Yang Shi | Civil Engineering | Young Researcher Award

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Dr. Yang Shi | Civil Engineering | Young Researcher Award

Tsinghua University | China

Dr. Yang Shi is an accomplished early-career academic specializing in coastal dynamics, fluid–structure interaction, hydrometeorology, multiphase flows, and geoinformatics-driven modeling. His research integrates physics-based numerical methods (SPH, CFD, FEM, DEM) with machine learning and remote sensing to address challenges in coastal protection, sediment transport, aerosol and cloud microphysics, and water resource systems. He has authored 40+ peer-reviewed publications in leading journals such as Journal of Fluids and Structures, Applied Ocean Research, Atmospheric Research, and Water Resources Research, achieving 464 citations and an h-index of 12. His work demonstrates strong interdisciplinarity, innovation, and real-world impact.

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Patrick Obunga | Civil Engineering | Best Researcher Award

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Mr. Patrick Obunga | Civil Engineering | Best Researcher Award

Research Fellow at University of Johannesburg, South Africa

Mr. Patrick Obunga is a seasoned Research Fellow and Civil Engineer with over 14 years of experience in WASH, climate change, energy, food security, and science, technology, and innovation (STI). He has led multidisciplinary research and development projects across sub-Saharan Africa, working with major donors such as the World Bank, UNDP, USAID, and UNESCO. Currently pursuing a PhD in Civil Engineering at the University of Johannesburg, he holds multiple postgraduate degrees and has published on emerging water technologies and digital innovation. Patrick is known for his leadership in research, resource mobilization, and capacity building through collaborative partnerships.

📚Professional Profile

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🎓Academic Background

Mr. Patrick Obunga has a strong academic foundation that supports his multidisciplinary research and professional work. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Civil Engineering at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. He holds an MSc in Civil Engineering and an MA in Project Planning and Management from the University of Nairobi. Additionally, he earned a Postgraduate Diploma in Project Management from the Kenya Institute of Management and a BSc in Agricultural Engineering from Egerton University. His diverse academic qualifications reflect a commitment to integrating engineering, management, and innovation in addressing complex development challenges across Africa and beyond.

💼Professional Experience

Mr. Patrick Obunga brings over 14 years of extensive professional experience in research, engineering, and program management. He currently serves as a Research Fellow and Resource Mobilization Coordinator at the African Centre for Technology Studies, where he leads research on WASH, climate resilience, and digital innovation. He has previously held roles as Civil Engineer, Projects Engineer, and Monitoring & Evaluation Manager, contributing to projects across sub-Saharan Africa. His work with organizations such as World Bank, UNDP, USAID, and UNESCO demonstrates his expertise in donor-funded projects, infrastructure development, and capacity building through cross-sectoral collaboration and strategic implementation.

🏆Awards and Honors

Mr. Patrick Obunga has earned recognition for his dedication to impactful research and development in water, sanitation, climate resilience, and digital innovation. His work has been featured in respected journals such as npj Clean Water and Water Practice & Technology, reflecting his contributions to advancing water technologies and sustainability practices. He has led and supported projects funded by renowned international organizations including the World Bank, UNDP, USAID, and UNESCO. While formal individual awards are not listed, his consistent leadership in high-level research initiatives and collaboration with global partners highlight his reputation as a trusted and accomplished professional.

🔬Research Focus

Mr. Patrick Obunga’s research focuses on the intersection of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), climate change, energy, food security, and digital innovation. He explores the use of emerging technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) to enhance water service delivery and reduce non-revenue water in urban systems. His work contributes to sustainable development by addressing critical challenges within the water-energy-food nexus and integrating science, technology, and innovation into practical solutions. Through collaborative research and policy-oriented projects, he aims to improve infrastructure resilience, promote environmental sustainability, and support data-driven decision-making across sub-Saharan Africa and beyond.

📋Publication Top Notes

Quantification of water loss indices in a water distribution network: a case of water and sewerage company of Nairobi City, Kenya
Year: 2025 | Cited by: 1

Review of the emerging technologies in the water sector with a focus on the deployment of Internet of Things solutions
Year: 2025

Comparative analysis on deployment of Internet of Things in management of non-revenue water in water distribution networks
Year: 2025

Assessing Deployment of Emerging Innovations and Technologies in Catalysing Sustainable Water Services Provision in Nairobi City County, Kenya: Case of Soweto Kayole Jisomee Mita
Year: 2023 | Cited by: 1

Assessing Deployment of Science, Technology & Innovation in Catalysing Sustainable Water Services Provision in Nairobi City County, Kenya: Case of Soweto Kayole Jisomee Mita
Year: 2021

Public Water Supplies, Water Policy and Management of Multifaceted Water Resources in Mathare Slums, Nairobi City County, Kenya
Year: 2020

🏷️Conclusion

Mr. Patrick Obunga is a highly qualified and impactful researcher with over 14 years of experience in WASH, climate change, water engineering, and innovation policy, making him an outstanding candidate for the Best Researcher Award. His academic credentials, including an ongoing PhD in Civil Engineering and dual master’s degrees, demonstrate strong scholarly commitment. He has authored peer-reviewed publications in leading journals and contributed to groundbreaking research on IoT and sustainable water systems. With proven leadership in donor-funded projects, collaboration with global agencies, and a strong focus on sustainability and capacity building, Mr. Obunga exemplifies a well-rounded, solution-oriented researcher driving real-world impact.

