Announcements

We cordially invite you to attend the following event organized by the MDPI journal Coatings (ISSN: 2079-6412, Impact Factor 2.8). The conference will take place online from 22 to 24 March 2027.

Conference Chair:

• Dr. Emerson Coy, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland.

Topics of interest:
S1. Plasma and Laser Coatings, Surfaces, and Interfaces;
S2. Corrosion, Erosion and the Tribological/Smart/Diamond-Like Carbon Coatings;
S3. Coatings and Thin Film Deposition;
S4. Ceramic Coatings;
S5. Protective Coatings in Cultural Heritage, Conservation, and Preservation;
S6. The Biomedical Application of Coatings;
S7. Functional Polymer Coatings and Films.

Important dates:
Deadline for abstract submission: 30 November 2026;
Notification of acceptance: 30 December 2026;
Deadline for registration: 16 March 2027.

Best Oral Presentation Award and Best Poster Award:

• Six winners will be selected for the above awards;
• For the Best Oral Presentation Award, the winners will receive a certificate and CHF 400 each;
• For the Best Poster Award, the winners will receive a certificate and CHF 200 each.

Guide for authors:
To submit your abstract, please click the following link: https://sciforum.net/user/submission/create/1686.

To register for the event, please click the following link: https://sciforum.net/event/CIC2027?section=#registration.

For details regarding Abstract Submission, Poster and Slide Submission, and Publication Opportunities, please refer to the “Instructions for Authors” section on the following website: https://sciforum.net/event/CIC2027?section=#instructions.

For any enquiries regarding this event, please contact us at cic2027@mdpi.com.

We look forward to seeing you at CIC 2027.

International Women in Engineering Day (INWED), observed annually on 23 June, is a global initiative that celebrates the outstanding achievements of women in engineering while inspiring more young women to pursue engineering careers. Aligned with the 2026 theme, "Engineering Intelligence", and Goal 5 (Gender Equality) of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), MDPI highlights the innovative contributions of women engineers who are shaping the future through creativity, collaboration, and technological advancement. Together, we can foster a more inclusive engineering landscape and empower the next generation of women in STEM.

Join us in celebrating International Women in Engineering Day and supporting initiatives that empower women in STEM. This webinar will showcase not only the technical contributions of women engineers, but also the personal journeys, challenges, and achievements that have shaped their careers and inspired others to pursue paths in engineering and innovation.

Session 1:
Keywords: women in engineering; female engineers; innovation; STEM
Date: 12:00 p.m. CEST | 6:00 p.m. CST Asia
Webinar ID: 856 2639 9832
Webinar page: https://sciforum.net/event/INWED2026-1?subscribe

Register now for free!

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email on how to join the webinar.

Registrations with academic institutional email addresses will be prioritized.

Unable to attend? Register anyway and we will let you know when the recording is available to view.

Webinar Keynote Speakers:

• Dr. Maria Konstantaki, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas (FORTH), Greece;
• Dr. Gabriella Gaias, Politecnico di Milano, Italy;
• Dr. Sara Casaccia, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Italy;
• Dr. Marilena De Simone, University of Calabria, Italy.

Session 2:
Keywords: women in engineering; female engineers; innovation; STEM
Date: 4:00 p.m. CEST | 10:00 a.m. EDT| 10:00 p.m. CST Asia
Webinar ID: 833 7384 9123
Webinar page: https://sciforum.net/event/INWED2026-2

Register now for free!

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email on how to join the webinar. Registrations with academic institutional email addresses will be prioritized.

Unable to attend? Register anyway and we will let you know when the recording is available to view.

Webinar Keynote Speakers:

• Dr. Najmeh Bazmohammadi, Aalborg University, Denmark;
• Prof. Dr. Kristen Fichthorn, Pennsylvania State University, USA;
• Dr. Encarna Micó-Amigo, Heriot-Watt University, UK;
• Prof. Dr. Yuliya Semenova, Technological University Dublin, Ireland;
• Prof. Dr. Sabina Merlo, University of Pavia, Italy.

International Women in Engineering Day (INWED), led by the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) and observed annually on 23 June, is a global initiative that celebrates the outstanding achievements of women in engineering while inspiring more young women to pursue engineering careers. Under the 2026 theme “Engineering Intelligence”, INWED celebrates its 13th anniversary, highlighting the expertise, creativity, and leadership that women bring to the engineering profession.

