Announcements
17 December 2024
Article Layout and Template Revised for Future Volumes
9 December 2024
Meet Us at the 18th International Conference on Biomedical Engineering (ICBME 2024), 9–12 December 2024, Singapore
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
2 December 2024
Join Us at “MDPI Open Access—Online Author Training Program with Johns Hopkins University”, 5 December 2024
MDPI is pleased to collaborate with the Johns Hopkins University, USA, to host an author training session that provides essential insights into MDPI and the world of open access publishing. Academic Editors from MDPI will lead the session, focusing on the theme of peer review in academic publishing. Peer review is a fundamental process that not only enhances the quality of individual research but also bolsters the integrity of the wider academic community.
Date: 5 December 2024
Time: 6:00 pm CET | 12:00 pm EST
Leading journal: Sensors (ISSN: 1424-8220)
Registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_oByBScy0T5eI5L36JcI_6Q
Program:
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Speaker/Presentation |
Time in (CET) |
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Opening Speech |
18:00–18.10 |
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Ms. Andjela Sakota |
18:10–18.50 |
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Ms. Vera Popovic |
18:50–19:20 |
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Q&A Session |
19:20–19:35 |
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Closing Speech |
19:35–19:40 |
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MDPI Speakers: |
Biographies |
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Ms. Sakota joined MDPI in November 2019. She holds a B.Sc. degree in physics and is currently working on a master's thesis in engineering/project management. She has been working as an Assistant Editor and Section Managing Editor for the journal Sensors and recently began her role as a JRS for the same journal. In addition to her editorial work, she has also worked as a Group Leader for Section 1 and the Mechanical Engineering Section in the Serbia offices since September 2022. |
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Ms. Popovic joined MDPI in April 2022. She holds a master's degree in chemistry education and teaching methodology and is currently a Ph.D. student in the same topic at the Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Novi Sad. She has been working as an Assistant Editor and Section Managing Editor for the journal Sensors and recently began her role as a JRS for the same journal. In addition to her editorial work, she also works as a Training Assistant, striving to support and assist her colleagues from Section 1. Vera approaches her work with a positive attitude, aiming to help the team achieve its goals efficiently and professionally. |
20 November 2024
Sensors Webinar | Advanced Nanomaterials for Sensing, 29 November 2024
Advanced nanomaterials (organic or inorganic), such as graphene, 2D carbides and nitrides (MXenes), metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), nano-heterostructures (core–shell, 3D branch-like, etc.), and so on, represent an ultrasensitive platform for developing next-generation sensing devices. In particular, their unique functional properties, such as their high surface-to-volume ratio, porosity, and exceptional physical/chemical properties, allow the selective detection of various chemical analytes, such as VOCs, environmental pollutants, and biomolecules, among others.
We wish to invite you to our insightful webinar “Advanced Nanomaterials for Sensing”, a session which will highlight pioneering research on the design and modification of metal oxide-based nanostructures with 3S-sensitivity, selectivity, and stability for gas/chemical sensing applications.
In this webinar, we will explore how innovations in nanostructures and their modification can significantly elevate the performance of traditional metal oxide sensors. Our presenters will provide insights into the synthesis, characterization, and application of these advanced materials, particularly metal oxide-based nanostructures, and their modification for gas and chemical sensing. This event presents a unique opportunity to engage with cutting-edge strategies in nanotechnology, shaping the future of environmental monitoring, health diagnostics, and industrial safety.
Whether you are a researcher, engineer, or student, this webinar offers an excellent platform to connect with distinguished experts and explore transformative approaches in sensing technologies. We thank you in advance for joining us and look forward to an engaging discussion on the pivotal role of advanced nanomaterials in sensor technologies.
Date: 29 November 2024
Time: 12:30 p.m. CET | 6:30 a.m. EST | 7:30 p.m. CST Asia
Webinar ID: 843 6486 6534
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with information on how to join the webinar. Registrations with academic institutional email addresses will be prioritized.
