affiliation: Chemical Center S.r.l., Bologna, Italy
Interests: research using biomimetic, nano-, and biotechnologies to design, characterize, and produce new innovative material for ecological applications

Name: Dr. Daniel Ruiz-Molina
Affiliation: Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2-CSIC); Campus UAB – Edifici ICN2, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
Interests: hybrid colloids and surfaces; biomimetic functional nanostructures; micro- or nanoparticles for smart applications and encapsulation and delivery systems

We wish them every success in their new positions, and we look forward to their contributions to the journal.

It is our great honor to congratulate the Editorial Board Members and Editors in MDPI's journals who have been distinguished as 2021 Highly Cited Researchers by Clarivate, according to Web of Science data. We herewith express our gratitude for the immense impact the named researchers continue to make on scientific progress and on our journals' development.

Clarivate's annual list of Highly Cited Researchers^TM identifies the most highly cited scientists for the past decade. Their impactful papers are among the top 1 per cent in the citation distribution of one or more of 22 fields analyzed in the "Essential Science Indicators", distinguishing them as hugely influential among their peers.

The full list of 2021 Highly Cited Researchers  can be accessed at the following webpage in the Web of Science^TM https://recognition.webofscience.com/awards/highly-cited/2021/.

--- Highly Cited Researchers (HCR) is a Clarivate product.

Academic editors play a crucial role in leading our journals and ensuring that each article undergoes a robust and timely peer-review. With the launch of Topics this year and addition of Topic Editors to our family of academic editors, we decided it would be a good time to restructure our academic boards, thus providing more clarity and support for each role. MDPI is pleased to announce the launch of a new position—Topical Advisory Panel Member, that will replace the previous position of Topics Board Member. The Topical Advisory Panel will be comprised of early career researchers eager to gain experience in editorial work.

The main responsibility of the new members of the Topical Advisory Panel is to regularly provide support to Guest Editors, Topic Editors, and Section Board Members. The responsibilities of the Topical Advisory Panel are available here: https://www.mdpi.com/editors.

Each year, the members’ performances are evaluated, and outstanding members are promoted to the Editorial Board by the Editor-in-Chief.

To qualify as a Topical Advisory Panel Member, applicants must:

• Have expertise and experience in the field related to the journal;
• Have received a Ph.D. in the last 10 years, approximately;
• Have at least 6-8 published papers in the last 5 years as first author or corresponding author;
• Currently hold an independent research position in academia or a government institute.

If you are interested in this role, please contact the editorial office by email.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Founded in 1996, MDPI was one of the first fully Open Access publisher. Over 25 years MDPI has grown to become the largest Open Access publisher globally, publishing over 160,000 articles across more than 350 journals in 2020. At the core, MDPI was founded in response to a pressing need of fast publication and inclusion. The scholar was set at the centre of the publication process for the first time. Acting as a service provider, rather than a product provider, MDPI exists to help scientists achive their objective to disseminate research results. At MDPI, we believe scientists deserve a better service from the publishing world.

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For the last 25 years, MDPI has been committed to disseminating open research. Here is a video showing MDPI’s Commitment to Equity, Inclusion and Diversity for More than 25 Years.

International Open Access Week is an important opportunity to catalyze new conversations, create connections across and between communities that can facilitate this co-design, and advance progress in the building of more equitable foundations for opening knowledge—discussions and actions that need to be continued, year in and year out. MDPI has always aimed to provide professional and efficient publishing services to scholars around the world.

Our mission is to make scientific research accessible to everyone; this year, we interview and hold discussions with open science ambassadors on how to build an equal and inclusive environment for open science. Academic editors help us collaborate with more institutions to advocate for open access ideas.

Read our anniversary blog post: "Sharing 'Collective Human Knowledge': The Benefits of Open Access Publication"

Besides this, our scientific community is a key driver of our success and MDPI’s remarkable growth. Despite the pandemic, we have prepared online conferences and workshops to gather scholars from different communities.

The Basel Sustainable Publishing online forum provides an equal opportunity for stakeholders and researchers from multi-cultural environments to exchange ideas and eliminate barriers to participation.

Conference date: 25 October 2021, online
Conference website: https://bspf2021.sciforum.net/
Main topics: MDPI discusses the current dilemma of open access science from various perspectives such as governments, libraries, and publishers, and related measures on how to change the status quo of discrimination from a global perspective.

We aim to support equality, inclusion, diversity, and accessibility in scholarly communications. We collaborate with universities and key laboratories and have scholarly communications with researchers, teachers, and students on open access workshops.

• 25 October 2021
  Energies journal and Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

• 28 October 2021
  Machines journal and State Key Laboratory of Traction Power, Southwest Jiaotong University

• 29 October 2021
  Processes journal and Beijing Institute of Technology

• 29 October 2021
  Coatings journal and Wuhan University of Technology

MDPI is committed to providing open access and high-quality publishing services for scholars and promoting rapid dissemination of academic achievements. We hope to promote the practices and policies of open access publishing and diversify the dissemination of academic achievements.