Announcements

MDPI will be attending the XII Reunión del grupo de física de la materia condensada de la RSEF (GEFES 2023) in Salamanca, Spain, which will take place from 1 to 3 February 2023. The GEFES 2023 is the annual meeting of GEFES, the Condensed Matter Physics Division of the Spanish Royal Physics Society. The theme of GEFES 2023 is to review the condensed matter physics research achievements of the society in the past year and discuss the opportunities and challenges in the field.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Electronics;
• Nanomaterials;
• Energies;
• Materials;
• Symmetry;
• Electronic Materials;
• Physics;
• Condensed Matter.

If you are attending this 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://gefes2023.es/.

We are pleased to announce that Prof. Dr. Javier Gil has been appointed Editor-in-Chief of the Section "Biomaterials" in Materials (ISSN: 1996-1944).

This Section of Materials covers the broad field of biomaterials, understood as materials for applications in contact with the human body in the biomedical field, including materials in medicine, medical devices, biosensors, implants, scaffolds for tissue engineering, drug delivery systems, and antibacterial and dental materials.

Prof. Dr. Javier Gil’s self-introduction:

Throughout my professional life, I have never stopped researching. My research has led to very significant contributions in the development of new biomaterials for hard tissues substitution, dental implants, superelastic and shape memory alloys applied in biomedical applications, bioactive and osseoinductive materials, bacteriostatic and bactericide surfaces, biofunctionalized strategies, and the study of the mechanisms that control the interactions between biomaterials and cells or tissues. This has been possible thanks to having a team with a marked interdisciplinary character.

I have participated in numerous projects funded by national and international entities with very active international involvement, especially through European projects such as Reborne (2010‒2015) and Innovabone (2011‒2015), both in the field of biomaterials for bone regeneration. I have authored 370 research publications indexed in the Web of Science (h-index 57) and more than 11.150 citations (Google Academic) and have contributed to more than 275 international congresses. I have edited 10 books and authored 47 book chapters. At several foreign universities, I have been a visiting lecturer, such as the University of Southampton (UK), University of Michigan (US), University of Minnesota (US), UTSA-Health Campus (University of Texas, San Antonio, US), Universidade do Coimbra and Porto (P), and Universidad Nacional Autonoma de México (UNAM), and I have delivered more than 70 invited lectures at international conferences. Mentoring young researchers has been a central part of my activities, with the supervision of 36 Ph.D. theses (36 presented and 6 more ongoing) and 12 Postdoctoral fellows, as well as 62 master theses and final engineering projects. I have been actively involved in translating research into clinical practice and the industrial sector, being the author of 6 patents licensed to companies and in operation. The Klockner ContacTi dental implant, which is used internationally and one of the best-selling dental implants in Spain, is the result of a patent. In 2013, I participated as a founding partner in the creation of the Spin-Off Company Mimetis Biomaterials, (https://www.mimetis.com/en/). In 2021, the company employed 15 employees.

I was President of the Iberian Society of Biomechanics and Biomaterials and, in 2014, I organized, as vice-president, the International Congress of Ceramics in Medicine, Bioceramics 26, in Barcelona and the 17th European Conference on Biomaterials. Additionally, I participated in the European Society for Biomaterials in Barcelona 2002 as the vice-president.

In 2020, I received the Prize for the Best Scientific Career in the Field of Materials Science and Technology (Materials Science Society). Since 2018, I have been the International Research Advisor to the MDRCBB-Minnesota Dental Research Center for Biomaterials and Biomechanics of the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry. I received the Award of Honour Sociedad Española de Implantes in 2021. I am a numerary member of the Royal European Academy of Doctors and Royal Academy of Dentistry, which I became in 2013, and became, on 14 March 2018, Doctor Honoris Causa for the Universidad de La Habana (Cuba), which was actually proposed by the Universidad de Sevilla.

The following is a short Q&A with Prof. Dr. Javier Gil, who shared his vision for the Section 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 Section Editor-in-Chief?

Over the last few years, I have been able to publish several contributions of my research in biomaterials in Materials and I have been an editor of several Special Issues. The scientific rigor, the good work of the reviewers, and the agility of the journal have been reasons for Materials to be a publication channel for our research group. I am proud and very excited to contribute to the growth of the journal.

