Announcements
1 October 2025
2024 MDPI Top 1000 Reviewers
21 October 2025
Meet Us Virtually at the 1st International Online Conference on Dentistry (IOCDT 2026), 7–9 October 2026
15 October 2025
Materials | Interview with the Newsletter Author—Mr. Saeed Behseresht
Mr. Saeed Behseresht is one of the corresponding authors of the newsletter article entitled “Additive Manufacturing of Composite Polymers: Thermomechanical FEA and Experimental Study” published in Materials (ISSN: 1996-1944).
Mr. Saeed Behseresht is a PhD candidate in mechanical engineering at New Mexico State University, United States. He began his research in additive manufacturing in 2022, focusing on process optimization and finite element analysis (FEA) modeling of polymers. His current work extends to metal additive manufacturing, with an emphasis on melt pool characterization in Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) and Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF). He develops advanced simulation tools, including custom Abaqus subroutines, to predict residual stress, warpage, and microstructural evolution, supporting the production of defect-free components. Additionally, he integrates machine learning, reinforcement learning, and AI-based process monitoring to ensure part quality and process safety in metal AM. In addition to his research, he has experience teaching courses in engineering analysis and mechanical testing, and supervising student projects related to modeling, process optimization, and additive manufacturing. His work aims to bridge fundamental research and practical applications, advancing additive manufacturing technologies for industrial use.
Dr. Young Ho Park is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at New Mexico State University (NMSU), United States. He earned his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Iowa in 1994. Dr. Park’s research and professional interests span a broad range of topics, including metal additive manufacturing (WAAM), polymer additive manufacturing (FDM), computational mechanics, engineering design and optimization, fiber-reinforced composite materials, structural damage diagnosis and prognosis, fatigue life prediction and reliability analysis, and atomistic and multiscale modeling of nanosystems. He has successfully secured research grants from government agencies and industry partners, including the USDoD, USDA, USBR, NASA, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Sandia National Laboratories. Dr. Park is an active member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and serves on the editorial board of Multiscale and Multidisciplinary Modeling, Experiments and Design (Springer). At NMSU, he teaches courses in solid mechanics.
Based on the positive evaluations by the reviewers and academic editors for Mr. Saeed Behseresht’s group article, we have selected their article as the newsletter article for further promotion.
“Additive Manufacturing of Composite Polymers: Thermomechanical FEA and Experimental Study”
by Saeed Behseresht and Young Ho Park
Materials 2024, 17(8), 1912; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17081912
The following is an interview with Mr. Saeed Behseresht:
1. Congratulations on your published paper. Could you please briefly introduce the main research content of the published paper?
Thank you very much for your interest in our research and for inviting us to this interview for your journal. I would also like to thank my PhD advisor, Dr. Young Ho Park, for his professional and fruitful cooperation and mentorship.
In this work, we developed a thermomechanical finite element framework to simulate the additive manufacturing process of semi-crystalline carbon fiber-reinforced polymers produced via Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF). Specifically, we focused on 50 wt.% carbon fiber-reinforced polyphenylene sulfide (CF-PPS), a high-performance composite polymer widely used in heavy-duty sectors like aerospace. Our model accounts for heat transfer, crystallization, viscoelastic behavior, shrinkage, and anisotropy to predict residual stresses and warpage. We implemented several Abaqus user subroutines, including UMAT, UMATHT, ORIENT, and UEPACTIVATIONVOL, to capture complex material responses. The simulations were validated against experimental measurements and showed strong agreement, underscoring the reliability of our approach.
2. What are the key takeaways you hope readers will gain from your paper?
There are several key takeaways that authors may benefit from. First is an accurate simulation of residual stresses and distortions in fiber-reinforced composite polymers that requires integrating thermal, mechanical, and crystallization effects into a unified framework. Next are user-defined subroutines that allow researchers to go beyond built-in AM modeling capabilities, enabling more realistic representations of anisotropic composites. Furthermore, validated models can be powerful predictive tools to optimize print parameters and reduce costly trial-and-error experimentation in industrial-scale additive manufacturing.
3. Was there a specific experience or event in your research career that led you to focus on your current field of research?
Yes. My background in finite element modeling and mechanics of materials naturally aligns with challenges in additive manufacturing, particularly in understanding defects such as warpage and residual stresses. Early in my doctoral work, I observed the gap between experimental observations of distortions in printed composites and the limited predictive capability of existing models. This gap motivated me to develop more comprehensive simulation tools that couple thermal, crystallization, and mechanical phenomena.
