Announcements

In order to acknowledge our reviewers, who demonstrate diligence, professionalism, and timeliness when generously dedicating their time to reviewing manuscripts, MDPI journals regularly offer outstanding reviewer awards to scholars who participate in the peer review process.

We are proud to recognize the winners for the year 2022 in biology and life sciences for their outstanding contributions, among extensive competition, by presenting them with an Outstanding Reviewer Award.

We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all of the winners on their achievements. MDPI will continue to provide support and recognition to the academic community.

Agronomy:

• Ewa Ropelewska, The National Institute of Horticultural Research, Poland
• Marek Rašovský, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Slovakia
• Prakash Jha, Kansas State University, USA
• Vasileios Greveniotis, Institute of Industrial and Forage Crops, Greece

Biology:

• Alberto Collareta, University of Pisa, Italy
• Francisco Curate, University of Coimbra, Portugal
• Gianpiero Greco, University of Study of Bari, Italy
• Luca Poli, University of Study of Bari, Italy
• Shaohua Chen, South China Agricultural University, China

Brain Sciences:

• Chong Chen, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan

Children:

• Marco Sapienza, University of Catania, Italy
• Sabina Barrios-Fernández, University of Extremadura, Spain

Diversity:

• Corrado Battisti, Torre Flavia LTER (Long Term Ecological Research) Station, Italy
• Daniel Stec, Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland
• Emilia Grzędzicka, Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland
• Igor Zelnik, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia

Endocrines:

• Eva S. Liu, ¹Harvard Medical School, USA ²Brigham and Women’s Hospital, USA

Fermentation:

• Aleksandra Szydlowska, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (WULS), Poland
• Mohamed Ali Abdel-Rahman, Al-Azhar University, Egypt

Fishes:

• Andrew G. Jeffs, University of Auckland, New Zealand
• Mohamed Samy-Kamal, Universitat d'Alacant, Spain

Foods:

• Baskaran Stephen Inbaraj, Fu Jen Catholic University, Taiwan
• Marzena Włodarczyk-Stasiak, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Poland
• Minaxi Sharma, Haute Ecole Provinciale de Hainaut-Condorcet, Belgium
• Viviani Ruffo de Oliveira, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Brazil

Genes:

• Federico Manuel Giorgi, University of Bologna, Italy
• Jan Bocianowski, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Poland
• Magdalena Mroczek, Center for Cardiovascular Genetics and Gene Diagnostics, Switzerland

IJMS:

• Keigi Fujiwara, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, USA
• Tomasz W. Kaminski, University of Pittsburgh, USA
• Takujiro Homma, Yamagata University, Japan
• William Bryan Terzaghi, Wilkes University, United States
• Zong-jie Cui, Beijing Normal University, China

Insects:

• Abraão Almeida Santos, University of Florida, USA
• Agata Kaczmarek, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland
• Miguel A. García-Martínez, Universidad Veracruzana, Mexico

Life:

• Andrei S. Rodin, Diabetes and Metabolism Research Institute, USA
• Kazuhiko Kotani, Jichi Medical University, Japan

Metabolites:

• Jianing Mi, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia
• Nguyen Phuoc Long, Inje University College of Medicine, Republic of Korea
• Xian Luo, University of Alberta, Canada

Pathogens:

• Guillaume Fiches, Ohio State University, USA
• Jianxuan Wu, Gilead Sciences, USA
• Tomasz M. Karpiński, Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Poland

Plants:

• Alicia Ayerdi Gotor, Institut Polytechnique UniLaSalle, France
• Andrea Mastinu, University of Brescia, Italy
• Edyta Paczos-Grzeda, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Poland
• Narayan Bhusal, Seoul National University, Republic of Korea
• Mohsen Hesami, University of Guelph, Canada

Toxins:

• Christian Müller, University of Greifswald, Germany
• Margarita Fernández-Tejedor, IRTA, Spain

Vaccines:

• Christian Napoli, “Sapienza” University of Rome, Italy
• Federico Marchesi, University of Parma, Italy
• Roger E. Thomas, University of Calgary, Canada

Veterinary Sciences:

• Fun-In Wang, National Taiwan University, Taiwan
• Valeria Grieco, University of Milan, Italy

About MDPI Awards:

In order to reward the academic community, especially young researchers and enhance communication among scientists, MDPI journals regularly offer various awards to researchers in specific fields. These awards, serving as a source of inspiration and recognition, help raise the influence of talented individuals who have been credited with outstanding achievements and are making a significant contribution to the advancement of their fields.

