Emanuela Drago | Health Safety and Environment | Best Academic Researcher Award

Published on by Petroleum Engineering

Assist. Prof. Dr. Emanuela Drago | Health Safety and Environment | Best Academic Researcher Award

Assistant Professor at University of Genoa | Italy

Emanuela Drago is a dedicated researcher in chemical and process engineering, specializing in sustainable materials and innovative active food packaging technologies. Currently serving as a Researcher (RTDA) at the University of Genoa, she integrates expertise in polymer science, green processing, and bioengineering. Her international research experience includes a visiting position at Imperial College London, where she developed biodegradable sensors for food quality monitoring. Through extensive collaborations across Europe and the U.S., she has contributed to advancing biodegradable polymers, supercritical fluid technologies, and biosensor integration in packaging. Her work bridges environmental sustainability with industrial applicability, earning recognition for innovation and scientific excellence.

Profile

Scopus

Education

Emanuela Drago earned her Ph.D. in Chemical, Materials and Process Engineering from the University of Genoa in 2023, focusing on the development of innovative active food packaging biomaterials through eco-friendly technologies. She holds a Master’s degree in Chemical and Process Engineering, where she explored microparticle production via spray drying and computational fluid dynamics simulation. Her Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering (2015) involved studying functional foods and probiotic applications. Earlier, she completed a Classical Studies high school diploma, enhancing her analytical and multidisciplinary thinking. This robust academic foundation underpins her research in sustainable materials, food packaging, and advanced process engineering.

Experience

Emanuela Drago has amassed diverse research and academic experience in chemical engineering, bioengineering, and materials science. She is currently an RTDA researcher at the University of Genoa and has served as a postdoctoral fellow on systemic resilience models for pandemic-related risk management. Internationally, she was a Visiting Researcher at Imperial College London, developing biodegradable sensors for agri-food applications. Her collaborative projects span sustainable packaging, supercritical fluid processing, and bio-based polymers. She has co-supervised multiple theses, contributed to European Commission-funded initiatives, and served as a reviewer for scientific journals. Her work consistently integrates innovation, sustainability, and industrial problem-solving.

Research Interest

Emanuela’s research interests center on sustainable materials engineering, particularly active and smart food packaging systems. She specializes in biodegradable polymers, supercritical fluid processing, biosensors, and the valorization of agri-food waste into functional materials. Her work explores the interplay between material science and process optimization to enhance packaging performance, food safety, and environmental sustainability. She is also interested in green processing technologies that align with circular economy principles. Beyond packaging, she engages in interdisciplinary research that intersects bioethics, process engineering, and environmental impact assessment, ensuring that her innovations contribute to both technological advancement and societal benefit.

Award

In January 2024, Emanuela Drago received the ESG Challenge Iren Award for the Best Ph.D. Thesis on sustainability and ESG challenges, recognizing her outstanding contribution to developing eco-friendly active packaging solutions. This award highlights her commitment to integrating environmental responsibility into engineering innovation. Her research outcomes not only advance academic knowledge but also provide scalable, industry-ready solutions for food preservation and waste reduction. This achievement underscores her ability to address global sustainability goals through practical and scientifically rigorous methods, positioning her as an emerging leader in sustainable chemical and process engineering.

Publication Top Notes 

Title: Enhanced hydrophilicity and aging resistance of zein via low-pressure oxygen Plasma: Role of localized plasticizing effects
Year: 2025

Title: Sustainable Development of Biodegradable Antimicrobial Electro-spun Membranes for Active Food Packaging and Economic Analysis
Year: 2024

Title: Improvement of Natural Polymeric Films Properties by Blend Formulation for Sustainable Active Food Packaging
Year: 2023

Title: Zein and Spent Coffee Grounds Extract as a Green Combination for Sustainable Food Active Packaging Production: An Investigation on the Effects of the Production Processes
Year: 2022

Title: Unsteadiness and resolution effects in experimentally verified simulations of a spray drying process
Year: 2022

Conclusion

Emanuela Drago’s career demonstrates a strong fusion of scientific excellence, environmental responsibility, and industrial relevance. Her academic achievements, research collaborations, and award-winning work in sustainable food packaging reflect a consistent drive to address pressing global challenges. With expertise spanning materials science, process engineering, and green technologies, she has made significant contributions to advancing the circular economy and food safety. Through publications, international collaborations, and mentorship roles, she continues to inspire innovation in chemical engineering. Her trajectory positions her as a rising leader whose work will have enduring impact on both industry and academia.