4. Could you describe the difficulties and breakthrough innovations encountered in your current research?
One of the main difficulties was accurately modeling the complex interplay between thermal history, crystallization kinetics, and the anisotropic viscoelastic response of the polymer matrix. Conventional finite element solvers are not equipped to handle all of these interactions simultaneously. The breakthrough came from developing customized subroutines that integrate non-isothermal crystallization kinetics with mechanical constitutive modeling, enabling us to realistically capture shrinkage and stress evolution. Another innovation was validating our approach through both Abaqus AM Modeler comparisons and physical experiments, which increased the robustness of the findings.
5. Does technological progress provide new opportunities for the topic you are researching? Does it bring any potential risks? How do you think these factors will affect future research trends on this topic?
Technological progress in both hardware (e.g., advanced printers, in situ monitoring, sensors, etc.) and software (e.g., Multiphysics solvers, machine learning integration) provides tremendous opportunities to refine predictive models and enable real-time control of the printing process. The risks lie in reliance merely on black-box models without sufficient physical grounding, which may lead to inaccurate predictions in safety-critical applications like aerospace or medical. Looking ahead, I expect research trends to emphasize hybrid approaches that combine physics-based simulations with data-driven techniques, ensuring both accuracy and efficiency.
6. How do you evaluate research trends in this field, and what advice would you give to other young researchers?
Research in additive manufacturing of composites is moving rapidly toward multi-scale and Multiphysics approaches, bridging process modeling with microstructural and performance predictions. My advice to young researchers is to develop both strong fundamentals in mechanics and numerical methods, and an openness to interdisciplinary collaboration, whether in materials science, process control, or computational methods. Striking this balance allows one to make meaningful contributions to both theoretical advances and practical industrial needs.
7. What appealed to you about the Materials journal that made you want to submit your paper? In your opinion, what can authors expect when they submit to Materials?
Materials is a well-recognized open access journal with a broad readership across disciplines, which makes it an excellent venue for research that sits at the intersection of materials science, mechanics, and manufacturing. The journal’s emphasis on both fundamental and applied studies appealed to us, since our work is both methodological and industrially relevant. Authors can expect a rigorous but constructive peer-review process, a timely publication cycle, and wide dissemination of their work.
8. What is your experience publishing with Materials?
Our experience has been very positive. The submission and review process was straightforward, the reviewers provided constructive feedback that helped strengthen the manuscript, and the editorial office was efficient in handling communications. The open access format also ensured immediate visibility of the work to a global audience.
9. How do you think the open access way of publishing impacts authors?
Open access publishing greatly enhances the visibility and accessibility of research, particularly in fields like additive manufacturing, where collaboration between academia and industry is essential. Authors benefit from higher citation potential and broader readership, including engineers and practitioners who may not have institutional access to subscription journals. Another positive aspect for me is that the open access format, particularly when it comes with publication support such as the full discount we received, makes research more accessible and helps decentralize knowledge, ensuring that scholarly work can reach a wider audience without financial barriers.
15 October 2025
Meet Us at the International Battery Materials Association Annual Meeting 2025, 9–14 November 2025, Singapore
15 October 2025
MDPI’s Newly Launched Journals in September 2025
Nine new journals covering a range of subjects launched their inaugural issues in September 2025. We are excited to be able to share with you the newest research rooted in the value of open access.
We extend our sincere thanks to all Editorial Board Members for their commitment and expertise. Each journal is dedicated to upholding strong editorial standards through a thorough peer review process, ensuring impactful open access scholarship.
Please feel free to browse and discover more about the new journals below.
