Industrial Chemistry & Materials Blog

We are delighted to share that Prof. Suojiang Zhang, Editor-in-Chief of Industrial Chemistry & Materials (ICM) has been elected as a Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) in the subject of Chemical Sciences.

On 08 October 2025, the World Academy of Sciences announced its 2026 class of newly elected Fellows, recognizing 63 distinguished scientists across ten major fields, including biological sciences, medical & health sciences, chemical sciences, and engineering sciences. TWAS currently has around 1,500 Fellows worldwide, representing outstanding researchers from diverse disciplines. Its membership includes leading national academy members and Nobel laureates.

Suojiang Zhang, Professor at the Institute of Process Engineering (IPE), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), President of Henan University, China. He is a leading scientist in ionic liquids (ILs) and green chemical engineering who was elected as a Member of Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2015 and Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering in 2024. He has published over 700 papers in Chemical Reviews, Nature Communications, Angewandte Chemie, Advanced Materials, AIChE Journal, Chemical Engineering Journal, etc., with 40,543 citations and an h-index of 97, 11 books, and 8 chapters. He holds 291 patents, including 6 United States of America/Japan patents. He has developed over 10 IL-based green technologies with successful industrial applications, such as the world’s first 200,000 t/a IL-catalyzed CO2 to dimethyl carbonate industry plant. He is a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and has received the TWAS Award in Chemistry, the Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation Science and Technology Progress Award, and the 2nd Class Award for National Natural Science of China. As head of the CAS–TWAS Centre of Excellence for Green Technology and the International Green Technology Alliance, he has cultivated over 50 graduate students from Pakistan, India, Nigeria, etc., contributing greatly to exchanges and cooperation with developing countries.

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We are delighted to announce that Professor Svetlana Mintova, Professor Michael Stockenhuber, Professor Hirotomo Nishihara, Professor Jong Wook Bae, Professor Chong Min Koo, Professor Mark Biggs, Professor Carlo Santoro have joined Industrial Chemistry & Materials as the Editorial Board members.

	Professor Svetlana Mintova is the Director of Research at CNRS, Normandy University, France, and an Invited Professor at China University of Petroleum (Qingdao). She received her PhD from the Technological University of Sofia, Bulgaria, in 1992. Her research focuses on porous materials and physical chemistry, with expertise in zeolite synthesis, advanced characterization, and applications in catalysis, separation, sensors, membranes, and biomedicine.
	Professor Michael Stockenhuber leads the Catalysis and Process Research Laboratory at the University of Newcastle, Australia. He specializes in heterogeneous catalysis and nanoporous materials, publishing over 150 papers and 4 patents. He has served as President of the Australian Catalysis Society and secured over $15 million AUD in research funding, collaborating globally on projects ranging from mineral carbonation to methane conversion.
	Professor Hirotomo Nishihara is a professor at IMRAM, Tohoku University, Japan. He earned his PhD from Kyoto University in 2005 and joined Tohoku University in 2011. His research focuses on the development of advanced functional carbon materials. Professor Nishihara has published 168 papers. He was selected for the 2020 edition of the Asian Scientist 100 list and was among the Top 20 at the Innovation Leaders Summit (ILS) in 2022.
	Professor Jong Wook Bae is a professor at the School of Chemical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea. His current research focuses on fuels from alternative feedstocks, the development of environmentally benign processes, the design of highly efficient heterogeneous catalysts, and compact reactors. He earned his PhD from Pohang University of Science & Technology in 2003 and has published more than 250 papers.
	Professor Chong Min Koo is a professor at Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea. His current research focuses on the development and application of 2D materials and soft matter hybrid materials. He earned his PhD from KAIST in 2003 and has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed papers and 5 books. He was awarded the Korean Presidential Award in 2019 and was selected as Scientist of the Month by the Ministry of Science and ICT, NRF in 2018.
	Professor Mark Biggs is a Professor Mark Biggs is the Vice-Principal, Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Heriot-Watt University, UK. His research focuses on interfacial science and engineering. He has supervised around 20 PhD students to completion and nearly 10 postdoctoral fellows. He has held more than ten major grants as principle investigator. He has published around 120 papers that have been extensively cited and holds a number of patents.
	Professor Carlo Santoro is a Tenure Track Assistant Professor at the University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy, specializing in electrocatalysis and bioelectrocatalysis. He earned his PhD from the University of Connecticut in 2013 and has since authored 108 papers. He was awarded the Zhaowu Tian Prize and the TAJIMA PRIZE from the International Society of Electrochemistry, and the Carl Wagner Medal from the European Federation of Chemical Engineering.

