Announcements
6 December 2024
MDPI INSIGHTS: The CEO's Letter #18 - MDPI UK, Basel Job Fair, CETEF'24
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
MDPI’s First UK Summit Held in Manchester
On 29 November, we hosted our first annual MDPI UK Summit, bringing together over 30 Chief Editors and Editorial Board Members (EBMs) to discuss MDPI’s mission, achievements, and collaborations in the UK.
Throughout the day we had talks from several members of MDPI, roundtable discussions on the peer-review process and upholding research integrity, and an engaging presentation from the Editor-in-Chief (EiC) of MDPI journal Mathematics, Francisco Chiclana, about his involvement with the Research Excellence Framework.
“This was a great first summit for MDPI UK and received excellent feedback”
In the following I highlight some of the sessions and the discussion topics covered in each session.
Session 1: Opening Speech and Introduction to MDPI
I shared an overview of MDPI’s mission, achievements, and commitment to quality. The Q&A touched on key topics such as perception and reputation management, expanding our arts and humanities portfolio, and funding challenges for open access (OA) in the UK.
A takeaway from this session was that in 2025, we will circulate a mini annual report to all editors, helping them understand MDPI’s mission and achievements beyond the context of their specific journals.
Session 2: MDPI and the Research Excellence Framework (REF)
Prof. Francisco Chiclana (EiC of Mathematics) highlighted MDPI’s role in REF, its purpose, and future directions.
Session 3: Editorial Process, Ethics, and Research Integrity
Dr. Giulia Stefenelli presented on the various editorial roles and responsibilities, quality metrics, and procedures for dealing with misconduct. The Q&A centred on AI in publishing, institutional roles in research integrity, and better data management practices.
Session 4: Institutional Open Access Program (IOAP)
Becky Castellon presented on IOAP benefits, including MDPI’s partnership with JISC, which includes more than 60 UK institutions, and highlighted the advantages of pure OA over transformative agreements.
Session 5: Round Table Discussion
Colleagues from our MDPI Manchester office Jaime Anderson and Dr. Michael O’Sullivan, along with colleagues from our Basel office Damaris Critchlow and Giulia Stefenelli, discussed innovations in peer review, challenges in maintaining scientific integrity, and future solutions.
Session 6: MDPI PR and the Voice of the Customer
I recapped our customer satisfaction drivers, including speed and editorial support. I also spoke about tackling misinformation about OA and MDPI in general, and outlined a way forward for us all to participate in advocating for open science.
This was a great first summit for MDPI UK and received excellent feedback from our EiCs, SEiCs, and EBMs. A BIG thank-you to our Manchester team (pictured below) and everyone else involved in organizing this event. Their hard work and dedication are much appreciated!
Impactful Research
MDPI and UK Publications
The UK is an important market for MDPI, ranking ninth in total submissions to MDPI and eighth in total MDPI publications, with over 72,200 publications to date. As at October 2024, there were more than 3,600 EBMs from the UK, 48% of whom have an H-index above 26. We also have 46 EiCs, and 63 SEiCs in the UK, some of whom joined us in Manchester for the UK Summit.
The UK is a strong advocate of OA publishing, with nearly three quarters of all articles in 2023 published on open access platforms. The country enjoys a large academic market, producing high-quality papers, and is home to some of the world’s top universities. Among MDPI’s 825 IOAP agreements, over 60 of these are in the UK, facilitated through our partnership with JISC.
“The UK is a strong advocate of OA publishing”
Visit to MDPI’s Manchester Office
Last week, I visited our Manchester office to see the expanding office space, connect with our staff, and present at the MDPI UK Summit held in Manchester.
Throughout the day, I met with various teams to better understand their work and discuss their future development plans in greater depth. Hearing from group leads about the progress we have made and the challenges we face offered many valuable insights. I also had the chance to connect personally with members of the content team. It’s great to see how this young and ambitious team is coming together.
I also took the opportunity to address the entire office about the role of MDPI UK within the wider company. During this session, I answered questions about growth and public relations initiatives. Giulia Stefenelli joined us to address questions about the role of AI in MDPI’s future.
Jaime Anderson (Office Manager) and the Manchester team have done a great job of growing the office since its establishment in 2019. Today, it has around 150 staff members across various departments, including English editing, editorial services, marketing and communications, and IOAP. The team is highly active in local marketing initiatives, such as author training sessions, scholar visits, and conferences.