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Journal |
Founding Editor-in-Chief |
Journal Topics (Selected) |
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Prof. Dr. Joseph G. Grzywacz, San José State University, USA |
family formation and dynamics; family relationships; family diversity and structure; family processes; family challenges; global perspectives of family | |
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Prof. Dr. Chengkuo Lee, National University of Singapore, Singapore |
AIoT sensing technologies; distributed AI and federated learning; AI-enhanced edge analytics; sensor fusion in edge computing; low-power AI sensing; security and privacy in edge-AI systems; AI-driven optimization of IoT networks | |
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Prof. Dr. Steven Paul Nistico, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy |
aesthetics; reconstructive surgery and plastic surgery; dermatology; oral and maxillofacial surgery; surgical procedures; non-surgical procedures | |
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Prof. Dr. Mauro Tonelli, University of Pisa, Italy |
plasma physics and technology; atomic and molecular physics; nuclear physics; quantum physics and technology; dielectrics, ferroelectrics, and multiferroics; semiconductor physics and devices; engineering physics; material physics; biophysics| |
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Prof. Dr. Sergej M. Ostojic, University of Agder, Norway; |
biochemical research methods; biochemistry and molecular biology; cell biology; clinical and medicinal chemistry; clinical neurology; endocrinology and metabolism; medicine, general and internal; nutrition and dietetics; toxicology | |
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Prof. Dr. Michele Nappi, University of Salerno, Italy |
foundations and advancements in multimedia technologies; computational social media analytics; human–AI interaction in social contexts; multimedia understanding and generation for social insight; ethics, fairness, and privacy in multimedia systems | |
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Prof. Dr. Philippe Gorce, Toulon University, France |
ergonomic design and evaluation of workspaces, tools, and equipment; biomechanical analysis and ergonomic interventions for musculoskeletal health; cognitive workload assessment and management; human-computer interaction (HCI) and user experience (UX) research; ergonomic wearables; AI-driven ergonomic assessment tools; neuroergonomics | |
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Prof. Dr. Ronald Charles Sims, Utah State University, USA |
bioresources; bioproducts; bioenergy and biofuels; environmental protection; public health protection; biological waste treatment; biomass transformation; circular bioeconomy; bio-based materials and chemicals; bioresidues | |
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Prof. Dr. M. Jamal Deen, McMaster University, Canada |
device design and engineering; circuit design and system integration; applications and emerging technologies; materials and fabrication innovations; testing, reliability, and standards | |
We would like to thank everyone who has supported the development of open access publishing. If you would like to create more new journals, you are welcome to send an application here, or contact the New Journal Committee (newjournal-committee@mdpi.com).
14 October 2025
Welcoming New Editorial Board Members of Materials Joined in September 2025
We are pleased to announce that five new scholars have been appointed Editorial Board Members (EBMs) for Materials (ISSN: 1996-144), effective September 2025. We wish our new members success in both their personal research and their efforts to develop the journal.
Name: Dr. Enric Stern-Taulats
Affiliation: Universitat de Barcelona, Spain
Interests: functional materials; phase transitions; coupling of degrees of freedom; solid-state cooling; magnetic shape-memory alloys; rare-earth compounds; ferroelectric oxides
Name: Prof. Dr. Liang Fang
Affiliation: Chongqing University, China
Interests: semiconductor thin films and optoelectronic devices; micro-nano fabrication of thin film transistors; wear-resistant and corrosion-resistant surface treatment technology; new nano energy storage materials
Prof. Dr. Liang Fang’s publications in Materials:
1. “Fabrication and Optoelectronic Properties of Advanced Quinary Amorphous Oxide Semiconductor InGaZnSnO Thin Film”
by Hongyu Wu, Liang Fang, Zhiyi Li, Fang Wu, Shufang Zhang, Gaobin Liu, Hong Zhang, Wanjun Li and Wenlin Feng
Materials 2025, 18(9), 2090; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18092090
2. “Surface-Modification Strategy to Produce Highly Anticorrosive Ti3C2Tx MXene-Based Polymer Composite Coatings: A Mini-Review”
by Shufang Zhang, Guoqin Zhang, Liang Fang, Zhiheng Wang, Fang Wu, Gaobin Liu, Qirui Wang and Hongen Nian
Materials 2025, 18(3), 653; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18030653
3. “Study on Quantitative Adjustment of CD Bias and Profile Angle in the Wet Etching of Cu-Based Stacked Electrode”
by Dan Liu, Liang Fang, Zhonghao Huang, Jianguo An, Xu Wu, Fang Wu, Wenxiang Chen and Gaobin Liu
Materials 2025, 18(1), 116; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18010116
4. “Formation Mechanism and Prevention of Cu Undercut Defects in the Photoresist Stripping Process of MoNb/Cu Stacked Electrodes”
by Dan Liu, Liang Fang, Zhonghao Huang, Haibo Ruan, Wenxiang Chen, Jing Xiang, Fang Wu and Gaobin Liu
Materials 2024, 17(20), 5008; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17205008
Materials is currently recruiting Editorial Board Members and Guest Editors. Please contact the Editorial Office if you are interested in these positions.