Echoing this mission, MDPI’s established engineering journals serve as platforms for scientific communication. Through webinars, award, Special Issues, and research articles, MDPI aims to celebrate the achievements of women engineers, inspire future generations, and help shape a more inclusive future for engineering worldwide.

We are pleased to announce that the 2nd edition of the Young Women in Engineering Award is now open for nominations. This award was established to recognize the achievements of young women researchers in the field of engineering and to inspire more young women to pursue research and careers in engineering.

Nomination deadline: 30 November 2026.

Prize:

• CHF 1000;
• An electronic certificate;
• A voucher to waive the article processing charges (APCs) for one submission to a journal within the field of engineering (subject to peer review)—valid for one year.

Number of winners: 4.

For more details about the award, please visit here. Please feel free to send the nomination letter to ywe-award@mdpi.com.

We are honored to interview several outstanding female scholars in engineering field to share their research journey and your insight into being a female engineer.

	Name: Dr. Miriam Filippi Affiliation: Soft Robotics Laboratory, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland Winner of the inaugural Young Women in Engineering Award “The most transformative research often comes from integrating perspectives across fields and pushing beyond conventional boundaries.”   Please read the full interview here.
	Name: Prof. Dr. Yang Gao Affiliation: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China “I tell my students: use AI and automation aggressively but never outsource your reasoning or your conscience.”   Please read the full interview here.
	Name: Dr. Maria Graça Rasteiro Affiliation: CERES, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal “It is important to always analyse the potential negative consequences of relying on AI for engineering decisions.”   Please read the full interview here.

“Design and Analysis of a Compact Self-Tuning High-Voltage Controller for MFC”
by Qiong Zhu, Qiang Zhang, Hongli Ji and Jinhao Qiu
Actuators 2026, 15(3), 169; https://doi.org/10.3390/act15030169

“Nervous System-on-Chip: Innovative Microfluidic Platform to Compartmentalize hiPSC-Derived Neural Networks”
by Rahman Sabahi-Kaviani, Antigoni Gogolou, Celine Souilhol, Mark van der Kroeg, Steven A. Kushner, Femke M. S. de Vrij, Anestis Tsakiridis and Regina Luttge
Micromachines 2026, 17(2), 199; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi17020199

“Maximizing Efficiency in a Retrofitted Battery-Powered Material Handler by Novel Control Strategies”
by Marco Ferrari, Daniele Beltrami, Vinay Partap Singh, Tatiana Minav and Stefano Uberti
Actuators 2025, 14(11), 553; https://doi.org/10.3390/act14110553

“An Internet of Things Approach to Vision-Based Livestock Monitoring: PTZ Cameras for Dairy Cow Identification”
by Niken Prasasti Martono, Ryota Tsukamoto and Hayato Ohwada
Telecom 2025, 6(4), 82; https://doi.org/10.3390/telecom6040082

“Mechanisms and Control Strategies for Morphing Structures in Quadrotors: A Review and Future Prospects”
by Osman Acar, Eija Honkavaara, Ruxandra Mihaela Botez and Deniz Çınar Bayburt
Drones 2025, 9(9), 663; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones9090663

“Optimizing Local Explainability in Robotic Grasp Failure Prediction”
by Cagla Acun, Ali Ashary, Dan O. Popa and Olfa Nasraoui
Electronics 2025, 14(12), 2363; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics14122363

“AI-Enabled IoT for Food Computing: Challenges, Opportunities, and Future Directions”
by Zohra Dakhia, Mariateresa Russo and Massimo Merenda
Sensors 2025, 25(7), 2147; https://doi.org/10.3390/s25072147

“A Review of Time-Series Forecasting Algorithms for Industrial Manufacturing Systems”
by Syeda Sitara Wishal Fatima and Afshin Rahimi
Machines 2024, 12(6), 380; https://doi.org/10.3390/machines12060380

Special Issues:

“Medical Imaging: Artificial Intelligence, Image Recognition, and Machine Learning Techniques (2nd Edition)” Guest Editor: Dr. Ines Domingues Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026	“AI-Driven Intelligent Maintenance and Health Management for Complex Industrial Systems” Guest Editors: Prof. Dr. Dandan Peng, Dr. Xiaoxi Hu, Dr. Jipu Li and Prof. Dr. Chuanjiang Li Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2026
“Vehicle Systems and Road Infrastructure Integration for Smarter Transportation Systems” Guest Editors: Prof. Dr. Anna Granà, Prof. Dr. Elżbieta Macioszek and Dr. Maria Luisa Tumminello Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2026	“Intelligent Automation: Bridging Artificial Intelligence and Automation” Guest Editors: Prof. Dr. João Miguel da Costa Sousa and Dr. Susana Vieira Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2026
“Large Language Models for Intelligent Urban Digital Twins: Spatiotemporal Reasoning, Knowledge Graphs, and Simulation” Guest Editors: Dr. Xi Kuai, Prof. Dr. Biao He, Dr. Minmin Li and Dr. Haojia Lin Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2027	“Actuators and Robotic Devices for Rehabilitation and Assistance—2nd Edition” Guest Editors: Dr. Monica Tiboni, Dr. Monica Malvezzi and Dr. Maria Cristina Valigi Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2027

“A Machine Learning Framework for Crop Productivity Classification and Risk Assessment”
by João Pedro de Moraes Xavier, Kelyn Schenatto, Glauco Vieira Miranda, Claudio Leones Bazzi, Ricardo Sobjak and Marlon Rodrigues
AgriEngineering 2026, 8(6), 203; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriengineering8060203

“Mechanical Modeling of Grape Destemming in a Horizontal Centrifugal Destemmer”
by Piernicola Masella, Agnese Spadi, Ferdinando Corti, Alessandro Parenti and Giulia Angeloni
AgriEngineering 2026, 8(3), 94; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriengineering8030094

“An Automated Modular Platform for Vascular Graft Assessment via Coronary-like Flow-Induced Stimulation”
by Elia Pederzani, Lucrezia Moro, Alessia Sofia Bolandrina, Sara Rega, Gianluca Lorenzo Perrucci, Gianfranco Beniamino Fiore and Monica Soncini
Bioengineering 2026, 13(2), 221; https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering13020221

“Biomechanical Monitoring of Exercise Fatigue Using Wearable Devices: A Review”
by Yang Chen, Siqi Li, Jian Kuang, Xu Zhang, Zhijie Zhou, En-Jing Li, Xiaoli Chen and Xianmei Meng
Bioengineering 2026, 13(1), 13; https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering13010013

“Applying Machine Learning Algorithms to Classify Digitized Special Nuclear Material Obtained from Scintillation Detectors”
by Sai Kiran Kokkiligadda, Cathleen Barker, Emily Gunger, Jalen Johnson, Brice Turner and Andreas Enqvist
J. Nucl. Eng. 2025, 6(3), 31; https://doi.org/10.3390/jne6030031

“Reliability Analysis of Interface Oxidation for Thermal Barrier Coating Based on Proxy Model”
by Juan Ma, Anyi Wang, Philipp Junker, Anas W. Alshawawreh, Qingya Li, Haoqi Xu and Runzhuo Xue
Modelling 2025, 6(3), 61; https://doi.org/10.3390/modelling6030061

“Classification of Metallic Powder Morphology Using Traditional and Automated Static Image Analysis: A Comparative Study”
by Cindy Charbonneau, Fabrice Bernier, Étienne Perrault, Roger Pelletier and Louis-Philippe Lefebvre
Powders 2025, 4(2), 15; https://doi.org/10.3390/powders4020015

“Advancing Brain Tumor Analysis: Current Trends, Key Challenges, and Perspectives in Deep Learning-Based Brain MRI Tumor Diagnosis”
By Namya Musthafa, Qurban A. Memon and Mohammad M. Masud
Eng 2025, 6(5), 82; https://doi.org/10.3390/eng6050082

Special Issues:

MDPI is pleased to participate in ThinFilms2026, taking place from 13 to 17 July 2026 at the Holiday Inn Atrium, Singapore.

Organized by the Thin Films Society (TFS), ThinFilms2026 brings together leading researchers, scientists, engineers, and industry professionals to explore the latest developments in thin film science and technology. The conference covers a broad range of topics, including materials science, deposition techniques, emerging applications, and interdisciplinary innovations shaping the future of thin films research.