For more information and updates on our Manchester office, follow MDPI UK on LinkedIn.
Inside MDPI
Basel Job Fair
In November, the HR team from our Basel office connected with over 300 young professionals at the Basel Job Fair 2024. This is my biased opinion, of course, but we had the best branded booth and merchandise, which drew a lot of attention from young talent wanting to learn about current and future job opportunities at MDPI.
Our HR team also helped review CVs on the spot, providing advice on how to improve them and making a positive impression on the future workforce in Basel.
This is a reminder that MDPI is not only focused on supporting young researchers but that we also recruit and develop young talent. We have seen MDPI HR do this really well throughout all of our offices, from Asia Pacific to Europe and North America.
HR plays an important role in our growing company, helping us meet our recruitment targets as well as providing support for local teams, guidance on management and best practices, a safe space for employees, and brand recognition for MDPI, among many other things.
“MDPI is not only focused on supporting young researchers: we also recruit and develop young talent”
This is a quick appreciation post to all HR staff working to support MDPI and our colleagues, cultivating talent and supporting careers at every stage. Thanks HR staff, keep up the great work!
Coming Together for Science
Pharmaceuticals 2024 – Recent Advances in Pharmaceutical Sciences Towards a Healthy Life (The 20th Anniversary)
I am pleased to share that the Pharmaceuticals 2024 – Recent Advances in Pharmaceutical Sciences Towards a Healthy Life took place from 27 to 29 November 2024 in Barcelona, Spain. It was chaired by Prof. Dr. Amelia Pilar Rauter from the Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal; Dr. Alfredo Berzal Herranz from Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina López-Neyra (IPBLN) CSIC, Spain; and Prof. Dr. Mary Jane Meegan from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.
The conference took place in Casa Convalescència, a part of the Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site. The three-day event included three plenary sessions and eight invited speakers, from eight countries, and 29 selected talks. Of the presentations on site, there were 32 posters and 29 oral presentations.
The main goal of the ‘Pharmaceuticals 2024’ international conference was to cover the newest technologies and research areas including medicinal chemistry, natural products, organic synthesis, radiopharmaceuticals, pharmacology, toxicology, and biomolecular and glycosciences, in a meeting that brought together experts to present their latest findings on combatting infection, inflammation, pain, and neurodegeneration, to mention just a few of the topics that were discussed.
“The main goal of ‘Pharmaceuticals 2024’ was to cover the newest technologies and research areas”
20th Anniversary of Pharmaceuticals
The year 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of Pharmaceuticals – a journal dedicated to medicinal chemistry and related drug sciences, which is published monthly online by MDPI. To honour this milestone, we are reflecting on our past accomplishments and embarking on an exciting new chapter. This celebration is also one of the reasons why we organized the conference Pharmaceuticals 2024. With an Impact Factor of 4.3 and a CiteScore of 6.1, the journal is covered in Scopus, SCIE (Web of Science), PubMed, PMC, Embase, CAPlus/SciFinder, and other databases. Pharmaceuticals has published over 6,000 papers from more than 37,000 authors. More than 10,000 reviewers have reviewed for it at least once.
20th Anniversary of Pharmaceuticals: The Video
This video captures the experiences of the conference chairs, honorary guests and committee members of the conference.
Thank you to our partnering societies
A special thank-you is due to our partnering societies the Spanish Society Of Medicinal Chemistry (SEQT) and the Spanish Society For Biochemistry And Molecular Biology (SEBBM) for their support of the Pharmaceuticals 2024 conference. I am also pleased to report that we presented two awards, sponsored by the journal Pharmaceuticals, including the Best Presentation Award and the Best Oral Presentation Award, recognizing the contributions of our participants.
Closing Thoughts
Presenting at the 4th Central European Technology Forum
I visited Krakow, Poland in November to participate in the 4th Central European Technology Forum (CETEF’24), which took place on 18 and 19 November.
CETEF is an international conference that has been jointly organized since 2014 by the Polish Chamber of Commerce for Advanced Technologies (IZTECH) and the Polish Federation of Engineering Associations, with the support of the European Parliament and the European Commission, in cooperation with universities, research institutes and the high-tech industry. The 2024 event focused on presentation to advance the European science and technology agenda for 2025–2030.
MDPI participated as a key publishing sponsor. We had an exhibition booth and held two key presentations during the conference. On Monday, I presented MDPI’s vision, purpose, and achievements.
