TWAS Fifteenth General Conference (1–4 November). On Monday, 1 November, during its General Meeting -- a part of TWAS General Conference, dedicated to internal matters -- TWAS elected 58 new Fellows, bringing the total TWAS membership to 1,343. Twenty new members are women, representing 34 per cent of the new class.
One new member is from the Republic of the Gambia, where TWAS hadn’t been represented for over 15 years, and other nine new members hail from countries in the global South that have been underrepresented at TWAS: two from Uzbekistan and one each from Bolivia, the Republic of the Congo, Mali, Nepal, Palestine (West Bank and Gaza Strip), Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Three new members are from developed countries where TWAS had no resident members: Georgia, Serbia, and New Zealand.
The other 45 new Fellows are from Australia (2); Bangladesh (2); Brazil (7); Cameroon (1); China (6); Taiwan, China (1); Cuba (3); Ethiopia (1); France (1); Germany (1); India (6); the Islamic Republic of Iran (2); Italy (1); Kenya (1); Malaysia (2); Pakistan (1); Senegal (1); South Africa (2); Switzerland (1); United Kingdom (1); and the United States of America (2).
The mandate of the new Fellows will be effective starting on 1 January 2022, and their official induction ceremony will take place at the next TWAS General Meeting.
01-Agricultural Sciences
EGAMBERDIEVA, Dilfuza (Uzbekistan): (F). Head of Ecobiome Research Centre, National University of Uzbekistan. The nominee pioneered research into understanding the true nature of plant-microbe interactions and revealing the mechanisms of plant growth stimulation, plant tolerance to abiotic stresses, and biological control of plant pathogens mediated by microbes in stressed environmental environments. She has established the first research lab in Uzbekistan, intending to develop and deliver innovative and practical solutions to farmers and other relevant rural stakeholders that improve soil and plant health under extreme environmental conditions. The developed bacterial inoculant P. putida TSAU1 was first patented and registered in Uzbekistan as a biological control agent for protecting root disease and improving crop yield under arid and salt-affected lands. Member of the Global Young Academy, she has received the TWAS Award in Agricultural Sciences, SCOPUS-2019 Award, Women in Science Award of Uzbekistan, and the L'Oréal-UNESCO Fellowship For Women in Science, among others.
EMAM-DJOMEH, Zahra (Islamic Republic of Iran): (F). Full Professor, University of Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. The nominee's contributions to high academic performance and leadership in the field of food science and technology. Member of the Iranian Academy of Sciences, she has received Top Ranked Student among 200 BSc students, Tabriz University, Top Researcher award by Iranian Ministry of Science, Research and Technology in the field of Agriculture, and was awarded first Women in Science Award, Tehran, Iran, among others.
ISLAM, Md Tofazzal (Bangladesh): (M). Professor and Director, Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (IBGE), Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Bangladesh. The nominee's major scientific accomplishments include (i) discovery of a rapid, convenient and cost-effective diagnostic kit for the detection of wheat blast fungus using genome-specific primers and Cas12a-mediated technology; (ii) discovery of >50 bioactive compounds from plants and microorganisms useful for biorational management of plant diseases; (iii) determination of the genetic identity and origin of the causal fungus of the first epidemic outbreak of devastating wheat disease in 15,000 hectares of wheat in Bangladesh in 2016; (iv) development of probiotic bacterial formulations for reducing synthetic chemical fertilizers in rice and biocontrol of wheat blast disease; (v) decoding of the genomes of some agriculturally important microorganisms; and (vi) development of blast-resistant wheat lines using CRISPR-Cas genome editing technology. Member of the Bangladesh Academy of Sciences, he has received Commonwealth Innovation Award, UK, and IsDB Transformers Roadshow Innovation Prize, among others.
02-Structural, Cell and Molecular Biology
GUILLEN, Gerardo (Cuba): (M). Director of Biomedical Research, Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Havana, Cuba. The nominee is Full Professor at the Havana University, Distinguished Professor-at-Large at the University of Science and Technology of China, and Member of the Cuban Academy of Science since 2012. He is also a member of several scientific societies, editorial boards and advisory committees. He has published 208 scientific papers and held 52 patents. He has been honoured with 51 National Awards from the Cuban Academy of Science, TWAS Science Prize to Young Scientists in Biology, the Annual Award of the Cuban Chemistry Society, the Carlos J. Finlay Medal granted by the Cuban State Council, and the patent award of the World Office of Intellectual Property.
He is a member of the Scientific and Innovation Advisor Committee of the Cuban Ministry of Health and has been directly involved in drug and vaccine development against COVID-19 as well as the contribution to the Cuban National Protocol for the treatment and management of COVID patients.
PANDA, Dulal (India): (M). Professor, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India. The nominee contributed remarkably in understanding the assembly dynamics of microtubules and the mechanism of action of microtubule-targeted drugs. He showed that microtubule dynamics are tightly regulated by the combined action of several proteins. He has discovered several inhibitors of microtubules having strong anticancer potential. He showed that inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin signalling is one of the important antitumor effects of microtubule inhibitors. He has elucidated the role of FtsZ in bacterial cell division and established FtsZ as an antibacterial drug target. Member of the Indian National Science Academy, Indian Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Sciences India, he has received JC Bose National Fellowship, G. N. Ramachandran Gold Medal, Sun Pharma Research award and Swarnajayanti Fellowship.
SAAD, Bashar (Palestine (West Bank and Gaza Strip)): (M). Head of Biochemistry Unit, Arab American University Palestine (AAUP), Palestine (West Bank and Gaza Strip). The nominee is an accomplished scientist in the fields of cell biology and immunology. He was the first to discover that astrocyte-derived TGF- β2 and NGF differentially regulate the expression of some neural recognition molecules by cultured immature astrocytes from different brain regions; and to discover that hepatocyte-derived interleukin-6 and TNF-α mediate the lipopolysaccharide-induced acute-phase response and nitric oxide release by cultured rat hepatocytes. He is now bringing this unique and original aspect of modern science to the herbal wisdom by introducing the use of modern cell biology and biochemistry, and in vitro as well as in vivo techniques in the evaluation of medicinal plant safety and efficacy. Member of the Palestinian Council for Higher Education, the International Society for Ethnopharmacology, and Middle-East Cancer Consortium, he received the Outstanding Researcher Award from The Israeli Society for Complementary Medicine and the best research award from the American Association of University Professors, among others.