2. What is your vision for the Section?

The number of research projects in biomaterials is steadily increasing and publication in this field is growing exponentially. Materials for health are key for people who are living longer and longer. Biomaterials aim to improve the quality of life and health of all human beings. In my opinion, this Section is one of the most important in Materials.

3. What does the future of this field of research look like?

New biomaterials, biofunctionalization of implantable materials with specific missions, new methods of shaping biomaterials such as 3D printing and laser, advances in materials for regenerative medicine, bioactive materials, and bio-instructive materials are aspects of the future. It should be noted that biomaterials are an interdisciplinary area of science where biologists, engineers, chemists, microbiologists, etc., all collaborate with a common goal. This collaboration is occurring and the number of areas of knowledge involved in the advancement of materials for health is growing every day.

4. What do you think of the development of Open Access in the publishing field?

In my opinion, Open Access is the present and the future of scientific publishing. The advancement of science is progressive and based on knowledge generated worldwide. The openness of science and the ease of reading internationally is critical for progress in any discipline.

5. What aspects do you focus on when reviewing a manuscript?

Firstly, scientific rigor, the reproducibility of the tests, and the use of appropriate methodologies to obtain the results of the work. Also, the importance of the topic, the originality of the study and the appropriate references so that readers can broaden their knowledge.

6. Do you have any suggestions for young researchers in this field?

My advice to young people is always to be passionate about their research, to work hard, to be patient in achieving results, and to collaborate with other research groups loyally. The fruits will come, and they will have prestigious publications that will advance the frontier of knowledge. The “Biomaterials” Section of Materials will be there to publish their excellent work. We want to continue to be a prestigious instrument for the expansion of science.

We wish Prof. Dr. Javier Gil every success in his new position, and we look forward to his contributions to the journal.

Materials (ISSN: 1996-1944) has launched the Section “Optics and Photonics”. Optics and photonics are all methodologies and technologies that use photons over the entire spectrum from X-ray to ultraviolet, visible, and infrared, to the terahertz range, and their interaction with a variety of materials. This is an evolving interdisciplinary field of research covering all the optical technologies used in life sciences and medicine. Special, new, and biocompatible materials for implants, tissue phantoms, cell printing, cell labeling, light delivery, etc., require research from scientists from various professions, such as physicists, chemists, engineers, biologists, and doctors.

We are pleased to present the 2022 Editor’s Choice Articles, a carefully curated list of high-quality articles from the Section “Optics and Photonics” listed below:

• “Bright UV-C Phosphors with Excellent Thermal Stability—Y_1−xSc_xPO₄ Solid Solutions”
  by Dmitry Spassky, Andrey Vasil’ev, Vitali Nagirnyi, Irina Kudryavtseva, Dina Deyneko, Ivan Nikiforov, Ildar Kondratyev and Boris Zadneprovski
  Materials 2022, 15(19), 6844; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15196844
  Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/19/6844

• “Experimental and Computational Studies on Bio-Inspired Flavylium Salts as Sensitizers for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells”
  by Iulia Păușescu, Anamaria Todea, Diana-Maria Dreavă, Tania Boboescu, Bianca Pațcan, Larisa Pațcan, Daiana Albulescu, Valentin Badea, Francisc Peter, Róbert Tőtős et al.
  Materials 2022, 15(19), 6985; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15196985
  Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/19/6985

• “Sol-Gel Derived Silica-Titania Waveguide Films for Applications in Evanescent Wave Sensors—Comprehensive Study”
  by Paweł Karasiński, Magdalena Zięba, Ewa Gondek, Jacek Nizioł, Sandeep Gorantla, Krzysztof Rola, Alicja Bachmatiuk and Cuma Tyszkiewicz
  Materials 2022, 15(21), 7641; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15217641
  Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/21/7641

• “Tb³⁺ Ion Optical and Magneto-Optical Properties in the Cubic Crystals KTb₃F₁₀”
  by Uygun V. Valiev, Denis N. Karimov, Chong-Geng Ma, Odiljon Z. Sultonov and Vasiliy O. Pelenovich
  Materials 2022, 15(22), 7999; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15227999
  Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/22/7999 