To explore more MDPI awards, please click here.

MDPI’s Best PhD Thesis Awards are presented to recognize the young scholars who are judged to have completed the most outstanding PhD thesis in their field of research and to encourage them to continue their outstanding work and further contributions to their field.

We would like to warmly congratulate the winners of the 2022 Best PhD Thesis Awards and wish them success in their future research endeavors. MDPI will continue to enhance communication among scientists.

Brain Sciences:

• “CYP2D in the Brain Alters Response to Drugs and Neurotoxins”
  by Marlaina R. Stocco, University of California, USA
• “Neural Encoding of Prior Experience in Sensorimotor Behavior”
  by Nicolas Meirhaeghe, Institut de Neurosciences de la Timone, France

• “Perinatal Stem Cell: Epigenetic, Biological and Differentiative Characteristics”
  by Giulia Gaggi, University "G.D'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Italy

Genes:

• “Uncovering the Genetic Variation Involved in Asthma Exacerbations through Multiple Genomic Approaches”
  by Esther Herrera Luis, Universidad de La Laguna, Spain

Veterinary Sciences:

• “Development of Novel Tools for Monitoring Antimicrobial Resistance in Complex Microbial Communities and Their Application to Improving Our Stewardship of Antimicrobials in Livestock”
  by Ashenafi Feyisa Beyi, Iowa State University, United States

About MDPI Awards:

In order to reward the academic community, especially young researchers and enhance communication among scientists, MDPI journals regularly offer various awards to researchers in specific fields. These awards, serving as a source of inspiration and recognition, help raise the of talented individuals who have been credited with outstanding achievements and are making a significant contribution to the advancement of their fields.

To explore more MDPI awards, please click here.

The purpose of our Best Paper Awards is to promote and recognize the most impactful contributions published within MDPI journals.

The editors of each journal carefully selected reviews and research papers through a rigorous judging process based on criteria such as scientific merit, overall impact, and the quality of presentation.

We are honored to present the winners for the year 2022 in biology and life sciences, who were selected amongst extensive competition, and congratulate the authors for their outstanding scientific publications. MDPI will continue to provide support and recognition to the academic community.

Agronomy:

• “From Smart Farming towards Agriculture 5.0: A Review on Crop Data Management”
  by Verónica Saiz-Rubio and Francisco Rovira-Más
  Agronomy 2020, 10(2), 207; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10020207

• “Comparison of Biochemical, Anatomical, Morphological, and Physiological Responses to Salinity Stress in Wheat and Barley Genotypes Deferring in Salinity Tolerance”
  by Muhammad Zeeshan, Meiqin Lu, Shafaque Sehar, Paul Holford and Feibo Wu
  Agronomy 2020, 10(1), 127; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10010127

• “The Use of a Plant-Based Biostimulant Improves Plant Performances and Fruit Quality in Tomato Plants Grown at Elevated Temperatures”
  by Silvana Francesca Carmen Arena, Bruno Hay Mele, Carlo Schettini, Patrizia Ambrosino, Amalia Barone and Maria Manuela Rigano
  Agronomy 2020, 10(3), https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10030363

• “The Management of Agricultural Waste Biomass in the Framework of Circular Economy and Bioeconomy: An Opportunity for Greenhouse Agriculture in Southeast Spain”
  by Mónica Duque-Acevedo, Luis J. Belmonte-Ureña, José A. Plaza-Úbeda and Francisco Camacho-Ferre
  Agronomy 2020, 10(4), 489; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10040489