TEIXEIRA, Santuza (Brazil): (F). Full Professor at the Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The nominee is the first female faculty to become a Full Professor at the Department of Biochemistry and Immunology at UFMG, she is a full member of the Brazilian Academy of Science and a Research Fellow from CNPq. She acted as the head of her Department at UFMG, the head of the Center for Vaccine Technology (CTVacinas) at the Belo Horizonte Technological Park, as President of the Brazilian Society of Protozoology as well as a Resident Professor at the Institute for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies at UFMG. She received several national and international awards including an International Research Scholar Grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Her research in the field of Molecular Parasitology brought major contributions to the study of parasitic diseases.
03-Biological Systems and Organisms
DUBE, Anuradha (India): (F). Emeritus Scientist of Indian National Science Academy and Sir JC Bose National Fellow, Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow, India. The nominee's research focus is on the endemic organism Leishmania sp., a protozoan parasite causing Kala-azar, a neglected tropical disease and a major health problem in pockets in the Indian sub-continent. She identified novel vaccine and drug targets using functional genomics and proteomics, leading to the development of indigenous protein vaccines. This also led to the detection of new biomarkers for drug resistance in Leishmania. She developed and established the first non-human primate model for preclinical evaluation of a potential antileishmanial drug/vaccine and generated fluorescent Leishmania organism for rapid drug screening which were recognized nationally/internationally. Member of the three Indian science academies, she has received awards such as Sir J.C. Bose National Fellowship, Indian Council of Medical Research Kshanika Oration, Prof. BN Singh Memorial Oration among others.
HILDEBRAND, John G (United States of America): (M). Regents Professor of Neuroscience, University of Arizona, Tucson, USA. Known for his classic work on the functional organization, physiology, and development of the olfactory system of insects and mechanisms of central olfactory coding, Hildebrand is a leading neuroethologist, who has unravelled neural mechanisms underlying chemosensory control of mating behaviour, insect-host interactions. Elected member of the science academies in USA, Brazil, Norway and Germany, he has received the Wigglesworth Memorial Lecture and Award, Royal Entomological Society, UK; Max Mozell Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Chemical Senses, Association for Chemoreception Sciences; Westlake Friendship Award, P.R. China; Lifetime Achievement Award, American Psychological Association, and the Humboldt Research Award, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Germany, among others.
JHA, Pramod Kumar (Nepal): (M). Professor-Emeritus, Tribhuvan University, Nepal. The nominee is a distinguished and pioneering plant ecologist of Nepal who has made a significant contribution toward understanding the plant ecology and environment which has greatly helped to provide a scientific basis for environmental protection, management, and conservation initiatives in the country. His research on vegetation, plant water relations, seed biology, ecology and phytochemistry of high-value medicinal plants, neglected crops of mountains, climate change and its impacts, biodiversity, air and water pollution, weeds and their management, and high-altitude ecology has greatly enhanced our knowledge in these fields. He taught and was involved in research for four decades leading the research in botany discipline. He has published 239 research papers and authored 5 and edited 17 books in his field of research. Member of the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology, he has received the TWAS Young Scientist Award, National Plant Resource Award, Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation, Government of Nepal, and the Mahendra Vidya Bhusan, Government of Nepal, among others.
MBACHAM, Wilfred Fon (Cameroon): (M). Titular Professor of Biotechnology Public Health, Laboratory for Public Health Research Biotechnologies, The Biotechnology Centre, University of Yaounde I, Cameroon. The nominee made outstanding contributions in the understanding of pathogen and human genomics in tropical pathologies and non-communicable diseases. He is a member of the Cameroon Academy of Sciences and the African Academy of Science. He was the 2019 recipient of the Pan-African Mosquito Control Association (PAMCA) Award for significant research capacity building in Africa. He was the winner of the 2017 TWAS Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Prize in Public Understanding and Popularization of Science for promoting public understanding of science and technology and received the 2009 Major Incident Management (MIM) Award for promoting research excellence.
MEKONNEN, Yalemtsehay (Ethiopia): (F). Professor of Cell and Human Physiology, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia. The nominee's scientific work on medicinal and useful plants of Ethiopia has contributed greatly to raise awareness on research that focuses on indigenous knowledge of communities, with extensive work on a widely used plant Moringa stenopetala. She has worked on health hazards of agricultural pesticides that affect the health of workers and has covered almost all state and private farms to raise awareness on unwise use of agro-pesticides. Her long engagement in research has resulted in peer-reviewed publications of international standards. Her scientific achievement is exemplified by her collaborative work with scientists in other parts of the world. Above all, she mentors young researchers especially women to be engaged in teaching and research. Member of the Ethiopian Academy of Sciences, she has been recognized and awarded: Recognition for academic and scientific excellence by the Society of Ethiopians Established in Diaspora, Washington DC., USA; and 2019 African Union Kwame Nkrumah Regional Scientific Awards for Women in Science.
ORYAN, Ahmad (Islamic Republic of Iran): (M). Professor, Pathology Department, Shiraz University and Vice-Chancellor of Yasouj University, Islamic Republic of Iran. The nominee's main area of research is tissue engineering and regenerative medicine and the pathology of animal diseases. His research has been concentrated on tendon and ligament healing, bone healing and cutaneous wound healing. As a Veterinary Pathologist, he also tried to work on diagnostic pathology in the diagnosis of new veterinary diseases. He is the first researcher who studied different aspects of Caprine besnoitiosis in the world. He has been credited and categorized as the two percent scientist of the world and as the one percent scientist of the world in his own field (ranked 200th in the world in his field). He has been selected as an exemplary and distinguished professor in the country, nine times celebrated as the top researcher at the Shiraz University.
