Sumanta Chowdhury -Materials for Energy and Environment Award – Best Researcher Award

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Sumanta Chowdhury -Materials for Energy and Environment Award – Best Researcher Award

Mr.Sumanta Chowdhury distinguished academic and researcher in the field Materials for Energy and Environment. The individual possesses a robust skill set and extensive experience in various areas of synthetic chemistry, material characterization, and applications of reticular frameworks (RFMs) such as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs). His expertise spans from the synthesis and nano-crystallization of RFMs to the development of RFM-based materials like electrospun nanofibrous membranes. He is well-versed in employing diverse synthetic techniques including solid-state, solution-phase, microwave, room temperature, and microfluidic synthesis.

Moreover, he is proficient in handling a wide range of instruments for material characterization. This includes UV-Visible spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, thermo gravimetric analysis coupled with differential scanning calorimetry, gas chromatography, elemental analysis, and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. He possesses advanced skills in sample preparation, data collection, analysis, and troubleshooting associated with these techniques.

Furthermore, his expertise extends to various applications of RFMs including heterogeneous catalysis, gas adsorption, water remediation, gas sensing, and anticancer drug delivery. He has hands-on experience in conducting in-vitro cell culture studies for evaluating the effectiveness of RFM-based drug delivery systems. Overall, his proficiency and experience make him a valuable asset in research and development efforts related to RFMs and their applications.

🌐 Professional Profiles

Educations📚📚📚

He completed his Masters in Chemistry with a specialization in Organic Chemistry from the University of Calcutta in 2017, graduating with First Class honors. During his post-graduation, he worked on a project titled “Core/Shell Ru@SiO4 catalyst: Preparation, Characterization and application in Organo-nanocatalysis” under the guidance of Prof. Dilip Kumar Maity (FRSC) at the Department of Chemistry, Rajabazar Science College/University of Calcutta, Kolkata, India from 2016 to 2017.

Subsequently, he contributed to the DST-SERB funded project “Development of Pristine Graphene as a Catalyst Support” from 2018 to 2020. This research endeavor was conducted under the supervision of Prof. Prem Felix Siril and Prof. Subrata Ghosh, both esteemed professors at the School of Chemical Science, Indian Institute of Technology Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, India.

Academic Achievements/Awards

He has garnered several notable academic achievements and awards throughout his career. In June 2018, he achieved a remarkable rank of 31 (LS) in the Joint CSIR-UGC Junior Research Fellowship & Eligibility for Lectureship (NET, Chemistry) for Chemical Sciences, demonstrating his proficiency in the field. Additionally, in the same year, he secured a commendable rank of 1209 (93.8 percentile) in the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE, Chemistry), further attesting to his academic prowess.

His contributions to research have been recognized with prestigious accolades such as the Best Poster Award in Catalysis for Energy, Environment, and Sustainability (CEES-2023) and CO2 INDIA NETWORK- 2nd Annual Meet, held from 25-27th September, 2023, at IIT Mandi. Furthermore, his self-designed scientific illustration was selected as the “Inside Cover Art” in the RSC Environmental Science: Water Research and Technology journal, published in 2024.

He is also a Certified Associate Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry since 2023, highlighting his commitment to professional development and recognition within the scientific community. Moreover, his dedication to research has been further affirmed by securing a Core Research Grant from the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) for the project titled “Sustainable Green Hydrogen Production from Glycerol using Continuous Flow Photoreforming: Process and Catalyst Development.”

Teaching/Mentoring Experience

He has extensive experience in teaching and mentoring within the academic realm. He has mentored numerous postgraduate students for their thesis submissions as part of the requirements for the award of their degrees. Notable examples include guiding Parul Sharma for her thesis titled “Lewis & Bronsted Dual Acidic Site Promoted Catalysis for Biodiesel Production” submitted in 2020, and overseeing Muskan Kaur’s thesis on “Design of ZIF-COF Composite for CO2 and epoxide conversion to cyclic carbonates” submitted in 2022. Additionally, he supervised Arun Singh’s thesis on “Investigation of ionic-COFs As Catalytic Support to Silver Nanoparticles for CO2 Adsorption and Dye Degradation” also submitted in 2022, and Ekta Malik’s thesis on “External Surface Area Modulation of Covalent Organic Polymers to Remove Permanganate Ion at an Unprecedented Rate” submitted in 2023. Currently, he is supervising Santanu Saha for his upcoming thesis titled “Covalent Organic Nanospheres for Therapeutic Application and Their Interplay with Immune System,” which is expected to be submitted in 2024.

In addition to mentoring, he has served as a Teaching Assistant (TA) in Inorganic Chemistry Practical Coursework for M.Sc. students from 2019 to 2021. His responsibilities included teaching theory and practical classes, conducting hands-on laboratory experiments, drafting test papers, organizing exams and viva sessions, and grading assessments. His dedication to teaching and mentoring underscores his commitment to fostering academic excellence and nurturing the next generation of scientists and researchers.

