B.R. SANKAPAL is Professor and formerly Head, Department of Physics, Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT), Nagpur, Maharashtra, India. Dr Sankapal served as Chairman, Board of Studies for the Department of Physics and Associate Dean (Exam) for VNIT. He received his PhD degree from Shivaji University Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India, in 2001. Earlier, he worked as Scientist at Helmholtz Centre, Berlin, Germany; JSPS-Postdoctoral Fellow at Gifu University, Japan; and Research Associate at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, USA. Dr Sankapal has research expertise in synthesis of nanomaterials, quantum dots, nanowires and nanotubes of inorganic semiconducting materials by using simple and low-cost chemical routes towards solar cell, sensors, and super capacitors device grade developments.With more than 25 years of research experience, Dr Sankapal was nominated for the Shanti Swaroop Bhatnagar Award in 2018 by the Director, VNIT. He is recipient of the Young Scientist-Outstanding work presentation award by Material Research Society, Japan (MRS-J), in 2005 and by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), the Government of India, to participate in the meeting of Nobel Laureates in Lindau, Germany, in 2001. Dr Sankapal has supervised 16 PhD and 20 graduate students. He has 165 publications to his credit with average impact factor above 5 with Google Scholar h-Index 49 with citations above 6000. His name is listed in the World’s Top 2% Scientist 2020 and 2021 as per the Stanford’s University data. Dr. Sankapal completed 9 major research projects from DST, SERB, DAE-BRNS and UGC funding agencies. He is Fellow of the Maharashtra Academy of Sciences, Member of the Institute of Physics, UK, The Indian Science Congress Association, Indian Association of Physics Teachers, and Material Research Society of India. AHMED ENNAOUI is former Professor at the Heterogeneous Material Department, Helmholtz–Zentrum Berlin (HZB), Germany, and President of the Scientific Council of IRESEN (Research Institute for Solar Energy and New Energies), Morocco. Earlier, he worked as Associate Professor at Université Mohammed V (UM5), Morocco, before joining HZB, in 1983. During his career at HZB, he served as visiting professor at Osaka University, Japan, and taught graduate students advanced courses on thin film chalcogenide materials for PV application. He worked as Research Director of Solar Energy group at Qatar Environmental and Energy Research Institute (QEERI), from 2015–2017; and Professor at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Qatar. He is a permanent member of the editorial board of Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells and an IEEE senior member. A material scientist, Prof Ennaoui has graduated (magna cum laude) from the University de Bourgogne, France, and earned his Doctoral thesis (summa cum laude) in solid state electronics, in 1979. He conducted research at Hahn–Meitner–Institut Berlin (HMI), and obtained his habilitation (Doctorat d´état, summa cum laude), in 1987. Ennaoui worked as Scientist at HZB before he was promoted to head a research group pursuing research on several European Union’s Framework programs for PV Technological Development, in 2000.Ennaoui’s research interests are primarily focused on low-cost emerging thin film technologies and recently worked on ink formulation and D-O-D inkjet printing. He also explored 2D-layered, superhydrophobic materials coating and photoactive electrodes and photoelectrochemical solar cells (PEC). With more than 300 journal articles and h-index 50, he has supervised more than 40 PhD theses and more than 15 post-doctors. In 2019, he founded Virtuasl–Learnin University committed to sciences and techniques and online-opening lectures. Recently, he is listed by Stanford University as one of the top 2% of researchers in the world out of 224,856 researchers in applied physics ranked by the prestigious American university. Per the AD Scientific Index, his Morocco Country rank is among the top 2%. Professor Ennaoui has contributed to the development of renewable energies by following the completion of IRESEN's research and development projects, by organising international conferences in Morocco on green energies and through the virtual university of which he is the founder. RAM B. GUPTA is Professor and Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Affairs at the College of Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, USA. After joining the College of Engineering, in 2014, he significantly enhanced its national reputation as an engine of education and research and made important contributions to the success of student, staff and faculty. At the College of Engineering, he has been responsible for sponsored research programs, graduate education, facilities, centers and institutes. Widely regarded asone of the nation’s leading researchers on sustainable energy, materials and technologies. Earlier, Prof. Gupta served the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) as the Director of the Energy for Sustainability Program. Presently, he extends his expert help to NSF in its Engineering Research Centers program.Professor Gupta began his career as Teacher of engineering at Auburn University, USA, risen through the ranks and served as the Chair of the Graduate Program at the Department of Chemical Engineering. For his academic excellence, he has been given many notable awards, endowed professorships, and 54 research grants. He was ranked among top 2% most cited researchers in his field in 2021. He is Fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and of the Alabama Academy of Science. He received Bachelor of Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, masters from the University of Calgary, and PhD from the University of Texas at Austin, USA, all in Chemical Engineering. After that, he completed postdoctoral work at the University of California, Berkeley. Recently, he completed Management Development Program at Harvard University, USA. Professor Gupta has published several books on sustainable development goal (SDG) topics: Nanoparticle Technology for Drug Delivery; Solubility in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide; Hydrogen Fuel: Production, Transport, and Storage; Gasoline, Diesel and Ethanol Biofuels from Grasses and Plants; and Compendium of Hydrogen Energy. A frequent keynote speaker and writer on the new developments and innovations, his articles have been published by several leading media houses: such as Virginia Business, Reuters, London Daily Mail, Japan News, Science Newsline, Chemistry News, and Agriculture Markets. CHNADRAKANT D. LOKHANDE is Dean of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies, and Research Director of D.Y. Patil Education Society, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India. Earlier, he was Professor and Head of the Department of Physics, and Director of the International Affairs Cell, Shivaji University, Kolhapur, India. He received his PhD from Shivaji University, Kolhapur, in 1984, Immediately after accomplishing his first postdoctoral stay at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, he joined Shivaji University as Assistant Professor of Physics in 1987, where he later became Professor and Head. He was appointed as Fellow of Institute of Physics, London, in 1990; was visiting scientist in the Indo-Polish CEP scheme, in 1991; was INSA Visiting Fellow, in 1993; is the first recipient from Shivaji University of the prestigious Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship, Germany, in 1996; and Brain Pool fellowship of South Korea, in 2003; was participant in the Noble Laureates Meeting, Lindau, Germany, in 2001; was Visiting Professor at Hanyang University, South Korea, in 2006; was awarded a Rajya Shishak Purshakar, Government of Maharashtra, in 2009; and the Best Teacher Award from Shivaji University, in 2010. His areas of research interest are thin film technology, ranging from chemical synthesis of thin films to their applications in solar cells, gas sensors, and supercapacitors. He made a great contribution in designing several prototype devices such as supercapacitors and heterojunction-based room temperature gas sensors. He is on the editorial board of the Electrochemical Energy Technology journal; Fellow of the Maharashtra Academy of Sciences, from 2012; an expert member and a distinguished Visiting Professor in polymer chemistry of the Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, from 2012. An author of more than 600 research papers published in several international journals with "h" index 99 and more than 35,600 citations, Prof. Lokhande has edited 11 books, filed more than 65 patents, and guides more than 66 PhD students. He has been listed at the first position in top 2% scientists in the subject of Applied Physics in India as per the Stanford University Survey.