RADA TARIFA, Ana (Bolivia): (F). Cytogenetics Unit of the Genetics Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés UMSA, La Paz, Bolivia. The nominee is a relevant woman in sciences in Bolivia. She has achieved a Master's degree, in Public Health, mention in Epidemiology from the Postgraduate Unit of the UMSA School of Medicine (2016), and she finished the academic program in the Master of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, mention in Medical Genetics, UMSA.
She is a recognized personality in Latin America and the Caribbean, having also regional and international participation in high-level meetings representing Bolivia. Member of the Bolivian Academy of Sciences and Founding Member of the Bolivian Society of Human Genetics (SOBOGENH).
SADUNISHVILI, Tinatin (Georgia): (F). Academician, Academic-Secretary of Biological Department, Georgian National Academy of Sciences (GNAS); Professor, Head of Department, Agricultural University of Georgia, GNAS, Georgia. The nominee established ammonia primary assimilation pathways in higher plants; dynamics of 15N-labelled ammonium compounds insertion in amino acids. Involvement of basic metabolism enzymes in the process of detoxification of organic pollutants in plants. Detected, isolated and studied phytopathogenic bacteria and their bacteriophages. Created treatment-prophylaxis means against tomato bacterial spot (Patent P4860). Member of the Georgian National Academy of Sciences, she has received the GNAS Prize for Scientific Achievements 2015, among others.
VAL, Adalberto Luis (Brazil): (M). Senior Researcher, National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA), Brazil. The nominee has studied environmental adaptations of fish of the Amazon, their use for food security and fish farming for the last 40 years. He contributed to personnel training in the Amazon and headed INPA for eight years. He is an accredited professor at the Graduate School of the University of Laval, Canada, and in local schools. He maintains intense international collaboration and is a member of the Canadian Society of Zoology, the American Fisheries Society, the Society for Experimental Biology (UK) and of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, acting as its Vice-President for the Amazon. He was awarded: Commendation of the National Order of Scientific Merit (Class Commander in 2002 and Grand Cross Class in 2013), American Fisheries Society's Excellence Award (2004); Gran Order of Legislative Merit of the State of Amazonas (2008); Citizenship award of the Amazonas State (2015); and the honorable Anísio Teixeira Award for Higher Education (2016).
04-Medical and Health Sciences incl. Neurosciences
CHATTERJEE, Mitali (India): (F). Professor and Head, Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Kolkata, India. The nominee's scientific contributions, a medical immunopharmacologist, encompass multiple aspects of Leishmania biology that include (i) delineating the immunopathogenesis of Post Kala-azar Dermal Leishmaniasis (PKDL), a disease unique to South Asia, and especially relevant as it has no animal model, (ii) participating in active surveillance programmes for PKDL by providing diagnostic/prognostic molecular tools for monitoring anti-leishmanial therapy and (iii) establishing redox-imbalance as a leishmanicidal approach using plant-derived compounds. Taken together, the thrust of Mitali Chatterjee’s work is translational research in Indian Leishmaniasis by providing disease specific biomarkers and new chemotherapeutic modalities for improved management and potential elimination of Leishmaniasis. Member of the three Indian science academies, she has received the J. Ammal Senior Women Bioscientist Award, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India; SB Pandey Oration, Indian Pharmacological Society (IPS); and the PN Chhuttani Oration, National Academy of Medical Sciences, India, among others.
CHEN, Zi-Jiang (China): (F). Chief Scientist and Director of Center for Reproductive Medicine, Shandong University, China. The nominee, a leading academic physician in the field of obstetrics and gynaecology, has been focusing on reproductive endocrinology, infertility and birth defect for over 30 years. She has led a series of multi-centre clinical trials on critical issues in assisted reproduction and put forward an evolving standard about frozen embryos in clinical in vitro fertilization (IVF). She is also interested in the study of early embryo development and has advanced the understanding of activation mechanisms of the human embryonic genome and the establishment of chromatin structure during mammalian embryonic development. In addition, she owns patents of several innovative clinical technologies for assisted reproduction and birth defect prevention. She has published more than 200 peer-reviewed articles in journals including The New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet, Nature, Cell, Nature Genetics, etc. Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, she has received the second National Innovation Competition Award, China; the second Prize of National Science and Technology Progress Award, China; and the Prize for Scientific and Technological Progress, Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation, among others.
CROMBET T., Tania Ramos (Cuba): (F). Clinical Research Director, Center of Molecular Immunology, Cuba. The nominee has led the Clinical Research Division of the Center of Molecular Immunology of Havana since 2000. The group she leads has developed clinical trials with 10 innovative molecules in cancer, including Monoclonal antibodies, therapeutic vaccines and molecules with immunomodulatory function. Her group has developed clinical trials for the treatment of autoimmune diseases (Psoriasis, Rheumatoid arthritis) and neurodegenerative disorders (Alzheimer's, Parkinson's). She has published more than 200 articles and has received on several occasions the Annual Award of the Cuban Academy of Sciences. She is a Professor of Immunology at the University of Medical Sciences of Havana. Member of the Cuban Academy of Sciences, she has received the Young Scientist TWAS Award in Biology. She has been the researcher in charge of the clinical trial “Treatment of patients with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia with the anti-CD6 antibody Itolizumab". Crombet is a member of the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) COVID-19 Expert Group.
GAYE, Oumar (Senegal): (M). Director, University Cheikh Anta Diop, Senegal. The nominee made major contributions to the understanding and control of malaria and many other parasitic diseases in Africa. His recent work has focused on malaria chemotherapy and the evaluation of new molecular tools for the detection of asymptomatic malaria carriers. His work has helped Senegal to be the first African country to adopt a strategy for malaria diagnosis and control at the community level and the design of a seasonal malaria prevention tool which was adopted by WHO. Member of the Senegalese National Academy of Sciences, he has received a Fulbright fellowship at Purdue University, Indiana, USA, and the Senegal Head of State Prize in Sciences.
