Professor Mpitloane Joseph Hato received his Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University of the Free State, South Africa, in 2010 and, since 2014, he is the Nanotechnology Research Group Leader in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Limpopo, South Africa. In addition, Hato is currently the Chair of Research in the same department. In 2010, he has carried out postdoctoral research at Inha University in South Korea, and the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, focusing on various properties of different materials for packaging and rheological applications. His multi-disciplinary research interests are situated broadly across the domains of electrochemistry, water research, materials science, and nanotechnology, with a focus on the applicability of conducting polymer nanocomposites and polymer hydrogel nanocomposites for electrochemical hydrogen generation and water treatment. Prof. Hato is the author of 14 book chapters on metal-organic frameworks-based composites and conducting polymers for hydrogen production and water remediation, as well as author and co-author of 45 articles in high-impact international journals. His honors include the Best Researcher in the School of Physical and Mineral Sciences awarded by the Vice Chancellor at University of Limpopo during the Research Excellence Awards 2019 and a current rating of C3 as an Established Researcher by the National Research Foundation of South Africa. In 2017, he was appointed as External Research Professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of South Africa. Professor Suprakas Sinha Ray received his Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the University of Calcutta in 2001 and is currently Chief Researcher in nanostructured materials at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Manager of the Centre for Nanostructures and Advanced Materials, and Director of the DSI-CSIR Nanotechnology Innovation Centre. His research focuses on advanced nanostructured materials and their applications. He is one of the most active and highly-cited authors in the field of polymer nanocomposite materials, having recently been rated as among the top 1% of most impactful and influential scientists by Thomson Reuters Essential Science Indicators. In 2011, he was also rated among the top 50 high-impact chemists in the world. Professor Ray is the author of 7 books, Co-Author of 3 edited books, 32 book chapters on various aspects of polymer-based nanostructured materials and their applications, and Author and Co-Author of 450 articles in high-impact international journals. He holds 6 patents and 7 newly demonstrated technologies shared with colleagues, collaborators, and industrial partners. His honors and awards include the prestigious 2016 South Africa National Science and Technology Award (NSTF), the 2020 CSIR-wide most prestigious Career Achievement Award, the 2014 CSIR-wide Leadership Award, the 2014 CSIR Human Capital Development Award, the 2013 Morand Lambla Award (top award in the field of polymer processing worldwide), and an award from the International Polymer Processing Society, USA. He also serves as an Extraordinary Professor at the University of Pretoria and as a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of Johannesburg.