Materials Editorial Office
10 October 2025
Materials | Interview with the Newsletter Author—Prof. Dr. Aniello Riccio
10 October 2025
Materials Best PhD Thesis Award—Winner Announced
2 October 2025
MDPI INSIGHTS: The CEO's Letter #27 - OASPA 2025, COUNTER 5.1, UK Summit in London, MDPI at the Italian Senate
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 at OASPA 2025: Embracing the Complexity of Open Access
From 22 to 24 September, I joined the OASPA 2025 Annual Conference in Leuven, Belgium, where the theme, “Embracing the Complexity – How do we get to 100% Open Access?” tackled the hard questions about the future of scholarly communication.
With MDPI a longstanding member of the Open Access Scholarly Publishing Association (OASPA) and Platinum sponsor of the conference, I was invited to present and participate in important discussions on how we can continue to move the needle in Open Access (OA) publishing.
From 50% to 100% Open Access
Last year’s OASPA conference celebrated a major milestone – reaching 50% of global research outputs published as OA. But, as noted during the conference, this was the “easy” part. The challenge ahead is much tougher: how do we take OA from 50% to 100%? For many academics and institutions, OA is still relatively new, and thus it is essential for us to continue educating people as to what OA is, how it works, and why it matters.
Stefan Tochev (CEO, MDPI) presenting at OASPA’s 2025 Annual Conference in Leuven, Belgium.
MDPI’s perspective
At MDPI, we are fully committed to this. As a 100% OA publisher, our growth is inseparable from the success of OA itself. In many ways, MDPI is a byproduct of the global adoption of OA, and we play an important role in helping to advance it further.
I had the opportunity to share MDPI’s perspective in the panel discussion entitled: "Hello from the other side: views from fully Open Access journals using APCs," alongside industry colleagues from PLOS, eLife, AOSIS, and Frontiers.
Instead of giving a standard presentation, I highlighted aspects of MDPI that the audience might not be aware of. I also presented on the opportunities and challenges facing publishers that are already fully OA, the importance of diverse models in achieving 100% OA, and why OA is the baseline while Open Science is the future.
Recognizing Gold OA
As part of the panel, I had undertaken to make some bold and provocative statements. I therefore emphasized a point that is sometimes overlooked: we didn’t reach 50% OA without Gold OA – it accounts for more than half of all OA publications today. And we certainly won’t reach 100% OA without it.
“By educating the community and working together, we can continue to take Open Science to the next level”
“When people speak about Gold OA and MDPI, they should ‘put some respek on our name.”
MDPI is a leader in Gold OA and has been a driver of this progress at scale.
While Gold OA and MDPI are sometimes slighted, both deserve recognition for their contributions to advancing Open Science globally.
I closed my presentation with a reminder that the good we do is sometimes overlooked, and that when people speak about Gold OA and MDPI, they should "put some respek on our name."
I’m pleased to have seen attendees sharing positive experiences with MDPI, reminding us that we bring real value to the OA movement and deserve a stronger reputation. We also engaged in constructive conversations about various topics, including cost transparency.
A few themes that I took away from the conference:
- Quality and integrity matter as much as access. OA publishers must not lose sight of research integrity, inclusivity, and sustainability while pursuing 100% OA.
- Global collaboration is essential. Policies, funding models, and infrastructure differ around the world, and we will need cross-border collaboration to make OA a truly global reality.
- Open Science is the bigger story. OA is just the first step – the future lies in open data, open peer review, research reproducibility, etc.
“MDPI’s scale allows us to better support authors, reinvest in communities, and push Open Science forward”
How we communicate MDPI’s role
For us at MDPI, this is also a reminder of how we communicate externally. When we tell our story, we shouldn’t forget to start with the bigger picture – Open Science and Open Access. Then we connect it to MDPI, our journals, services, and initiatives, exemplifying the fact that we are part of a mission larger than ourselves.
MDPI colleagues Clàudia Aunós (Society Partnerships), Marta Colomer (External Affairs), Stefan Tochev (CEO), and Nikola Paunovic (Scilit), at OASPA’s 2025 Annual Conference in Leuven, Belgium.
