Announcements

MDPI, a pioneer in scholarly open access publishing, and the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine), Singapore, proudly announce the successful conclusion of the first edition the MDPI Early Career Researcher Awards. The awards, which recognize outstanding contributions to medical and biomedical research, were presented to six exceptional researchers during an awards ceremony held at LKCMedicine HQ Building on 28 November 2024.

Honoring Excellence in Research

The awards recognize exceptional postdoctoral researchers and Ph.D. students who have demonstrated outstanding originality, innovation, and impact in their respective fields. We are honored to announce the winners of the 2024 edition:

Early Career Researcher (Postdoc) Award:

• Dr. Theresia Handayani Mina, “Adiposity and Metabolic Health in Asian Populations: An Epidemiological Study Using Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry in Singapore”;
• Dr. Erfan Rezvani Ghomi, “Wound Healing Improvement by Novel Aligned Antimicrobial Nanofibrous 3D Scaffolds”;
• Dr. Yadollah Ranjbar Slamloo, “Functional Alterations of The Prefrontal Circuit Underlying Cognitive Aging in Mice”.

Early Career Researcher (Ph.D.) Award:

• Pritisha Rozario, “Mechanistic Basis for Potassium Efflux-Driven Activation of the Human NLRP1 Inflammasome”;

• Michelle Law Cheok Yien, “Chikungunya Virus Nonstructural Protein 1 is a Versatile RNA Capping and Decapping Enzyme”;
• Yin Ruoyu, “The Use of Digital Mental Health and Wellbeing Tools in Older Adults: A Mixed Method Study”.

Our collaboration highlights a shared commitment to recognizing exceptional talent and research within the academic community, addressing today’s healthcare challenges, and inspiring continued innovation.

Looking Ahead to 2025

Building on the success of the first edition, MDPI and LKCMedicine are excited to announce that the 2025 MDPI Early Researcher Awards will continue to celebrate excellence and innovation in medical research. The next edition promises to expand its scope, introducing new categories and providing even greater recognition for impactful research.

Further details on the 2025 awards, including nomination criteria and timelines, will be shared in the coming months. We remain committed to fostering a culture of research excellence and collaboration within the global scientific community.

Conference: ACS Spring 2025
Organization: American Chemical Society
Date: 23−27 March 2025
Place: San Diego, CA, USA
Booth ID: 3749

A number of MDPI journals will be attending ACS Spring 2025 as exhibitors, an exciting event being held in San Diego, CA, USA, from 23 to 27 March 2025.

ACS Meetings & Expositions are the prime location for chemistry professionals to meet in order to exchange ideas and advance scientific and technical knowledge. By attracting thousands of professionals in the field of chemistry, the meetings provide excellent opportunities for peers to engage with one another and share their passion for chemistry, connecting with one of the world's largest scientific societies and helping to advance careers in this ever-changing global field.

The following MDPI journals will be represented at the conference:

• Molecules;
• Crystals;
• DDC;
• Laboratories;
• Materials;
• Polymers;
• Separations;
• Analytica;
• AppliedChem;
• Batteries;
• Chemistry;
• Fibers;
• Inorganics;
• Molbank;
• Organics;
• Reactions.

If you are attending the above conference, please feel free to start a conversation with us at our booth, booth #3749. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person and answering any questions that you may have.

Of the participating journals, two are celebrating their anniversary:

The year 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of Molecules (ISSN: 1420-3049), a peer-reviewed, open access journal of chemistry, published online on a semi-monthly basis by MDPI. With an Impact Factor of 4.2 and a CiteScore of 7.4, the journal is indexed in Scopus, SCIE (Web of Science), PubMed, MEDLINE, PMC, Reaxys, CaPlus/SciFinder, MarinLit, AGRIS, and other databases.

The year 2025 also marks the 10th anniversary of Batteries (ISSN: 2313-0105), a peer-reviewed, open access journal of chemistry, published online on a monthly basis by MDPI. With an Impact Factor of 4.6 and a CiteScore of 4.0, the journal is indexed in Scopus, SCIE (Web of Science), Inspec, Ei Compendex, CAPlus/SciFinder, and other databases.

We value the contributions made by our editors, authors, and reviewers.

The editorial team at Reactions extends our heartfelt thanks to the dedicated reviewers whose expertise and commitment have been key to the journal's success in 2024. Last year, Reactions received 360 review reports from 236 reviewers representing 41 countries and regions worldwide.

To recognize the invaluable time, effort, and attention to detail that each reviewer dedicates, Reactions expresses its sincere gratitude through an annual acknowledgment of reviewers.

