Francesca Vecchi | Energy and Sustainability | Best Researcher Award

Mrs. Francesca Vecchi | Energy and Sustainability | Best Researcher Award

Mrs. Francesca Vecchi | Energy and Sustainability | PhD | Polytechnic University of Bari | Italy

Francesca Vecchi is an Italian researcher specializing in sustainability engineering, renewable energy communities, and urban energy planning, with a strong academic background in urban and territorial planning. Currently pursuing her PhD at Politecnico di Bari in collaboration with Concordia University, she focuses on integrating renewable energy communities into urban areas through energy market mechanisms and policy analysis. Her research combines GIS-based tools, energy modelling, and solar analysis to optimize mixed-use urban neighbourhoods, with international experience as a visiting scholar in Canada at Toronto Metropolitan University and Concordia University. She has authored multiple publications in high-impact journals, contributed to notable projects such as ICELL, S2E, and Tools4Cities, and received several prestigious awards and scholarships, including the Ermenegildo Zegna Founder’s Scholarship and AiCARR Thesis Award. Francesca’s work is marked by interdisciplinary collaboration, innovation, and a commitment to advancing sustainable urban energy solutions.

Professional Profile 

Education  

Francesca Vecchi holds a PhD in Sustainability Engineering and Safety in Civil and Industrial Buildings from Politecnico di Bari, conducted in collaboration with Concordia University in Montreal, where her research focuses on integrating renewable energy communities into urban contexts. She earned a Master’s degree in Planning for the Global Urban Agenda from Politecnico di Torino, an international program aligned with the United Nations’ New Urban Agenda, complemented by her participation in the Alta Scuola Politecnica, a prestigious multidisciplinary program jointly run by Politecnico di Milano and Politecnico di Torino. She also completed a Bachelor’s degree in Urban, Territorial and Landscape-Environmental Planning from Politecnico di Torino, enriched by an Erasmus semester at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom. Her educational path began with a High School Diploma in languages from Liceo Scientifico Manfredo Fanti, which included a cultural exchange experience at Burlingame High School in San Francisco, USA.

Professional Experience

Francesca Vecchi has gained extensive professional and research experience across academic, international, and project-based environments. At Politecnico di Bari, she has been actively engaged in research on renewable energy communities, energy network management, and the integration of renewables in urban and coastal cities. As a visiting scholar at Concordia University in Montreal, she contributed to projects such as ICELL and S2E, developing energy remuneration and sharing policies, simulating energy communities, and integrating occupancy profiles into urban energy modelling tools. She also worked on demographic scenario simulations for Montreal districts, assessing both energy and financial impacts. Earlier, as a visiting scholar at Toronto Metropolitan University, she developed her master’s thesis on urban building energy modelling and solar assessment. Additionally, she served as a learning support teacher at Politecnico di Torino, assisting students with general learning needs. Her professional journey reflects a consistent commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration, technical innovation, and the advancement of sustainable urban energy systems.

Research Interest

Francesca Vecchi’s research interests center on the integration of renewable energy communities within urban environments, with a strong focus on energy market mechanisms, policy analysis, and sustainable urban planning. She is particularly engaged in developing GIS-based energy assessments, multi-scalar urban energy modelling, and solar analysis to optimize building and district-level performance. Her work explores mixed-use neighbourhoods, residential occupancy patterns, and the diffusion of renewable energy policies in different socio-political contexts. She is also interested in applying advanced simulation tools to assess energy and financial impacts, fostering cross-disciplinary approaches that bridge engineering, planning, and policy-making to accelerate the energy transition and support climate-resilient cities.

Award and Honor

Francesca Vecchi has received multiple awards and honors in recognition of her academic excellence, research contributions, and commitment to sustainability. She was awarded the AiCARR Thesis Award for outstanding work on energy efficiency and sustainable well-being, and earned a Certificate of Merit at the AIGE/IIETA International Conference for her research on solar analysis in urban contexts. She is a recipient of the prestigious Ermenegildo Zegna Founder’s Scholarship, enabling advanced research abroad, and has been honored by the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Carpi for achieving top grades in both her master’s and bachelor’s studies. Her distinctions reflect not only her high academic performance but also the innovative and practical impact of her research in the fields of renewable energy and sustainable urban planning.

