Dear Colleagues,

As Editor-in-Chief of Materials, I am pleased to announce the winners of the Materials Travel Awards for 2021. The awards have been granted to: Dr. Giulia Fredi and Dr. Mattia Biesuz.

Dr. Giulia Fredi is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Trento (Italy). Her main research interests involve (i) multifunctional polymer composites for thermal energy storage and management and (ii) renewable blends and nanocomposites based on bioderived poly(alkylene furanoate)s for packaging and textile applications. She will attend the 23rd International Conference on Composite Materials (ICCM23), held on 1–6 August 2021, in Belfast, UK.

Dr. Mattia Biesuz is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the Czech Academy of Science (Czech Republic). His research interests include electric field-assisted processing of glasses and ceramics with a specific focus on flash sintering. Other research activities include: polymer-derived ceramics, ceramics joining, ion exchange technologies, cold sintering, high-entropy compounds, and porous ceramics for thermal energy storage. He will attend the “XVII European Ceramic Society (ECerS) Conference”, held on 29 August–2 September 2021, in Dresden, Germany.

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. On behalf of the assessment committee, I congratulate the winners on their accomplishments.

Prof. Dr. Maryam Tabrizian
Editor-in-Chief, Materials