Biology:

• “Apoptotic Bodies: Particular Extracellular Vesicles Involved in Intercellular Communication”
  by Michela Battistelli and Elisabetta Falcieri
  Biology 2020, 9(1), 21; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology9010021

• “Vegetation and Environmental Changes on Non-Reclaimed Spoil Heaps in Southern Poland”
  by Oimahmad Rahmonov, Robert Krzysztofik, Dorota Środek and Justyna Smolarek-Lach
  Biology 2020, 9(7), 164; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology9070164

• “Formyl Peptide Receptor 1 Signaling in Acute Inflammation and Neural Differentiation Induced by Traumatic Brain Injury”
  by Roberta Fusco, Enrico Gugliandolo, Rosalba Siracusa, Maria Scuto, Marika Cordaro, Ramona D’Amico, Maurizio Evangelista, Angelo Peli, Alessio Filippo Peritore, Daniela Impellizzeri et al.
  Biology 2020, 9(9), 238; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology9090238

Brain Sciences:

• “Cholesterol and Alzheimer’s Disease Risk: A Meta-Meta-Analysis”
  by Olalla Sáiz-Vazquez, Alicia Puente-Martínez, Silvia Ubillos-Landa, Joaquín Pacheco-Bonrostro and Javier Santabárbara
  Brain Sci. 2020, 10(6), 386; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci10060386

• “Psychosocial and Behavioral Impact of COVID-19 in Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Online Parent Survey”
  by Marco Colizzi, Elena Sironi, Federico Antonini, Marco Luigi Ciceri, Chiara Bovo and Leonardo Zoccante
  Brain Sci. 2020, 10(6), 341; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci10060341

Diversity:

• “More Than a Functional Group: Diversity within the Legume–Rhizobia Mutualism and Its Relationship with Ecosystem Function”
  by Benton N. Taylor, Ellen L. Simms and Kimberly J. Komatsu
  Diversity 2020, 12(2), 50; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12020050

• “A Common Approach to the Conservation of Threatened Island Vascular Plants: First Results in the Mediterranean Basin”
  by Giuseppe Fenu, Gianluigi Bacchetta, Charalambos S. Christodoulou, Donatella Cogoni, Christini Fournaraki, Giusso del Galdo Gian Pietro, Panagiota Gotsiou, Angelos Kyratzis, Carole Piazza, Magdalena Vicens et al.
  Diversity 2020, 12(4), 157; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12040157

• “Plant Diversity Patterns and Conservation Implications under Climate-Change Scenarios in the Mediterranean: The Case of Crete (Aegean, Greece)”
  by Konstantinos Kougioumoutzis, Ioannis P. Kokkoris, Maria Panitsa, Panayiotis Trigas, Arne Strid and Panayotis Dimopoulos
  Diversity 2020, 12(7), 270; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12070270

• “Conserving the Diversity of Ecological Interactions: The Role of Two Threatened Macaw Species as Legitimate Dispersers of ‘Megafaunal’ Fruits”
  by José L. Tella, Fernando Hiraldo, Erica Pacífico, José A. Díaz-Luque, Francisco V. Dénes, Fernanda M. Fontoura, Neiva Guedes and Guillermo Blanco
  Diversity 2020, 12(2), 45; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12020045

Genes:    

• “Genomics in Bacterial Taxonomy: Impact on the Genus Pseudomonas”
  by Jorge Lalucat, Magdalena Mulet, Margarita Gomila and Elena García-Valdés
  Genes 2020, 11(2), 139; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes11020139

• “Histone Deacetylases (HDACs): Evolution, Specificity, Role in Transcriptional Complexes, and Pharmacological Actionability”
  by Giorgio Milazzo, Daniele Mercatelli, Giulia Di Muzio, Luca Triboli, Piergiuseppe De Rosa, Giovanni Perini and Federico M. Giorgi
  Genes 2020, 11(5), 556; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes11050556

