Announcements

We are pleased to announce the winner of the Energies 2023 Young Investigator Award, Dr. Yi Zheng.

The following is a short Q&A with Dr. Yi Zheng:

1. What is your current research direction? Why did you choose this field?
   My current research is focused on the functional materials for sustainable energy applications including passive radiative cooling, battery thermal management, and solar-driven water desalination. Sustainable development is crucial for addressing global warming. My research aims to resolve the energy and water crises, two major challenging issues that human beings are facing nowadays.

2. What will some of the hot research topics in this field be in the next few years?
   I believe that the hot research topics should be centered around cost-effective sustainable energy and water, further reducing GHG emissions. As I mentioned in the previous question, we need solutions for these challenging problems. We should think about how to effectively absorb and transform clean energy into other types of energy.

3. Have you encountered difficulties in your research? How did you overcome them?
   Our Nano Energy Laboratory at Northeastern University (Boston, MA) has studied nano-engineered materials, metamaterials, and hydrogels for passive cooling and water desalination over the past few years. We have published a few good journal papers, but we wondered, how can we put our research into practice to benefit the wider community? This was a problem at the lab scale, the pilot scale, and the industry scale. In addition to designing nanomaterials, we then switched to low-cost materials from daily life waste (recycled plastics), farm waste (cow manure), forest waste (oak tree leaves), and ocean biomass waste materials (lobster shells and squid ink). They not only function well but also reduce our carbon footprint.

4. What qualities do you think young scholars need to possess?
   Firstly, hard work, secondly, patience and, thirdly, an open mind for innovation.

5. Do you have any suggestions for improvement on the awards?
   It might be better to organize a symposium in the future for all award recipients to present their research work to the research community.

6. Energies is an open access (OA) journal, what impact do you think OA has on author submissions?
   OA is trending. It has positive impacts on journal publications, as more and more authors/readers are able to access scientific findings. As an author, I would be pleased to see that our research work can be read widely without any barriers within and outside the research community.

MDPI would like to invite all experts recognized in their fields to attend the MDPI International Day of Light 2024 Webinar, which will be held on 16 May 2024. The aim of this webinar is to encourage researchers to come together, take action, and highlight how the exchange of findings facilitates efforts to raise awareness about the study of light. The study of light has led to promising alternative energy sources, lifesaving medical advances in diagnostics technology and treatments, light-speed internet, and many other discoveries that have revolutionized society and shaped our understanding of the universe.

We are looking forward to seeing you at the MDPI International Day of Light 2024 Webinar.

Title: MDPI International Day of Light 2024 Webinar
Date: 16 May 2024
Time: 09:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m. (CEST) | 03:00 p.m.–05:00 p.m. (CST Asia)
More Information: https://sciforum.net/event/IDL2024

This is a free webinar. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information 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 watch.

Register for free:

Program:

Relevant Special Issues:

Nanomaterials
“Light-Matter Interaction in Nano Systems: Fundamentals and Applications”
Guest Editors: Zhengkun Fu, Lianghui Huang and Mengtao Sun
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 June 2024

Sensors
“Automotive Visible Light Communications (AutoVLC)”
Guest Editor: Alin-Mihai Cailean
Deadline: 30 June 2024

“Recent Trends and Advances in Laser Spectroscopy and Sensing”
Guest Editor: Violeta Lazic
Deadline: 20 August 2024

“Feature Papers in Optical Sensors 2024”
Guest Editors: Gabriele Bolognini and Yuliya Semenova
Deadline: 31 December 2024

Applied Sciences
“Application of Advanced Lighting Systems in Buildings and Cities”
Guest Editors: Luis Santos and M. Glória Gomes
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 June 2024

“Optical Sensors: Applications, Performance and Challenges”
Guest Editors: Yubing Wang, Lijun Wang and Junfeng Song
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 September 2024

“Smart Lighting and Visual Safety”
Guest Editors: Yandan Lin and Minchen Wei
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 August 2024

“New Trends in Next-Generation Optical Networks”
Guest Editors: Gerardo Antonio Castañón-Avila
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 21 December 2024

“Interdisciplinary Approaches and Applications of Optics & Photonics (AOP2024)”
Guest Editors: Manuel Filipe P. C. M. Costa and Sandra Franco
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024