On Tuesday, Dr. Giulia Stefenelli shared how MDPI supports advancements in high technology and energy transition, highlighting our portfolio, services, tools and initiatives for promoting progress and interdisciplinary collaboration.
We received positive feedback from scientists and government representatives in attendance.
A big thank-you goes to our colleagues from the Krakow office for their support in organizing our participation and managing the MDPI booth.
Special thanks are owing to Weronika Gorka-Kumik, Igor Matic, Vincent Di, Agnieszka Rydz, Ksenia Shubenkova, Anna Krakowka and Klaudia Kasprowicz.
Below is a photo with the President of the Polish Chamber of Commerce conference (centre), along with MDPI colleagues Giulia Stefenelli, Weronika Gorka-Kumik, and Igor Matic (left to right).
“This year’s event focused on ideas and proposals to advance the European science and technology agenda for 2025–2030”
Chief Executive Officer
MDPI AG
4 December 2024
685 MDPI Editors Named Highly Cited Researchers in 2024
26 November 2024
Join Us at “MDPI Open Access—An Author Training Program”, 30 November 2024, Bangkok, Thailand
We are thrilled to announce an author training session jointly hosted by MDPI and Rangsit University. This collaborative initiative stems from the shared enthusiasm of MDPI and Rangsit University for academic research and paper publication. The author training session is designed to enlighten students about MDPI's paper publication process, refine their English paper writing proficiency, enable them to proficiently address reviewer comments, and help them gain an understanding of the applications of artificial intelligence in publishing. Additionally, we aspire to bridge the information disparity between academia and the professional domain of open access publishing and assist our audience in continuously learning and adapting within the constantly evolving landscape of higher education and the publishing industry.
Date: 30 November 2024
Time: 9:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Venue: Phikkha Ne Building (Bld. 6) Room 207, Rangsit University
Registration: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7NVWS6B
| Speaker | Program | Time |
| Prof. Dr. Suejit Pechprasarn, Dean of the Graduate School, Rangsit University | Opening Speech | 9:30–9:40 |
| Dr. Janenipa Saupsor | MDPI and Journal Introduction | 9:40–10:00 |
| Dr. Krit Inthajak | How to Write Scientific Papers | 10:00–10:30 |
| Q&A Session | 10:30–10:40 | |
| Ms. Hathaipat Kittirojana | How to Respond to Peer Reviewers | 10:40–11:10 |
| Q&A Session | 11:10–11:20 | |
| Ms. Ploy Assavajamroon | Artificial Intelligence in Scientific Publishing | 11:20–11:50 |
| Q&A Session | 11:50–12:00 |
| Chair | Biography |
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Dean of the Graduate School, Rangsit University, Bangkok, Thailand |
Prof. Dr. Suejit Pechprasarn is a distinguished academic in the field of biomedical engineering. He earned dual Bachelor of Engineering degrees in 2007: one in electronic and computer engineering from the University of Nottingham, UK, and another in electrical engineering from Thammasat University, Thailand. He then pursued a Ph.D. at the University of Nottingham, which he completed in 2012. In 2013, he obtained a Bachelor of Law (LL.B.) in Thai Law from Ramkhamhaeng University, Thailand. Dr. Pechprasarn's professional journey includes roles as a Research Assistant and Research Fellow at the Institute of Biophysics, Imaging, and Optical Science from 2012 to 2014. He then served as a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Electronic and Information Engineering at Hong Kong Polytechnic University from 2014 to 2018. He joined Rangsit University, Thailand, in 2015 as a Lecturer and Associate Dean of Research and Innovation at the College of Biomedical Engineering. By 2019, he was promoted to Associate Professor and Associate Dean Emeritus. Between 2018 and 2021, he also held an Assistant Professorship at the Nanophotonics Research Centre, Shenzhen University, China. Currently, Dr. Pechprasarn is a Professor and Dean of the Graduate School at Rangsit University. His research interests include biophotonics, optics, microscopy, nanophotonics, plasmonics, and biosensors. |
| MDPI speakers: | Biographies |
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Dr. Janenipa Saupsor holds a doctoral degree in chemical engineering from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. She joined MDPI as an Assistant Editor for the journal Energies in 2021. In 2022, she served as a Group Leader and became a Section Managing Editor in February 2023. She is now the Deputy Office Manager at the MDPI Bangkok Office. |
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Dr. Krit Inthajak obtained his Ph.D. in engineering and technology from Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology, Thammasat University. He joined MDPI in March 2020 as an Assistant Editor for Molecules. He was appointed as a Section Managing Editor in 2021 and worked as a Group Leader from 2021 to 2024. He is now one of MDPI's Regional Journal Relations Specialists for the Asia–Pacific region. |
