Announcements
30 April 2025
Richard DiMarchi and Rolf Müller Share the 2024 Tu Youyou Award
We are pleased to announce that the 2024 Tu Youyou Award has been conferred upon Richard DiMarchi and Rolf Müller, in recognition of their significant contributions to natural products chemistry and medicinal chemistry.
 Richard DiMarchi Indiana University, USA |
Prof. Richard DiMarchi is a Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Gill Chair in Biomolecular Sciences at Indiana University, USA. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Dr. DiMarchi is a former Group Vice President at Eli Lilly and later at Novo Nordisk. He is recognized for his contributions to the discovery and development of rDNA-derived Humulin®, Humalog®, rGlucagon®, and Forteo®. His academic research has broadened the understanding of glucagon and incretin physiology and pioneered the discovery of single-molecule multi-mechanism agonists for the treatment of diabetes and obesity. The central element to success has been the chemical vision and technology to install within single molecules simultaneous agonism at related G-protein coupled receptors, coupled to the counter-intuitive discovery that glucagon and GIP agonism could synergize the therapeutic efficacy of GLP-1. These peptides and their conceptual approach have transformed the management of excessive body weight to a condition comparable to how hypertension, adult-onset diabetes, and excess cholesterol are medicinally managed. |
| “Professor DiMarchi was recognized by the 2024 Tu Youyou Award Committee members as being an exceptional leader in the medicinal chemistry of peptides and proteins of natural origin, and as a pioneer in the field of chemical biotechnology. His very important discoveries have led to breakthroughs in new drugs related to the therapy of diabetes and obesity. He has been named as an inventor on a very large number of patents, and he has had initially a highly successful scientific and administrative career in industry, which was followed by over two decades in academia as a distinguished professor.” —Prof. Dr. A. Douglas Kinghorn, Chair of the Award Committee |
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 Rolf Müller Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), Germany; Helmholtz Centre for Infections Research (HZI), Germany; Saarland University, Germany |
Prof. Rolf Müller is the Founding and Managing Director of the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) and Professor of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology at Saarland University, Germany. Having received his training from the University of Bonn, he held research positions at the University of Washington, USA, and Braunschweig University of Technology, Germany, prior to his appointment as professor to Saarland University. His laboratory has dedicated itself to the exploration of bacterial natural-product biosynthetic pathways for more than 20 years and has extensive experience in working with myxobacteria and other microbial producer strains. Starting from the isolation and characterization of new microorganisms, the scope of work includes microbiology-, biotechnology-, bioinformatics-, and chemistry-based approaches to exploit these isolates as sources of new drugs with a special focus on novel anti-infectives. Müller and his team apply a variety of state-of-the-art analytical methods and biological assays to perform biological and chemical characterizations of the identified compounds. Prof. Müller has received several awards, including the prestigious Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize, the PHOENIX Pharmacy Research Award, the DECHEMA Prize, and the Inhoffen Medal, as well as being an elected member of acatech, Leopoldina, and the German Academy of Sciences and Literature. |
| “The 2024 Tu Youyou Award Committee members were highly impressed by the truly outstanding past and ongoing contributions of Professor Müller in both microbial natural products isolation chemistry and in biosynthesis, as well as in the development of lead compounds for their potential in treating human diseases, through his global connections with various major funding agencies. He is also a dedicated teacher who has trained numerous graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, and he has lectured on his research in countries all over the world.” —Prof. Dr. A. Douglas Kinghorn, Chair of the Award Committee |
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The achievements of Richard DiMarchi and Rolf Müller highlight the transformative impact of natural products chemistry and medicinal chemistry. We congratulate them and invite the global academic community and public to join us in celebrating their significant contributions.
2024 Award Committee
Committee Chair:
- Prof. Dr. A. Douglas Kinghorn, Ohio State University, USA.
Committee Members (listed in alphabetical order):
- Prof. Angelo Fontana, University of Naples “Federico II”, Italy;
- Prof. Binghe Wang, Georgia State University, USA;
- Dr. Diana Pinto, University of Aveiro, Portugal;
- Prof. Hideaki Kakeya, Kyoto University, Japan;
- Dr. RuAngelie Edrada-Ebel, University of Strathclyde, UK;
- Prof. Thomas Prisinzano, University of Kentucky, USA
- Prof. Wei Li, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, USA.
About the Tu Youyou Award:
The 2024 Tu Youyou Award includes a total monetary prize of 100,000 Swiss Francs and a medal for each recipient. Established in 2016 to honor the pioneering spirit of Nobel laureate Tu Youyou, the Tu Youyou Award is an international award honoring exceptional scholars dedicated to the fields of natural products chemistry and medicinal chemistry.