Publications Top Noted

National Geodatabase to Map Consumptions for Energy Transition
Year: 2025

Energy remuneration mechanisms for renewable energy communities: Insights from a mixed-use district
Year: 2025

Modelling the complexity of interconnected energy systems at different urban scales: a critical review
Year: 2025

Modelling tools for the assessment of Renewable Energy Communities
Year: 2024

Solar analysis for an urban context from GIS to block-scale evaluations
Year: 2024

Self-Sufficiency Building Energy Modelling from Urban to Block-Scale with PV Technology
Year: 2023

Data-driven urban building energy models for the platform of Toronto
Year: 2023

Conclusion

Francesca Vecchi stands out as a highly promising and deserving candidate for the Best Researcher Award. Her combination of technical skill, cross-cultural research experience, policy insight, and consistent scholarly output not only positions her as an emerging leader in renewable energy and sustainable urban systems but also aligns closely with the award’s aim to recognize impactful, forward-looking research that addresses global challenges.

borjini naceur | Engineering and Technology | Best Researcher Award

borjini naceur | Engineering and Technology | Best Researcher Award

Prof. Dr borjini naceur, enim, Tunisia

Prof. Dr. Mohamed Naceur Borjini is a distinguished physicist with over two decades of academic and research excellence in thermal sciences, fluid dynamics, and energy systems. Currently serving as Professor of Physics at the National School of Engineering (ENIM), Monastir, Tunisia, he has held various academic posts across Tunisia’s leading scientific institutions. With a Hirsch Index of 28 (Scopus), his prolific contributions span advanced modeling in microfluidics, biomass gasification, and radiative heat transfer. An expert in numerical simulations using Comsol, Ansys Fluent, and Aspen Plus, Dr. Borjini bridges theoretical research and applied engineering. He actively serves as a reviewer for prestigious journals such as Energy, Numerical Heat Transfer, and International Journal of Thermal Sciences. His global collaborations, high-impact publications, and commitment to scientific advancement make him a prominent figure in thermal-fluid sciences and a suitable recipient of the Best Researcher Award.

Publication Profile

Scopus

Education

Prof. Dr. Borjini’s academic journey is rooted in rigorous training across Europe and North Africa. He earned his HDR (Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches) in Physics Sciences from the Faculty of Sciences, Tunis, Tunisia, in 2007, signifying his high-level research leadership. In 1998, he received his Doctorate in Engineering Sciences from the Faculty of Sciences, Perpignan, France. Prior to that, he completed a Master’s degree in Thermal Sciences at INSAT Lyon, France, in 1995, demonstrating a strong foundation in heat transfer and energy systems. His academic path began with an Engineering Diploma in Energy Engineering from ENIM, Monastir, Tunisia, in 1994. This diverse and international academic background equipped him with a robust interdisciplinary skill set, allowing him to excel in numerical modeling, fluid mechanics, and thermal system design.

Experience

Prof. Dr. Borjini has served in academia for over 25 years, holding progressively senior roles. Since 2014, he has been a Professor of Physics at the National School of Engineering (ENIM), Monastir. Prior to this, he held faculty positions at the High Institute of Applied Sciences and Technologies of Sousse (ISSATS) from 2009 to 2014, first as an Associate Professor and then as a full Professor. Between 2001 and 2009, he was affiliated with the Faculty of Sciences, Monastir, and the High School of Sciences and Technologies, Tunis. His early academic career began as an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Sciences, Monastir. Across these institutions, he has led research initiatives, mentored graduate students, and contributed to curriculum development in physics and engineering. His experience spans teaching, research leadership, and collaborative engineering projects in energy systems and fluid dynamics.

Awards and Honors

While explicit awards are not listed in the provided data, Prof. Dr. Borjini’s academic standing is underscored by his H-index of 28 (Scopus), a testament to the sustained citation and impact of his scholarly work. His regular role as a scientific reviewer for renowned international journals such as Applied Mathematical Modelling, Energy, International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, and Journal of Electrostatics further signifies the academic community’s recognition of his expertise. The diversity and prestige of these journals suggest a consistent contribution to peer-reviewed literature in thermal and fluid sciences. His extensive publication record and participation in global collaborations mark him as an influential voice in his field, and his HDR qualification is itself a mark of high academic distinction in the French-speaking academic world. These credentials collectively justify his consideration for prestigious recognitions such as the Best Researcher Award.