• “Analysis of Acousto-Optic Figure of Merit in KGW and KYW Crystals”
  by Konstantin B. Yushkov, Natalya F. Naumenko and Vladimir Ya. Molchanov
  Materials 2022, 15(22), 8183; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15228183
  Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/22/8183 

• “Effect of an Anaerobic Fermentation Process on 3D-Printed PLA Materials of a Biogas-Generating Reactor”
  by Adrian Cioabla, Virgil-Florin Duma, Corina Mnerie, Ralph-Alexandru Erdelyi, George Mihai Dobre, Adrian Bradu and Adrian Podoleanu
  Materials 2022, 15(23), 8571; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15238571
  Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/23/8571

• “Bidirectional Terahertz Vortex Beam Regulator”
  by Jiusheng Li, Fenglei Guo, Shuping Zhang and Chao Liu
  Materials 2022, 15(23), 8639; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15238639
  Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/23/8639

• “Acousto–Optic Modulation and Deflection of Terahertz Radiation”
  by Pavel Alekseevich Nikitin, Vasily Valerievich Gerasimov and Ildus Shevketovich Khasanov
  Materials 2022, 15(24), 8836; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15248836
  Available online: www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/24/8836

• “Remarkable Reduction in IG with an Explicit Investigation of the Leakage Conduction Mechanisms in a Dual Surface-Modified Al₂O₃/SiO₂ Stack Layer AlGaN/GaN MOS-HEMT”
  by Soumen Mazumder, Parthasarathi Pal, Kuan-Wei Lee and Yeong-Her Wang
  Materials 2022, 15(24), 9067; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15249067
  Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/24/9067

• “Deformable Photonic Crystals Based on Chiral Liquid Crystals with Thermal-Mediative Shape Memory Effect”
  by Min-Seok Park, Kitae Kim, Young-Joo Lee, Jun-Hee Na and Se-Um Kim
  Materials 2023, 16(1), 35; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16010035
  Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/16/1/35

• “Nd³⁺, Yb³⁺:YF₃ Optical Temperature Nanosensors Operating in the Biological Windows”
  by Maksim Pudovkin, Ekaterina Oleynikova, Airat Kiiamov, Mikhail Cherosov and Marat Gafurov
  Materials 2023, 16(1), 39; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16010039 
  Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/16/1/39

• “Synthesis, Structural and Magnetic Properties of Cobalt-Doped GaN Nanowires on Si by Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition”
  by Zhe Chuan Feng, Yu-Lun Liu, Jeffrey Yiin, Li-Chyong Chen, Kuei-Hsien Chen, Benjamin Klein and Ian T. Ferguson
  Materials 2023, 16(1), 97; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16010097
  Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/16/1/97

• “UV-A,B,C Emitting Persistent Luminescent Materials”
  by Suchinder K. Sharma, Jinu James, Shailendra Kumar Gupta and Shamima Hussain
  Materials 2023, 16(1), 236; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16010236
  Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/16/1/236

• “A Gaussian to Vector Vortex Beam Generator with a Programmable State of Polarization”
  by Jacek Piłka, Michał Kwaśny, Adam Filipkowski, Ryszard Buczyński, Mirosław A. Karpierz and Urszula A. Laudyn
  Materials 2022, 15(21), 7794; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15217794
  Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/21/7794

• “Time-Resolved Four-Channel Jones Matrix Measurement of Birefringent Materials Using an Ultrafast Laser”
  by Zhenjia Cheng, Yuqin Zhang, Xuan Liu, Chengshan Guo, Changwei He, Guiyuan Liu and Hongsheng Song
  Materials 2022, 15(21), 7813; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15217813
  Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/21/7813

• “Basic Characteristics of Dose Distributions of Photons Beam for Radiotherapeutic Applications Using YAG: Ce Crystal Detectors”
  by Janusz Winiecki, Sandra Witkiewicz-Lukaszek, Paulina Michalska, Seweryn Jakubowski, Sergiy Nizhankovskiy and Yuriy Zorenko
  Materials 2022, 15(21), 7861; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15217861
  Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/21/7861

• “Polarization of Acoustic Waves in Two-Dimensional Phononic Crystals Based on Fused Silica”
  by Mikhail V. Marunin and Nataliya V. Polikarpova
  Materials 2022, 15(23), 8315; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15238315
  Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/23/8315

• “Deep Tissue Characterization with Optical Coherence Elastography: A Comparison of Different Methods”
  by Asha Parmar, Gargi Sharma, Andreas Ramming and Kanwarpal Singh
  Materials 2022, 15(23), 8558; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15238558
  Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/23/8558

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the research groups that submitted to Materials (ISSN: 1996-1944). We would appreciate it if you could circulate this document among your colleagues and network. Furthermore, the following opportunities for collaboration may be of interest:

Submitting a manuscript:

This Section is currently open for submissions. Papers may be submitted via the following link: https://susy.mdpi.com/user/manuscripts/upload?journal=materials.