 

 

Muhammet Sari | Civil engineering | Best Researcher Award

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Mr. Muhammet Sari | Civil engineering | Best Researcher Award

Mr. Muhammet Sari, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University, Turkey

Mr. Muhammet Sari is a dedicated researcher and Ph.D. candidate at Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University, specializing in Civil Engineering. With a strong academic background, including a master’s degree (GPA: 3.56/4.00) and a bachelor’s degree (GPA: 3.82/4.00), his research interests span cemented paste backfill technology, mine waste management, geotechnics, and the reuse of industrial and agricultural waste. He has published numerous articles in top-tier journals, focusing on cemented mine backfills, their properties, and sustainability. Mr. Sari also has valuable industry experience as an R&D engineer. 🌍📚🔬🚧🌱

Publication Profile

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Educational Background 📚🎓

Mr. Muhammet Sari is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Civil Engineering at Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University (2020-present). He completed his Master’s degree in the same field at the same university, achieving a GPA of 3.56/4.00 between 2017 and 2020. Prior to that, he earned his Bachelor’s degree from Karadeniz Technical University, where he graduated with an impressive GPA of 3.82/4.00. His academic journey demonstrates a strong commitment to advancing his expertise in civil engineering, particularly in geotechnics and sustainable construction materials. 🌍💡🚧📘

Professional Experience 💼🔧

Mr. Muhammet Sari currently works as a Research Assistant in the Geotechnical Division at Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University’s Department of Civil Engineering, a position he has held since 2020. During this time, he has contributed to various research projects related to geotechnics and civil engineering. Prior to this role, he served as an R&D Engineer at Dynamic Academy Software Construction Industry Trade Limited Company from 2018 to 2020. His industry experience equipped him with valuable practical skills, enabling him to apply his academic knowledge to real-world engineering challenges. 🏗️🔍📊

Research Interests 🌍🔬

Mr. Muhammet Sari’s research focuses on various critical aspects of civil engineering, including Cemented Paste Backfill Technology, mine waste management, and the re-evaluation of mine waste. His work also delves into Geotechnics, Soil Mechanics, and understanding soil properties and behavior through experiments. He is passionate about soil improvement techniques and the reuse of industrial and agricultural waste in construction materials. Additionally, he applies Finite Element Analysis to assess the structural and geotechnical performance of materials. His research contributes to developing sustainable solutions in civil engineering, with a strong emphasis on waste recycling and soil improvement. 🌱🏗️⚙️

Publications Top Notes

  • Physico-chemical and micro-structural behavior of cemented mine backfill: Effect of pH in dam tailings – T Kasap, E Yilmaz, M Sari, Journal of Environmental Management, 77 citations, 2022 📊
  • Long-term ageing characteristics of cemented paste backfill: Usability of sand as a partial substitute of hazardous tailings – M Sari, E Yilmaz, T Kasap, Journal of Cleaner Production, 61 citations, 2023 ♻️
  • Strength and microstructure evolution in cemented mine backfill with low and high pH pyritic tailings: Effect of mineral admixtures – M Sari, E Yilmaz, T Kasap, NU Guner, Construction and Building Materials, 61 citations, 2022 🏗️
  • Effects of mineral additives and age on microstructure evolution and durability properties of sand-reinforced cementitious mine backfills – T Kasap, E Yilmaz, M Sari, Construction and Building Materials, 54 citations, 2022 🧱
  • Exploring the link between ultrasonic and strength behavior of cementitious mine backfill by considering pore structure – M Sari, E Yilmaz, T Kasap, S Karasu, Construction and Building Materials, 41 citations, 2023 🔬
  • Recycling dam tailings as cemented mine backfill: Mechanical and geotechnical properties – T Kasap, E Yilmaz, NU Guner, M Sari, Advances in Materials Science and Engineering, 35 citations, 2022 ♻️
  • Cementitious backfill with partial replacement of Cu-rich mine tailings by sand: Rheological, mechanical and microstructural properties – NU Guner, E Yilmaz, M Sari, T Kasap, Minerals, 20 citations, 2023 🔄
  • Predicting long-term impact of cementitious mine fill considering sand as a copper-tailings substitution – T Kasap, E Yilmaz, M Sari, S Karasu, Powder Technology, 11 citations, 2023 📈
  • Toward viable industrial solid residual waste recycling: A review of its innovative applications and future perspectives – T Keskin, E Yilmaz, T Kasap, M Sari, S Cao, Minerals, 3 citations, 2024 🌿
  • Cementitious fills with varying sand content as tailings replacement: Links to rheological, mechanical and microstructural properties – T Kasap, E Yilmaz, M Sari, 2023 🏗️