• “COVID-19 and Genetic Variants of Protein Involved in the SARS-CoV-2 Entry into the Host Cells”
  by Andrea Latini, Emanuele Agolini, Antonio Novelli, Paola Borgiani, Rosalinda Giannini, Paolo Gravina, Andrea Smarrazzo, Mario Dauri, Massimo Andreoni, Paola Rogliani et al.
  Genes 2020, 11(9), 1010; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes11091010

• “Clustered DNA Double-Strand Breaks: Biological Effects and Relevance to Cancer Radiotherapy”
  by Jac A. Nickoloff, Neelam Sharma and Lynn Taylor
  Genes 2020, 11(1), 99; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes11010099

• “Inhibition of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Ameliorates Renal Fibrosis by Mitigating DPP-4 Level and Restoring Antifibrotic MicroRNAs”
  by Swayam Prakash Srivastava, Julie E. Goodwin, Keizo Kanasaki and Daisuke Koya
  Genes 2020, 11(2), 211; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes11020211

• “Regulation of Ergosterol Biosynthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae”
  by Tania Jordá and Sergi Puig
  Genes 2020, 11(7), 795; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes11070795

IJMS:     

• “Laccase Properties, Physiological Functions, and Evolution”
  by Grzegorz Janusz, Anna Pawlik, Urszula Świderska-Burek, Jolanta Polak, Justyna Sulej, Anna Jarosz-Wilkołazka and Andrzej Paszczyński
  Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(3), 966; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21030966

• “Lysosomal Exocytosis, Exosome Release and Secretory Autophagy: The Autophagic- and Endo-Lysosomal Systems Go Extracellular”
  by Sandra Buratta, Brunella Tancini, Krizia Sagini, Federica Delo, Elisabetta Chiaradia, Lorena Urbanelli and Carla Emiliani
  Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(7), 2576; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21072576

• “Recent Advances in Lipopolysaccharide Recognition Systems”
  by Lalita Mazgaeen and Prajwal Gurung
  Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(2), 379; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21020379

• “Redox Interactions of Vitamin C and Iron: Inhibition of the Pro-Oxidant Activity by Deferiprone”
  by Viktor A. Timoshnikov, Tatyana V. Kobzeva, Nikolay E. Polyakov and George J. Kontoghiorghes
  Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(11), 3967; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21113967

• “Modulation of Pro-Oxidant and Pro-Inflammatory Activities of M1 Macrophages by the Natural Dipeptide Carnosine”
  by Claudia G. Fresta, Annamaria Fidilio, Giacomo Lazzarino, Nicolò Musso, Margherita Grasso, Sara Merlo, Angela M. Amorini, Claudio Bucolo, Barbara Tavazzi, Giuseppe Lazzarino et al.
  Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(3), 776; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21030776

• “SAAMBE-3D: Predicting Effect of Mutations on Protein–Protein Interactions”
  by Swagata Pahari, Gen Li, Adithya Krishna Murthy, Siqi Liang, Robert Fragoza, Haiyuan Yu and Emil Alexov
  Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(7), 2563; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21072563

Insects:  

• “Diversity and Global Distribution of Viruses of the Western Honey Bee, Apis mellifera”
  by Alexis Beaurepaire, Niels Piot, Vincent Doublet, Karina Antunez, Ewan Campbell, Panuwan Chantawannakul, Nor Chejanovsky, Anna Gajda, Matthew Heerman and Delphine Panziera
  Insects 2020, 11(4), 239; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects11040239

• “Soil Health and Arthropods: From Complex System to Worthwhile Investigation”
  by Cristina Menta and Sara Remelli
  Insects 2020, 11(1), 54; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects11010054

• “Influence of Temperature on Age-Stage, Two-Sex Life Tables for a Minnesota-Acclimated Population of the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (Halyomorpha halys)”
  by Byju N. Govindan and William D. Hutchison
  Insects 2020, 11(2), 108; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects11020108

Life:

• “Characterization of Resistance in Gram-Negative Urinary Isolates Using Existing and Novel Indicators of Clinical Relevance: A 10-Year Data Analysis”
  by Márió Gajdács, Zoltán Bátori, Marianna Ábrók, Andrea Lázár and Katalin Burián
  Life 2020, 10(2), 16; https://doi.org/10.3390/life10020016

• “Neuroprotection or Neurotoxicity of Illicit Drugs on Parkinson’s Disease”
  by Carla Ferreira, Catarina Almeida, Sandra Tenreiro and Alexandre Quintas
  Life 2020, 10(6), 86; https://doi.org/10.3390/life10060086

Metabolites:          

• “Carbonic Anhydrase Inhibitors Targeting Metabolism and Tumor Microenvironment”
  by Andrea Angeli, Fabrizio Carta, Alessio Nocentini, Jean-Yves Winum, Raivis Zalubovskis, Atilla Akdemir, Valentina Onnis, Wagdy M. Eldehna, Clemente Capasso, Giuseppina De Simone et al.
  Metabolites 2020, 10(10), 412; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo10100412

• “MetaboAnalystR 3.0: Toward an Optimized Workflow for Global Metabolomics”
  by Zhiqiang Pang, Jasmine Chong, Shuzhao Li and Jianguo Xia
  Metabolites 2020, 10(5), 186; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo10050186

• “Tryptophan Metabolism, Inflammation, and Oxidative Stress in Patients with Neurovascular Disease”
  by Martin Hajsl, Alzbeta Hlavackova, Karolina Broulikova, Martin Sramek, Martin Maly, Jan E. Dyr and Jiri Suttnar
  Metabolites 2020, 10(5), 208; https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo10050208

MPs:

• “Production and Purification of Artificial Circular RNA Sponges for Application in Molecular Biology and Medicine”
  by Janina Breuer and Oliver Rossbach
  Methods Protoc. 2020, 3(2), 42; https://doi.org/10.3390/mps3020042

Pathogens:

• “Effectiveness of Chemical Compounds Used against African Swine Fever Virus in Commercial Available Disinfectants”
  by Małgorzata Juszkiewicz, Marek Walczak, Natalia Mazur-Panasiuk and Grzegorz Woźniakowski
  Pathogens 2020, 9(11), 878; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens9110878

• “Betanodavirus and VER Disease: A 30-year Research Review”
  by Isabel Bandín and Sandra Souto
  Pathogens 2020, 9(2), 106; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens9020106

• “The Bradyzoite: A Key Developmental Stage for the Persistence and Pathogenesis of Toxoplasmosis”
  by Aude Cerutti, Nicolas Blanchard and Sébastien Besteiro
  Pathogens 2020, 9(3), 234; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens9030234

• “Understanding Flavivirus Capsid Protein Functions: The Tip of the Iceberg”
  by Stephanea Sotcheff and Andrew Routh
  Pathogens 2020, 9(1), 42; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens9010042

Plants:

• “Photosynthetic Metabolism under Stressful Growth Conditions as a Bases for Crop Breeding and Yield Improvement”
  by Fermín Morales, María Ancín, Dorra Fakhet, Jon González-Torralba, Angie L. Gámez, Amaia Seminario, David Soba, Sinda Ben Mariem, Miguel Garriga and Iker Aranjuelo
  Plants 2020, 9(1), 88; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9010088

• “Plant Roots Release Small Extracellular Vesicles with Antifungal Activity”
  by Monica De Palma, Alfredo Ambrosone, Antonietta Leone, Pasquale Del Gaudio, Michelina Ruocco, Lilla Turiák, Ramesh Bokka, Immacolata Fiume, Marina Tucci and Gabriella Pocsfalvi
  Plants 2020, 9(12), 1777; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9121777

• “Feeding Behavior and Virus-transmission Ability of Insect Vectors Exposed to Systemic Insecticides”
  by Elisa Garzo, Aránzazu Moreno, María Plaza and Alberto Fereres
  Plants 2020, 9(7), 895; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9070895