We warmly invite conference attendees to visit the MDPI booth to learn more about our portfolio of open access journals, publishing opportunities, editorial initiatives, and services designed to support researchers throughout their publishing journey.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Coatings;
• Metals;
• Surfaces;
• Crystals;
• Materials;
• Membranes;
• Fibers;
• CMD;
• C;
• Lubricants;
• Photonics;
• Physchem.

If you plan on attending this conference, we invite you to visit our booth and converse with our delegates in the Changi Room on the fourth floor of the conference venue. We are excited to meet you in person and address any questions that you may have. For further details about the conference, please visit the following website: https://conference.thinfilms.sg/2026.

Conference: China Materials Conference 2026
Date: 12–15 July 2026
Location: Wuhan, China

The China Materials Conference 2026, the annual academic conference of the Chinese Materials Research Society, will take place from 12 to 15 July 2026 in Wuhan, China.

The 2026 conference will feature a wide range of thematic sessions covering key and emerging areas, including energy materials, information materials, advanced structural materials, functional materials and devices, biomedical materials, materials for daily life and transportation, environmental materials, safety materials, and “AI + materials”, among others.

MDPI will be attending this event as an exhibitor, welcoming researchers from diverse backgrounds to visit and share their latest ideas.

The following open access journals will be represented at this conference:

If you are planning to attend this conference, please feel free to start a conversation with us. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person and answering any questions that you may have. For more information about this event, please visit https://cmc2026.scimeeting.cn/cn/web/index/35126.

Impact Factors measure how often articles in scientific journals are cited—specifically, the average number of citations received in a given year by articles published in that journal over the previous two years, as tracked in the Web of Science. For researchers, the number answers a practical question: how often is work published in this journal being picked up and built upon?

The metric is assigned to the journal as a whole, not to individual articles. A high Impact Factor tells you something useful about a journal's place in its field; it tells you less about any single paper within it.

For a complementary, article-level view, MDPI lists an Altmetric score on each article page. Where the Impact Factor tracks academic citations, the Altmetric score captures broader online attention: how an article is being shared, discussed, and referenced beyond the journal literature. Together, they offer two different ways of asking the same question: is this research reaching people?

With 2025 CiteScores from Scopus published a few weeks ago, Clarivate has now released this year's Journal Impact Factors in the Journal Citation Reports (JCR).

254 MDPI Journals Saw a Rise in Impact Factor

This year's JCR include 330 MDPI journals across a wide range of disciplines. Of these, 231 journals are placed in the top 50% (Q1 or Q2) of their respective subject categories, a result that spans fields as different as materials science, public health, environmental studies, and mathematics. 78 journals hold a top-quartile position (Q1), and 33 journals have a JIF of 5.0 or above.

• 330 journals earned a Journal Impact Factor (JIF)
• 29 journals earned a first JIF
• 254 journals had an increase in JIF
• 71% of ranked journals are in Q1 or Q2

For the full metrics on any MDPI journal, visit our Web of Science journals overview page or a journal's individual statistics page.

29 MDPI Journals Received Their First Journal Impact Factor

A first Impact Factor is a confirmation for an emerging journal. It marks the point at which a journal has been publishing long enough, and cited broadly enough, to enter the formal record of scientific influence. For the research communities those journals serve, it signals that the work being published is being read and built upon.

This year, 29 MDPI journals received a Journal Impact Factor for the first time, across a range of emerging and established research areas. Each represents years of editorial development and peer review—recognized in 2026 for the first time in the JCR.

This is also part of a longer shift in how science gets indexed. When the Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI) launched in 2016, 24 MDPI journals were included. By 2024 that number had grown to over 200, reflecting a broader change in the visibility of open access publishing within major citation tracking systems, not just at MDPI but across the sector.

Open Access with Impact

MDPI journals have received a total of 25.2 million citations in Web of Science. That figure matters less as a measure of MDPI's reach and more as a measure of what happens when research is freely available: it gets found, read, and used. Open access is only meaningful if the work actually travels and citations are one indicator that it does.

More than 4.6 million authors have published with MDPI. That breadth, across disciplines, institutions, and geographies, is what makes open access at this scale worth doing.

Thank You to the MDPI Scholarly Community

These results belong to the people who do the actual work: the Editors-in-Chief who set the standards, the Editorial Board Members and reviewers who hold them, and the authors who choose open access for their research. The numbers in the Journal Citation Reports are the downstream effect of decisions made at the desk, in the review, and at submission. Thank you for making them.

