Dr. Rohit Kumar Pant | Thin Film Technologies | Material Scientist Award

Dr. Rohit Kumar Pant | Thin Film Technologies | Material Scientist Award

University of Maryland | United States

Dr. Rohit Kumar Pant is a highly accomplished materials scientist whose work spans epitaxial thin films, quantum materials, superconductors, combinatorial materials science, and advanced device fabrication. He is recognized for his strong technical command of Molecular Beam Epitaxy, Pulsed Laser Deposition, Magnetron Sputtering, and a wide range of structural, electrical, and spectroscopic characterization tools, positioning him as a key contributor to both fundamental and applied research in electronic and quantum materials. His research output includes 31 scientific documents, collectively cited 559 times by 400 documents, reflecting a significant scholarly impact supported by an h-index of 15. Dr. Pant has played leading roles in developing complex quantum heterostructures, superconducting thin-film libraries, epitaxial oxide and nitride systems, and high-throughput materials platforms that accelerate discovery across thermoelectric, ferroelectric, optoelectronic, and quantum device technologies. His work includes the design and fabrication of photodetectors, Josephson junctions, resonators, and advanced prototype devices, along with major contributions to cleanroom operations, tool maintenance, and training of research personnel. He has collaborated with major academic, national laboratory, and industry partners on multidimensional projects involving machine learning–guided materials optimization, nanoscale device engineering, and the exploration of emergent electronic phases. Dr. Pant is also an active reviewer for high-impact scientific journals and has contributed to numerous invited talks, conference presentations, and mentorship initiatives. Known for his analytical rigor, problem-solving ability, and innovative approach to materials design, he continues to advance scientific understanding and technological applications within quantum information science, thin-film engineering, and next-generation electronic devices.

Profiles: Scopus | Google Scholar

Featured Publications

Liu, Y., Slautin, B., Bemis, J., Proksch, R., Pant, R., Takeuchi, I., Udovenko, S., Trolier-McKinstry, S., & Kalinin, S. V. (2025). Reward based optimization of resonance-enhanced piezoresponse spectroscopy. Applied Physics Letters, 126(4).

Oh, J. H., Nam, K., Kim, D., Lee, D., Park, J., Pant, R., Kang, M., Takeuchi, I., & Lee, S. (2025). Stoichiometry effect on the structure and phase of antiperovskite Sr₃SnO thin films prepared using combinatorial co-sputtering. Applied Physics Letters, 126(3).

Biswas, A., Vasudevan, R., Pant, R., Takeuchi, I., Funakubo, H., & Liu, Y. (2025). SANE: Strategic autonomous non-smooth exploration for multiple optima discovery in multi-modal and non-differentiable black-box functions. Digital Discovery, 4(3), 853-867.

Zheng, D. J., Iriawan, H., Pant, R., Eom, C. J., Xu, H., Peng, J., Arase, C., Takeuchi, I., & others. (2025). In situ fluorescence imaging of oxygen evolution on epitaxial perovskite films with composition gradients. ACS Catalysis, 15(11), 8776-8787.

Yoon, H., Wong, T., Pant, R., Baek, S., Saha, S. R., Zhang, X., Paglione, J., Lee, S., & others. (2025). Topological YB₆/SmB₆/YB₆ trilayer Josephson junctions. SMT.

Dr. Rodolpho Vaz | Thin Film Technologies | Editorial Board Member

Dr. Rodolpho Vaz | Thin Film Technologies | Editorial Board Member

Stony Brook University | United States

Dr. Rodolpho Fernando Vaz is a highly accomplished materials scientist and mechanical engineer recognized for his impactful research in advanced coatings, thermal spray technologies, cold spray additive manufacturing, and surface engineering solutions that address industrial challenges across energy, aerospace, oil and gas, automotive, and manufacturing sectors. With a strong foundation in metallurgy, materials performance evaluation, mechanical characterization, and wear and corrosion behavior analysis, he has established himself as a leading expert in high-performance coating technologies and the enhancement of material durability in extreme service environments. Dr. Vaz has demonstrated significant scholarly influence within the global research community, evidenced by 539 citations generated by 400 documents, with an h-index of 14 and a publication record consisting of 42 documents indexed in major scientific databases. His body of work includes high-impact publications, award-winning articles, and collaborative research outputs developed with international academic laboratories and industrial partners. He has contributed pioneering advancements in cold spray additive manufacturing, including geometric control of metallic components, novel deposition strategies, mechanical property optimization, and integration of graphene and nanomaterials into titanium and steel coatings, contributing to major technological improvements in surface protection, structural repair, and thermal barrier performance. In addition to his research achievements, Dr. Vaz has served in university teaching roles, contributed more than two thousand instructional lecture hours, supervised academic projects, and delivered keynote presentations and invited lectures in scientific congresses. He is an active member of scientific journal peer-review communities, completing more than two hundred and fifty manuscript reviews, and has served on academic evaluation committees at multiple educational levels. His professional mission emphasizes innovation, sustainability, and the development of advanced materials engineering technologies that reduce industrial costs, improve reliability, and support global transitions toward cleaner, safer, and more efficient infrastructure. Driven by scientific excellence and interdisciplinary collaboration, he continues to expand the boundaries of coating science, material performance, and engineering applications.