For further information about the award and the winners, please visit the Tu Youyou Award website.
11 June 2025
Sensors Receives an Increased CiteScore of 8.2
10 June 2025
Sensors Webinar | Trustless Biometric Sensors, 13 June 2025
This online webinar aims to explore the integration of biometrics with decentralized technologies. We will examine methods for securing biometric templates in trustless systems and discuss how these technologies can enhance digital security, privacy, and control.
Topics will include the benefits of decentralized networks—potentially incorporating blockchain technologies—for biometrics, such as improved data integrity, accessibility, and auditability. We will also explore diverse approaches to secure verification and processing within these frameworks.
This webinar will feature presentations from two leading experts, focusing on biometric-bound credentials, template protection, and the use of privacy-preserving biometrics in cloud settings. Their insights will address key challenges and recent advancements in this field, followed by a discussion on practical applications and future directions.
Keywords: biometric data privacy; trusted biometric systems; distributed processing of biometric data; decentralised biometrics; biometric authentication; zero-knowledge authentication; privacy-preserving biometry; biodata security; biometric trust; biometric wallets
Date: 13 June 2025 | 11:00 a.m. CEST | 5:00 p.m. CST Asia | 7:00 p.m. AEST
Webinar ID: 817 0664 6858
Website: https://sciforum.net/event/Sensors-26
Register now for free!
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Speakers/Presentation |
Time in CEST |
Time in CST |
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Prof. Dr. Kristijan Lenac |
11:00–11:10 a.m. |
5:00–5:10 p.m. |
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Dr. Vedrana Krivokuća Hahn |
11:10–11:30 a.m. |
5:10–5:30 p.m. |
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Dr. Norman Poh |
11:30–11:50 a.m. |
5:30–5:50 p.m. |
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Q&A Session |
11:50–12:05 p.m. |
5:50–6:05 p.m. |
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Prof. Dr. Kristijan Lenac |
12:05–12:10 p.m. |
6:05–6:10 p.m. |
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 for viewing.
Webinar Chair and Keynote Speakers:
- Dr. Kristijan Lenac, Faculty of Engineering, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia;
- Vedrana Krivokuća Hahn, Idiap Research Institute, Martigny, Switzerland;
- Norman Poh, Faculty of Information & Communication Technology, University of Malta, Malta; Trust Stamp, Atlanta, USA.
10 June 2025
Meet Us at the 6th International Conference on Vibration and Energy Harvesting Applications (VEH 2025), 11–14 July 2025, Hong Kong
5 June 2025
Meet Us Virtually at the 12th International Electronic Conference on Sensors and Applications (ECSA-12), 12–14 November 2025
3 June 2025
MDPI INSIGHTS: The CEO's Letter #23 - MDPI Summits Spain & Italy, Ei Compendex, and Editorial Independence
Welcome to the MDPI Insights: The CEO's Letter.
In these monthly letters, I will showcase two key aspects of our work at MDPI: our commitment to empowering researchers and our determination to facilitating open scientific exchange.
Opening Thoughts
Highlights from the MDPI Spain Summit in Barcelona (21-22 May)
In May we hosted the MDPI Spain Summit in Barcelona – our second summit in the city following the inaugural one in November 2023.
Stefan Tochev (CEO, MDPI) at the MDPI Spain Summit in Barcelona, 22 May 2025.
Creating a space for exchange of views
The goal of our summits is to bring together Chief Editors of MDPI journals from across disciplines and institutions. These intimate gatherings provide a platform to present the latest developments at MDPI and to initiate open conversations about our journals, the future of open access, and the evolving landscape of scientific publishing.
Most importantly, these are opportunities for in-person connection, providing a more meaningful space for the exchange of views and for building long-term relationships.
Exploring the future of scientific publishing in Spain
The summit took place on 21–22 May and featured a mix of MDPI presentations (including two guest presentations), roundtable discussions, and Q&A sessions. On the first day, we held a focused session with our Chief Editors to gather feedback and have open discussions on their journal development, the peer-review process, and local accreditation systems.
Dr. Giulia Stefenelli (Scientific Communications Lead, MDPI, presents MDPI’s Editorial Process and Peer Review Quality Metrics at the MDPI Spain Summit in Barcelona, 22 May 2025.
