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