GLUCKMAN, Peter David (New Zealand): (M). Director, The Centre for Informed Futures, University of Auckland, New Zealand. The nominee's contribution to medical science is outstanding. His research focuses on the hormonal regulation of fetal and postnatal growth, developmental plasticity and its lifelong consequences for health and disease, developmental neuroscience and neuroprotection and aspects of the evolutionary-developmental biology interface. His h-index is 131 and he has 47,026 citations. He is an elected member of 4 academies: Royal Society of New Zealand, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (UK), Royal Society of London, National Academy of Medicine (foreign associate), Academy of Medical Sciences (UK). He has received numerous awards from scientific societies and academies and from the lay community. He was named New Zealander of the Year by New Zealand’s major paper, the NZ Herald, in 2004. In 2001 he was awarded New Zealand’s highest scientific honour, the Rutherford Medal. He served as the first Chief Science Advisor to the Prime Minister of New Zealand for almost 10 years. In this role he established the International Network for Government Science Advice (INGSA) which has over 500 members in 120 countries. Finally, he is widely respected as an outstanding science communicator.
HUNGRIA DA CUNHA, Mariangela (Brazil): (F). Researcher, Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), Soybean Center, Brazil. The nominee is an agronomist, soil microbiologist, with great contribution to agriculture sustainability, specialized on biological nitrogen fixation and other microbial processes aiming to replace chemical fertilizers, with high economic, environmental and social impacts, with an emphasis on third world countries. She was the first female President of the Brazilian Society of Soil Science and is a member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (since 2008). Received 25 awards, including medals of the Presidency of Brazil in agricultural sciences and of Agronomist of Brazil. In 2020 she was listed among the 100,000 most influential scientists (study by Stanford) and received the TWAS-Lenovo award in agriculture. She is internationally recognized and helped to empower women in soil science and agriculture.
JAYE, Assan (Gambia): (M). Head of Research Training and Career Development, Medical Research Council (MRC), The Gambia Unit, at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Gambia. The nominee’s initial work optimised a cytotoxic T Lymphocyte (CTL) assay that was able to measure antigenicity of different measles proteins and the tools he developed enabled measles additional dose vaccine trial. He was the first to provide detailed knowledge of the early antibody response to a booster dose of measles vaccine following either vaccine schedule and would fit well into WHO recommendations for early vaccination to achieve high coverage and child survival. His later research work focused on HIV that first demonstrated qualitative adaptive and innate cell responses distinguished HIV-2 long term non-progression from the progressive HIV-1 infection. Jaye has recently been awarded several times for setting up researcher development platform for growing and mentoring African research leaders.
KWOK, Pui-Yan (Taiwan, China): (M). Distinguished Research Fellow and Director (Academician), Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taiwan, China. The nominee is an innovator in genomic technologies who invented homogeneous genotyping assays and single-molecule genome mapping; key contributor to large-scale genome projects (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Consortium, International HapMap Project); leader in genome-wide association studies of psoriasis and other common diseases; and pioneer in precision medicine (NSIGHT, CSER, and TPMI). Member of the Academia Sinica, he has received the Human Genome Organisation (HUGO) Chen Award for Distinguished Academic Achievement in Human Genetic and Genomic Research, among others.
NG, Kwan Hoong (Malaysia): (M). Professor, University of Malaya Medical Centre, Jalan Universiti, Malaysia. The nominee is a medical physics pioneer in Malaysia who plays a part in researching the role of breast density in predicting breast cancer risk. His work has contributed to the early detection and management of breast cancer worldwide. He has been honoured as a Fellow of the Academy of Science Malaysia and one of the few non-physicians members of the Academy of Medicine Malaysia. He is also a life member of the Malaysian Oncology Society and College Radiology Malaysia. He is the only recipient from developing countries who received the prestigious Marie Sklodowska-Curie Award (2018). In 2020, he has been honoured with Merdeka Award under the Outstanding Scholastic Achievement category.
NTOUMI, Francine (Republic of the Congo): (F). Chief Executive Officer of the Fondation Congolaise pour la Recherche Médicale , Republic of the Congo. The nominee is a shining star in Africa’s scientific landscape. Her scientific achievements in Congo and in Africa include among others the (i) establishment and implementation of genotyping techniques for Plasmodium falciparum isolates from the field (Africa); (ii) characterization of enteropathogens responsible for severe diarrhoea in children under 5 years. The characterization of rotavirus strains circulating in Congo has facilitated the introduction of rotavirus vaccine in the country; (iii) first data reporting the multi-drug resistance in mycobacterium tuberculosis in patients; and (iv) evaluation of the impact of intermittent preventive treatment for pregnant women. Her managerial achievements include the establishment of the first functional molecular biology laboratory as well as a health research capacity in HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis in Central Africa. Member of the African Academy of Sciences, she has received the RICE (Réseau International des Congolais de l’extérieur) Award, the African Union Kwame Nkrumah Scientific Award for Women and Scientific for the best scientific woman, and the Georg Foster Prize, among others.
ZUMLA, Alimuddin (United Kingdom): (M). Professor of Infectious Diseases and International Health, Royal Free Hospital, United Kingdom. The nominee's contributions to the WHO Blueprint Priority diseases of TB, TB/HIV, COVID-19, MERS and Emerging and Re-emerging infections as 'a whole', are an exceptional major body of work developed over 3 decades. He has developed from scratch, (moving the global agenda away from colonial models of research), very effective cross-continental One-Health consortia for research aligned closely to training, capacity development and advocacy—a unique holistic approach that continues to have a significant widespread effect. Zumla is a Fellow of: the African Academy of Sciences, Royal Colleges of Physicians of London & Edinburgh, Royal Society of Biology and Royal College of Pathologists. He has received over 25 prestigious prizes and medals including a Knighthood from Her Majesty the Queen; The Grand Commander of Distinguished Services from the President of Zambia; and the Mahathir Science Award 2020. Zumla has authored over 800 publications and published 22 medical textbooks.