I had the pleasure of opening the Summit with a welcome address and an overview of MDPI’s recent milestones. The agenda then included the following sessions:
- MDPI and Recent Developments in the Spanish Market – Dr. Marta Colomer (Public Affairs Specialist, MDPI)
- MDPI Editorial Process and Peer Review Quality Metrics – Dr. Giulia Stefenelli (Scientific Communications Lead, MDPI)
- Open Access in Spain – Dr. Remedios Melero (Researcher, CSIC – guest speaker)
- AI in Publishing and MDPI's Actions – Dr. Enric Sayas (Business Analyst, MDPI), Daniele Raimondi (Data Scientist, MDPI), and Dr. Alexandre López-Borrull (Researcher, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya – guest speaker)
- Publication Ethics – Ana Stankovic (Research Integrity and Publication Ethics, MDPI)
- Opening and Closing remarks were provided by Rocksy Zhang (Editorial Director, MDPI)
We are extremely grateful for the strong engagement shown by our Editors, who were clearly appreciative of the event and the discussions we had. They felt seen and heard, which is a vital prerequisite for building open channels of communication and cultivating productive long-term collaborations.
MDPI colleagues during MDPI Spain Summit in Barcelona (22 May 2025).
A big thank-you to the entire Barcelona team for organizing such a successful event!
Upcoming MDPI Summit events:
- Italy Summit – Rome (26–27 May)
- US Summit – Boston, MA (5–6 June)
- France Summit – Paris (12–13 June)
- US Summit – Houston, TX (26–27 June)
- UK Summit – London (16–17 September)
- Germany Summit – Berlin (18–19 September)
- Romania Summit – Bucharest (23–24 October)
...with more in between, and more to follow.
Impactful Research
50 MDPI Journals Now Indexed in Ei Compendex
Indexing is a key indicator of a journal’s scientific impact. An indexed journal gives research greater visibility and credibility within the global academic community and is recognized for its quality and relevance. While many of our journals are included in major databases such as Web of Science and Scopus, MDPI also places strong emphasis on journal inclusion in subject-specific indexing platforms that align with each journal’s scope. This ensures that when you publish with MDPI, you publish with impact.
I’m pleased to share that as at May 2025, 51 of our journals are now indexed in Ei Compendex, a leading bibliographic database for engineering and applied sciences. This is a major milestone that reflects both the quality or our editorial processes and the relevance of the research we publish in these fields.
“When you publish with MDPI, you publish with impact”
Discoverability and reach
Inclusion in Ei Compendex means greater discoverability for our authors and broader reach of our journals in the fields of engineering and technology. It improves our ability to support global research and innovation, while building MDPI’s reputation in the applied sciences. This recognition is the result of the dedicated work of our editorial teams, reviewers, and authors, and of our overall commitment to excellence in publishing.
You can read our full announcement here.
Appreciative thanks to everyone involved in reaching this milestone.
Inside MDPI
One Year of MDPI’s Seoul Office
On 29 April, we marked one year since the opening of our Seoul office, MDPI’s first local hub in South Korea. South Korea is a key market for MDPI, currently ranking as our sixth-largest contributor to the company’s total publications, with over 89,000 MDPI articles authored by individuals affiliated with Korean institutions. Over the past 12 months, the Seoul team has made great strides in building our visibility, networks, and presence in the region.
A few highlights from the past year
Claude Seo (MDPI Korea Office Manager, Seoul)
Claude Seo, who has over 15 years of experience in the academic publishing industry, is the Office Manager of the Seoul office.
In its inaugural year, the Seoul office focused primarily on marketing and promotional activities to support the MDPI brand locally. During that time, the team concentrated on scholar visits to local institutions, attending academic conferences, and hosting editorial board meetings.
The team also secured 10 Institutional Open Access Program (IOAP) renewals, signed three new IOAP agreements, and established one new Society affiliation.
The Seoul office also hosted its first library book fair and reached over 1,000 followers on its LinkedIn channel, which is an encouraging indication of local visibility and engagement.
“The Seoul team has made strides in building our visibility, networks, and presence in the region”
Growth plans
Later this year, we are working on opening a new Seoul office in a more central location, with room for our growing team. The new space will bring us closer to other publishing partners and provide easier access to and from the airport. The Seoul office will continue to expand its efforts in outreach and engagement as its builds its presence in South Korea.
Warm thanks to the entire Seoul team for their hard work and dedication, and to all MDPI colleagues who have contributed to this exciting chapter in our global journey.
Coming Together for Science
Highlights from the MDPI Italy Summit in Rome (26–27 May)
We closed the month of May by hosting the first MDPI Italy Summit in Rome. This was an important event for us, as Italy has consistently ranked among the top ten countries globally for open access publications over the past decade.
MDPI and Italy: Facts & Figures
- With over 144,000 publications (as at 31 May 2025), Italy is MDPI’s third largest contributor after China and the USA.
