Alihan Katlav | Crop Protection | Research Excellence Award

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Dr. Alihan Katlav | Crop Protection | Research Excellence Award

Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University | Australia

Alihan Katlav, PhD, is an agricultural entomologist specializing in biological control, insect–microbe interactions, and integrated pest management. He earned his PhD in Agricultural Entomology from Western Sydney University and is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment. His research integrates molecular, ecological, and field-based approaches to develop sustainable, pollinator-safe pest management strategies, particularly using entomopathogenic nematodes against honey bee pests. He has published extensively in high-impact journals, serves as an Associate Editor for leading entomology journals, and has received multiple competitive national and international research awards, contributing significantly to sustainable agriculture and pollinator health.

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Vera Pavese | Plant Breeding | Best Researcher Award

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Dr. Vera Pavese | Plant Breeding | Best Researcher Award

Università di Torino | Italy

Dr. Vera Pavese is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Turin, Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences (DISAFA), Italy. She earned her PhD in Agricultural, Forest, and Food Sciences in 2022 under the supervision of Prof. Roberto Botta, following her Master’s in Plant Biotechnology (2017) and Bachelor’s in Natural Sciences (2015) from the same institution. Her research focuses on developing biotechnological tools to enhance the resilience of woody crops, integrating in vitro culture, CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing, LED-based priming, and RNA-based gene silencing (SIGS). She has pioneered transgene-free genome editing systems and demonstrated the biostimulant potential of LEDs in woody plant micropropagation. Dr. Pavese has authored 24 peer-reviewed papers, accumulating 237 citations and an h-index of 10. Her achievements have earned her four national Best Oral Presentation Awards, invitations as a keynote speaker at international symposia, and recognition as Session Chair at major conferences. A recipient of the RILO Young Researchers Grant (2024), she actively promotes Open Science and serves as Guest Editor for Plants and Agronomy. Her work advances sustainable crop improvement and genetic innovation, positioning her as a rising leader in woody plant biotechnology and genome engineering.

Profiles: Scopus | Google Scholar | Orcid

Featured Publications

Marino, L. A., Ruffa, P., Mozzanini, E., Patono, D. L., Sereno, A., & Pavese, V. (2025). LEDs in plant tissue culture: Boosting micropropagation of Castanea sativa cultivars. Journal of Plant Growth Regulation.

Marino, L. A., Pavese, V., Ruffa, P., Ferrero, M., Acquadro, A., Barchi, L., Botta, R., & Torello Marinoni, D. (2024). Guardians of quality: Advancing Castanea sativa traceability using DNA analysis from seed to processed food. Scientia Horticulturae.

Pavese, V., Moglia, A., Acquadro, A., Barchi, L., Portis, E., Torello Marinoni, D., Valentini, N., Milani, A. M., Abbà, S., Silvestri, C., et al. (2023). Development of biotechnological tools for hazelnut breeding. Acta Horticulturae.

Ferrucci, A., Lupo, M., Turco, S., Pavese, V., Torello Marinoni, D., Botta, R., Cristofori, V., Mazzaglia, A., & Silvestri, C. (2023). A roadmap of tissue culture and biotechnology in European hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.). Plant Physiology and Biochemistry.

Nerva, L., Dalla Costa, L., Ciacciulli, A., Sabbadini, S., Pavese, V., Dondini, L., Vendramin, E., Caboni, E., Perrone, I., Moglia, A., et al. (2023). The role of Italy in the use of advanced plant genomic techniques on fruit trees: State of the art and future perspectives. International Journal of Molecular Sciences.

Azime Gökçe | Plant Physiology | Best Researcher Award

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Dr. Azime Gökçe | Plant Physiology | Best Researcher Award

Ege University, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology | Turkey

Dr. Azime Gökçe is a Postdoctoral Researcher at Ege University, Türkiye, specializing in plant physiology and stress biology. She received her Ph.D. in Plant Physiology in 2023 and currently holds a TÜBİTAK 2218 Postdoctoral Research Fellowship. Her research integrates molecular, biochemical, and physiological approaches to understand plant responses to abiotic stress, with a particular focus on redox homeostasis, ROS–RNS signalling, glutamate receptor-like (GLR) genes, nitric oxide pathways, and antioxidant defense mechanisms. Dr. Gökçe has published impactful studies in journals such as Plant Cell Reports, Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, Plant Growth Regulation, and Journal of Plant Research. She has led and contributed to multiple national and international projects funded by TÜBİTAK and collaborated with institutions including Syngenta and the Olive Research Institute. Her work also explores seed priming and biostimulant strategies to improve crop resilience under salinity, drought, and biotic stresses. With active roles as a reviewer and editorial board member, she contributes to scientific knowledge dissemination. As an early-career researcher, she has established herself as a promising scientist in plant stress physiology, aiming to translate fundamental discoveries into agricultural sustainability solutions.