05-Chemical Sciences
BADSHAH, Amin (Pakistan): (M). Tenured Professor and Dean, Department of Chemistry, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan. The nominee earned his PhD from Quaid-i-Azam University and postdoc from the University of Bayreuth, Germany. He developed a computational lab and leading research group primarily focusing on the bioactivity of inorganic compounds and nanocatalysts for energy storage applications. He supervised 22 PhD and 70 M.Phil. Member of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences (PAS), he has received the PAS Gold Medal, among others.
BHARGAVA, Suresh Kumar (Australia): (M). Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor (India), College of Science, Engineering and Health, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia. The nominee has made outstanding contributions in the field of Chemical Science and Engineering. His research is applied and very much outcome focussed. He is a highly cited and globally reputed scientist who has been quoted as being among the top 1% scientists in the resource sector and as the number one scientist in mercury sensing research (air pollution control). Member of the National Academy of Sciences, India; Indian National Academy of Engineering; and Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering; he has received the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI) Citation award, Khwarizmi International Award and Chemeca Medal, among others
CHERGUI, Majed (Switzerland): (M). Professor, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Swtizerland. The nominee has contributed to pioneering novel ultrafast X-ray and ultraviolet spectroscopic tools for the study of molecular and biomolecular dynamics in solutions and for his commitment to promoting science in the developing world and in Europe. Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Academy of Arab Scientists, he has received the Miller Award (UC-Berkeley), The Rammal Medal (Euroscience Foundation, Strasbourg), The Kuwait Prize for Physics and the Earle K. Plyler Prize, among others.
GOULART, Marilia Oliveira Fonseca (Brazil): (F). Full Professor, Institute of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Federal University of Alagoas, Brazil. The nominee has made ground-breaking contributions to molecular and bioelectrochemistry, linking electrochemistry natural products life sciences, concerning electron transfer and oxidative stress related to quinones nitroaromatics cancer neglected diseases. She belongs to the Brazilian Academy of Science, and received the Young Scientist Award of the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), the foreign Young Chemist in the International Symposium of Electroorganic Synthesis (1997), Japan, and the National Award Marie Curie, in 2011, by the Brazilian Chemical Society (SBQ).
WU, Li-Zhu (China): (F). Professor, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China. The nominee is an international well-renowned scientist in photochemistry, who has made groundbreaking, outstanding, innovative contributions in deciphering light energy to chemical conversion reactions of impact to the future sustainability of our society. She was elected as an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2019, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC) in 2017. She received the National Nature Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholar of China (2001), and the seventh Young Women Scientists Award of China (2010).
06-Engineering Sciences
ALOUINI, Mohamed-Slim (Saudi Arabia): (M). Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia. The nominee has contributed to sustained and diverse development of modern wireless communication networks as well as teaching, education, and mentoring in telecommunication engineering. Member of the African Academy and Science, he has received TWAS Award in Engineering Sciences, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) James Evans Avant Garde Award, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Science & Technology Achievement Award, and the Abdul Hameed Shoman Award for Arab Researchers, among others.
DAUD, Wan Ramli Wan (Malaysia): (M). Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)-Petronas Chair Professor of Sustainable Hydrogen Energy, UKM, Malaysia. The nominee developed low Pt and nanostructured electrochemical catalysts and composite polymer proton exchange membranes for direct methanol, microbial and solid oxide fuel cells; nanostructured photo-electrochemical and bio-electrolytic catalysts for water splitting to produce hydrogen; novel solar dryers, new understanding of spray and fluid bed drying. He developed the hydrogen economy roadmap for Malaysia. World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds in engineering 2015-2020. Member of the Academy of Science Malaysia, he received Malaysia's Prestigious Merdeka Award 2016, Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) Highly Commended Shell Energy Award, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Energy Award, Outstanding Contribution to Development of Drying Technology Award.
DEZOTTI, Márcia Walquíria De Carvalho (Brazil): (F). Full Professor, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The nominee introduced relevant research topics for Brazil, such as emerging pollutants and advanced biological processes. She published in the best international journals (124 papers), is one of the most cited researchers in Brazil, in the area of chemical engineering, and had outstanding performance in the training of MSc and DSc students. Her research work is appreciated and respected internationally. She received more than 25 awards. She coordinated numerous projects with industries. She has published three books. One of them was published internationally and has great repercussion in the academic world. She is Founding Member of the COPPE (The Alberto Luiz Coimbra Institute for Graduate Studies and Research in Engineering) Women Support Group and Full Member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences in 2020. She received the Scientist of Our State, Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ) 2015, and the COPPE Giulio Massarani Academic Merit, among others.
LUO, Jianbin (China): (M). Chairman of the Asian Tribology Council, Tsinghua University, China. The nominee has long been engaged in superlubricity, thin film lubrication, and nanomanufacturing. Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, he was awarded the prize of Chinese National Technical Innovation Award, the Chinese National Natural Science Award, the Chinese National Scientific and Technological Progress Award, and some other provincial and ministerial awards for 10 times. In 2013, he received the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE) International Award and Chinese Tribology Institution (CTI) Highest Achievement Award in Tribology.
MITRA, Sushmita (India): (F). Professor (Higher Academic Grade), Machine Intelligence Unit, Indian Statistical Institute, India. The nominee has pioneered a generic family of hybrid models for data mining, for enhanced learning with understandability. Her seminal contribution led to synergistic technological development in data science. She designed new methodologies for mining high-dimensional gene expression data, to extract gene interaction pathways, with applications in cancer research. She developed deep learning systems for volumetric medical image analysis, to assist oncosurgeons for intelligent automated detection, segmentation and survival prediction in brain cancer. She is Fellow of Indian National Science Academy; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), USA; International Association for Pattern Recognition; Indian National Academy of Engineering; and National Academy of Sciences, India. She received Fulbright Fellowship, IEEE Neural Networks Outstanding Paper Award, IEEE Computational Intelligence Society Distinguished Lecturership, University Gold Medal.