Profile: Scopus

Featured Publications

Effect of Additive Manufacturing Parameters on PLA, ABS, and PETG Strength. (2025). Processes. Open access.

Influence of the fuel and high-velocity spray technique on corrosion and antifouling properties of Cu coating. (2025). Journal of Thermal Spray Technology.

Cold-sprayed Ti-carbon nanofibers: Study of conductive and electrochemical properties. (2025). Journal of Thermal Spray Technology.

The critical role of liquid surface tension in determining cavitation erosion and dry wear performance of WC-17Co coatings produced by cold spray technology. (2025). Tribology International.

Prof. Christos Bouras | Material Science | Best Researcher Award

Prof Christos Bouras | Material Science | Best Researcher Award 

Christos Bouras is a Professor in the Department of Computer Engineering and Informatics and currently serves as the Rector of the University of Patras. He holds a Diploma and PhD in Computer Engineering and Informatics from the University of Patras. His research focuses on 5G and beyond networks, network performance, telematics, wireless communications, and e-learning technologies. He has extensive academic and administrative experience, including leadership roles in national research institutes and university governance. He is also an Honorary Professor at Singuan Agriculture University in China and a member of IEEE and ACM.

Prof. Christos Bouras,  University of Patras, Greece

Profile

SCOPUS

🎓 Education

Professor Christos Bouras holds both his undergraduate and doctoral degrees from the University of Patras in Greece. He earned his Diploma in Computer Engineering and Informatics from the School of Engineering, Department of Computer Engineering and Informatics. He continued his academic journey at the same institution, completing his PhD in Computer Engineering and Informatics . His education laid a strong foundation in advanced computing and networking systems, which became the cornerstone of his academic and research career.

💼 Experience

Professor Bouras has had a distinguished career at the University of Patras and beyond. He began his professional journer as an Associate Researcher at the Computer Technology Institute (CTI). Concurrently, he was an Associate Researcher at the University of Patras. he also worked as an Associate Researcher at the Biomedical Institute.  He led the Telematics and New Services division at EXPERTNET Ltd. He later served as Supervisor of Research Unit 1 at CTI. He has been the Scientific Supervisor of Research Unit 6 at CTI and Press “Diophantus.” He was Director of the Networking Technology Sector at CTI  and a member of its Board of Directors. Within the University of Patras, Professor Bouras has held multiple leadership roles.He was Director of Postgraduate Studies in the Department of Computer Engineering and Informatics. He served on the Research Committe and was its Vice President he was Vice Rector responsible for Economic Planning and Project Implementation and simultaneously held the position of Vice President of the University’s Property Management Company. He also served as CEO of the same company.He has been serving as the Rector of the University of Patras and President of its Property Utilization and Management Company.

🛠️ Contributions

Professor Christos Bouras has contributed extensively to the advancement of 5G and next-generation wireless networks, particularly in areas such as network performance analysis, dynamic resource allocation, and DUDe (Downlink/Uplink Decoupling) techniques. He has played a pivotal role in integrating telematics and e-learning technologies to improve digital education systems. His academic work includes over 400 publications in high-impact journals and conferences, shaping the future of internet architectures and communication protocols. As a university leader and international collaborator, he has also contributed to the global discourse on smart infrastructure and digital transformation.

📡 Research Projects 

Professor Christos Bouras has led and participated in numerous national and EU-funded research projects, particularly in Horizon and FP7 programs. His projects include work on 5G-PPP initiatives focusing on ultra-reliable and low-latency communication, network slicing, and mmWave technologies. He has also coordinated projects on smart cities and e-learning platforms, such as “WiCCES” (Wireless Infrastructure for Smart Campuses) and “ODISEE” (Open Distributed Intelligent Systems for E-learning Environments). His research consistently bridges academic innovation and real-world telecom and education applications

🔬 Research Focus

Professor Bouras’s research spans a wide range of topics in computer science and engineering. His primary interests include 5G and beyond networks, performance analysis of networking and computer systems, and mobile and wireless communications. He is also deeply involved in research on telematics and the development of new network services, quality of service (QoS) provisioning and pricing in modern communication networks, e-learning platforms, and networked virtual environments. Additionally, he explores technical and social aspects of the World Wide Web, with a focus on how networking technologies impact society and education.

📘 Publications

Pearson Coefficient Enhanced Multi-Branch Joint Attention Network and Adaptive Decomposition Based Dual Adaptive Fault Diagnosis Scheme for Rolling Bearing

👨‍🔬 Authors: Dongfang Zhao, et al.
📘 Journal: Signal, Image and Video Processing
📅 Year: 2025
📌 Overview: This paper presents a novel dual adaptive fault diagnosis framework leveraging Pearson correlation coefficients and a joint attention mechanism, significantly improving the accuracy of bearing fault detection under complex conditions.
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Multiscale Attention Feature Fusion Network for Rolling Bearing Fault Diagnosis Under Variable Speed Conditions

👨‍🔬 Authors: Dongfang Zhao, et al.
📘 Journal: Signal, Image and Video Processing

📅 Year: 2024
📌 Overview: This study introduces a multiscale attention-based deep learning model that enhances feature fusion and generalization in rolling bearing fault diagnosis, particularly effective under varying speed scenarios.
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