“Advances in Optics, Photonics and Lasers”
Guest Editors: Aleksej Rodin and Sergey Y. Yurish
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 December 2024

“Laser Ultrasonics and Advanced Sensing: Technologies and Applications”
Guest Editor: Chenyin Ni
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 December 2024

“Ultrafast and Nonlinear Laser Applications”
Guest Editor: Sergej Orlov
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 November 2024

“Diode Lasers: Materials, Devices and Application”
Guest Editors: Jing Yang and Zhenfu Wang
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2024

“Nanophotonics and Integrated Photonics”
Guest Editors: Fanfan Lu and Zhiqiang Yang
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 October 2024

Optics
“Ultrafast Light-Matter Interaction”
Guest Editor: Daria Popova-Gorelova
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 December 2024

Energies
“Advances in Solar Systems and Energy Efficiency”
Guest Editors: Maciej Zajkowski, Adam Idzkowski, Zbigniew Sołjan, and Stanislav Darula
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 19 June 2024

Inventions
“Recent Advances in Visible Light Communication and Optical Wireless Information Systems”
Guest Editor: Jupeng Ding
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2024

MDPI will be attending the GEM 2024 Shenzhen: International Workshop on Gravity, Electrical, and Magnetic Methods and Their Applications (GEM 2024) in Shenzhen, China, which will take place from 19 to 22 May 2024. The goal of GEM 2024 Shenzhen is to bring together geophysics researchers and practitioners from academia, government agencies, and resource companies as well as contractors to share the latest technological and methodological advancements and their successful applications to practical problem solving, and to inspire discussions among the participants about the best practices of turning electromagnetic, gravity, and magnetics data into value-added information. If you are attending the conference, please visit our booth. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person and answering any questions you may have.

The following MDPI journals will be represented at the conference:

• Energies;
• Geosciences;
• Sustainability;
• Magnetism;
• Physics.

If you are attending this conference, please feel free to start a conversation with us at our booth #11. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person and answering any questions that you may have.

MDPI, the leading Open Access (OA) publisher, announced on Monday that it opened its Korean branch office on 29th April 2024. With this addition, MDPI now operates 21 offices in 12 countries worldwide. Claude Seo, with over 20 years of experience in the academic journal publishing industry, including Nature Publishing Group (NPG), has been appointed as the Office Manager of the Seoul office.

With the establishment of a Seoul office, MDPI aims to actively support Korea scientific communities to further promote the publication of OA journals in the region. As of the end of 2023, Korea ranked sixth worldwide in both submissions and publications of MDPI research papers. MDPI is the number one OA publisher in Korea.

Sungkyunkwan University Joins MDPI’s Institutional Open Access Program

In addition, MDPI announced that Sungkyunkwan University joined MDPI’s Institutional Open Access Program (IOAP). This program offers free access to MDPI online submission system for the institutions and APC discounts to affiliated authors. Thirteen major Korean universities, including Sungkyunkwan University, Kyung Hee University, Chung-Ang University and Catholic University of Korea, have adopted IOAP in Korea.

OA aims to break down barriers that have traditionally restricted access to science, ensuring that knowledge is available to all, regardless of financial situation or institutional affiliations. Authors, academia, and scientific communities are rapidly moving toward OA. MDPI has been at the forefront of reshaping the academic publishing landscape, with OA surpassing subscription-based publishing in 2020.

MDPI CEO Visits Seoul, Korea

In March, Stefan Tochev, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MDPI, visited Korea and met with various stakeholders including government agencies, research and academic institutions, universities. During his visit, Stefan highlighted that MDPI continues to pave the way for a world where science is accessible to all, supporting a global community of inclusive innovation and collaborative solutions.

Stefan expressed excitement about the new venture, stating, "Today marks a significant milestone for MDPI as we celebrate the opening of our new office in Seoul, Korea. This expansion is more than just an increase in our physical footprint, it is a pivotal step in our ongoing commitment to making scientific knowledge more accessible, participatory, and inclusive across the globe."