SOBOYEJO, Winston Oluwole (United States of America): (M). Senior Vice-President and Provost, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, USA. The nominee has made major contributions to the understanding of the mechanical properties of materials. His early work explained how multiple cracks interact and coalesce in ways that provide mechanistic insights for the design of robust engineering structures and components. This was followed by contributions to the understanding of the mechanical properties of metallic alloys, intermetallics, ceramics, cellular materials, micro-electro-mechanical systems and biological materials. Soboyejo has also made significant contributions to the development of: functional biomaterials; nanoparticles and targeted drugs for the detection and treatment of breast cancer; cold welding and lamination approaches for the fabrication of light-emitting devices and solar cells; sustainable building materials; and water filters for the removal of bacteria, viruses and chemical contaminants. Member of the US National Academy of Engineering and African Academy of Sciences, he has received the Lumley Research Award, Ohio State University; the ASM (American Society for Metals) Bradley Stoughton Award for Young Teachers of Materials Science and Engineering; Old Schools Award for Research and Innovation, Princeton and Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Award, among others.
TAO, Dacheng (Australia): (M). Australian Laureate Fellow, Peter Nicol Russell Chair and Professor of Computer Science, The University of Sydney, Australia. The nominee is a world leader in artificial intelligence. He has made ground-breaking contributions in representation learning which aims to find a succinct yet robust representation for examples sampled from a high dimensional space or a high order space, or collected from multiple tasks or multiple sources. He explores fundamental insights into explaining why, when and how a learning model performs well; and develops useable algorithms for practical systems, such as face recognition, autonomous driving, web image search, and activity analysis. He has received many prizes for his research contributions, such as the 2015/2020 Australian Eureka Prize, the 2018 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) International Conference on Data Mining Research Contributions Awards, the 2015 National Natural Science Award (second prize, Ministry of Science and Technology of China), and the 2021 IEEE Computer Society McCluskey Technical Achievement Award. He has been elevated to Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, Royal Society of New South Wales, and Association for Computing Machinery, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and IEEE.
07-Astronomy, Space and Earth Sciences
AHMED, Shakeel (India): (M). Chair Professor, Department of Geography, Jamia Millia Islamia, India. The nominee made outstanding contributions in groundwater hydrology by developing several geostatistical techniques for treating hydrogeological parameters stochastically and established an unbiased aquifer modelling tool for groundwater management that was applied to a wide range of areas in India. He has set up Indo-French Centre for Groundwater Research and developed various new methodologies to tackle the functioning of hard rock aquifers and finally developed a decision support tool for climate enabled groundwater management in over-exploited aquifers using changing cropping pattern. He led an aquifer mapping program using an advanced heli-borne 3D geophysical imaging over different geological formations and set scientific guidelines for carrying out National Aquifer Mapping tackling arsenic contamination in the Ganga basin, searching for potable water in desert and fracture system in crystalline aquifers. Member of the National Academy of Sciences, India, he has received the International Prize for Water Science, and Smt. Savitri Chadha Memorial Indian Chapter of International Association of Hydrogeologists, among others.
OCHIENG OLAGO, Daniel (Kenya): (M). Associate Professor, University of Nairobi, Kenya. The nominee has made strong contributions in the fields of Quaternary science, geolimnology, surface and groundwater resources, and transdisciplinary perspectives on global environmental change. Helped elucidate finest details of past climate and environment of eastern Africa which helped improve global and regional climate change future climate change scenario modelling of tropical of Africa. His work on the surface and groundwater systems in Kenya has led to the drafting of a national groundwater policy. Member of the African Academy of Sciences, he has contributed to the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize Award to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and received the International START (SysTem for Analysis, Research and Training) Young Scientist Award for an international journal published research paper, among others.
SOKONA, Youba (Mali): (M). Vice-Chairperson, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), c/o WMO, Switzerland. The nominee also serves as a Special Advisor for Sustainable Development at the South Centre (Switzerland) and as an honorary Professor at the University College London. His core scientific contributions substantiated the links between the physical sciences, engineering and the social sciences and the use of knowledge to inform public policy and decision-making. One of his most significant contributions lies in his combination of rich treatment of theories of development and empirical analysis of policy processes to explore how capacity can be built with a deeper understanding of the context within the constraints of ecological and climate change. He was active in the research and practice nexus, long before the need to apply systems thinking entered the global research agenda. He greatly contributed to understanding the links between policy, financing and implementation. Member of the African Academy of Sciences, he has received the Nobel Prize attributed to the IPCC team in which Sokona played a decisive role.
YU, Gui-Rui (China): (M). Director, Synthesis Research Center, National Ecosystem Research Network of China (CNERN), and Department of Ecology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS); Deputy Director, Scientific Committee, European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN); Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China. The nominee designed and initiated China’s terrestrial ecosystem flux observation and research network (ChinaFLUX), chief designer and leading scientist for flux synergistic observation technology system, systematically studied the dynamic changes and spatial pattern of land carbon stocks and fluxes, quantified carbon sink function and sink increase potential of terrestrial ecosystems in China, carried out frontier researches on the carbon-nitrogen-water cycle coupling in terrestrial ecosystems, explored the carbon-nitrogen-water coupling processes and underlying biogeography mechanism, and was a founding scientist for new fields in ecogeography. His scientific research achievements have been cited over 20,000 times. Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, he received First Prize of Environmental Protection Science and Technology Award and Scientific Chinese Person of the Year 2016 Award, among others.
08-Mathematical Sciences
ATANGANA, Abdon (South Africa): (M). Full Professor, Institute for Groundwater Studies, University of the Free State, South Africa. The nominee's research field is fractional calculus. He made significant contributions to the theory and application of fractional calculus to modelling real world problems, analytical and numerical methods for solving differential equations with integer and non-integer order. He has introduced several new concepts in this field including differential and integral operators with non-singular and non-local kernels, fractal-fractional differential and integral operators. He is editor in many top tiers journals of applied mathematics, mathematics and applied physics including Chaos Solitons and Fractals, Advances in Difference Equations, Fractals (An Interdisciplinary Journal on the Complex Geometry of Nature); European Physical Journal Plus. In 2019 and 2020 he was selected by the Web of Science among the highly cited mathematicians. Member of the African Academy of Sciences, he has received the TWAS-Hamdan 2020 Award in mathematics and the Obada Prize.