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Ms. Hathaipat Kittirojana obtained her master’s degree in food science and biotechnology from Teesside University. She joined MDPI in December 2020 as an Assistant Editor for the Journal of Imaging. She was appointed as a Section Managing Editor in March 2023 and a Regional Journal Relations Specialist for the Asia–Pacific region in July 2024. |
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Ms. Ploy Assavajamroon obtained her master’s degree in chemistry from Thammasat University in 2020 and joined MDPI as an Assistant Editor for the journal Crystals in the same year. She became a Section Managing Editor in 2021 and a Group Leader in 2022. She is currently one of MDPI's Regional Journal Relations Specialists for the Asia–Pacific region. |
20 November 2024
Meet Us at the Second World Geography Conference, 22–24 November 2024, Shanghai, China
14 November 2024
MDPI Webinar | World Sustainable Transport Day 2024, 26 November 2024
13 November 2024
Meet Us at the 4th Central European Technology Forum, 18–19 November 2024, Krakow, Poland
12 November 2024
MDPI Thailand Author Training Session at Kasetsart University Held on 5 November 2024
MDPI successfully held an author training session at Kasetsart University, Thailand's leading agricultural institution. This event took place against the backdrop of Kasetsart University's participation in MDPI’s Institutional Open Access Program (IOAP). The session, which was conducted on 5 November 2024, aimed to equip students with the essential knowledge and skills for maneuvering through the paper publication process, enhancing their English writing proficiency, understanding data visualization in academic papers, and exploring the applications of artificial intelligence in the publishing field.
Ms. Watinee Khemakarothai, the Deputy Director of Kasetsart University Library, shared her thoughts on the valuable collaboration between Kasetsart University (KU) and MDPI, emphasizing the significance of joint efforts that support and empower the academic community. She expressed her gratitude to MDPI Thailand for organizing this event, which was customized to meet the requirements of the university’s authors.
In the first presentation, Dr. Janenipa Saupsor, the Deputy Office Manager of MDPI Thailand, provided insights into MDPI’s development from its establishment in 1996 to its current status as a prominent open access academic publisher. She emphasized MDPI’s dedication to making scientific research freely accessible through its extensive collection of over 400 journals and its global presence. Dr. Saupsor also introduced a selection of key journals, such as Polymers, Sustainability, Foods, Animals and Molecules, which serve as valuable options for researchers seeking the ideal journal for their work. Additionally, she highlighted the successful collaboration between MDPI and Kasetsart University on the Institutional Open Access Program (IOAP), reinforcing support for open access publishing.
The second session, presented by Ms. Ploy Assavajamroon, MDPI’s regional journal relations specialist in Asia-Pacific, was titled “How to Write Scientific Papers in English”. The session began with the literature search and introduction to the analysis program to investigate the research topic to ensure novelty. Next, she illustrated the front matter, main text, and back matter, the three fundamental manuscript structures, before sharing useful examples to help the audience better understand how to write each section. Last but not least, she introduced the English Language Editing and Figure Editing services provided by MDPI Author Services, all of which support authors in manuscript preparation.
The third session, “Data Visualization for Scientific Papers”, was shared by Mr. Suvicha Sasivimolkul, MDPI’s Training Group Leader for Asian offices. He initiated the session by pointing out why data are so crucial due to the increasing amounts of data every minute. Data visualization is an approach through which we can maintain our perceptual and cognitive abilities to understand trends and patterns of the data by presenting data graphically in figures, graphs, or tables. He then explained and emphasized MDPI Figure and Table formatting, the points that the author should pay more attention to and the points that the author should avoid.
The author training program concluded with the topic “Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Scientific Publishing”, presented by Dr. Kamolchanok Deesrisak, Scientific Advisor of MDPI journal Healthcare. After providing an overview of AI technology in daily life, its capabilities and impacts on scientific publishing were elaborated, with a focus on the current advancements and challenges. In line with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) position statement, the guidelines on AI, authorship, and the peer-review process were thoroughly explained. Before ending the session, the AI tools developed by MDPI's AI team were introduced. These will assist both internal and external users in improving processes and services.