We are honored to recognize the reviewers who allowed us to publish their names each year. The names of these reviewers are listed below in alphabetical order by first name:

Nine new journals covering multiple subjects launched their inaugural issues in December 2024. We are excited to be able to share with you the newest research rooted in the value of open access.

We would like to express our deepest appreciation to all of the Editorial Board Members, and each journal will ensure its high-quality output by using excellent editorial and rigorous peer-review processes, to ensure that the articles achieve high impact and visibility.

Please feel free to browse and discover more about the new journals below.

Journal	Founding Editor-in-Chief	Journal Topics (Selected)
	Prof. Dr. Zhaoyang Dong City University of Hong Kong, China Editorial | View inaugural issue	energy storage technologies; energy storage system management; energy storage applications; strategies in renewable energy generation grid integration; distributed storage systems; economics and markets for energy storage View journal scope | Submit an article
	Prof. Dr. Yang-Hui He 1. London Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Royal Institution, UK 2. University of Oxford, UK Editorial | View inaugural issue	Euclidean geometry; differential geometry; algebraic geometry; complex geometry; discrete geometry; computational geometry; geometric group theory;  convex geometry View journal scope | Submit an article
	Dr. Michel Planat Université de Franche-Comté, France Editorial | View inaugural issue	differential topology; algebraic topology; manifold topology; homology theory; low-dimensional topology; fuzzy sets View journal scope | Submit an article
	Prof. Dr. Rashid Al Abri 1. Sultan Qaboos University, Oman 2. Oman Medical Association, Oman Editorial | View inaugural issue	clinical practices as well as research and innovation in medical education, risk management in healthcare, and patient safety View journal scope | Submit an article
	Prof. Dr. Ecevit Bilgili* New Jersey Institute of Technology, USA *Prof. Dr. Ecevit Bilgili passed away before the completion of the inaugural issue. His dedication and vision for JPBI will always be remembered and serve as a guiding inspiration. Editorial | View inaugural issue	early drug discovery and development; product characterization and pre-clinical testing; drug delivery systems and drug design; active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) production View journal scope | Submit an article
	Dr. Weiyong Liu Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China Editorial | View inaugural issue	theories, methodologies, technologies, and applications in the fields of laboratory medicine and clinical chemistry View journal scope | Submit an article
	Prof. Dr. Manuel Pedro Rodríguez Bolívar University of Granada, Spain Editorial | View inaugural issue	scientometrics; informetrics; bibliometrics; altmetrics; webometrics; research evaluation View journal scope | Submit an article
	Prof. Dr. Fei Fan Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China Editorial | View inaugural issue	regional growth theory and methods; regional system modeling and optimization; regional development policy; regional spatial evolution; environmental policy and instrument choice View journal scope | Submit an article
	Dr. Kevin Cianfaglione Université Catholique de Lille, France Editorial | View inaugural issue	wild species and their habitats; wild environments and biodiversity; natural environment management; wild land preservation View journal scope | Submit an article

We wish to thank everyone who has supported the development of open access publishing. You are welcome to send an application here, or contact the New Journal Committee ([email protected]) if you would like to create more new journals.

In order to further enhance the international influence of the journal Reactions (ISSN: 2624-781X), promote the academic exchange of young scientists, and support the Editorial Board with additional expertise, Reactions is inviting interested and eligible early career researchers to apply for Early Career Editorial Board (ECEB) membership.

A total of 25 Early Career Editorial Board Members are planned to be recruited. Early Career Editorial Board (ECEB) members will hold the position for two years with the possibility of renewal for a second term.

Application eligibility:

• Completed doctorate/Ph.D. degree in the past 10 years (considering exceptions for career interruptions, including medical and family leave);
• Evidence of significant research achievements in the field of reaction chemistry and engineering;
• Willingness to dedicate time to the development of the journal with passion and enthusiasm;
• Researchers that are active and engaged in their community (e.g., experienced at presenting at academic conferences or involved in professional organizations).

Benefits of an Early Career Editorial Board Member:

• A certificate of appointment as an Early Career Editorial Board Member will be provided;
• The achievements of Early Career Editorial Board Members are publicized on journal media platforms to improve academic visibility;
• An opportunity to be promoted to Editorial Board Member based on contributions;
• The journal will regularly acknowledge those who participated in the peer-review process on the journal website;
• Opportunities to participate in or host annual meetings and online seminars organized by the Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board Members.

Responsibilities of an Early Career Editorial Board Member:

• Publicizing and promoting the journal at academic conferences and among peers;
• Selecting high-quality articles and preparing bilingual media content for promotion;
• Reviewing at least four manuscripts per year;
• Providing input on any new initiatives of journal development;
• Inviting submissions from local and overseas world-leading scientists in respective research fields.

Applications:

Please fill in the application form here.