Launching a Special Issue:

You have the opportunity to propose hot topics and edit a Special Issue together with experts in the field.

Joining the Editorial Board:

If you are an active researcher in the field of optics and photonics and are interested in joining the Editorial Board, please do not hesitate to get in touch (materials@mdpi.com).

Materials Editorial Office

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Ingo Dierking has been appointed Editor-in-Chief of the Section "Soft Matter" in Materials (ISSN: 1996-1944).

Dr. Ingo Dierking received his Ph.D. in 1995 from the University of Clausthal in Germany. After employment at the IBM TJ Watson Research Center in the US, working on electronic paper, he joined Chalmers University in Gothenburg, Sweden, as a Humboldt fellow. There, he was appointed docent, before joining the University of Darmstadt in Germany as a lecturer for several years and eventually moving to the University of Manchester in 2002, where he is a Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor at the Department of Physics & Astronomy. Dr. Ingo Dierking has published more than 150 scientific papers, as well as several books on the topic of liquid crystal research. He is the 2009 awardee of the Hilsum medal of the British Liquid Crystal Society (BLCS), the 2016 winner of the Samsung Mid-Career Award for Research Excellence of the International Liquid Crystal Society (ILCS) and the 2021 awardee of the Gray medal. Ingo Dierking is the editor of Liquid Crystals Today, the current President of the ILCS and a former Chair of the BLCS. His current research interests are broadly focused on soft-matter systems, with an emphasis on liquid crystals, and LC-based composites with polymers and nanoparticles.

The following is a Q&A with Dr. Ingo Dierking, who shared his vision for the Section, in addition to his views on 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?

The journal has a relatively wide scope and is appealing to a broad audience. It offers the possibility to obtain an overview of research topics one would not necessarily look for, for example, a soft matter physicist is exposed to nanomaterial research in the same issue of the journal and might run across an interesting title when looking through the table of contents. Similarly, as a Section editor with a background in liquid crystals, one is exposed to publications from the fields of polymers, colloids, or biological materials, which might enhance one’s own research.

2. What does the future of this field of research look like?

This is of course a question which is very different for each individual, so I would like to talk about this with my specific view and expertise on liquid crystals. The current research in liquid crystals as being applied in screens is slowly decreasing because there has already been so much research in this area that significant improvements from the side of materials are not needed anymore commercially. The future could lie in 3D screens or holography for screen-related technologies, and also in augmented reality applications. The applications in other areas are now being explored, such as drug delivery, biosensors, gas sensors and adaptive (micro)optics. From a fundamental point of view, different areas of soft matter could increasingly overlap, leading to a broader understanding of the field and the potential for further and largely different applications, especially through the exploitation of self-assembly and self-organization.

3. You have run several successful Special Issues, what did you find important to their success?

The activity and engagement of the Guest Editor are essential. I tend to send personalized emails to the authors I want to invite and to see participate in a special issue. Mass emailing does not attract me personally to submit, so that is what I try to avoid. On the other hand, receiving personalized emails from the GE makes me more likely to consider contributing, so this is what I do when I am a GE. Furthermore, a good and interesting choice of topic, which sets itself apart from those of other issues and journals, might also help.

4. What factors are important to you when selecting a journal to submit to?

In my opinion, the impact factor has become an overrated metric to judge the quality of research. Of course, as a researcher, one should have an interest in publishing quality research. For this, it is essential that a journal has a good review process in place. And of course, the impact factor in many cases allows us to distinguish quality research, but this has to be taken with a pinch of salt, as impact, for example, also depends on the size of the research field, etc. Personally, I believe that the primary question for an author should be: Who is my target audience for a particular research paper? Is it the science community, the soft matter community or the liquid crystal community? Who would I really want to read this paper? – of course, also with an eye on the impact.