Claude Seo, reflecting on his new role, commented, "I am delighted to have been offered this position of trust within MDPI, the no. 1 scholarly OA publisher. As we establish our presence in Korea, we are dedicated to integrating into the local community and contributing to its vibrant culture. Our commitment goes beyond business growth; it is about creating a more informed and innovative society by embracing and promoting diversity within the scientific community.”

For further inquiries, please contact our Seoul office directly.

About MDPI

A pioneer in scholarly, open access publishing, MDPI has supported academic communities since 1996. MDPI is leading the transition to open science by making more research free and accessible to everyone. Over 3.3 million researchers have entrusted MDPI with publishing their scientific discoveries. MDPI’s editorial process is bolstered by a network of dedicated reviewers, a team of 6000 diligent, well-trained staff members, and an in-house article submission platform that was designed to ensure efficient processes within its 430 fully OA titles.

We are pleased to announce Prof. Dr. Tassos Stamatelos as one of the winners of the Energies 2023 Outstanding Reviewer Award.

The following is an interview with the winner:

1. Could you please briefly introduce yourself to our readers?
   I am a professor of thermal engines and energy systems at the University of Thessaly Mechanical Engineering Department with over 35 years of experience in applied research, development and teaching a variety of subjects.

2. What is your current research focus, and why did you choose this research field? As a reviewer, what kind of manuscripts would you prefer to review in the future?
   During my earlier years, my focus was mostly on thermal engines and the reduction of their emissions. During the most recent years, I have found myself more involved with modern energy systems, building energy systems, energy storage and smart grids. The motivation was from the gradual electrification of vehicles which was soon followed by building electrification, and the demanding problems of increasing the penetration of renewables into the energy mixture.
   As a reviewer, I am pleased to review interesting, multidisciplinary approaches to solving the above problems, as well as assisting in the rejection of low-quality articles to further improve overall article quality in Energies.

3. Which research topics do you think will be of particular interest to the research community in the coming years?
   All topics associated with the Green Deal and the transformation of the energy mixture consumed by the world economy, the electrification of the building sector and the evolution of smart grids with advanced storage technologies will gain impetus during the coming years.

4. We are an open access journal. How do you think open access impacts authors?
   I consider open access as a more legitimate approach to the reader, especially to help our views and research results reach gifted researchers and professionals in less developed regions of the world. This also positively affects the author by increasing his/her outreach to a broader audience.

5. Which qualities do you think reviewers need?
   Nowadays, a reviewer must have a sound theoretical foundation to quickly screen manuscripts and reject those with scientific errors. But, especially in applied research, he/she should also have the experience and ability to understand multidisciplinary or unconventional approaches.

The Energies Editorial Board and editorial team would like to gratefully acknowledge the time and energy dedicated by reviewers to checking the manuscripts submitted to Energies. For more details about the award, please visit the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/energies/awards/2413.

We are pleased to announce Mr. Hossein Pourrahmani as one of the winners of the Energies 2024 Travel Award.

The following is an interview with the winner.

1. Could you please briefly introduce yourself to our readers and tell us a little bit about your fields of interest?
   As an expert in the field of energy, my main activities are conducting comprehensive economic, energy, and environmental assessments to enable the transition from fossil fuel-based systems to renewable energy sources to support the automotive, maritime, and aviation industries. To facilitate this transition, hydrogen and hydrogen technologies play a key role; hence, I dedicated my Ph.D. to hydrogen technologies with a focus on low-temperature fuel cells and electrolyzers. The main goal was to bridge the gap between the computer science and energy fields, and I was able to develop new usages of artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things in the energy field. In the meantime, I was able to master computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, advanced microscopy techniques such as FIB-SEM and SEM, life cycle assessment (LCA), gas diffusion layer synthesis, and multi-objective optimizations as tools of my study.

2. Where do you obtain journal award participation information?
   I had already published with Energies, and I received an email from the journal containing the related information.

3. Have you ever promoted the journal at a conference? In addition to promoting the journal at conferences, in which way would you prefer to share the journal with your community?
   I have not participated in any conferences yet. I am going to participate in the 246th ECS meeting which will be held in the USA from 5 to 12 October 2024, and I will mention MDPI’s support and travel grants.
   Regarding promotion, I reposted the travel grant award winner announcement on my personal LinkedIn profile.