MUKHAMEDOV, Farrukh (United Arab Emirates): (M). Professor, Department of Mathematical Sciences, College of Science, United Arab Emirates University, United Arab Emirates. The nominee is working in several domains of pure mathematics such as quantum probability, ergodic theory and dynamical systems, p-adic analysis etc. In quantum probability, he applied statistical mechanics methods to (rigorously) establish phase transitions within quantum Markov chains, and was able to disprove a conjecture related to the occurrence of factors of type III_1 should always be expected when the Hamiltonian has non-trivial interactions. He developed a theory of quantum quadratic operators and associated process; he has established a rigorous p-adic statistical mechanics and phase transitions. Furthermore, within p-adic dynamical systems chaos is established for p-adic Potts models which is a rigorous result in this theory. Besides, ergodic theorems have been established for C*-dynamical systems and Banach spaces. He received the TWAS Prize to Young Scientist (2005), administered by the Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences.
OMIROV, Bakhrom (Uzbekistan): (M). Professor, Head of Department, National University of Uzbekistan. The nominee's research has made a fundamental contribution to the structure theory of Leibniz (super)algebras. In particular, analogues of classical results from the theory of solvable Lie algebras (such as Engel and Lie theorems, Cartan solvability criterion, conjugacy of Cartan subalgebras and others) are proved for Leibniz algebras. Descriptions of the structures and infinitesimal deformations of some nilpotent Leibniz superalgebras got momentum to start the study of Leibniz superalgebras. His ideas to apply methods of nonassociative algebras have significant contributions to the theory of genetic algebras. His idea to extend the description of finite-dimensional solvable Lie algebras in terms of its nilradical and its derivations to the case of infinite-dimensional ones plays an essential role to the study of pro-solvable Lie algebras. He has received the award of Uzbek Academy of Sciences, and the highest state prize of the Republic of Uzbekistan, among others.
OUHABAZ, El Maati (France): (M). Professor, Université Bordeaux 1, Institut de Mathematiques de Bordeaux, France. The nominee's most significant contributions concerns a general version of the Beurling-Deny criteria for symmetric submarkovian semigroups. He gave a general version which opened the door for new applications such as non-symmetric semigroups, irreducibility, domination of semigroups. His second most important result concerns the so-called "spectral multiplier theorems". He proved results that mainly solve a problem by J.L. Lions (1960) on the maximal regularity for non-autonomous equations. He is a member of the Academy of Science and Technology, Morocco and Hassan II Academy of Sciences and Technology.
WANG, Xiaoyun (China): (F). Professor, Institute of Advanced Study, Tsinghua University, China. The nominee made essential contributions to the cryptanalysis and design of cryptographic hash functions. She developed the collision attack theory on hash functions and broke five dedicated hash functions, including widely deployed MD5 and SHA-1 in the network world. Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, she received Tan Kah Kee Science Award, Chinese National Natural Science Award and Levchin Prize for Real-World Cryptography, among others.
09-Physics
ALTSHULER, Ernesto (Cuba): (M). Full-Titular Professor, Physics Faculty, University of Havana, Cuba. The nominee has performed scientific research in the field of physics and its applications to materials science and biology since the early 1980's, when he was an undergraduate student at the Physics Faculty, University of Havana. He has worked and published in the field of magnetic materials, superconductivity, granular matter, pharmaceutical uses of porous materials, ant dynamics, and bacterial motion. He has produced seminal work in the field of the current transport through inhomogeneous superconductors, avalanche dynamics in type-II superconductors and granular piles, the collective behaviour of panicked ants, and “super-contamination” of Escherichia coli bacteria. He has also made substantial contributions to the field of drug incorporation into porous materials, upstream contamination in flows, and other miscellaneous subjects. Most of his work is based on experiments, and most of them has been made in his home country, Cuba. Member of the Cuban Academy of Sciences (ACC), he has received the TWAS-ACC Award for the Best Young Researcher in the Natural Sciences, a dozen Annual Awards of the Cuban Academy of Sciences and more than 50 scientific awards by the University of Havana.
DABHOLKAR, Atish (Italy): (M). Director (ICTP) and Assistant-Director General (UNESCO), The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Italy. The nominee has made fundamental contributions to string theory and quantum gravity. In particular i) the discovery of solitonic states called “Dabholkar-Harvey States” in superstring theory that played an important role in the discovery of duality symmetries in string theory; ii) the calculation of stringy corrections to black hole entropy and its matching with supergravity that provide a precision test of string theory as a theory of quantum gravity; and iii) the discovery and generic importance of a connection between the quantum entropy of black holes and mock modular forms in number theory. He is an elected Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences; recipient of the 2006 Bhatnagar prize of the Government of India; and was awarded the Chaire excellence 2007 by the Agence National de la Recherche Scientifique of France.
JORIO DE VASCONCELOS, Ado (Brazil): (M). Full Professor, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil. The nominee works with research and development of scientific instrumentation in optics for the study of nanostructures with applications in new materials and biomedicine. Member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, of the National Order of Scientific Merit (Comendador class) and the American Chemical Society (membership award in 2015), he has received the Somiya Award from the International Union of Materials Research Societies (2009), the Elsevier & CAPES 2009 Scopus Brazil award, the International Center for Theoretical Physics Prize (2012), the Georg Forster Research Award from the Humboldt Foundation (2015), and the Inconfidência Medal of the State of Minas Gerais Government (2016). In 2016 he was included in the list of "Highly Cited Researchers" of Thomson Reuters.