Please send the application form and your academic resume to [email protected] with the subject of “Reactions Early Career Editorial Board Application + Name + Institute + Research Expertise”.

Application deadline: 31 December 2025.

Selection process:

More than 100 German universities and research institutions have entered into a national agreement with MDPI. The publication agreement negotiated by ZB MED comes into effect on 1 January 2025 and is valid until the end of 2026. Joining the consortium is still possible until the beginning of 2025. We are delighted by the high level of interest this agreement has already garnered, reflecting the strong demand for accessible and cost-effective open access publishing solutions among German research institutions.

This new cooperation aims to make scientific gold open access publishing more affordable and less administratively burdensome for researchers in Germany. The agreement includes substantial discounts on article processing charges (APCs) for corresponding authors from participating institutions. It offers flexible payment options, including centralized invoicing or individual payment of fees by researchers or their institutions. Additionally, the agreement features a flat-fee model that enables institutions to precisely plan expenses and optimize their library budgets.

"MDPI can look back on over a decade of successful partnerships with German research institutions," says Peter Roth, MDPI Head of Publishing. "The new agreement marks another milestone in the long-standing co-operation between MDPI and the German scientific community. It emphasizes our commitment to developing up-to-date and inventive solutions for the diverse needs of scientific institutions to promote open research for the benefit of researchers."

Petra Labriga, Head of Strategic License Management at ZB MED, highlighted the agreement's significance: "As one of the world's leading Gold OA publishers, MDPI plays a central role in the German publishing landscape. We are particularly pleased that we were able to achieve considerable potential cost savings for scientific institutions and their authors at a national level through our negotiations."

The partnership reflects a common goal of advancing the idea of open access and supporting researchers in making their scientific excellence internationally visible.

"We would like to thank the ZB MED consortium team for their excellent collaboration," added Adrian Stefan Zamfir, MDPI Institutional Partnership Manager for the DACH region. "We are delighted that this agreement will give even more researchers in Germany access to our tried-and-tested and reliable publication platform."

Franziska Fischer (right), Commercial Director at ZB MED, an Peter Roth (left), Head of Publishing at MDPI, celebrate the signing of the new national open access agreement between MDPI and the ZB MED Consortium.

More Information

• Conditions and participation opportunities (German): Link
• Frequently asked questions (German): Link

Contact

• ZB MED: Team Konsortiallizenzen ([email protected]) - Website
  MDPI: Adrian Stefan Zamfir, Institutional Partnership Manager ([email protected])
  
  

About ZB MED

ZB MED - Information Centre for Life Sciences is an infrastructure and research centre for life science information and data. Its aim is to support and strengthen research for people and the environment: from medicine to biodiversity and environmental protection.

The work of ZB MED is orientated towards the strategic guidelines:

• Research + Networking: We conduct research together with the regionally, nationally, European and globally networked research community.
• Data science: We enable data analyses and generate new knowledge through research.
• Access to information: We provide sustainable access to information, literature and data as a central information infrastructure.
• Open + FAIR: We promote open and reproducible science in line with open science and FAIR principles.
• Knowledge and skills transfer: We actively impart knowledge, competences and skills.

More information at www.zbmed.de.

About MDPI

Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, MDPI is one of the world's leading open access publishers with a current portfolio of more than 440 journals in all scientific disciplines. MDPI‘s goal is to advance open science worldwide through greater transparency, efficiency and collaboration. To date, more than 3.7 million researchers have published their results in MDPI journals. The editorial process is overseen by a large network of dedicated reviewers and editors and supported by more than 6500 MDPI employees. MDPI currently works with over 800 academic institutions and 180 scientific societies worldwide, which benefit from a wide range of MDPI services and products.

We are pleased to announce a series of updates to our template, aimed at improving the readability and overall aesthetics of our publications. These changes have been meticulously designed to enhance the user experience and ensure consistency across all our publications. The updated template will be available for download from the Instructions for Authors page.

The following updates will be applied to articles published in the 2025 volumes, starting on 24 December 2024:

• Main text: The line spacing has been increased to improve the readability of publications;
• Header and footer: The link to the journal website will be removed, as a hyperlink has been integrated into the journal logo. Additionally, the DOI link will be moved from the left-hand side to the right-hand side, and both the header and footer will be slightly raised to achieve a better balance;
• Left information bar: The information provided here has been rearranged for better organization; the CC-BY logo will be removed;
• Font size: The font size used for the abstract, keywords, and first-level headings will be increased.

Furthermore, MDPI journals will continue to use article numbers. This approach enables us to maintain a rapid and efficient production process by being able to define pagination as soon as a paper is accepted.

We hope that the new version of the template will provide users with a better experience and make the process more convenient.

Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions or suggestions.

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the 685 Editorial Board Members of our journals – from 39 different countries and territories – who have been recognized as Highly Cited Researchers for 2024 by Clarivate. This distinction highlights their exceptional scientific achievements and significant contributions, which transcend academic boundaries to advance global knowledge, sustainability, security, and well-being.

Clarivate's annual Highly Cited Researcher™ list identifies the most influential scientists of the past decade, whose work has had a profound and widespread impact across various scientific and social science disciplines. Their impactful papers rank among the top 1% by citations in one or more of the 21 fields analyzed within the "Essential Science Indicators," marking them as leaders in their respective domains.

"Highly Cited Researchers have demonstrated significant and broad influence in their field(s) of research," according to Clarivate. In 2024, a total of 6,886 Highly Cited Researcher designations were awarded to 6,636 individuals.

The following is a list of MDPI's Editorial Board Members named Highly Cited Researchers in 2024. We congratulate them for their achievement and their contributions to advancing knowledge in their respective fields.

Five new journals covering a diverse range of subjects launched their inaugural issue in September 2024. Like other journals in MDPI’s portfolio, these journals are dedicated to sharing the latest research through open access, reflecting our commitment to making knowledge accessible to all.

We extend our sincere gratitude to the Editorial Board Members for their dedication to the launch and development of our new journals. Each journal will ensure its high-quality output via excellent editorial and rigorous peer-review processes so that the published articles achieve significant impact and broad visibility.

We invite you to explore and learn more about these new journals below.

Journal	Founding Editor-in-Chief	Journal Topics (Selected)
	Prof. Dr. Nejat Düzgüneş, University of the Pacific, USA | Editorial | view inaugural issue	biological therapy and stem-cell therapy; drug therapy; chemotherapy; radiation and other nonsurgical therapeutic strategies | view journal scope | submit an article
	Prof. Dr. Magda Tsolaki, Greek Federation of Alzheimer’s Disease, Greece; Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece | Editorial | view inaugural issue	surgical/procedural complications; complications; perioperative adverse events; postoperative adverse events | view journal scope | submit an article
	Prof. Dr. Steven R. Fassnacht, Colorado State University, USA; Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere, USA | Editorial | view inaugural issue	ice as a mineral; atmospheric ice; sea ice; freshwater ice; ice sheets; ice caps and ice shelves | view journal scope | submit an article
	Dr. Francisco Epelde, Hospital Universitari Parc Tauli, Spain; University Autonoma of Barcelona, Spain | Editorial | view inaugural issue	hospital management; hospital facilities; hospital services; hospital risk management; health law | view journal scope | submit an article
	Prof. Dr. Nicola Ferri, University of Padova, Italy | Editorial | view inaugural issue	lipids in cells and whole organisms; lipid structure and function; lipid products and processes; dietary lipids and nutrition | view journal scope | submit an article

We wish to thank everyone who has supported the development of open access publishing. You are welcome to send an application here or contact the New Journal Committee ([email protected]) if you would like to create more new journals.

As a leader in open access publishing, MDPI is eager to explore new collaboration opportunities, including the launch of new journals and the transfer of existing ones. At present, MDPI publishes over 400 journals, more than 160 of which have established partnerships with academic organizations. Additionally, we publish 19 association journals.

In order to enhance exchange and cooperation with scientific researchers and share the results of open science, MDPI invites experts and scholars from various fields to submit proposals for new journal collaboration opportunities. If your proposal is approved, you could take on the role of Editor-in-Chief, Deputy Editor-in-Chief, or Editorial Board Member of the journal. This position allows you to manage the manuscript review process alongside our editorial department, participate in calls for papers, strengthen your network with scholars in the field, expand scientific research cooperation, enhance your personal and academic influence internationally, and play a leading role in academia.

Once the new journal is online, MDPI will provide a variety of promotional channels to market the journal internationally.

MDPI will offer various promotional channels to enhance its visibility and promote it internationally.

How can you determine the theme of a new journal?

• Assess research hotspots/academic frontiers;
• Assess pioneers in the field/key research directions of universities;
• Determine whether MDPI has already established a journal in the field.

You can browse MDPI’s existing journals at the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/about/journals.

Advantages of collaborating with MDPI:

• MDPI is a global leader in open-access publishing with extensive academic resources.
• MDPI offers a professional publishing team that provides comprehensive support throughout the publishing process.
• MDPI’s diverse promotional platforms and channels help journals quickly increase their international visibility and influence.

We invite you to submit new journal proposal here, and contribute to academic development! In addition, if your institution (university, institute, college, national key laboratory, society, etc.) intends to establish a journal, you can also submit a draft to MDPI on its behalf.