Data: 2025 Journal Impact Factors, Journal Citation Reports™ (Clarivate, 2026)

The 2025 CiteScore metrics have been officially released by Scopus, and the results confirm what has become a consistent pattern for MDPI's journal portfolio: broad recognition across disciplines, steady improvement across the majority of ranked titles, and a growing presence at the top of subject category rankings.

CiteScore, published annually by Elsevier's Scopus database, measures the average citations received by articles published in a journal over a four-year window. As a complement to the Journal Impact Factor, which uses a two-year window based on the Web of Science database, CiteScore provides an alternative, long-term perspective on citation performance.

The 365 MDPI journals in Scopus (as of May 2026) are indexed across a wide range of subject categories, ensuring that open access research remains highly discoverable to a global readership through one of the most widely used platforms in academic publishing.

Data Summary (2025 CiteScores)

• New Additions: 41 MDPI journals received a CiteScore for the first time.
• Trending Upward: 234 of 322 previously ranked journals (73%) saw an increase in their CiteScore compared to last year.
• High Visibility: 314 journals (86%) rank in Q1 or Q2 in at least one subject category.
• Elite Performance: 42 journals rank in the top 10% of their subject categories.

Portfolio Performance

Among the 322 journals that held a CiteScore in 2024, 234 saw an increase this year. Quartile improvements outnumbered declines across the portfolio, with 52 journals moving to a higher quartile and only 20 seeing a decline. Furthermore, no previously ranked journals were removed. The 42 journals now ranked in the top 10% of their subject categories are drawn from a strong foundation of 178 journals holding a Q1 position.

With the large majority of our indexed portfolio ranked in the top half of research fields, researchers can confidently choose MDPI to meet funder mandates for high-quality, fully compliant Open Access publishing.

Exceptional Achievements for Foods and Life

Notably, both Foods and Life achieved a 99th percentile ranking in their respective subject categories for the 2025 CiteScores. This outstanding placement positions them as leading journals in their fields and highlights the high visibility and global impact of the open access research they publish.

Journal Metrics and Beyond

Journal-level metrics describe outlets, not individual articles. An increasing number of funders and institutions—including signatories of DORA and the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment—now explicitly encourage evaluation at the article level rather than by the journal in which research appears. MDPI supports this direction: we report CiteScore alongside the Journal Impact Factor, Journal Citation Indicator, and article-level usage data because no single number captures the full reach and contribution of published research.

Thank You

These results reflect the sustained effort of thousands of editors-in-chief, editorial board members, reviewers, and authors across every field MDPI serves. The metrics are the outcome; the work is yours.

Coatings (ISSN: 2079-6412) is pleased to announce the appointment of Prof. Dr. Maria J. Mosquera (Universidad de Cádiz, Spain) as Section Editor-in-Chief (SEiC) of the “Architectural and Infrastructure Coatings” Section. Prof. Dr. Mosquera has been a member of the Coatings Editorial Board since 2024 and brings extensive editorial experience across multiple fields, including surfaces and interfaces and related disciplines.

Prof. Dr. Mosquera is a Full Professor at Physical–Chemistry Department (University of Cadiz). She is currently the director of the IMEYMAT (Research Institute in Electron Microscopy and Materials). IMEYMAT, with over 100 researchers and a last-generation equipment, developing excellence in physics, chemistry, engineering and material science. She has been leading the research group “Nanomaterials” for 20 years, focused on developing advanced materials by fine-tuning their nanostructure and surface properties. These materials, obtained by a sol–gel routes, present consolidant, hydrophobic, superhydrophobic, self-cleaning, depolluting and/or auto-fouling performances. They find practical applications in different fields, such as construction and heritage preservation.

In her role as SEiC, Prof. Dr. Mosquera will work with the Editorial Office and Academic Editors to support the publication of high-quality submissions and to further strengthen the “Architectural and Infrastructure Coatings” Section as an open forum for fundamental and translational research.

The following is a short Q&A with Prof. Dr. Maria J. Mosquera, who shared her vision for the journal with us, as well as her views of the research area and open access publishing:

1. What appealed to you about the journal that made you want to take the role as its Section Editor-in-Chief?
Numerous journals related to nanotechnology pay attention to advanced coatings. Other journals are focused on building materials and their preservation, but there are no specific journals that cover all aspects together. This journal provides the perfect platform to bridge that gap. I was drawn to the opportunity to lead a Section that explores how nanoscale innovations can fundamentally redefine buildings preservation.