Profile: Google Scholar

Featured Publications

Sekmen Çetinel, A. H., Gokce, A., Erdik, E., Cetinel, B., & Cetinkaya, N. (2021). The effect of Trichoderma citrinoviride treatment under salinity combined with Rhizoctonia solani infection in strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.). Agronomy.

Gokce, A., Sekmen Çetinel, A. H., & Turkan, I. (2024). Involvement of GLR-mediated nitric oxide effects on ROS metabolism in Arabidopsis plants under salt stress. Journal of Plant Research.

Sekmen Çetinel, A. H., Yalcinkaya, T., Akyol, T. Y., Gokce, A., & Turkan, I. (2021). Pretreatment of seeds with hydrogen peroxide improves deep-sowing tolerance of wheat seedlings. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry.

Gokce, A., Sekmen Çetinel, A. H., & Turkan, I. (2024). Carnitine modulates antioxidative defense in ABI2 mutant under salt stress. Plant Growth Regulation.

Sekmen Çetinel, A. H., Çetinel, B., Gokce, A., Tatli, C., & Erdik, E. (2022). Molecular mechanisms–relayed plant defense responses against fungal pathogens. In Phytomycology and Molecular Biology of Plant–Pathogen Interactions.

Winifred Ayinpogbilla Atiah | Climate Science | Best Researcher Award

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Dr. Winifred Ayinpogbilla Atiah | Climate Science | Best Researcher Award

Stockholm University | Sweden

Dr. Winifred Ayinpogbilla Atiah is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Department of Meteorology (MISU), Stockholm University, Sweden, where she works on the Swedish Research Council–funded Tropical Precipitation Tipping-Points (TPTP) project, focusing on atmospheric feedbacks, tropical precipitation systems, and climate–ecosystem interactions. She earned her Ph.D. in Meteorology and Climate Science from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana, after completing an MSc in Mathematical Sciences at the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), Senegal, and a BSc in Physics at KNUST. Her work has received over 341citations, 16 documents indexed in international databases, and an h-index of 10. She has served as a Lecturer and Researcher at KNUST, taught climate dynamics and meteorology, and supervised students while engaging in consulting projects with CGIAR and OneCGIAR. Her research spans climate variability, extreme rainfall analysis, agricultural resilience, and satellite rainfall validation. Dr. Atiah is the recipient of prestigious awards, including the 2022 L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Sub-Saharan Africa Fellowship and the AIMS NEI Fellowship for Women in Climate Change Science. She also serves as a pioneer editor of the African Journal of Geophysics and Earth Sciences. Her career is dedicated to advancing climate science, resilience, and sustainable development in Africa and beyond.

Profiles: Scopus | Google Scholar | Orcid

Featured Publications

Atiah, W. A., Bendito, E. G., & Muthoni, F. K. (2025). Evaluating seasonal rainfall forecast gridded models over Sub-Saharan Africa. Hydrology.

Atiah, W. A., Muthoni, F. K., Kotu, B., Kizito, F., & Amekudzi, L. K. (2021). Trends of rainfall onset, cessation, and length of growing season in Northern Ghana: Comparing the rain gauge, satellite, and farmer’s perceptions. Atmosphere.

Atiah, W. A., Amekudzi, L. K., Aryee, J. N. A., Preko, K., & Danuor, S. K. (2020). Validation of satellite and merged rainfall data over Ghana, West Africa. Atmosphere.

Atiah, W. A. (2020). Trends and interannual variability of extreme rainfall indices over Ghana, West Africa. Theoretical and Applied Climatology.

Atiah, W. A. (2020). A process-based validation of GPM IMERG and its sources using a mesoscale rain gauge network in the West African forest zone. Journal of Hydrometeorology.