After each presentation, students, faculty members, and MDPI speakers engaged in a vigorous exchange of ideas. Even after the training, many attendees remained and continued to communicate with us, praising the event for its well-structured curriculum and the opportunity to network with like-minded professionals.
In conclusion, the author training session at Kasetsart University marked a crucial step in promoting academic publishing and research dissemination for MDPI. Meanwhile, it emphasized the importance of continuous learning and adaptation in the constantly evolving landscape of higher education and the publishing industry. This initiative represented a reinforcement.
Please do not hesitate to start a conversation with us at bangkok@mdpi.com if you would like to hold an author training session with MDPI in Thailand.
5 November 2024
MDPI INSIGHTS: The CEO's Letter #17 - OA Week, Basel Open Day, Beijing Graphene Forum
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
Open Access Week: Forging the Future of Open Access through Global Reach and Collaboration
From 21 to 27 October, we celebrated International Open Access Week (OAW), highlighting the importance of making research accessible to everyone. This campaign reinforced our commitment to advancing open access (OA) and showcased how we are helping research communities worldwide adopt OA as their standard.
“OA publishing is now a cornerstone of global research”
Throughout the week, we featured MDPI’s efforts to support quality open research through blog posts on topics such as how Research Integrity Promotes OA Practices, our Preprints.org platform, and supporting societies with different OA models. These initiatives capture our commitment to making research more inclusive and accessible to all.
OA publishing is now a cornerstone of global research, with more researchers choosing OA over traditional paywalled models, and embracing new, community-driven models.
Benefits of Open Access and Open Research
- Accelerated Discoveries: OA speeds up scientific progress by allowing immediate access to findings, enabling researchers to build on each other’s work faster.
- Community-Led Innovation: Open research empowers communities to manage their own platforms, creating collaboration and shared knowledge.
- Increased Visibility: OA broadens the reach of your research, leading to greater recognition, collaboration, and impact.
- Cross-Disciplinary Connections: By removing financial and geographical barriers, OA unites diverse fields, sparking innovation across disciplines.
MDPI Singapore Celebrates Open Access Week
MDPI Singapore also hosted its first-ever OAW event at the Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre, bringing together academics, researchers, and students to discuss the future of open scholarship. Conversations focused on the potential of new publishing models, alternative funding strategies, and the importance of communicating research to wider audiences.
As OA evolves, MDPI remains a committed partner in advancing open science and creating a transparent, inclusive research environment. For a full recap of the week’s highlights and resources, visit our campaign page.
Impactful Research
MDPI Connection to Nobel-Winning Protein Research
David Baker, an American biochemist, and Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper, two scientists from Google DeepMind, have been awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their groundbreaking advancements in better understanding the structure of proteins, the molecular engines of life’s processes.
One half of the prize was awarded to Professor David Baker from the University of Washington for his development of revolutionary protein design software enabling the creation of novel proteins for vaccines, nanomaterials, and sensors. Prof. Baker co-authored a 2016 paper in MDPI’s Toxins journal on protein-based therapeutics.
Meanwhile, DeepMind’s Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper received recognition for AlphaFold, the AI model that predicts protein structures from amino acid sequences, fulfilling a long-held scientific dream.
“We congratulate this year’s Nobel laureates for their groundbreaking contributions to the study of life”
Nobel Prize Laureates Entrust MDPI with Their Research
As at October 2024, 45 Nobel laureates had contributed to more than 115 articles across
35 MDPI journals. The privilege of hosting the research of such contributors, who significantly influence the open access movement, resonates deeply with our editorial teams.
We are proud to list the names of Pierre Agostini, Hiroshi Amano, Werner Arber, Aaron Ciechanover, Robert H. Grubbs, Oliver Hart, Gerard ‘t Hooft, Michael Houghton, Harald zur Hausen, Katalin Karikó, Jean-Marie Lehn, Gérard Mourou, Ferid Murad, Shuji Nakamura, William Nordhaus, Kostya S. Novoselov, Giorgio Parisi, Charles M. Rice, Alvin E. Roth, Donna Strickland, K. Barry Sharpless, George F. Smoot, Anne L’Huillier, Drew Weissman, Kurt Wüthrich, Ada Yonath, Tomas Lindahl, Thomas C. Südhof, Stanley B. Prusiner, Roger Kornberg, Robert F. Engle, Richard J. Roberts, Ōmura Satoshi, Kenneth J. Arrow, John B. Goodenough, Jennifer Doudna, Hamilton Othanel Smith, Eric R. Kandel, Carlo Rubbia, Bernard Feringa, Barry J. Marshall, Anthony J. Leggett, Andrew Victor Schally, and David Baker.