- In 2024, MDPI was the second-largest publishing house in Italy.
- The 7,165 Editorial Board Members (EBMs) drawn from Italian institutions represent 8.9% of all MDPI academic editors.
- Among these, 319 serve as Editors-in-Chief (EiCs) or Section Editors-in-Chief (SEiCs).
- Eleven Italian EBMs were recognized as 2024 Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers.
- In 2024, MDPI received 24,873 review reports and collaborated with 88,578 reviewers from Italy.
- 23,131 Guest Editors from Italian institutions led 4,827 Special Issues across 248 MDPI journals.
- MDPI partners with over 900 institutions globally, of which 17 are in Italy.
The MDPI Italy Summit in Rome
Dr. Prof. Giulio Cerullo, EiC of Applied Sciences, at the MDPI Italy Summit in Rome (27 May 2025).
Held on 26–27 May, the MDPI Italy Summit brought together 25 Chief Editors from across our journal portfolio, including some of our largest journals such as Applied Sciences, to discuss MDPI’s latest developments and collaborations in the Italian market, our use of data intelligence and AI to support strategic decision-making, a look into our editorial process, peer-review quality metrics, and conversations around research integrity and community engagement.
The Summit featured MDPI presentations followed by Q&A and concluded with a roundtable discussion. On the evening of the 26th, we hosted a dinner with our Editors to connect personally, learn more about their research, and hear feedback on journal operations and the broader academic landscape in Italy.
Gathering of Editors-in-Chief and MDPI staff at the MDPI Italy Summit in Rome (27 May 2025).
Event Agenda – 27 May
Moderated by Maddalena Favaretto (Conference Scientific Advisor, MDPI), the program featured:
- MDPI Overview, Achievements, Latest News and Future Developments – Stefan Tochev (CEO, MDPI)
- Country Report: Italy – Dr. Laura Perez Martin (Conference Assistant, MDPI)
- AI in Publishing and MDPI’s Actions – Dr. Andrea Perlato (Head of Data Analytics, MDPI)
- MDPI Editorial Process and Research Integrity – Dr. Giulia Stefenelli (Scientific Communications Lead, MDPI)
- Panel Discussion – Stefan, Andrea, Giulia
Panel Discussion with Stefan Tochev (CEO, MDPI), Dr. Giulia Stefenelli (Scientific Communications Lead, MDPI), Dr. Andrea Perlato (Head of Data Analytics, MDPI) during the MDPI Italy Summit in Rome (27 May 2025).
A big thank-you to our Conference team and everyone who worked behind the scenes to make these events run smoothly.
Closing Thoughts
Upholding Editorial Independence in Scholarly Publishing
A recent MDPI blog post written by Dr. Ioana Craciun (Scientific Communications Specialist, MDPI), “Editorial Independence and Publisher Support: Collaborating to Uphold Integrity,” highlights the important balance between editorial autonomy and publisher collaboration in academic publishing.
As the leading fully Open Access scholarly publisher, we are proud to champion editorial independence within our publishing process.
Drawing from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines, the article emphasizes that while editors must have the freedom to make decisions based on scholarly merit, publishers play a critical role in providing the necessary infrastructure and tools to support the editorial process. This collaborative approach ensures the integrity of the peer review process, builds trust among authors and readers, and upholds the quality and relevance of published content.
MDPI highlights its commitment to this model by investing in research integrity specialists, AI tools for plagiarism detection, and administrative support, all aimed at empowering editors to make independent, informed decisions.
Chief Executive Officer
MDPI AG
28 May 2025
Meet Us at the 47th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, 14–18 July 2025, Copenhagen, Denmark
28 May 2025
Interview with Dr. Lucia Sarcina—Winner of the Sensors 2024 Young Investigator Award
We had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Lucia Sarcina, winner of the Sensors 2024 Young Investigator Award. Dr. Lucia Sarcina is currently a research fellow at the University of Bari. Italy. She received her bachelor’s degree in materials science in 2015 and her master’s degree in materials science and technology in 2018, at the University of Bari, within a Global Thesis Study Award at the University of Oviedo (Spain). She finalized an industrial Ph.D. project (2019-2022) in chemical and molecular sciences in Bari, focused on the study of a standalone and disposable bioelectronic HIV sensor for point-of-care applications. Her Ph.D. thesis has been awarded the “Silvio Sammartano” Award 2023 from the Analytical Chemistry Division of the Italian Society of Chemistry (SCI). At the age of 31, she is a co-author of 32 publications in international journals, 13 of which as first author, and she has 20 international conference contributions. She has expertise in characterizing modified gold surfaces, used as transducing systems for the bio-recognition of clinically relevant pathogens. She is currently working on the characterization of bio-electronic devices based on electrolyte-gated FETs.