Wu Zhineng | Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) | Best Researcher Award

Published on by Petroleum Engineering

Ms. Wu Zhineng | Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) | Best Researcher Award

Associate Professor at Hebei University of Technology, China

Dr. Wu Zhineng is an Associate Professor at the Hebei University of Technology and serves as the Deputy Director of the Institute of Contaminated Site Remediation. With a Ph.D. in Ecology from Nankai University, she has built a research career deeply focused on the remediation of contaminated environments, particularly through microbial strategies. Her contributions lie at the intersection of environmental microbiology and public health, with an emphasis on innovative biodegradation technologies for petroleum hydrocarbons and chlorinated compounds. Dr. Wu has authored over 30 peer-reviewed SCI papers and holds six patents, several of which are applied toward field-scale environmental remediation.

Profile

Orcid

Education

Dr. Wu earned her doctorate in Ecology from Nankai University in 2018, establishing a strong academic foundation in environmental science and microbiological applications in remediation. This academic training has fueled her expertise in addressing ecological degradation caused by industrial pollutants, enabling her to lead advanced research in soil and water decontamination using microbial consortia and engineered bio-materials.

Experience

Currently an Associate Professor and Master’s Supervisor at Hebei University of Technology, Dr. Wu has led four major national and provincial research projects. These include grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Science and Technology Program of Hebei Province, and regional programs in Henan and Hebei. Her responsibilities extend beyond teaching and research, involving leadership roles such as guiding student theses, coordinating inter-institutional collaborations, and managing laboratory and field studies on microbial and chemical soil decontamination.

Research Interest

Dr. Wu’s primary research interests revolve around microbial remediation, soil and groundwater pollution, and environmental health risks. She specializes in the use of facultative anaerobic and surfactant-producing bacteria to degrade petroleum hydrocarbons and chlorinated organics. Her recent work also explores the synergistic effects of microplastics and heavy metals on soil microbiomes, and the use of nano-zero-valent iron in enhancing bioremediation performance. Dr. Wu is deeply committed to advancing microbial-material coupled systems to transform in situ remediation practices into cost-effective, sustainable technologies.

Award

In recognition of her innovative contributions, Dr. Wu has been nominated for the Young Scientist Award. Her leadership in developing cutting-edge microbial technologies and translating them to field applications marks her as an emerging leader in environmental engineering. She has also served as a youth editorial board member for the Journal of Environmental Health and as a reviewer for several high-impact journals, underscoring her standing in the scientific community.

Publication

Dr. Wu has published extensively in high-ranking journals.

  1. Synergistic effects of polyethylene microplastics and cadmium on soil bacterial communities and metabolic functions, Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 2025 – cited by 12 articles.

  2. Synergistic surfactant cleaning-bioaugmentation strategy enables deep remediation of heavily petroleum-contaminated soils, International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation, 2025 – cited by 8 articles.

  3. A slow-release reduction material of Escherichia sp. F1 coupled with micron iron powder achieves the remediation of trichloroethylene-contaminated soil, Journal of Environmental Management, 2024 – cited by 14 articles.

  4. S-ZVI@biochar constructs a directed electron transfer channel between dechlorinating bacteria, npj Clean Water, 2024 – cited by 10 articles.

  5. Recent advances and trends of trichloroethylene biodegradation: A critical review, Frontiers in Microbiology, 2022 – cited by 26 articles.

  6. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and PBDEs in urban road dust from Tianjin: pollution characteristics and health risks, Sustainable Cities and Society, 2022 – cited by 22 articles.

  7. Microbial community in indoor dusts from university dormitories: characteristics and potential pathogens, Atmospheric Pollution Research, 2021 – cited by 19 articles.

Conclusion

Dr. Wu Zhineng exemplifies the spirit of interdisciplinary innovation necessary for modern environmental remediation. Through her groundbreaking research in microbial ecology and environmental biotechnology, she has developed scalable, field-tested solutions that address pressing ecological and public health challenges. Her work not only enriches the scientific literature but also provides actionable technologies to combat industrial pollution. A dedicated researcher, mentor, and collaborator, Dr. Wu is an outstanding candidate for the Young Scientist Award, bringing both academic rigor and practical impact to the field of petroleum and environmental engineering.