Conferences/Symposiums:

He has actively participated in various conferences, symposiums, and seminars, showcasing his research findings and staying updated with the latest advancements in his field. At the Modern Trends in Inorganic Chemistry (MTIC XVIII) in December 2019 held at IIT Guwahati, he presented a poster titled “Microwave Assisted Green Synthesis of Nanostructured Zinc Glutarate as Potential Heterogeneous Catalyst for CO2 Conversion.”

Moreover, he presented another poster titled “Systematic Thiol Decoration in a Redox-Active UiO-66-(SH)2 Metal–Organic Framework: A Case Study under Oxidative and Reductive Conditions” at the International Symposium on Advanced Microscopy and its Applications in Materials Science-2022 held at IIT Madras in November 2022.

In September 2023, he participated in the Catalysis for Energy, Environment and Sustainability (CEES-2023) and CO2 INDIA NETWORK- 2nd Annual Meet at IIT Mandi, where he presented a poster titled “Can active sites promote thermocatalytic CO2 conversion without engaging in CO2 adsorption?”

He also attended a One Day Seminar on BET Surface Area Characterization and Powder Rheology held on 24th Feb 2020. Additionally, he actively participated in online events such as the ACS Spring 2021 conference held from April 5-16 and the International Adsorption Society Webinar Series on Porous Frameworks and Reticular Nano-Synthesis by Prof. Rahul Banerjee on August 9, 2022. These engagements demonstrate his commitment to staying informed about the latest developments in his field and contributing to the scientific community.

📝🔬Publications📝🔬

Mingxuan Mao – Photovoltaic Power Generation – Best Researcher Award

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 Assoc Prof Dr. Mingxuan Mao   distinguished academic and researcher in the Photovoltaic Power Generation. He has a rich and diverse academic background, spanning across several prestigious institutions and roles. Beginning his journey as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Imperial College London, UK, from April 2021 to March 2023, he honed his skills and expertise in his field. Prior to that, he served as a Postdoctoral Fellow and later as an Associate Professor and Deputy Dean of the Power Electronics and Power Transmission Department at Chongqing University, China, from January 2018 to April 2021. Currently, he holds the position of Associate Professor at the School of Automation, Wuxi University, China, starting from September 2023. With his extensive experience and academic contributions, he continues to make significant strides in the realm of automation and electrical engineering.

🌐 Professional Profiles

Educations📚📚📚

He pursued an extensive educational journey, consolidating his expertise in control theory, engineering, and automation. His academic endeavors began with a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and Automation from the School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering at Chongqing University of Arts and Sciences (CUAS), China, where he graduated in June 2012. Subsequently, he embarked on his doctoral studies, specializing in Control Theory and Control Engineering, at the School of Automation, Chongqing University (CQU), China, obtaining his PhD in December 2017. During this time, he also engaged in enriching experiences as a Visiting Graduate Student at WISE, Xiamen University, China, in July 2015, and at the Automotive Engineering College, Tsinghua University, China, in July 2013. Building on his doctoral research, he pursued a Joint PhD program at the School of Electronic and Electrical, University of Leeds, UK, from June 2016 to June 2017. His educational journey reflects a steadfast commitment to academic excellence and a deepening understanding of his field.

Supervision

He has been actively involved in mentoring and guiding graduate students at the Electrical Engineering Department of Chongqing University (CQU). Taking on the role of Graduate Student Guidance, he has supervised the academic progress of Siyu Chen and Zhao Xu, both pursuing Master of Science degrees starting from the fall semester of 2023, as well as Xinying Feng, Fuping Ma, Pengyan Li, and Liuqing Zhao, who are postgraduate students in the same department. Additionally, he has provided co-guidance to several PhD candidates, including Chen Zheng (since fall 2018), Qianjin Zhang (since fall 2020), Bao Xie (since fall 2020), Haixiao Li (since spring 2021), and Gaofeng Hao, all within the Electrical Engineering Department at CQU. Moreover, he has also mentored Yihao Wan, who commenced his Master of Science studies in the fall of 2019, and Siyu Z, whose academic journey under his guidance reflects his commitment to fostering the development of future scholars in the field of electrical engineering.

Research Interest

His research interests encompass a broad spectrum within the realm of electrical engineering, with a focus on various aspects of power electronics, control theory, and artificial intelligence. Specifically, he delves into the intricacies of power electronics topology and control mechanisms tailored for Solar PV Power Generation systems. Additionally, he is deeply engaged in exploring advanced control theories and system identification methodologies, translating theoretical frameworks into practical implementations with real-world applications. Furthermore, he demonstrates a keen interest in leveraging Artificial Intelligence techniques, particularly evolutionary optimization algorithms and deep learning methodologies, to address contemporary challenges in the field. Through his interdisciplinary approach, he continually seeks innovative solutions to enhance the efficiency and performance of electrical systems while contributing significantly to the advancement of research in these domains.