We wish to congratulate Dr. Lucia Sarcina on winning the Sensors 2024 Young Investigator Award. We hope that you enjoy the interview.
21 May 2025
Meet Us Virtually at the 1st International Online Conference on Sensor and Actuator Networks (CSAN 2026), 9–10 July
We are pleased to announce that the 1st International Online Conference on Sensor and Actuator Networks (CSAN 2026) will be held online on 9–10 July 2026. The conference is organized by MDPI’s Journal of Sensor and Actuator Networks (ISSN: 2224-2708, Impact Factor: 3.3)
CSAN 2026 will present the latest studies in sensor and actuator network-related research in the fields of healthcare, smart agriculture, industry, mobile systems, intelligent transportation, manufacturing, smart cities, and engineering.
Conference Chair: Prof. Dr. Lei Shu
Affiliations: 1 Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China; 2 University of Lincoln, Lincoln, UK
Session topics:
S1. Industry 4.0 and embedded wireless sensor/actuator systems;
S2. Blockchain technologies and Internet-of-Things-based WSAN;
S3. WSAN and next-generation networks (5G, 6G, etc.);
S4. Applications of WSAN in agriculture, vehicles, wearable sensors, smart cities, manufacturing, mobile systems, and health and medical care;
S5. Big data, computing and artificial intelligence.
Conference Awards:
- The Best Oral Presentation Award is given to the invited speakers; we appreciate your contribution and time at CSAN2026;
- The Best Video Presentation Award is given to the submission judged to make the most significant and interesting video presentation for the conference.
Guide for Authors:
Abstracts written for CSAN 2026 will be directly submitted to the Topic “The 1st International Online Conference on Sensor and Actuator Networks (CSAN 2026)” within the “Special Issue” section of JSAN with a 15% discount on the publication fee.
Submit your abstract before 9 March 2026
Register before 6 July 2026
Register for Early Bird by 6 June 2026. The registration fee includes attendance costs for all conference sessions.
For detailed information, please visit https://sciforum.net/event/CSAN2026.
For any enquiries regarding the event, please contact csan2026@mdpi.com.
We look forward to seeing you at CSAN 2026.
17 May 2025
Online Scientific Publishing Exchange: Academic Article-Writing Techniques and MDPI’s Peer-Review Process and Best Practices for Authors and Reviewers
MDPI is excited to collaborate with the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava to host an exclusive Online Scientific Publishing Exchange event to discuss the knowledge and tools needed for successful academic publishing. This workshop will cover key aspects of techniques for writing academic articles, as well as MDPI’s Open Access publishing model, including the peer-review process, editorial workflow and an introduction to Sensors (ISSN: 1424-8220). Participants will receive practical tips on improving scientific writing and best practices for authors and reviewers, guided by experienced editors.
Date: 19 May 2025
Time: 1:00 p.m. CET
To attend the workshop please click the Teams link here to attend the event.
Schedule:
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Speaker |
Program and Content |
Time CET |
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Ms. Doris Albu |
Academic Article-Writing Techniques |
1:00 p.m. |
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Ms. Andjela Sakota |
Sensors Journal Introductions and Editorial Process |
2:00 p.m. |
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Ms. Mara Fage |
MDPI’s Peer-Review Process and Best Practices for Authors and Reviewers |
3:00 p.m. |
MDPI Speakers:
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Ms. Doris Larisa Albu is a Journal Relations Specialist at MDPI Romania, focused on building strong, trusting relationships with journal collaborators; handling external and ethical requests; and representing MDPI at events. |
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Ms. Andjela Sakota holds a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Novi Sad, Serbia. She joined MDPI in 2019 and has since held several roles within the editorial department, gaining extensive experience in scientific publishing. She currently serves as a Journal Relations Specialist, focusing on building and maintaining strong relationships with scholars, readers, and institutional partners while overseeing the strategic development of both internal and external collaborations for Sensors. Alongside her journal relations role, since 2022, she has served as the Team Lead for a group of MDPI in-house editors, providing guidance, support, and oversight to ensure high editorial standards and efficient workflow management. |
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Ms. Diana Mara Fage holds a master’s degree in food control and processing and has more than 5 years of experience working in academic publishing. She works for MDPI as a Journal Relations Specialist and dedicates her time to maintaining and building collaborations with researchers and scholars. Additionally, she represents MDPI at academic events and maintains the integrity of several journals by ensuring that ethical standards are respected. |