5. What do you think of the development of Open Access in the publishing field?

There are certain risks with the concept of Open Access publishing, like predatory journals publishing every submission simply for the sake of maximizing profits. As such, a robust review process might be easier to implement for other publishers, although, of course, most of these, in the end, also publish for profit. The positive side is, of course, that OA publishing reaches a potentially much larger audience, also colleagues who might otherwise not have access to the literature. And of course, there are the funding agencies who often demand Open Access publishing. I believe that OA is a good concept for research publishing, as long as thorough peer review is ensured, costs are controllable, and it is ensured that excellent research is published independent of the financial situation of the authors. Lack of funds should not be a reason for the rejection of good research.

We wish Dr. Ingo Dierking every success in his new position, and we look forward to his contributions to the journal.

We are pleased to announce the launch of a new initiative—the MDPI Special Issue Mentor Program.

This program will enable early career researchers (who must hold a Ph.D. in a related field) to experience editing a Special Issue in MDPI journals, under the mentorship of our experienced Editorial Board Members or other experienced scientists. The mentor program will provide an excellent opportunity for early career scientists to gain editorial experience, and to cultivate their ability to edit scientific research.

The mentee’s responsibilities include:

• Proposing a Special Issue title and assisting the mentor in preparing a summary (around 200–400 words) and 3–10 keywords describing the background, importance, and goal of the Issue;
• Writing a brief promotion plan for the Special Issue;
• Preparing a list of scholars who may be interested in the Issue and personally e-mailing invitations on behalf of Guest Editors;
• Writing an editorial for the online Special Issue together with the mentor.

The mentor’s responsibilities include:

• Conducting a final check before the Special Issue is published online;
• Performing editorial control of the Special Issue and quality control of the publications, both of which must be carried out in a timely manner;
• Providing suggestions to younger scholars if they have any doubts or concerns regarding submissions;
• Organizing video calls with young scholars and the Editorial Office regularly to discuss problems and improvement suggestions for the Special Issue;
• Making and submitting decisions regarding submissions with the assistance of mentees.

Certificates and awards:
After the Special Issue closes, the Editorial Office will provide official certificates for all the mentors and early career researchers.

If you are interested in this opportunity, please send your Special Issue proposal to the Editorial Office of a journal you choose, and we will discuss the process (i.e., mentor collaboration, Special Issue topic feasibility analysis, etc.) in further detail. The full list of MDPI journals is as follows: https://www.mdpi.com/about/journals.

In addition to the new Special Issue Mentor Program, we will continue to welcome all Special Issue proposals focusing on hot research topics.

Materials (ISSN: 1996-1944) has organized and sponsored the Best Oral Presentation and Best Poster Award for the 4th International Conference on Materials: Advanced and Emerging Materials (ICM 2022). The applications were processed by the Conference Committee. We are pleased to announce the Best Oral Presentation Award winner, Ms. Katherine Pérez, and Best Poster Award winner, Ms. Noor Abu Jarad.

ICM 2022 was chaired by the Materials Editor-in-Chief Prof. Dr. Maryam Tabrizian (McGill University, Montreal, Canada) and Associate Editor-in-Chief Prof. Dr. Filippo Berto (Department of Industrial and Mechanical Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway). The conference topics included: Materials Characterization, Nanotechnology in Material Sciences and Engineering, Materials Processing and Manufacturing, Soft and Bio-materials, Fibers and Membranes, and Optical, Electrical and Magnetic Materials. More details about the conference can be found on the following website: https://icm2022.sciforum.net/.

The following is an interview with Ms. Katherine Pérez:

We would like to congratulate Ms. Katherine Pérez and Ms. Noor Abu Jarad again for their accomplishments! If you are also interested in Materials’ awards, please refer to https://www.mdpi.com/journal/materials/awards to apply or nominate someone else for an award.

MDPI has just become the first open access (OA) publisher to reach the milestone of one million articles published. That is one million articles freely available to all, to circulate and build upon! We are proud to share this special moment with the global scientific community.

This landmark has been reached thanks to the immeasurable support of more than 600,000 expert reviewers, 66,000 editorial board members and 6700 hard-working colleagues across MDPI’s global offices.