Main Project Experience

Throughout his tenure as a Research Fellow, Mr. Mao has been actively engaged in several projects spanning various facets of power electronics and renewable energy systems. As the Director of the first project, sponsored by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, he led research efforts focusing on the optimization strategies of photovoltaic arrays installed on highway pavements under dynamic random vehicle shading. This involved modeling and analyzing pavement PV panels based on vehicle traffic flow theory, as well as designing offline optimization configurations and maximum power point tracking strategies using data-driven approaches and autonomously evolving algorithms.

In another project, also directed by Mr. Mao and sponsored by the Chongqing Postdoctoral Science Foundation, he explored research on photovoltaic DC pooling topology and active fault-tolerant control mechanisms amidst local power attenuation. This endeavor entailed designing DC boost collecting systems for large photovoltaic power stations, establishing fault expert databases, and devising fault prediction and processing schemes based on data analysis technologies.

Additionally, Mr. Mao played a core role in projects investigating the aging laws and reliability evaluation methods of key components in large capacity power electronic equipment, as well as the impact analysis and control methods for photovoltaic power generation systems under the hot spot effect. These projects, sponsored by various entities including the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China and the National Natural Science Foundation of China, involved modeling PV panels under the hot spot effect, developing AI techniques for control, and implementing wireless detection methods for PV panel hot spots.

Furthermore, he contributed as a core participant in a project sponsored by the Major State Basic Research Development Program, focusing on advanced control techniques for new energy power systems. In this project, he delved into multi-agent control in nonlinear systems, stabilization problems with constrained states, and various other unknown issues, showcasing his diverse expertise and commitment to advancing the field of renewable energy systems.

📝🔬Publications📝🔬
J1] Mingxuan Mao*, Li Zhang, Han Huang, et al. Maximum power exploitation for grid-connected PV system under fast-varying solar irradiation levels with modified salp swarm algorithm[J]. Journal of Cleaner Production, 2020, 268:
122158.
[J2] Mingxuan Mao*, Siyu Chen, Jinyue Yan. Modelling pavement photovoltaic arrays with cellular automata[J]. Applied Energy, 2023, 330: 120360.
[J3] Mingxuan Mao*, Xinying Feng, Tommy WS Chow. A Convolutional Neural Network Based Maximum Power Point Voltage Forecasting Method for Pavement PV Array. IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation & Measurement,
2022, 72: 1-9.
[J4] Lining Wang, Mingxuan Mao*, Jili Xie, et al. Accurate solar PV power prediction interval method based on frequency-domain decomposition and LSTM model[J]. Energy, 2022: 125592.
[J5] Mingxuan Mao*, Zhao Xu, Jianghao Li, et al. A Phase-shifting DC-link Voltage Control Strategy for Parallel Inverters to Suppress Interharmonics in PV Systems[J]. IEEE Journal of Emerging and Selected Topics in Power Electronics,
2023, 11(3): 3163-3172.
[J6] Mao M*, Zhang L, Duan P, et al. Grid-connected modular PV-Converter system with shuffled frog leaping algorithm based DMPPT controller[J]. Energy, 2018, 143: 181-190.
[J7] Li H, Mao M*, Guo K, et al. A decentralized optimization method basedtwo-layer Volt-Var control strategy for the integrated system of centralized PV plant and external power grid[J]. Journal of Cleaner Production, 2021, 278:
123625.
[J8] Mao M*, Zhang L, Duan Q, et al. Multilevel DC-link converter photovoltaic system with modified PSO based on maximum power point tracking[J]. Solar Energy, 2017, 153: 329-342.
[J9] Mao M*, Zhang L, Yang L, et al. MPPT using modified salp swarm algorithm for multiple bidirectional PV-Ćuk converter system under partial shading and module mismatching[J]. Solar Energy, 2020, 209: 334-349.
[J10] Mao M*, Zhou L, Yang Z, et al. A hybrid intelligent GMPPT algorithm for partial shading PV system[J]. Control Engineering Practice, 2019, 83: 108-115.
[J11] Mao M*, Cui L, Zhang Q, et al. Classification and summarization of solar photovoltaic MPPT techniques: A review based on traditional and intelligent control strategies[J]. Energy Reports, 2020, 6: 1312-1327.
[J12] Mao M*, Duan Q, Zhang L, et al. Maximum power point tracking for cascaded PV-converter modules using two-stage particle swarm optimization[J]. Scientific Reports, 2017, 7(1): 1-10.
[J13] Wan Y, Mao M*, Zhou L, et al. Review on topology-based dc short-circuit fault ride-through strategies for MMC-based HVDC system[J]. IET Power Electronics, 2019, 13(2): 203-220.
[J14] Zhang Q, Mao M*, Ke G, et al. Stability problems of PV inverter in weak grid: a review[J]. IET Power Electronics, 2020, 13(11): 2165-2174.
[J15] Zhang Q, Zhou L, Mao M*, et al. Power quality and stability analysis of large‐scale grid‐connected photovoltaic system considering non‐linear effects[J]. IET Power Electronics, 2018, 11(11): 1739-1747.