 

 

 

Try Meng | Civil Engineering | Best Researcher Award

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Dr. Try Meng | Civil Engineering | Best Researcher Award

Dr. Try Meng, Autorité de sûreté nucléaire et de radioprotection (ASNR), France

Dr. Try Meng, born on December 5, 1991, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, is a Civil Engineer with expertise in finite element methods, thermo-hydro-mechanical coupling, and non-linear concrete and steel behavior. He holds a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from INSA-Rennes and works as a researcher at ASNR/DES/LMAPS. His research focuses on seismic behavior of nuclear reinforced concrete structures and numerical modeling of concrete containment buildings. Dr. Meng has contributed to various publications, including in Engineering Structures and Kerntechnik. He is fluent in Khmer, French, English, and Chinese. His technical skills include Castem, Fortran, Abaqus, and more. 🌍📐

 

Publication Profile

Scopus

Educational Background

Dr. Try Meng completed his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering at INSA-Rennes from 2017 to 2021, focusing on advanced engineering techniques. Prior to that, he earned a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and Science for Engineers at INSA-Rennes (2016-2017). He also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the Institute of Technology Cambodia (ITC), completed between 2011 and 2016. Dr. Meng’s extensive academic background has equipped him with deep expertise in civil engineering and research, particularly in structural behavior and numerical modeling. 🎓🔧🌍

Professional Experience

Dr. Try Meng is currently a Research Engineer at ARSN/DES/LMAPS (2023-present), where he updates parameters using Bayesian approaches to analyze reinforced concrete structures under seismic loading, applying it to the SMART2013 model. He also works on explosion calculations for nuclear facility structures and impact analysis in the IMPACT projects. From 2021-2023, he worked at ASNR/DES/LMAPS and CEA/LM2S, focusing on mechanical behavior studies of nuclear reactor buildings and participated in the VERCORS benchmark and SMiRT26 conference. Earlier, Dr. Meng worked in civil and mechanical engineering research, publishing articles and completing internships on hybrid columns and structural analysis. 🔬🏗️

Technical Skills

Dr. Try Meng is a Civil Engineering Research Engineer specializing in finite element methods, thermo-hydro-mechanical coupling, and nonlinear behavior of concrete (damage models) and stainless steel (elasto-plasticity models). He works on nuclear reactor building simulations and leakage rate post-processing. In industry, he performs reinforced concrete and steel structure calculations based on Eurocode 2 and 3, including beam and column section design and reinforcement. He is fluent in Khmer (native), French (B1), English (TOEFL 500), and Chinese (B1). His technical expertise includes Castem, Fortran, MFront, Matlab, Abaqus, AutoCAD, and Latex. 💻🔧

Research Focus

Dr. Try Meng specializes in numerical modeling and mechanical behavior of prestressed reinforced concrete structures in the context of nuclear engineering. His research focuses on creep, aging, and leakage phenomena, particularly in concrete containment buildings, and applies these studies to real-world mock-ups like VERCORS. He also explores thermo-hydro-mechanical modeling to study the impact of climatic actions on buildings with internal insulation and thermal breaks. His expertise bridges structural mechanics, concrete technology, and climate impact studies for energy infrastructure and building performance. 🌍🏗️

Publication Top Notes

  • “Numerical modelling of creep, aging, and leakage of the prestressed reinforced concrete structure. Application to concrete containment building” (2024) – Kerntechnik 🏗️
  • “Numerical methodology on prestressed reinforced concrete containment building: Creep, aging, and leakage. Application to VERCORS mock-up” (2023) – Engineering Structures 🏢 – 8 citations
  • “Effect of climatic actions on buildings with internal insulation and thermal breaks: Multi-scale approach and thermo-hydro-mechanical modeling” (2021) – World Congress in Computational Mechanics and ECCOMAS Congress 🌍
Conclusion

Dr. Try Meng’s innovative research in structural engineering, particularly in nuclear reactor buildings, along with his advanced simulation techniques (such as FEM and Bayesian methods), makes him a strong contender for the Best Researcher Award. His academic credentials, ongoing research contributions, and impact on the field underscore his suitability for this award.