We are thrilled to have these distinguished experts join our Editorial Board and eagerly anticipate the valuable insights and guidance they will bring. Their expertise is certain to propel the Industrial Chemistry & Materials to a new level.

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We are thrilled to announce that Professor Atsushi Urakawa has joined Industrial Chemistry & Materials (ICM) as an Associate Editor. With his extensive expertise and pioneering research in the field of catalysis engineering, Professor Urakawa’s addition further elevates the internationalization and authority of ICM’s Associate Editor team.

About Professor Atsushi Urakawa:

Professor Atsushi Urakawa obtained his PhD in 2006 at ETH Zurich (Switzerland). Then, he worked as a Senior Scientist and Lecturer at ETH Zurich before joining ICIQ (Spain) in 2010 as a Group Leader. In 2019, he took on a new challenge as Professor of Catalysis Engineering at ChemE, TU Delft. His research group is dedicated to developing novel heterogeneous catalysts and catalytic processes that minimize energy usage and reduce negative impacts on the environment and human health. By employing a multidisciplinary approach that integrates material science, reaction engineering, and in situ/operando methodologies, they aim to gain a thorough understanding of active sites and transformation pathways. Their primary target reactions include CO₂ conversion to valuable chemicals, methane activation, environmental catalysis (NO_x abatement), and hydrogen production through electro- and photocatalytic activation. He was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC) in 2016 and has received numerous accolades, including the JSPS Prize (2020) and The Japan Academy Medal (2021).

A Message from Professor Atsushi Urakawa:

“Yet another journal?” – This is a common sentiment among researchers when encountering a new journal nowadays. However, my impression of ICM before its inauguration was different and it remains the same. Its scope and necessity, coupled with the strong drive of the editorial team and the prominent leadership of Prof. Zhang, promised to make it a standout flagship journal. By covering innovative chemistry and materials research of high practical impact, I am confident that ICM will showcase outstanding research and establish its key position in the field.

We are confident that Professor Urakawa’s vision and expertise will greatly contribute to the continued growth and success of ICM. Please join us in welcoming him to our editorial team.

                       

We are thrilled to announce the addition of four distinguished experts to the Advisory Board of Industrial Chemistry & Materials: Professor Graham J. Hutchings, Professor Menachem Elimelech, Professor Seeram Ramakrishna, and Professor Bart Van der Bruggen. Each of them brings a vast wealth of knowledge and experience in the respective fields. We are confident that their contributions will significantly enhance the quality and impact of our publication.

Professor Graham J. Hutchings is the Regius Professor of Chemistry at Cardiff University. He is distinguished for his work in the field of heterogeneous catalysis, particularly catalysis by gold and oxidation catalysis. He has held three academic chairs (Witwatersrand, Liverpool, Cardiff), and for each, he has reshaped his research and attacked new fields, demonstrating a proven track record in opening up new areas of heterogeneous catalysis using multidisciplinary approaches. He established the Cardiff Catalysis Institute in 2008, which has now become one of the leading research centers for catalysis globally. He was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2009 and Academia Europaea in 2010.

Professor Menachem Elimelech is the Sterling Professor at Yale University. His research focuses on energy-efficient, sustainable membrane-based technologies for desalination and the management of brines and industrial wastewaters. He earned his Ph.D. in environmental engineering from Johns Hopkins University in 1989. In 2005, he became the Roberto C. Goizueta Professor and Chair of Yale’s Chemical and Environmental Engineering Department. Elimelech is an elected member of the Canadian Academy of Engineering (2022), the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (2021), the Chinese Academy of Engineering (2017), and the United States National Academy of Engineering (2006).