4. How has winning this award impacted your career, and what do you hope to do next?
   I will be participating in the 246th ECS meeting, which is a hub for electrochemical experts from all over the world, and I am hopeful about future collaborations with different organizations.

5. Do you have any advice for aspiring researchers in the field?
   The sky is the limit, and the goal is to improve human life and save the environment.
6. What is your opinion of the open access model of publishing?
   From my viewpoint, knowledge should be free and accessible to everyone. Furthermore, the evolution of AI models requires huge databases, and open access documents will accelerate this goal.

With so many high-quality applicants, the evaluation process and final decision were challenging. We would like to thank all applicants for submitting their diverse and fascinating range of research topics. For more details about the award, please visit the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/energies/awards/2295.

MDPI would like to invite all experts recognized in their fields to attend the following Topics Webinar. The webinar consists of two topics:
Topic 1: Building Tomorrow: Innovations in Sustainable Infrastructure and Design;
Topic 2: Advancing Sustainable Building Retrofitting: Design to Circular Economy.

The aim of this webinar is to explore cutting-edge innovations in sustainable infrastructure and design practices and promote sustainability through foreign investment in developing countries.

We look forward to seeing you at the Topics Webinar—Shaping Sustainable Futures: Integrating Innovation and Sustainability in Building Design and Retrofitting.

Title: Shaping Sustainable Futures: Integrating Innovation and Sustainability in Building Design and Retrofitting
Date: 15 May 2024
Time: 1:00 p.m. AEST | 10:00 a.m. CST Asia
More Information: https://sciforum.net/event/Topics-20

This is a free webinar. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information 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 for viewing.

Register for free:

Program:
Topic 1: Building Tomorrow: Innovations in Sustainable Infrastructure and Design

 Topic 2: Advancing Sustainable Building Retrofitting: Design to Circular Economy

Relevant Topic:
“Functionalized Magnetic Nanomaterials: Synthesis, Characterization and Applications”
Edited by Igor Martek and Mehdi Amirkhani
Abstract submission deadline: 31 May 2024
Manuscript submission deadline: 31 August 2024

MDPI will be attending the 16th International Conference on Hybrid and Organic Photovoltaics in Valencia, Spain, which will take place from 13 to 15 May 2024. Key topics of the conference include material design in organic and hybrid photovoltaics, artificial intelligence and machine learning for energy technologies, advanced characterization techniques for new-generation photovoltaics, breaking efficiency limits, operational stability measurement and reporting, scale-up and commercialization of new-generation photovoltaics, emerging framework materials for energy conversion, multifunctional materials in energy conversion and beyond, emerging concepts in solar energy conversion (from optoionics to photoferroics), photoelectrochemical energy conversion, and energy policy and diplomacy.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Electronics;
• Energies;
• Inventions;
• Micromachines;
• Optics;
• Photonics;
• QuBS.

If you are attending the conference, please visit our booth. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person and answering any questions that you may have. For more information about the conference, please visit the following link: https://www.nanoge.org/HOPV24/.

MDPI will attend the 32nd European Biomass Conference and Exhibition (EUBCE 2024) as an exhibitor. This meeting will be held in Marseille, France, from 24 to 27 June 2024.

EUBCE is the largest biomass conference and exhibition in the world. Each year, EUBCE brings together the greatest minds and the latest advancements in biomass, with the aim of accelerating research and market uptake across the globe. During the conference, over 2,000 experts from both academia and industry share and discuss groundbreaking ideas, technologies, applications, and solutions for the sourcing, production, and utility of biomass. This scientific program is coordinated by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission. Since its 30th edition, the event has been complemented by the Circular Bio-Based Europe Joint Undertaking, aiming at identifying innovation, stimulating investment, and mobilizing the bio-based industry sector. This is an excellent opportunity to address even more stakeholders globally during the conference.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Sustainability;
• Energies;
• Environment;
• Biomass;
• Clean Technol.;
• Recycling;
• Earth;
• Resources;
• C — Journal of Carbon Research;
• Waste.

If you are attending this conference, please chat with us at our booth. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person and answering any questions that you may have.

For more information about the conference, please visit https://www.eubce.com/.