LI, Ruxin (China): (M). Director and Professor, Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, China. The nominee has made outstanding achievements in the development of ultra-high peak-power laser technologies and facilities, the laser wake-field acceleration to produce high-brightness high-energy electrons, high order harmonic generation to produce intense coherent X-ray sources and filamentation nonlinear optics. Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, he has received the Outstanding Youth Fund of the Natural Science Foundation of China, The Chinese Youth Science and Technology Award and the second-class of the National Natural Science Awards of China, among others.
MAHADEVAN, Priya (India): (F). Senior Professor, S.N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, India. The nominee is world-renowned for her research on electronic structures of materials using a combination of ab-initio and model Hamiltonian approaches with an emphasis on understanding the mechanism of magnetism in unusual systems. She is credited to have provided the microscopic origin of the counter-intuitive observation of higher magnetic ordering temperatures in 4d and 5d transition-metal oxides compared to their 3d analogues in terms of a low Coulomb interaction strength coupled with a large bandwidth –ideas that are contrary to the conventional understanding of magnetism. She has gone on to show how doping carriers into these 4d and 5d oxides could provide a route to realizing antiferromagnetic metals—an uncommon combination. Member of the Indian Academy of Science, she has received National Academy of Sciences, India (NASI)-Scopus Young Scientist Award in physics for 2010 and the Materials Research Society of India (MRSI) Medal.
NAQIB, Saleh Hasan (Bangladesh): (M). Professor, Department of Physics, University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh. The nominee is leading the theoretical condensed matter research group at the department. In terms of scientific productivity in condensed matter physics, his group ranks at the top in Bangladesh. He has published 116 papers in international journals of repute and these papers have been cited over 1700 times till date. He was a regular associate at the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP). He is a Fellow of the Bangladesh Academy of Sciences (BAS). In recognition of research excellence, he received the TWAS Prize for Young Scientists in Developing Countries and he has been nominated for the Bangladesh Academy of Sciences Gold Medal in the senior scientist category. He received the S. N. Nahar Award for research/teaching excellence in physics for four consecutive years, from 2014 to 2017. Naqib’s publication won the University Grants Commission Award in 1997 and Razzaq-Shamshun Physics Research award in 2006. He received the Deans Award for research excellence in 2018.
10-Social and Economic Sciences
JAKOVLJEVIC, Mihajlo (Michael) (Serbia): (M). Full-time Professor and Head of Department of Global Health Economics and Policy, University of Kragujevac, Serbia. The nominee remains amongst globally most cited health economists with focus on low- and middle-income countries and emerging markets. The World Health Organization (WHO) has appointed him to serve on behalf of top-tier European Advisory Committee on Health Research (EACHR) Committee, in direct advisory capacity to the Cabinet of Director for WHO Europe. Professor Jakovljevic currently holds senior positions at Hosei University, Tokyo, Japan, and Center for Health Trends and Forecasts at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, USA, and used to hold one at Lund University, Sweden. In 2015 he was the first ever Eastern European candidate nominated for IHEA (International Health Economics Association) Board of Directors Elections. He serves as an Editor-in-Chief of the prestigious Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation, BioMed Central journal, based in London and Specialty Co-Editor-in-Chief of Frontiers in Health Economics, based in Lausanne, Switzerland. Member of The Academy of Medical Sciences of the Serbian Medical Society, he has received the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Award, Hosei University, Tokyo, Japan; Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life (Forte) grant, Lund University, Sweden; Professor Vladislav Varagic Award, University of Belgrade, Serbia, among others.
LIMA, Nísia Trindade (Brazil): (F). President and Senior Public Health Researcher, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Brazil. The nominee's work is a reference in the social sciences and public health area, with great recognition in the Brazilian and international scientific circles. She has held important management positions at Fiocruz for over 30 years. She coordinated the creation of new science technology and innovation sectors and programmes, and led the institution in the response to the recent public health emergencies of Zika, Chikungunya and COVID-19. She is a full member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences. She received the title of Doctor Honoris Causa from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (2020), the Woman Scientist Award from the City of Rio de Janeiro (2015), Merit Medals from the Brazilian Academy of Letters (2007, 2009) and the Oswaldo Cruz Medal from Ministry of Health of Brazil (2018).
SETATI-PHAKENG, Mamokgethi (South Africa): (F). Vice-Chancellor, University of Cape Town, South Africa. The nominee is a scholar of note in the field of mathematics education. Her work focusses on language practices in multilingual classrooms. She has changed education policy to promote multilingualism in teaching and changed the design of school and teacher education projects, and post-graduate research. Her research in multilingual mathematics education has appeared in prominent international journals and she is regarded as a role model for scholars, students, and young academics in South Africa, Africa and internationally.
Perhaps most remarkable, is that Prof Phakeng has sustained her academic and scholarly work while fulfilling leadership positions with distinction first at the University of South Africa (Deputy Vice-Chancellor), then at the University of Cape Town (Vice-Chancellor). Member of the Academy of Science of South Africa and African Academy of Sciences, she was named the Most Influential Woman in Education and Training in Africa by The CEO Magazine, and she received the Order of the Baobab: Silver in mathematics education, among others.
VON BRAUN, Joachim (Germany): (M). Director, Centre for Development Research and Professor, Economics and Technical Change, University of Bonn, Germany. The nominee’s academic output includes more than 250 peer-reviewed publications, including monographs, book chapters and journal articles. The quality and breadth of his academic work are reflected in a high h-index of 63, with more than 18,000 citations. His i10-index is equally high at 227. In addition to being a member of a number of academies, Joachim is a leader in the broader academic world, including as president or chair of international academic associations such as the International Association of Agricultural Economists and member of advisory or governance boards of academic organizations and academic journals around the globe, covering a large area of expertise. His vast accomplishments are recognized by more than a dozen awards, prizes, medals and honours doctorates. Member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, German Academy of Sciences and Engineering, African Academy of Sciences, he has received One World Gold Medal, for research and service to end hunger and improve food security, by the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Theodor Brinkmann-Preis, for food and agricultural research and policy achievement and the Justus von Liebig Award for World Nutrition (2011), among others.