Announcements

MDPI is collaborating with the Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Spain, to hold an author training session comprising valuable insights about MDPI and open access publishing. MDPI has invited academic editors from the journal Sensors (ISSN: 1424-8220) to inform authors about how to explore ongoing Special Issues and topics, and discover opportunities tailored to specific author groups.

Date: 28 June 2024
Time: 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Venue: Escola Tècnica Superior d’Enginyeria, Universitat Rovira i Virgili

Schedule:

MDPI Speakers:

We are pleased to announce MDPI’s Transfer Service.

This service provides a convenient method of transferring your manuscript file, along with any reviewer comments, to another journal within our publishing portfolio.

We are committed to helping authors find the right home for their research, and we will provide authors with guidance and technical support through all stages of the transfer process. Authors will be able to choose to transfer in the following two situations:

1. Select alternative journals on submission.

2. Authors are encouraged to transfer manuscripts to other MDPI journals.

More details about the Transfer Service can be found at the following link:

https://www.mdpi.com/authors/transfer-service

In acknowledgment of the groundbreaking achievements of Professor Tu Youyou, the Nobel laureate credited with the discovery of artemisinin, MDPI is proud to announce the Tu Youyou Award. This award, inaugurated in 2016, seeks to honor scholars who excel in the fields of natural products chemistry and medicinal chemistry.

Prize:

• CHF 100,000 in total (If there is more than one winner, the prize will be divided equally amongst the winners);
• An award medal for each winner.

Who should be nominated?

• Scientists with outstanding achievements and contributions in the fields of natural products chemistry and medicinal chemistry.

Who can submit a nomination?

• Academic research institutes
• Universities
• Academic societies

Any personal nominations are not accepted.

How do I submit a nomination?
Candidates’ institutional affiliations need to submit their nominations for final candidates to the Tu Youyou Award Team directly by email after internal screening, and each institution can only nominate a maximum of two candidates for each edition of the Tu Youyou Award. Please note that the nominations cannot be modified once they are submitted and confirmed by the Tu Youyou Award Team.

Required nomination materials:
Nomination Form (Download)

Schedule:
Nomination deadline: 31 December 2024;
Winner announcement: 30 April 2025.

Contact:
Tu Youyou Award Team (tuyouyouaward@mdpi.com)

More information can be found on the Tu Youyou Award official website. For any inquiries, do not hesitate to contact the Tu Youyou Award Team.

MDPI Romania sponsored four events over the month of April, contributing author training sessions to each event.

The NutriSciLabs 2024 conference was held at the Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy on 12 April 2024. Organized by the Association of Students from the Faculty of Pharmacy Studies, the conference aimed to enhance students’ academic writing and research skills, and bolster their confidence in participating in the academic world. Ioana Paunescu, journal relations specialist for MDPI Romania, led the training session. Paunescu first outlined MDPI’s history and core values, then explained academic writing techniques, ethics, and similarity percentages. The presentation covered the entire editorial process, highlighting the amount of attention paid to details throughout manuscript processing. Paunescu also discussed common errors that authors make while writing, and how to avoid such errors.

On 13 April 2024, the NextGEN 2.0 Student Conference took place at the Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca. NextGen Healthcare organized this event with the university’s European Students’ Society to discuss European and international current affairs. MDPI Romania contributed an author training session called Steps of the Publication Process. Irina Codruta Zaharia, journal relations specialist, began the session with a general introduction of MDPI before diving into different article types, different layout formats, possible journals to submit to, the MDPI submission checklist, and the MDPI editorial process. By explaining the fundamentals of writing and publishing academic papers, Zaharia imparted valuable industry knowledge to the curious minds present. Participants were eager to engage with Zaharia in the subsequent Q&A session.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, the International Conference “Students for Students” has long been a gathering place for undergraduate and postgraduate students of all nationalities to present their work and exchange ideas with each other. This year’s conference was held on 18 April 2024, with MDPI Romania contributing an author training session called The World of Open Access. Key speakers included Dr. Norbert Kiss from MDPI Romania and Prof. Dragos Horvath from Strasbourg University. Dr. Kiss discussed the history of open access, differences between open access publishing and traditional publishing, and implications for open access in the future. Attendees expressed keen interest in the subject, approaching Dr. Kiss with questions about academic publishing as well as his career trajectory.

Most recently, on 26 April 2024, MDPI Romania sponsored the National Symposium of Students from Geology and Geophysics Faculties. The AAPG Students Chapter at the Babes-Bolyai University organized this event as an opportunity for geology students from all Romanian universities to present their work and confer with other researchers. Dr. Kiss gave his lecture The World of Open Access at this event as well.

MDPI is thankful to all the participants, speakers, and organizers who attended these events. Through their enthusiasm and dedication, these events were great successes.

MDPI would like to invite all experts recognized in their fields to attend the Sensors webinar. The aim of this webinar is to explore modern and new techniques to support the transition to clean energy systems via applications of smart energy.

We are looking forward to seeing you at the Smart Energy Systems Seminar.

Title: Smart Energy Systems Seminar
Date: 22 May 2024
Time: 10:00–12:00 (CEST) | 16:00–18:00 (CST Asia)
More Information: https://sciforum.net/event/Sensors-18

This is a free webinar. After registration, 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:

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, 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 recently reached out to Dr. Kunyan Zhang, winner of the Sensors 2023 Outstanding Reviewer Award, to discuss both her scholarly insights and her journey as a reviewer for Sensors.

Name: Dr. Kunyan Zhang
Affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
Research Interests: low-dimensional materials; optical spectroscopy; biosensors; machine learning

The following is an interview with Dr. Kunyan Zhang:

1. Can you give us a brief introduction of yourself and the main research content of your current research? Additionally, could you share some emerging research directions in this field?
I am currently a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, USA. My research focuses on understanding the light–matter interactions in nanoscale systems using ultrafast spectroscopy to develop new sensing paradigms. One of the emerging directions in the field of optical sensing is the integration of artificial intelligence for spectral analysis. The emergence of advanced machine learning models has brought breakthroughs for improving automated multimodal sensors based on optical spectroscopy. In addition, incorporating new nanomaterials with enhanced optical properties has also been proven to boost the performance of optical sensors.

2. When and how did you first become aware of the open access Sensors journal? How do you think open access impacts authors?
I became aware of the Sensors journal during my Ph.D. studies from reading a publication from Sensors. As an open access journal, Sensors offers researchers unrestricted access to exciting research findings. This can significantly enhance the visibility and impact of the outcome and potentially foster broad collaborations.

3. What are the key factors and aspects that you consider most when reviewing a manuscript?
The novelty of the research, the rigorousness of the methodology, the scientific soundness of the conclusion, and the impact on the communities. These are the key factors essential to a good academic paper. The authors should be able to identify major challenges in the field and provide solutions to facilitate tackling these challenges.

4. What are the key factors that make a review outstanding?
The review process is not solely about criticizing. More importantly, it is about giving constructive and balanced feedback after a thorough review of the manuscript. An outstanding review would give a high-level summary of the strengths and weaknesses of the study and offer specific suggestions for improvement. Therefore, it is crucial that reviewers have the necessary expertise in the respective research areas.

5. What do you think of receiving the Outstanding Reviewer Award? What advice do you have for future reviewers?
It is a great honor for me to receive the Outstanding Reviewer Award. This is a recognition of my contribution to the peer review in terms of the quality and quantity of review comments. As a young scholar, I have learned a lot from the reviewing process and from working with editors. My advice to someone starting their journey as a reviewer is to be fair and supportive in their critique, aiming to help authors improve their work meaningfully.

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