The journey to 100% OA will not be simple. But by educating the community and working together, we can continue to take Open Science to the next level.
Impactful Research
MDPI becomes COUNTER 5.1 compliant across 480+ Journals
I’m pleased to share that MDPI has officially become COUNTER 5.1 compliant and has joined the COUNTER Registry.
For those who might not be familiar with it, COUNTER provides international standards for tracking and reporting how research is being used. By becoming COUNTER 5.1 compliant, MDPI can now deliver credible, comparable, and transparent usage reports across our entire journal portfolio.
“MDPI is showing that they want to be measured against the same yardstick as other publishers”
Why is this important?
Because usage statistics aren’t just numbers: they’re powerful tools that help our authors, institutions, and consortia understand the real impact of their research. With COUNTER compliant reports, our institutional partners can now make more informed decisions about publishing agreements, funding allocations, and the long-term value of Open Access.
In practical terms, MDPI will now provide Platform, Title, and Item Reports, with standardized usage views available at the institute and consortium level. These reports cover usage from January 2024 onwards and will be updated monthly. Institutions will be able to access them via SuSy, or automatically through the COUNTER API.
I’d like to highlight and thank Becky Castellon, our Institutional Partnerships Manager, who has played a key role in driving this project forward. Becky captured it perfectly when she said: "Through these usage reports, our global research community can access trustworthy data about how their work is being used and accessed
This information is often vital for reviewing publishing partnership agreements and for making informed decisions about future funding allocations."
We also received encouraging feedback from Tasha Mellins-Cohen, Executive Director at COUNTER Metrics:
"We’re delighted to see born-OA publishers engaging with COUNTER. Our normalised usage metrics are relied on as the basis for credible return-on-investment calculations by libraries worldwide. By adopting the COUNTER standard, MDPI is showing that they want to be measured against the same yardstick as other publishers."
For MDPI, this milestone is another step in our commitment to transparency, trust, and impact. By adopting COUNTER’s standards, we’re not just aligning with best practice; we’re ensuring that Open Access publishing is measured on the same terms as traditional publishing, proving its value in concrete and globally recognized ways.
This is an important milestone for MDPI, but more importantly for the researchers, librarians, and institutions we serve. Transparency builds trust, and COUNTER compliance helps us show the global reach and influence of Open Access publishing in the clearest way possible.
Inside Research
Lin Li (Publisher, MDPI), Stefan Tochev (CEO, MDPI, Prof. Chengkuo Lee (Editor-in-Chief, AI Sensors), and Constanze Schelhorn (Head of Indexing) at restaurant in Basel, Switzerland.
Welcoming Prof. Lee (EiC of AI Sensors) to Basel
On 11 September, we welcomed Prof. Dr. Chengkuo Lee, Editor-in-Chief of our new journal AI Sensors, to our Basel office. Prof. Lee is a high profiled researcher (h-index 104, 37,000+ citations), a longtime collaborator with MDPI (25 published articles), and has already chaired several AI Sensors (AIS)-related conferences with us, including the recent event in Kuala Lumpur, where AI Sensors held its first editorial board meeting.
Stefan Tochev (CEO, MDPI) showing Special Issue reprint books as part of a tour of MDPI’s Basel office.
Every journal has a story
During his visit, we exchanged ideas on how to build the journal’s identity and impact. A key takeaway that I shared was that every journal has a story: its vision, its purpose, and the community it brings together.
That story is what connects with readers and authors, beyond metrics alone.
I encouraged everyone working on journals to reflect: What is the story of your journal? And how can you bring that story to the forefront in how you communicate about it?
How MDPI supports new journals
Constanze Schelhorn (Head of Indexing, MDPI) presenting on the MDPI indexing process at the company’s headquarters in Basel.
We also shared with Prof. Lee how MDPI supports journals through our Institutional Open Access Program, indexing expertise, and the work of our Journal Relationship Specialists.
Launching a new journal is ambitious, but with our strong track record (93% Scopus and 87% Web of Science acceptance rates in 2024), Prof. Lee felt confident that AI Sensors will find its place in the scholarly landscape.
Having spent some hours together, it’s clear that Prof. Lee is not only an Editor-in-Chief but also an ambassador for MDPI. His leadership and collaboration reflect the mission MDPI by which MDPI lives: accelerating Open Access and advancing Open Science.