Research Focus

Prof. Dr. Borjini’s research centers on thermal-fluid sciences, with specialization in the numerical modeling of complex heat and fluid flow systems. His primary areas of interest include microfluidics, where he employs Comsol Multiphysics for 3D simulations; biomass gasification, involving experimental and CFD-based analyses of multi-stage and fluidized bed reactors using Ansys Fluent and Aspen Plus; and radiative heat transfer, focusing on semitransparent media and methods like FVM and FTnFVM. He has also delved into natural convection and nanofluids, particularly in confined 2D/3D systems, and studied the interaction of magnetic fields and radiation in combined convection problems. His exploration of double diffusive convection and electroconvection in dielectric fluids highlights his wide-ranging applications in sustainable energy and process optimization. Through advanced modeling techniques and cross-platform simulations, he addresses critical challenges in energy engineering, making significant contributions to renewable energy and thermal system design.

Publication Top Notes

Double diffusive convection of hybrid nanofluids in porous enclosures: impact

Yansong Li | Environmental Science | Environmental Impact Award

Yansong Li | Environmental Science | Environmental Impact Award

Dr Yansong Li, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

Dr. Yansong Li Yaning Chen is an eminent figure in the fields of water science and climate change, particularly in arid zones. As the Director of multiple key research units at the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, he oversees significant research initiatives focused on desert and oasis ecology. His extensive leadership across these prestigious institutes highlights his crucial role in shaping environmental research in China.

Publication Profile

Orcid

Education 

Yansong Li pursued his education at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, China 🇨🇳. This prestigious institution is known for its strong focus on research and innovation across various scientific disciplines. His academic journey here has provided him with a deep understanding of cutting-edge research methodologies and advanced technologies. The education he received at this renowned university has equipped him with the skills to contribute significantly to his field. His time in Beijing reflects his dedication to academic excellence and his passion for exploring new frontiers in science and technology. 🎓🔬🌟

Expertise and Leadership

Dr. Yansong Li is a prominent figure in the field of environmental research. He currently serves as the Director of the State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology at the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography (Chinese Academy of Sciences). He also leads the Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology and Desert Environment and the Oasis Ecology and Oasis Agriculture Research Unit. His leadership in these critical areas underscores his dedication to understanding and mitigating the environmental challenges facing arid zones.

Scientific Contributions and Expertise

With over 300 published works, Dr. Yansong has made substantial contributions to understanding water resources and climate dynamics in arid environments. His research on water management in desert and oasis systems is particularly relevant to sustainability and environmental protection, making him a highly respected figure in his field. His expertise directly aligns with the key themes of environmental impact research, particularly in water conservation and climate resilience.

Global Recognition and Influence

Dr. Yansong is among the top 2% of scientists globally, underscoring his research’s global impact. His high citation count and continuous recognition as a highly cited scholar reflect his influence on environmental and ecological sciences. This global standing demonstrates his authority and thought leadership in addressing environmental challenges in arid ecosystems.

Research Focus

Yansong Li’s research focuses on climate change, hydrology, and environmental sustainability 🌍💧. His work, particularly in the Tarim River Basin, examines the characteristics of dry and wet conditions using the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) 📊. This area of study is crucial for understanding the impacts of climate change on water resources and regional ecosystems, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. By analyzing past and future trends, Li contributes to predicting climate variability and helping devise strategies for water management and environmental protection 🌿⛅, aligning with global sustainability goals.

Publication Top Notes

Characteristics of Dry and Wet Changes and Future Trends in the Tarim River Basin Based on the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index

Conclusion

Given his leadership, extensive research contributions, and global recognition in environmental science, Dr. Yansong Li Yaning Chen stands out as a highly suitable candidate for the Research for Environmental Impact Award. His work in water management and climate change mitigation in arid zones addresses key environmental challenges, making him a deserving nominee for this prestigious award.