2. What is your vision for the Section?
My vision is to establish this Section as the global authority on advances coatings focused on architecture. My goal is to foster a dialogue between material scientists, nanotechnologists, civil engineers and architects to ensure that breakthroughs at the nanoscale are practically viable for large-scale construction.

3. What does the future of this field of research look like?
The future lies in buildings that can sense and react to their environment (i.e., facades that sequester pollutants, cleaning air of our cities) or materials that can self-heal structural cracks using nanotechnology. These innovative coatings will promote buildings preservation, instead of their demolition, significantly reducing the carbon footprint of the construction industry.

4. What do you think of the development of open access in the publishing field?
In a field as rapidly evolving as nanotechnology, open access is essential. Architecture, too, is a public-facing discipline. By making research open, we ensure that architects, engineers, urban planners, and designers worldwide—regardless of their institutional funding—can access the latest safety data and material innovations. This transparency is crucial for the widespread adoption of new technologies in the public and private building sectors.

Prof. Dr. Lucia Toniolo is a Full Professor of material science and technology at Politecnico di Milano (Italy) since 2013. She has been advancing the frontiers of sustainable materials and methods for the conservation of cultural heritage. In particular, she devoted her career to the development and optimization of coatings and nanocomposites for the conservation of historical stone materials and works of art. She is a member of the School of Architecture Urban Planning Construction Engineering Teaching Materials for Sustainable Built Heritage. She is responsible for scientific Laboratory Materials and Methods for cultural heritage, dealing with innovative materials and methods for conservation. Since 2020, she has followed up with the establishment of E-RIHS, and in 2025, she was elected as Chair of the General Assembly of the European Research Infrastructure for Heritage Science (E-RIHS ERIC). Since 2016, she has been appointed Fellow of the International Institute of Conservation (IIC, London, UK). During 2017–2020, she was appointed President of Environmental and Cultural Heritage Chemistry Division of the Italian Chemical Society.

Prof. Dr. Toniolo has established herself as a leading voice in heritage science, having produced over 150 peer-reviewed publications in international journals and books and successfully supervising more than 20 master’s and PhD students.

The following is a short Q&A with Prof. Dr. Lucia Toniolo, who shared with us her vision for the journal, as well as her perspective on the field and on open access publishing:

1. What appealed to you about the journal that made you accept the role of Section Editor-in-Chief?
I have long appreciated Coatings for its ability to connect fundamental surface science with real-world applications. In the context of cultural heritage, this connection is especially meaningful, as it allows scientific advances to directly support the preservation of artworks, architecture and archaeological remains, and historical materials in general. The opportunity to contribute to a platform that promotes rigorous, timely, and accessible research in this interdisciplinary area is particularly compelling.

2. What is your vision for this Section?
My vision is to establish this Section as a leading forum for innovative research on surface treatments for cultural heritage, purposely developed for this aim. I’d like to emphasize the necessity for a deeper understanding of materials and mechanisms—moving beyond simply assessing performance to exploring how coatings interact with original substrates over time. This includes durability, reversibility, compatibility, and long-term ageing. I also see sustainability as a key priority, encouraging the development of environmentally friendly, non-invasive, and conservation-appropriate materials.

3. What does the future of this field look like in your opinion?
The future lies in the development of advanced, multifunctional, and highly compatible coatings tailored for heritage conservation and artistic surfaces in a broader sense. We are moving toward smart and responsive systems capable of self-healing, protective adaptation, or controlled interaction with environmental factors. At the same time, advances in analytical techniques—such as high-resolution microscopy and non-invasive diagnostics—will allow us to design and evaluate coatings with unprecedented precision, ensuring both effectiveness and respect for cultural heritage materials.

4. What do you think of the development of open access in academic publishing?
Open access is particularly important in the cultural heritage field, where collaboration across disciplines and regions is essential. It ensures that conservators, scientists, and institutions worldwide—regardless of resources and use of the dedicated literature database—can access the latest research and can contribute to knowledge transfer in the sector. The rapid and transparent dissemination of knowledge is crucial for safeguarding cultural heritage and fostering global cooperation within an interdisciplinary community.