Notable MRNA Published in Cells
On 7 October 2024, the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was jointly awarded to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for the discovery of microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation.
MicroRNAs are proving to be fundamentally important for how organisms develop and function. Some interesting papers about microRNA research are published in the MDPI journal Cells. I invite you browse through the notable papers related to microRNA research in Cells.
Inside MDPI
Basel Open Day
On 21 October, we held the Basel Open Day at our headquarters, welcoming a group of journal Editors-in-Chief (EiC) and Editorial Board Members (EBMs) for a full-day workshop. The event featured presentations and discussions on MDPI’s latest editorial updates, data integrity policies, society collaborations, and local market insights.
The following MDPI journals were represented during the visit: Physics, Journal of Personalized Medicine (JPM), Sci, Remote Sensing, Animals, Cells, Buildings, Histories, Sensors, and International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH).
This was a great opportunity to showcase our new office space while gathering feedback from leading journal stakeholders. To get everyone on the same page, we took 60 minutes for round-table introductions, which helped set a collaborative tone and ground us in MDPI’s mission of disseminating open science.
“This was a great opportunity to gather feedback from leading journal stakeholders”
The general feedback from the day highlighted positive developments around our editorial and ethics policies, as well as areas for improvement, including flexibility regarding reviewer deadlines. There was a genuine appreciation and push for our ongoing efforts to share more about MDPI, including company updates and promoting high-quality research through our blog, announcements, and social media channels, which we have been growing and expanding.
Our Basel Open Day was a positive experience, bringing together key journal stakeholders and gathering insights to guide MDPI’s continued engagement with the academic community. We look forward to hosting future events of this kind and welcoming more scholars to our headquarters in Basel, Switzerland.
Coming Together for Science
ncRNA 2024 Conference in Basel
I am pleased to share that we held Non-coding RNA World 2024: Exploring Mechanisms, Designing Medicines (ICM 2024) in Basel, Switzerland this past 7–9 October.
The three-day event attracted just over 100 attendees, including two Chairs, 10 invited speakers and two keynotes from Prof. Mauro Giacca and Prof. Ling-Ling Chen. Of the presentations on site, there were 35 posters and 44 oral presentations.
The overall feedback was positive, with people enjoying the intimate event and the unique activities offered, including a guided tour around Basel’s Old Town (a must-see for anyone visiting the city) and a memorable conference dinner.
It was cool to see the winners of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine announced during the conference days. This was exciting for attendees, as the winners discovered a new class of RNA molecules (miRNAs). As one invited speaker put it, “It's exciting to be among fellows when something that important for the field is announced.”
“It's exciting to be among fellows when something that important for the field is announced”
Every attendee receives a conference survey, and I’m always pleased to see a high percentage of ‘Very Satisfied’ responses when asked about ‘treatment from conference personnel’. Kudos to our conference team for meeting our attendees’ needs. These events are a great opportunity for us to reach new audiences, as 92% of the respondents had never been to an MDPI conference, so I am thrilled to see us connecting with a new demographic of your researchers in the RNA field.
A special thank-you to our partnering societies The Epigenetics Society, The French Society of Genetics, LS2 / USGEB (Union of Swiss Societies for Experimental Biology), and The RNA Biology Group, as well as to our sponsors New England Biolabs and Arraystar for their support of the ncRNA 2024 conference. I am also pleased to report that we presented two awards, including the Best Presentation Award and two Best Poster Award, recognizing the contributions of our participants.
Upcoming In-Person Event
27–29 November 2024
Pharmaceuticals 2024 – Recent Advances in Pharmaceutical Sciences Towards a Healthy Life
Location: Barcelona, Spain
The discovery of new molecules, their properties, and actions to enhance human health and quality of life.
Find more upcoming MDPI events here.
Closing Thoughts
Beijing Graphene Forum 2024
I am pleased to share that we had a successful time at the Beijing Graphene Forum 2024, which drew around 1,000 attendees, including Konstantin Novoselov (2015 Nobel Prize in Physics) and other high-profile scholars in materials science and chemistry. It was a great opportunity to present MDPI on the big stage, with university presidents from institutions such as Peking University also in attendance.