Professor Seeram Ramakrishna is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the National University of Singapore. He is a co-director of the NUS Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Initiative (NUSNNI) and heads the Centre for Nanofibers and Nanotechnology. His research focuses on Materials Circular Economy, Sustainability, Nanofibers, and Nanotechnology. He has been named among the Top 1% Highly Cited Researchers in cross-field and materials science categories since 2014 by Clarivate. He is an elected Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng), the Singapore Academy of Engineering, the Indian National Academy of Engineering, and the ASEAN Academy of Engineering and Technology.

Professor Bart van der Bruggen is a professor at KU Leuven, Belgium. His current research interests include, but are not limited to, solvent separation, resource recovery, and water treatment. He earned his Ph.D. in Applied Sciences at KU Leuven in 2000, then worked as a postdoc/visiting researcher at Universita della Calabria and ITM-CNR, Italy; Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT), Finland; and the University of North Carolina (UNC-Chapel Hill), USA. With over 800 publications and extensive academic experience, Professor Van der Bruggen is a prominent figure in his field, contributing significantly to both scientific advancements and practical applications in environmental engineering.

We are excited to welcome these esteemed experts to our Advisory Board and look forward to their valuable insights and guidance. Their expertise will undoubtedly help steer the Industrial Chemistry & Materials journal towards new heights of excellence.

                       

We are delighted to announce that Professor João A. P. Coutinho, Professor Markus Antonietti, Professor Lutz Ackermann and Professor Susumu Kitagawa have joined the Advisory Board of Industrial Chemistry & Materials. Each of these experts brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in their respective fields, and we are confident that their contributions will greatly enhance the quality and impact of our publication.

Professor João A. P. Coutinho is Full Professor at the Chemistry Department of University of Aveiro, Portugal and director of CICECO since 2022. He leads a multidisciplinary research team that focuses on the development of green solvents and novel separation processes for biorefinery and circular economy. Currently, he strives to apply aqueous solutions of biobased solvents, DES and ionic liquids to these processes and attempts to better understand their physical-chemical behavior.

Professor Markus Antonietti is the Director at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces and a Full Professor at Potsdam University. His research field is colloid and interface research, which deals with the smallest particles in the micro-and nanometer size range. He is the first German chemist to have received three awards from the European Research Council’s (ERC) global grants. With well over 900 scientific publications in books and journals, he is one of the most-cited German chemists who is among top 1 Chemistry Scientists in Germany at Research.com.

Professor Lutz Ackermann is a Full Professor at Georg-August-University Göttingen, Germany. His major current research interests are the development and application of novel concepts for sustainable catalysis constitutes, with a topical focus on electrocatalysis and bond activation. He is the Highly Cited Researcher (Clarivate) from 2019-2023 and among top 11 Chemistry Scientists in Germany at Research.com. His recent awards and distinctions include an AstraZeneca Excellence in Chemistry Award (2011), an ERC Consolidator Grant (2012), a Gottfried-Wilhelm-Leibniz-Preis (2017) and an ERC Advanced Grant (2021).

Professor Susumu Kitagawa is a Distinguished Professor at Kyoto University, Japan. He is the Member of the Japan Academy (2019) and Foreign Member of the Royal Society (2023). His main research field is inorganic and material chemistry, in particular, chemistry of coordination space, and his current research interests are centered on synthesis and properties of porous coordination polymers/metal-organic frameworks. He is a pioneer in the development of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) who was the first to discover and to demonstrate “porosity” for metal complexes with gas sorption experiments (1997).

We are excited to welcome these esteemed experts to our Advisory Board and look forward to their valuable insights and guidance. Their expertise will undoubtedly help steer the Industrial Chemistry & Materials journal towards new heights of excellence.