• “Transcriptome Analyses and Antioxidant Activity Profiling Reveal the Role of a Lignin-Derived Biostimulant Seed Treatment in Enhancing Heat Stress Tolerance in Soybean”
  by Cristina Campobenedetto, Giuseppe Mannino, Chiara Agliassa, Alberto Acquadro, Valeria Contartese, Christian Garabello and Cinzia Margherita Bertea
  Plants 2020, 9(10), 1308; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9101308

Toxins:

• “Aflatoxin Biosynthesis and Genetic Regulation: A Review”
  by Isaura Caceres, Anthony Al Khoury, Rhoda El Khoury, Sophie Lorber, Isabelle P. Oswald, André El Khoury, Ali Atoui, Olivier Puel and Jean-Denis Bailly
  Toxins 2020, 12(3), 150; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins12030150

• “Diet Breadth Mediates the Prey Specificity of Venom Potency in Snakes”
  by Keith Lyons, Michel M. Dugon and Kevin Healy
  Toxins 2020, 12(2), 74; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins12020074

Vaccines:               

• “Rapid Quantification of SARS-CoV-2-Neutralizing Antibodies Using Propagation-Defective Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Pseudotypes”
  by Ferdinand Zettl, Toni Luise Meister, Tanja Vollmer, Bastian Fischer, Jörg Steinmann, Adalbert Krawczyk, Philip V’kovski, Daniel Todt, Eike Steinmann, Stephanie Pfaender et al.
  Vaccines 2020, 8(3), 386; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines8030386

• “Influences on Attitudes Regarding Potential COVID-19 Vaccination in the United States”
  by Kendall Pogue, Jamie L. Jensen, Carter K. Stancil, Daniel G. Ferguson, Savannah J. Hughes, Emily J. Mello, Ryan Burgess, Bradford K. Berges, Abraham Quaye and Brian D. Poole
  Vaccines 2020, 8(4), 582; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines8040582

• “Recent Progress on the Versatility of Virus-Like Particles”
  by Ciying Qian, Xinlin Liu, Qin Xu, Zhiping Wang, Jie Chen, Tingting Li, Qingbing Zheng, Hai Yu, Ying Gu, Shaowei Li et al.
  Vaccines 2020, 8(1), 139; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines8010139

• “COVID-19: Mechanisms of Vaccination and Immunity”
  by Daniel E. Speiser and Martin F. Bachmann
  Vaccines 2020, 8(3), 404; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines8030404

Veterinary Sciences:

• “Manure as a Potential Hotspot for Antibiotic Resistance Dissemination by Horizontal Gene Transfer Events”
  by Tiago Lima, Sara Domingues and Gabriela Jorge Da Silva
  Vet. Sci. 2020, 7(3), 110; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci7030110

• “Seasonality of Nosema ceranae Infections and Their Relationship with Honey Bee Populations, Food Stores, and Survivorship in a North American Region”
  by Berna Emsen, Alvaro De la Mora, Brian Lacey, Les Eccles, Paul G. Kelly, Carlos A. Medina-Flores, Tatiana Petukhova, Nuria Morfin and Ernesto Guzman-Novoa
  Vet. Sci. 2020, 7(3), 131; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci7030131

About MDPI Awards:

In order to reward the academic community, especially young researchers and enhance communication among scientists, MDPI journals regularly offer various awards to researchers in specific fields. These awards, serving as a source of inspiration and recognition, help raise the influence of talented individuals who have been credited with outstanding achievements and are making a significant contribution to the advancement of their fields.

To explore more MDPI awards, please click here.

We are pleased to announce that Prof. Dr. Lluís Ribas de Pouplana has been appointed Editor-in-Chief of Life (ISSN: 2075-1729). With an extensive background in scientific research and publishing, he brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to this prestigious role.