I had the honour of awarding Prof. Zhongfan Liu, Chairman of the Chemical Science Committee, with a medal and presenting certificates to the members of the Chemical Science Committee; this is an important initiative to help expand MDPI’s journals and influence in China. These are highly respected scholars, and we enjoyed connecting with them over lunch as well.
“This is an important initiative to help expand MDPI’s journals and influence in China”
I also had the chance to speak about MDPI and open access, giving a five-minute speech during the opening ceremony and a 20-minute presentation at the close. MDPI hosted a sub-forum where both academic scholars and MDPI members shared insights, and we engaged with attendees at our MDPI booth.
This was a great opportunity to spotlight MDPI as the main publishing partner for the event, and I was proud to represent us on stage. We also met with scholars to discuss topics such as their publishing needs and institutional policies, open access, impact journals, and IOAP.
Chief Executive Officer
MDPI AG
1 November 2024
Meet Us at the 2nd International Conference on Construction Project Management and Construction Engineering, 20–23 November 2024, Sydney, Australia
22 October 2024
Join Us at “MDPI Open Access—An Author Training Program”, 5 November 2024, Bangkok, Thailand
We are thrilled to announce an author training session jointly hosted by MDPI and Kasetsart University, Thailand. Similar to MDPI’s successful collaboration with the Faculty of Architecture of Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, this training session will explain the purpose and goals of open access publishing and enable the sharing of valuable perspectives.
This training session is being held due to MDPI and the university’s common interest in academic research and paper publication. MDPI, as a renowned international open access publisher, offers a high-quality publishing platform and services to scholars worldwide. Meanwhile, Kasetsart University, as a leading academic institution in Thailand, has taught many talented researchers. Hence, we aim to teach students about MDPI’s paper publishing process, enhance their English paper writing proficiency, help them to better understand paper data visualization, and discuss the applications of artificial intelligence in publishing.
Date: 5 November 2024
Time: 9:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Venue: Meeting Room, 5th Floor, Kasetsart University Library
Registration link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/89K9F8F
Schedule:
| Time | Program | Speaker |
| 9:30–9:40 | Opening Speech | Ms. Supanee Hongthong, Director of Kasetsart University Library |
| 9:40–10:00 | MDPI and Journals Introduction | Dr. Janenipa Saupsor |
| 10:00–10:30 | How to Write Scientific Papers? | Ms. Ploy Assavajamroon |
| 10:30–10:40 | Q&A Session | |
| 10:40–11:10 | Data Visualization for Scientific Papers | Mr. Suvicha Sasivimolkul |
| 11:10–11:20 | Q&A Session | |
| 11:20–11:50 | Artificial Intelligence in Scientific Publishing | Dr. Kamolchanok Deesrisak |
| 11:50–12:00 | Q&A Session |
| Chair | Biography |
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Ms. Supannee Hongthong graduated with a degree in science (agriculture). She works in the field of Agricultural Digital Information and Digital Institution Repository (IR) for AGRIS/ FAO and Coretrust Seal, managing electronic books and special libraries. |
MDPI speakers:
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Dr. Janenipa Saupsor holds a doctoral degree in chemical engineering from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. She joined MDPI as an Assistant Editor for the journal Energies in 2021. In 2022, she served as a Group Leader and became a Section Managing Editor in February 2023. She is now the Deputy Office Manager at the MDPI Bangkok Office. |
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Ms. Ploy Assavajamroon obtained her master’s degree in chemistry from Thammasat University in 2020 and joined MDPI as an Assistant Editor for the journal Crystals in the same year. She became a Section Managing Editor in 2021 and a Group Leader in 2022. She is currently one of MDPI’s Regional Journal Relations Specialists for Asia-Pacific. |
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Mr. Suvicha Sasivimolkul earned his master’s degree in biomedical engineering from Rangsit University, Thailand, in 2021. That same year, he joined MDPI as an Assistant Editor for the journal Crystals. In 2022, he advanced to the role of Section Managing Editor and Training Assistant. In 2023, he became Co-Training Group Leader. He currently serves as the Training Group Leader for MDPI’s Asian offices. |
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Dr. Kamolchanok Deesrisak obtained her Ph.D. in medical technology from Mahidol University. She joined MDPI in 2021 as an Assistant Editor for the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health and became the Section Managing Editor of the journal Social Sciences in 2023. Since February 2024, she has worked as Scientific Advisor for the journal Healthcare. |