Special thanks to Constanze Schelhorn (Head of Indexing), Ting Leng (JRS, Managing Editor, AI Sensors), Lin Li (Publisher, AI Sensors), Aimar Xiong (Publisher), and Christian Eberhard (Office Administrator, Basel), for organizing and hosting the meeting.
Coming Together for Science
Highlights from the MDPI UK Summit in London
I was pleased to be back in the UK in September, supporting our Manchester team in hosting their first MDPI Summit in London. This day-and-a-half private event brought together 25 Chief Editors and Associate Editors to exchange knowledge, learn about latest developments at MDPI, and engage in discussions on advancing Open Science. The program included MDPI and guest presentations, and Q&A sessions.
Why these summits matter
Our Summits provide a platform to:
- Share updates on the latest developments at MDPI, our editorial processes, research integrity practices, and indexing.
- Highlight collaborations with institutions and societies in the region.
- Offer external perspectives from guest speakers.
- Create space for Chief Editors to share their insights, ask questions, network, and help shape MDPI’s path forward.
These gatherings are more than updates: they improve our relationships with Chief Editors, who serve not only as leaders of their journals but also as ambassadors for MDPI within the research community. We often hear that this type of event is unique, something many other publishers do not provide. It shows that we care and are willing to go the extra mile to recognize and engage our key collaborators.
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MDPI and the UK: Key facts
- With over 80,000 publications, the UK is MDPI’s eighth-largest contributor.
- MDPI is the fourth-largest publisher in the UK, accounting for 11% of the country’s 89,526 Open Access publications in 2024.
- We collaborate with more than 4,000 active UK Editorial Board Members, 48% of whom have an H-index above 26. This includes 49 Editors-in-Chief and 74 Section Editors-in-Chief.
- MDPI maintains over 1,000 IOAP agreements worldwide, with 63 from the UK.
“We are willing to go the extra mile to recognize and engage our key collaborators”
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Agenda highlights:
- MDPI Overview, Open Access, and UK Collaboration – Stefan Tochev (CEO, MDPI)
- MDPI Editorial Process – Dr. Michael O’Sullivan (Scientific Quality Advisor Lead, MDPI)
- Research Integrity and Publication Ethics – Daisy Fenton (Research Integrity Specialist, MDPI)
- Institutional Partnerships – Becky Castellon (Institutional Partnerships Manager, MDPI)
- Promoting and Developing Your Journal – Prof. Fabio Tosti (Editor-in-Chief of NDT)
- Indexing to Impact – Dr. Michael O’Sullivan (Scientific Quality Advisor Lead, MDPI)
- Engaging our Academic Community – Jaime Anderson Anderson (UK Operations Manager, MDPI)
- Closing Remarks – Stefan Tochev (CEO, MDPI)
MDPI colleagues Stefan Tochev (CEO), Jaime Anderson Anderson (UK Operations Manager), Dr. Michael O’Sullivan (Scientific Quality Advisor Lead), Becky Castellon (Institutional Partnerships Manager), Daisy Fenton (Research Integrity Specialist) at the MDPI UK 2025 Summit in London.
Thank you!
A special thank-you to the Manchester team and all colleagues behind the scenes who made this Summit a success. Your efforts are greatly appreciated. We look forward to building on this momentum with future Summits in Europe and beyond.
Closing Thoughts
Dr. Giulia Stefenelli (Scientific Communications Lead, MDPI) and Stefan Tochev (CEO, MDPI) participating in a press conference at the Italiane Senate in Rome to promote the 2nd International Conference on Environmental Medicine (ICEM)
MDPI at the Italian Senate: Promoting Environmental Medicine and Open Science
On 16 September, Dr. Giulia Stefenelli (Scientific Communications Lead) and I had the honour of participating in a press conference at the Italian Senate in Rome, organized by the Italian Society of Environmental Medicine (SIMA) to promote the upcoming 2nd International Conference on Environmental Medicine (ICEM) (20–21 November 2025).
This is an important event for MDPI, as we are the exclusive publishing partner for ICEM and have recently launched a new journal with SIMA, further building our presence both in Italy and within this important field of research.
Why this matters
- The promotion of ICEM has received extensive national media coverage (more than 15 mentions in major Italian outlets; see links below).