Prof. Dr. Lluís Ribas de Pouplana is a Principal Investigator at ICREA and the Barcelona Institute for Research in Biomedicine. He obtained his B.Sc. in biology from the University of Barcelona, Spain (1988) and Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Edinburgh, UK. After the completion of his doctoral studies, he was hired as a postdoctoral scientist at the Department of Biology of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA (1993–97). From Cambridge, he moved to San Diego, where he accepted a Senior Research Scientist position and, in 2001, an Assistant Professorship of Molecular Biology at the Scripps Research Institute. In June 2003, he accepted an ICREA Research Professorship and became a Principal Investigator at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine, Spain (IRB Barcelona).

His research is focused on the mechanisms of control of protein synthesis or gene translation. The transformation of genetic information into protein sequences is the central process of biology; its control is essential for the well-being of cells, and a large number of human diseases are caused by defects in this control.

The following is a Q&A with Prof. Dr. Lluís Ribas de Pouplana, who shared his vision for the journal with us, as well as his views on the research area and open access publishing:

1. What appealed to you about the journal that made you want to become its Editor-in-Chief?
   Life is a multidisciplinary journal that, unlike many modern journals, relies on an extensive network of international academic editors that decide the suitability of manuscripts in a highly interactive manner.
   Having known the journal for a long time, and having acted as Section Editor-in-Chief for some years,  I was very attracted by the possibility of building an even better journal through the integration of the wide research areas covered by Life. Our challenge, I think, is to turn this thematic diversity into interdisciplinarity.

2. What are your plans and vision for the journal?
   My plan is to study and improve our submission and revision mechanisms as much as possible, as well as to encourage the publication of interdisciplinary Special Issues that bridge the areas traditionally covered by Life.

3. What does the future of this field of research look like?
   Biological research has been vibrant for the last 70 years, and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future. New areas of the convergence of physics, chemistry, and biology are already shaping the biological research of the future, in areas ranging from the origin of life to biomedicine.

4. What do you think of the development of open access literature in the publishing field?
   Open access literature is an essential step towards the democratization of science.

MDPI will be attending the 2023 National Plant Biology Congress as an exhibitor. This meeting will be held in Lanzhou, China, from 2 to 6 August 2023.

The conference is jointly organized by the Chinese Society of Genetics, Chinese Society of Cell Biology, China Crop Society, Chinese Society of Botany, and Chinese Society of Plant Physiology and Molecular Biology. The conference is scheduled to be held in Lanzhou, Gansu, China. Domestic experts, scholars, and outstanding young scientists who have made outstanding achievements in related fields of plant biology will be invited to give academic reports. The conference aims to promote exchanges and cooperation among plant scientists, promote the transformation and application of plant scientific research achievements in agricultural production practice, and help the revitalization of the seed industry.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Plants;
• IJMS;
• Agriculture;
• Agronomy;
• Horticulturae;
• Cells;
• Physiologia;
• Metabolites;
• Antioxidants;
• Taxonomy;
• Epigenomes;
• Genes;
• Diversity;
• Data.

If you are attending this conference, please feel free to start a conversation with us. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person and answering any questions you may have. For more information about the conference and our booth, please visit the following link: http://www.ncpb.net/home/index/index.html.

MDPI will attend the 12th International Congress of Plant Pathology. This event will be held from 20 to 25 August 2023 in Lyon, France, and is hosted by the International Society for Plant Pathology.

Plant pathologists and plant health researchers from around the world will meet to discuss their latest research as well as the current and future issues facing plant health experts. The host, the French Phytopathological Society, has set an exciting and challenging theme for the congress: “One Health for all plants, crops and trees”. This topic promises to provide a broad platform for talks, posters, and discussions that consider the integral nature of plant health with human, animal, and environmental health. In addition to an excellent program of keynote talks, concurrent sessions, poster presentations, and networking opportunities, there will be a number of satellite events before the meeting dates to provide opportunities for deeper discussions on a number of topics.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Agriculture (leading);
• Plants;
• Horticulturae;
• Viruses;
• IJMS;
• Life;
• Seeds;
• Crops;
• Forests;
• JoF.

If you plan on attending this conference, please feel free to stop by our booth and 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 the conference, please visit https://www.icpp2023.org/.