Within more than 25 years of publishing, our journals received 2.1 million manuscripts and generated 4.6 million peer review reports to get to one million papers published.

Reaching the milestone of one million articles published reinforces our mission to remove any existing barriers and to make scientific research accessible to all. Since its inception, MDPI’s goal has been to create reliable processes to make science open. This is a path towards facilitating the dissemination of novel insights in scientific communities.

Regular feedback from authors and reviewers shows that our service is greatly appreciated and needed. At the same time, the feedback helps us identify areas for further improvement.

As it stands, a significant share of published research findings remain closed access. More than half of the content published with the most well-known legacy publishers stays behind a paywall, and that is not including articles published in hybrid OA journals, or made available months or years after publication.

A new policy announced by the US administration in August 2022 requires that, as of January 2026, all US federally funded research be made freely and immediately available after publication. While the new policy does not mandate articles be published under an open access license, it is aligned with the open access movement in removing all barriers to research. Similarly, some of the most advanced research institutions in the world intend to have all funded research articles published in open access by 2025.

MDPI is proud to be the leading agent of the transition to open access.

"Thanks a Million" to all the contributors!

We are now recruiting the Editor-in-Chief for the Section “Green Materials” of Materials (ISSN: 1996-1944), which was launched this year. If you are an active researcher in one of the green materials fields and are passionate about publishing cutting-edge research, please do not hesitate to contact us at: materials@mdpi.com.

Section Information

Research in green materials covers, among other polymers, composites, polymeric materials, and non-conventional materials which can reduce the use of hazardous substances in the preparation, manufacturing process, and applications of green products. To enhance the impact of green materials in the context of material science, the Section includes but is not limited to contributions on:

• Renewable materials;
• Sustainable biomaterials;
• Advanced polymer nanocomposites;
• Inorganic functional nanomaterials;
• Environmentally friendly polymeric materials;
• Novel flame-retardant polymers;
• Green chemical materials.

You can find more information about the Section on our homepage: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/materials/sections/green_materials.

The Section Editor-in-Chief has the following responsibilities:

• Promoting Materials and the Section “Green Materials” and increasing their visibility at related academic conferences;
• Making scientific decisions about the journal’s scope;
• Inviting distinguished scientists to join the Editorial Board;
• Suggesting topics for Special Issues and assisting the Guest Editors in the setup of Special Issues;
• Providing support and guidance to Editorial Board Members and editorial staff where required;
• Overviewing the editorial process for individual manuscripts (mainly by making the final decision on whether a paper can be published after peer review and revisions);
• Understanding, leading, and upholding MDPI’s peer review guidelines and ethics guidelines.

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 look forward to collaborating with you.

Materials Editorial Office

We are pleased to announce that 15 new scholars were appointed Editorial Board Members (EBMs) of the journal Materials (ISSN: 1996-1944) in November 2022.

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

We wish our new members every success in both their research and in the development of the journal.

Additionally, Materials is recruiting prestigious scholars from around the world to join our Editorial Board. To apply for this position, recommend potential candidates, or request further information, please contact the Materials Editorial Office (materials@mdpi.com) with the following two files attached:

• A full academic CV;
• A short cover letter that details your interest in and enthusiasm for the position.

Materials Editorial Office

We are pleased to announce that the website of the MDPI Sustainability Foundation has been revamped! For the past couple of months, our UX UI team and front-end developers have been working hard to launch the website in time for the opening of the Sustainability Awards nominations.

The website is not the only thing that has had a remodeling. Indeed, the format of the Emerging Sustainability Leader Award (ESLA) has been updated. ESLA is now a competition open to individual researchers or start-ups founded by researchers under the age of 35. Nominee applications will go through 2 rounds of selection until the final 3 are decided. The finalists will then be invited to give pitch presentations during the Award Ceremony to win either first place (10,000 USD) or runner-up (2 x 5000 USD).

The World Sustainability Award, on the other hand, remains the same: a total prize money of 100,000 USD is up for grabs by senior individual researchers or groups of researchers from the international research community.

Nominations for both the World Sustainability Award and the Emerging Sustainability Leader award are now open! Check out our new website for more information on how to nominate.