Unable to attend? Register anyway and we will inform you when the recording is available.
Register now for free!
Program:
| Speaker/Presentation | Time in CET | Time in EST |
| Dr. Navpreet Kaur Chair Introduction |
12:30–12:40 p.m. | 06:30–06:40 a.m. |
| Prof. Dr. Elisabetta Comini Challenges and Opportunities in Nanostructured Metal Oxides for Chemical and Gas Sensing |
12:40–13:00 p.m. | 06:40–07:00 a.m. |
| Q&A Session | 13:00–13:10 p.m. | 07:00–07:10 a.m. |
| Dr. Mandeep Singh Self-assembled Monolayer Functionalized Metal Oxide Nanowires: A Strategy to Enhance Sensor Performance |
13:10–13:25 p.m. | 07:10–07:25 a.m. |
| Q&A Session | 13:25–13:35 p.m. | 07:25–07:35 a.m. |
| Dr. Navpreet Kaur Chair Closing |
13:35–13:40 p.m. | 07:35–07:40 a.m. |
Webinar Chair and Keynote Speakers:
- Dr. Navpreet Kaur，SENSOR Laboratory, Department of Information Engineering (DII), University of Brescia, Italy;
- Prof. Dr. Elisabetta Comini, SENSOR Laboratory, Department of Information Engineering (DII), University of Brescia, Italy;
- Dr. Mandeep Singh, Institute of Materials for Electronics and Magnetism (IMEM-CNR), Trento, Italy; Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK), Trento, Italy.
Relevant Special Issue:
“Advanced Nanomaterials for Sensing”
Guest Editors: Dr. Navpreet Kaur and Dr. Mandeep Singh
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024.
For more information about this webinar, please visit the following link: https://sciforum.net/event/Sensors-23.
13 November 2024
Meet Us at the 38th IEEE International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (IEEE MEMS 2025), 19–23 January 2025, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
13 November 2024
Meet Us at the 2024 International Conference on Science and Engineering of Electronics (ICSEE 2024), 22–26 November 2024, Wuhan, China
11 November 2024
Join Us at “MDPI Open Access—Online Author Training Program with University of Greenwich”, 15 November 2024, London, UK
MDPI is pleased to collaborate with the University of Greenwich, UK, to host an author training session that provides essential insights into MDPI and the world of open access publishing. Academic Editors from MDPI will lead the session, focusing on the theme of peer review in academic publishing. Peer review is a fundamental process that not only enhances the quality of individual research but also bolsters the integrity of the wider academic community.
Date: 15 November 2024
Time: 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. (GMT)
Venue: Zoom
Registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/8817296762200/WN_W4A7N0CHR7yxywJNeplNeA
Schedule:
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Speaker/Presentation |
Time in GMT |
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Opening Speech |
11:00–11.10 |
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Ms. Mary O'Sullivan |
11.10–11.40 |
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Ms. Rebekah Paget |
11.40–12:10 |
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TBC |
12:10–12:40 |
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Q&A Session |
12:40–12:55 |
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Closing Speech |
12:55–13:00 |
MDPI Speakers:
|
Speaker |
Biography |
Ms. Mary O'Sullivan |
Ms. Mary O'Sullivan obtained her B.Sc. in genetics in 2019 and her M.Sc. in molecular cell biology with bio-innovation in 2020 from University College Cork in Ireland. She started her career in MDPI in January 2023 working for the Editorial Department for the journal Cancers as an Assistant Editor and, following this, a Section Managing Editor. Currently, Ms. O'Sullivan is a Journal Relations Specialist based in the UK office in Manchester. |
 Ms. Rebekah Paget |
Ms. Rebekah Paget graduated with an MChem in chemistry from Newcastle University, UK. She has worked at MDPI Manchester since 2021 and is currently a Journal Relations Specialist for the MDPI open access journals Materials, Alloys, and Optics. |
6 November 2024
Meet Us at the Future Technologies Symposium from SENDAI, 25–28 November 2024, Sendai, Japan