- The press conference brought together leading policymakers, academics, and Nobel Laureates to emphasize the impact of environmental exposures and epigenetics on human health.
- We were introduced to government ministries, university rectors, and influential stakeholders, which helps us bolster MDPI’s visibility and reputation in Italy.
Highlights
Nobel Laureate Sir Richard Roberts joined the discussion, underlining the importance of environmental medicine in shaping future health outcomes. Nobel Laureate Prof. Dr. Tong Zhu (Peking University) will also speak at the November conference.
Institutional representatives included the Italian Minister of the Environment and Energy Security, the Italian Undersecretary for Health, and senior officials from the World Health Organization.
In my closing remarks, I highlighted that:
“Over the past five years, about 65% of research published in Italy has been Open Access, compared to an average of 55% worldwide.”
Italian research ranked seventh among the top 20 countries in average citations during this period, reflecting its strong international influence. Not only is Italy producing a high volume of research; it is also producing research of outstanding quality.
MDPI’s role
This event was not only about promoting ICEM but also about showcasing MDPI’s commitment to Open Access and our ability to connect scientific publishing with leading academic, medical, and policy institutions.
As Giulia Stefenelli noted:
“This event was highly relevant for MDPI, as it not only showcased our strong commitment to OA but also emphasized our role in advancing important fields such as Environmental Medicine.”
Learn more
- Watch the full press conference (Radio Radicale)
- Giulia’s speech: 33:20 (in Italian)
- Stefan’s speech: 57:50 (in English)
- ICEM 2025 Conference Program
- Selected media coverage:
This moment at the Italian Senate shows how MDPI can connect publishing with science, policy, and society to help advance both Open Science and environmental health research on a global stage.
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In Rome with Sir Richard Roberts (photo left) and Prof. Giuseppe Novelli (EiC of MDPI journal COVID).
Chief Executive Officer
MDPI AG
30 September 2025
Nobel Prize — The Science Behind the Prize
Nobel Prizes are the world’s most prestigious recognition of scientific breakthroughs, honoring discoveries that push the boundaries of knowledge and reshape entire fields. They bring into the public eye researchers whose work might otherwise remain known only within specialized circles.
For many, winning a Nobel Prize is a surreal experience. Laureates often describe a mix of joy, humility, reflection, and gratitude for the teams and collaborators whose contributions made the achievement possible. Behind every Nobel-winning idea lies years of careful, incremental work—a process that often goes unseen.
When Prof. Steven Weinberg won the Nobel Prize in Physics in October 1979, his wife Louise, a legal scholar, reminded him to keep doing the ordinary hard work of science, joking: “Now you have to write some unimportant papers.” True to form, Weinberg continued to push the boundaries of our understanding of the Universe, showing that curiosity and dedication extend far beyond the moment of recognition (Hofmann 2025: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-8994/17/6/840).
Discover the science behind the world’s most transformative ideas
Over the years, dozens of Nobel laureates have published their work with MDPI, entrusting our open access journals to disseminate their findings to a global audience. As of 2024, more than 40 laureates have contributed over 115 articles across 35 journals, ranging from pioneering research on microRNAs and mRNA therapeutics, to fundamental insights in theoretical physics, and advances in structural biology.
We regularly spotlight how Nobel Prize–winning research intersects with the contributions of our authors. This not only celebrates the achievements of the laureates, but also underscores the role of open access in ensuring that transformative science reaches the widest possible audience.
On this page, we invite you to explore selected works by Nobel laureates within the MDPI portfolio, and to join us in celebrating the global impact of their ideas.
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2025 has been awarded to Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Shimon Sakaguchi for for their discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance. MDPI sincerely invites you to explore research in a related field.
The Science Behind the Prize: 2025 Nobel Physiology or Medicine Roundtable
6 October 2025, 03:30 pm (CEST)
You are welcome to watch the recording here!
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2025 has been awarded to John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret and John M. Martinis for the discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunnelling and energy quantisation in an electric circuit. MDPI sincerely invites you to explore research in a related field.
The Science Behind the Prize: 2025 Nobel Physics Roundtable
7 October 2025, 02:30 pm (CEST)
You are welcome to watch the recording here!
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2025 has been awarded to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar M. Yaghi for the development of metal-organic frameworks. MDPI sincerely invites you to explore research in a related field.
