Dr. Manoj Chandra GargDr. Manoj Chandra Garg is an accomplished researcher and academician in the field of environmental science and engineering. He has a diverse range of research interests, including water quality, membrane filtration (reverse osmosis, nanofiltration, forward osmosis), solar desalination, water and wastewater treatment, biosorption, machine learning, and optimization. Dr. Garg holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Engineering from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee, India. His doctoral research focused on the solar photovoltaic-assisted nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membrane water treatment systems. He also holds an M.Tech. degree in Environmental Science and Technology from Thapar University, where he earned a university gold medal. With an impressive research background, Dr. Garg has contributed significantly to his field. He has completed a funded research project under the DST, SERB, India. He is also the author of numerous publications, including several journal articles with a cumulative net impact factor of over 150. Additionally, he has authored 2 edited books, various book chapters published by renowned international and national publishers. Dr. Garg has presented his research findings in various conferences, both at the national and international levels. He is an internationally recognized reviewer, reviewed several manuscripts. A total of 30 students (6 Ph.D., 11 M.Sc. and 13 B.Sc.) graduated under his direct supervision. Dr. Garg's contributions have been recognized with several awards and appreciations throughout his career. He has received international travel grants from the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and has been awarded gold medals for his academic achievements. He has also received fellowships, including the MHRD fellowship during his Ph.D. and the JRF fellowship from the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Government of India. Furthermore, Dr. Garg has actively participated in academic events and professional activities. He has organized symposiums and delivered guest lectures on topics related to his expertise. He is a life member of professional bodies such as the Indian Desalination Association, Indian Membrane Society, and the International Association of Engineers etc. Overall, Dr. Manoj Chandra Garg is a highly accomplished and dedicated researcher, educator, and administrator in the field of environmental science and engineering. Dr. Vishnu D. RajputDr. Vishnu D. Rajput working as “Principal Scientist” and Head of ‘International Laboratory on Nanobiotechnology’ at Southern Federal University, Rostov-on-Don, Russia. His ongoing research is based on the investigation of effective remediation approaches using biochar/nano-biochar based sorbents and nanomaterials. With long experience and experimental work, Dr. Rajput comprehensively detailed the state of research in environmental science about “how nanoparticles/heavy metals interact with plants, soil, microbial community, and the larger environment as well as possible remediation technology using nanoparticles/nano-biochar. In recent work, he is working on nano-bioengineering for soil rhizospheric microbes and enhanced remediation using nanotechnology, CRISPR and metagenomics. Dr. Rajput is included the world’s top 2% scientists (Stanford University, 2023, 2024) and obtained 2nd top rank in Environmental and Earth Science in Russian Federation. Last five years, he received appreciation letters (Letter of Gratitude, Certificate of Honor, Diploma Awards) by Rector of Southern Federal University for breakthrough research in environmental and soil science. Recent projects as a project leader, i.e., BRICS (partnering with India & China), Priority 2030 (Bioengineering of the rhizosphere) and mega project funded by Russian Basic Science Foundation and participating 18 national & international research projects. He is editorial board members of Biochar (ISSN: 2524-7867), Eurasian Journal of Soil Science (2147-4249) and Journal of Soil Science and Agroclimatology (ISSN 2356-1424).Prof. Dr. Tatiana MinkinaProf. Dr. Tatiana Minkina is the Head of the Soil science and Land Evaluation Department of Southern Federal University, Rostov-on-Don, Russia. She is the Head of the International Master’s Degree Educational Program “Management and estimation of land resources” (2015–2022, accreditation by ACQUIN). Her area of scientific interest issoil science, biogeochemistry of trace elements, environmental soil chemistry, soil monitoring, assessment, modeling, and remediation using physicochemical treatment methods. She was awarded in 2021 with the Diploma of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation for many years of long-term work for the development and improvement of the educational process and significant contribution to the training of highly qualified specialists. Currently, she is handling projects funded by the Russian Scientific Foundation, Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, and Russian Foundation of Basic Research. She is a Member of the Expert Group of the Russian Academy of Science, the International Committee on Contamination Land, Eurasian Soil Science Societies, the International Committee on Protection of the Environment, and the International Scientific Committee of the International Conferences on Biogeochemistry of Trace Elements. Total scientific publications: 957 (total 957, 389 in English); Scopus—268, WoS—196, and citing index: Scopus—1976, h-index—21; WoS—1452, h-index—20. She is the invited editor of an Open Access Journal by MDPI Water (ISSN 2073-4441; impact factor: 3.229; SJR 0.718) and editorial board member of Geochemistry: Environment, Exploration, Analysis (ISSN: 1467-7873; impact factor: 1.545; SJR: 0.346) and Eurasian Journal of Soil Science (e-ISSN: 2147–4249; SJR 0.24).Dr. Sushil Kumar HimanshuDr. Sushil Kumar Himanshu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Thailand. Dr. Himanshu is an expert in precision farming, climate-smart irrigation, cropping system modeling, Remote Sensing and AI applications in agriculture, and agro-meteorological forecasts and advisory services. He obtained his M. Tech. degree in Hydrology and Ph.D. in Water Resources Development and Management from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee, India. His Ph.D. research was focused on evaluating satellite-based precipitation estimates for hydrological modeling.Before joining AIT, he was working as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center (Texas A&M University System), Vernon, USA, where his research was focused on developing and evaluating strategies that conserve soil and water, promote water use efficiency, and protect soil and water quality in diverse agroecosystems. He also worked as a research scientist at the National Remote Sensing Center (NRSC) of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) in Hyderabad, India, where he worked on the operationalization of a national-level hydrological modeling framework for in-season hydrological water balance components at daily/weekly/fortnightly time steps. Dr. Himanshu has published more than 75research papers in top-tier international journals, 3 edited books, 11 book chapters, 45+ conference proceedings/abstracts, and 11 magazine/popular articles, and has prepared several development and industry reports. He reviewed more than 100 research articles from high-reputejournals. A total of 13 students (2 Ph.D. and 11 M.S.) graduated under his direct supervision and currently, he chairs/co-chairs the graduate committees of 21 students (11 Ph.D. and 10 M.S.). His work has earned him several prestigious awards, including the Young Researcher Award 2024 from the Asian Association for Agricultural Engineering in collaboration with the Thai Society of Agricultural Engineering.
