RSC Meet the Editors - INST & IISER Mohali, India

Professor Chengzhong (Michael) Yu is a chemist and materials scientist working at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland. He has a joint appointment at East China Normal University. His current research interests include nanostructured and nanoporous materials and their applications in drug delivery, sustainability and energy storage applications. He has published over 400 peer-reviewed journal articles, which have been cited over 36,400 times and resulted in an H-index of 103 (Google Scholar). He has received several awards including the Le Févre Memorial Prize from the Australian Academy of Science.

Professor Eva Hemmer is an Associate Professor of Materials Chemistry at the University of Ottawa. She received her PhD (2008) in materials science from Saarland University, Germany. After a postdoctoral experience at Tokyo University of Science, Japan, with Prof. K. Soga (2009-2012), she moved to Canada to become a joint Alexander von Humboldt postdoctoral fellow with Profs. F. Vetrone and F. Légaré at Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS-EMT, Montreal, 2012-2015). In the winter of 2016, Eva came to Ottawa where her research team focused on new designs of upconverting and near-infrared-emitting rare-earth-based nanoparticles for bioimaging, optoelectronic, and optomagnetic applications, accompanied by chemically controlled synthesis via microwave-assisted routes, surface chemistry, and understanding of structure-property relationships. She received the 2021 Jubilee Global Diversity Award of the American Ceramic Society (Engineering Ceramics Division) and the 2021 Early-career Achievement Award in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology by NanoOntario.

Dr. Tapasi Sen is an Associate Professor and Scientist-E at the Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST) in Mohali. Her research focuses on the development of advanced nanomaterials and their applications in diverse fields such as energy storage, catalysis, and environmental remediation. Dr. Sen's work emphasizes the synthesis of novel nanostructured materials, particularly for enhancing the performance of energy devices and addressing environmental challenges. With a strong background in materials science and nanotechnology, she has made significant contributions to the understanding and application of nanomaterials for sustainable solutions.

Dr. Ujjal K. Gautam is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical Sciences at IISER Mohali. His research focuses on the development of functional nanomaterials for energy harvesting and environmental remediation through photo-, electro-, and piezocatalytic approaches. Dr. Gautam has made significant contributions to utilizing waste plastics for nanomaterial production and discovering novel material properties like oxygen adsorption, hypoxia, and autophagy. His work also includes the development of self-activating catalysts for fine-chemical preparation and green hydrogen production via seawater splitting. He has received numerous accolades, including the CRSI Bronze Medal (2024) and the MRSI Medal (2023).

Dr Heather Montgomery is Managing Editor for the Royal Society of Chemistry’s journals Nanoscale Horizons and Nanoscale within the wider materials & nano journals portfolio. She has been with the Royal Society of Chemistry since 2010 working on a variety of RSC journals including Energy & Environmental Science, PCCP, Chemicals Society Reviews, Chemical Communications and Faraday Discussions. Prior to this she studied chemistry at the Queen’s University of Belfast, UK from where she obtained a PhD in inorganic chemistry.

Lijina is an Assistant Editorial Development Manager at the Royal Society of Chemistry. As part of her role, she works across various disciplines and societies of chemical sciences and support the journals. Lijina completed her integrated PhD in chemistry from the Indian institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram and subsequently she joined the RSC.