Conference: Behaviour 2023
Date: 14–20 August 2023
Location: Bielefeld, Germany

MDPI will be attending Behaviour 2023 as an exhibitor; we welcome researchers from different backgrounds to visit and share their latest ideas with us.

This conference has been organized by the International Ethological Congress. Behaviour 2023 is a multi-disciplinary and international congress that focuses on animal behavior. Delegates will come from a wide range of backgrounds: from ethology to behavioral genetics and anthropology.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Animals;
• Insects;
• Fishes;
• Birds;
• Agriculture;
• Life;
• Ruminants;
• Genes;
• Biology.

If you are planning to attend this conference, please do not hesitate to contact us online. 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 website: https://www.uni-bielefeld.de/fakultaeten/biologie/forschung/veranstaltungen/behaviour2023/index.xml.

With the first issue released in June 2023, five new MDPI journals disseminating multi-disciplinary science are due to launch, which will cover the subjects of medicine & pharmacology, biology and physical sciences.

The newly launched journals will be overseen by professional Editorial Board Members and Editors to ensure an accurate and rapid publication, rigorous peer review and broad visibility.

Please feel free to browse and discover more about the new journals below.

Journal	Founding Editor-in-Chief	Journal topics (selected)
	Prof. Dr. Jun Ma, Peking University, China| Editorial | view inaugural issue	growth and development; diet and nutrients; school health promotion policies and practices; child health and care; adolescent health and wellbeing | view journal scope | submit an article
	Prof. Dr. Bernd Rehm, Griffith University, Australia | Editorial | view inaugural issue	DNA and gene synthesis; synthetic transcription factors; protein engineering; viral engineering; metabolic engineering | view journal scope | submit an article
	Prof. Dr. Varsha Gandhi, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, USA | Editorial | view inaugural issue	lymphatics; cancers associated with lymphocytes and lymphoblasts; lymphatic tissues; lymphoma; lymphoid leukemia | view journal scope | submit an article
	Dr. Bradley Turner, University of Melbourne, Australia | Editorial | view inaugural issue	multiple sclerosis; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; primary lateral sclerosis; atherosclerosis; systemic sclerosis | view journal scope | submit an article
	Prof. Dr. Clemens Burda, Case Western Reserve University, USA | Editorial | view inaugural issue	Gamma ray, X-ray, and UV–Vis spectroscopies; NIR/mid-infrared/Raman spectroscopy; microwave and THz spectroscopy; high-resolution gas-phase atomic, molecular, and cluster spectroscopy; MS, NMR, and EPR spectroscopy | view journal scope | submit an article

We wish to thank everyone who has supported the development of open access publishing. You are welcome to submit an application to the New Journal Committee (newjournal-committee@mdpi.com) if you would like to create more new journals.

Conference: 2023 China Redox Biology and Medicine Conference
Date: 10–13 August 2023
Place: Xiamen, China 

MDPI will be attending the 2023 China Redox Biology and Medicine Conference, which will be held from 10 to 13 August 2023 in Xiamen, China.

The theme of the conference is "Oxidation Reduction and Life and Health". Redox is the most basic reaction in the life process and plays an important role in regulating the function of biological macromolecules, cell signal transduction, physiological and pathological processes, and coping with stress. This meeting will focus on the basic research of redox in life process and the relationship between redox balance and disease and the intervention strategy in the following seven aspects: redox state detection method, endogenous redox active molecules, redox molecule production and metabolism, redox modification and regulation of biological macromolecules, redox regulation and cell fate and quality control, redox regulation and pathophysiological processes (aging, tumors, cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, etc.), redox precise intervention and transformation application. 

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Antioxidants;
• Oxygen;
• IJMS;
• CIMB;
• Life.

Please do not hesitate to reach out (antioxidants@mdpi.com) if you plan on attending this conference. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person and answering any questions that you might have.

For more information about the conference, please visit the following website: https://meeting.bsc.org.cn/SFRRC2023/.