Gustavo Darrigran | Environmental Science | Best Researcher Award

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Dr. Gustavo Darrigran | Environmental Science | Best Researcher Award

Dr. Gustavo Darrigran | Research Scientist of the National Scientific and Technical Research Council | Argentina

Dr. Gustavo Darrigran is a distinguished Argentine biologist and malacologist whose career has been centered on the ecology, systematics, and environmental impact of freshwater and marine mollusks. A Doctor in Natural Sciences (Zoology) from the Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP), he has over four decades of academic and research experience at national and international levels. His doctoral thesis, “Aspectos Ecológicos de la Malacofauna Litoral del Río de la Plata”, laid the foundation for his lifelong research on aquatic invertebrates, particularly invasive bivalve species that have transformed South American freshwater ecosystems. Dr. Darrigran is recognized as one of Latin America’s leading experts on aquatic bioinvasions, focusing on invasive mollusks such as Limnoperna fortunei and Corbicula fluminea. His research has advanced understanding of species invasion dynamics, ecological impacts on native biodiversity, and bioindicator applications for environmental monitoring. Through collaborations with international organizations—including the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Zoological Society of London, and the Encyclopedia of Life—he has contributed to global conservation initiatives, notably the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and the Libro Rojo de Moluscos Argentinos (2020–2025), which he coordinated. A prolific educator, Dr. Darrigran has held professorships at UNLP’s Faculties of Natural Sciences and Humanities, teaching zoology, ecology, and conservation biology. He has also been an invited lecturer in postgraduate programs across Argentina, Brazil, and Spain. His mentorship has fostered a generation of scientists dedicated to environmental protection and biodiversity conservation. His scientific contributions and leadership have earned him numerous honors, including the Científico Cultural Award from Prefectura Naval Argentina, the MercoPremio Award (Brazil), and recognition as an Honorary Member of the Félix de Azara Natural History Foundation. Dr. Darrigran’s career exemplifies excellence in research, education, and international cooperation toward the sustainable management of aquatic ecosystems.

Profiles: Orcid

Featured Publications 

De Lucía, M., Darrigran, G., & Gutiérrez Gregoric, D. E. (2023). Diversity of non-marine mollusks in the southernmost Paranaense forest of the world. Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências, 95(1), e20220212. https://doi.org/10.1590/0001-3765202320220212

Roche, A., Cetra, N., Nuñez, V., & Darrigran, G. (2023, April 25). Catálogo de las especies de Nudibranchia (Gastropoda: Heterobranchia) de la Colección de Moluscos del Museo de La Plata, Argentina. Acta Zoológica Lilloana, 67(1), e2023-04-13. https://doi.org/10.30550/j.azl/2023.67.1/2023-04-13

Darrigran, G., Agudo-Padrón, I., Baez, P., Belz, C., Cardoso, F., Collado, G. A., Correoso, M., Cuezzo, M. G., Damborenea, C., Fabres, A. A., et al. (2023, March). Species movements within biogeographic regions: Exploring the distribution of transplanted mollusc species in South America. Biological Invasions, 25(3), 1007–1023. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-022-02942-z

De Lucía, M., Darrigran, G., & Gutiérrez Gregoric, D. E. (2023, January). The most problematic freshwater invasive species in South America, Limnoperna fortunei (Dunker, 1857), and its status after 30 years of invasion. Aquatic Sciences, 85(1), 7. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-022-00907-x

Darrigran, G., Custodio, H., Legarralde, T. I., & Vilches, A. M. (2022, November 30). Colecciones biológicas y virtualidad: Un recurso para la enseñanza de la biodiversidad. Bio-grafía, 16(30), 17823. https://doi.org/10.17227/bio-grafia.vol.16.num30-17823

Miyahira, I. C., Clavijo, C., Callil, C. T., Cuezzo, M. G., Darrigran, G., Gomes, S. R., Lasso, C. A., Mansur, M. C. D., Pena, M. S., Ramírez, R., et al. (2022, September). The conservation of non-marine molluscs in South America: Where we are and how to move forward. Biodiversity and Conservation, 31(11), 2859–2882. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-022-02446-1

Jimmy Romanos | Energy Sustainability | Excellence in Research

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Dr. Jimmy Romanos | Energy Sustainability | Excellence in Research

Dr. Jimmy Romanos | Lebanese American University | Lebanon

Dr. Jimmy Romanos is an Associate Professor of Physics at the Lebanese American University, with a distinguished record in interdisciplinary research spanning thermal physics, materials science, and energy storage. He holds a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Missouri, USA, and has extensive experience in both academia and industry, including leadership roles as a lead materials scientist in the U.S. and as a consultant in the energy sector. His research focuses on atomic-scale thermodynamic processes in gas adsorption, targeting applications such as carbon dioxide capture, methane and hydrogen storage, gas separation, and lead-free ceramics. Dr. Romanos has been recognized with the Shoman Award for Arab Researchers in Physics, becoming the first Lebanese physicist to receive this honor. He has led numerous funded projects, both intramural and extramural, and holds multiple patents in advanced carbon materials and gas storage technologies. With over a decade of prolific contributions through peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, and industrial reports, his work bridges computational, theoretical, and experimental approaches to address critical challenges in energy and environmental technologies.

Profile:  Google Scholar 

Featured Publications

Romanos, J., Beckner, M., Rash, T., Firlej, L., Kuchta, B., Yu, P., Suppes, G., … (2012). Nanospace engineering of KOH activated carbon. Nanotechnology, 23(015401), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1088/0957-4484/23/1/015401

Kuchta, B., Firlej, L., Mohammadhosseini, A., Boulet, P., Beckner, M., … Romanos, J. (2012). Hypothetical high-surface-area carbons with exceptional hydrogen storage capacities: Open carbon frameworks. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 134(36), 15130–15137. https://doi.org/10.1021/ja3062439

Romanos, J., Burress, J., Pfeifer, P., Rash, T., Shah, P., Suppes, G. (2012). High surface area carbon and process for its production. US Patent 20130190542A1.

Beckner, M., Romanos, J., Dohnke, E., … (2011). Analysis of hydrogen sorption characteristics of boron-doped activated carbons. Bulletin of the American Physical Society, 56.

Soo, Y. C., Beckner, M., Romanos, J., Wexler, C., Pfeifer, P., Buckley, P., … (2011). A high volume, high throughput volumetric sorption analyzer. Bulletin of the American Physical Society, 56(1), 20003.