Wei-Hong Lin | Environmental Science | Excellence in Research Award

Dr. Wei-Hong Lin | Environmental Science | Excellence in Research Award 

National Health Research Institutes| Taiwan

Dr. Wei-Hong Lin is an accomplished environmental engineering researcher specializing in the fate, behavior, and ecological risks of microplastics and emerging contaminants. With a strong interdisciplinary foundation bridging environmental science, physical chemistry, and bioenvironmental engineering, Dr. Lin completed his Ph.D. at the National Taiwan University (2025), following an M.S. from National Sun Yat-sen University (2017) and a B.S. from National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (2015). His research trajectory spans microplastic weathering, heavy metal adsorption, environmental toxicology, groundwater remediation, and wetland ecosystem management. Dr. Lin’s academic and professional journey includes roles as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, a Visiting Scholar at the University of California, Merced, and a Research Assistant at Academia Sinica. His work has resulted in multiple high-impact publications in journals including Environmental Pollution, Chemosphere, and Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics. During his doctoral training under the mentorship of Prof. Shang-Lien Lo, Dr. Lin pioneered an economical solar simulation system to study the environmental aging of microplastics, proposing one of the early mechanistic pathways explaining polymer degradation under environmental stressors. He further investigated heavy-metal interactions with both conventional and biodegradable plastics in marine and freshwater systems, while mentoring graduate students and contributing to national policy development through Taiwan’s Chemical Substance Management Capacity Enhancement Project. At UC Merced, he secured competitive funding from Taiwan’s National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) to study synergistic interactions between dissolved organic matter, weathered microplastics, and calcium ions, producing new insights now drafted for journal submission. Earlier work at Academia Sinica contributed to advancing mechanistic understanding of Criegee intermediates using laser-based spectroscopic techniques. Dr. Lin’s technical expertise spans analytical platforms including SEM, FTIR, ICP-OES, dynamic light scattering, flow cytometry, and advanced chromatography techniques for PFAS detection. He also possesses extensive experience in laboratory and project management and has contributed to environmental fieldwork, remediation system design, and teaching environmental experimentation. His research advances global understanding of plastic pollution pathways and informs science-based environmental governance, making him a rising contributor to environmental engineering, pollutant behavior research, and sustainability science.

Profile: Scopus

Featured Publications

Cheng, P. K., Ponnusamy, V. K., Lin, W.-H., Chinnadurai, J., Tsai, P. C., Chen, C. Y., Chang, W. T., & Huang, P. C. (2025). Association between urinary metabolites of 1,3‐butadiene and toluene exposure with kidney function indices in Taiwanese school‐aged children living near a petrochemical complex. Environmental Pollution, 127400.

Lin, W.-H., Wang, H.-Y., Kuo, J., & Lo, S.-L. (2023). Adsorption and desorption characteristics of heavy metals onto conventional and biodegradable plastics. Chemosphere, 333, 138920.

Lin, W.-H., Kuo, J., & Lo, S.-L. (2021). Effect of light irradiation on metal adsorption onto microplastics. Chemosphere, 285, 131457.

Chao, W., Lin, Y. H., Yin, C., Lin, W.-H., Takahashi, K., & Lin, J. J. M. (2019). Temperature and isotope effects in the reaction of CH₃CHOO with methanol. Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 21(25), 13633–13640.

Lin, Y. H., Yin, C., Lin, W.-H., Li, Y. L., Takahashi, K., & Lin, J. J. M. (2018). Criegee intermediate reaction with alcohol is enhanced by a single water molecule. The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 9(24), 7040–7044.

Kao, C. M., Lin, W.-H., Lien, P. J., Sheu, Y. T., & Tu, Y. T. (2018). Application of a multi‐function constructed wetland for stream water quality improvement and ecosystem protection: A case study in Kaohsiung City Taiwan. In Artificial or Constructed Wetlands (1st ed., pp. 126–141). CRC Press.

Peste-Ras (Marcu) Iuliana | Agricultural and Biological Sciences | Best Researcher Award

Prof. Peste-Ras (Marcu) Iuliana| Agricultural and Biological Sciences | Best Researcher Award 

Doctoral School of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnologies, National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest | Romania

Peste-Ras (Marcu) Iuliana is an accomplished Chemistry and Physics educator and an emerging researcher dedicated to advancing sustainable practices and innovative methodologies in chemical and environmental sciences. She currently serves as a Chemistry Teacher at High School Toma Socolescu, within the Department of Chemistry in Ploiesti, Romania, where she has been contributing to the academic and personal development of students since 2001. Her teaching career reflects a deep commitment to scientific literacy, hands-on learning, and the promotion of green chemistry principles among young learners. Between 2013 and 2015, she also served as a University Lecturer at the University of Oil and Gas, Ploiesti, Romania, where she taught chemistry-related subjects and guided undergraduate students in research projects. Dr. (PhD candidate) Iuliana Peste-Ras’s academic journey demonstrates a solid foundation in both the natural and applied sciences. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and Physics from the University of Petroleum and Gas, Faculty of Letters and Science, Ploiesti in 2001. Pursuing her passion for environmental sustainability, she completed a Master’s degree in Life Sciences and Ecology from the National University of Science and Technology Politehnica, Bucharest in 2019. She is currently a PhD student at the Doctoral School of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnologies, National University of Science and Technology Politehnica, Bucharest, where her research focuses on the valorization of natural products, food chemistry, and eco-friendly analytical methods for assessing the quality and antioxidant potential of horticultural produce. Her scientific contributions include notable research on tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) fruits, focusing on their physical and chemical properties, antioxidant capacity, and preservation techniques. Her publications highlight her growing influence in the field of food chemistry and sustainable processing. In 2022, she co-authored “The Effect of Peel and Seed Removal on the Physical and Chemical Properties of Tomato Fruits” published in U.P.B. Scientific Bulletin, Series B (84(3), 78–88). Her 2024 study, “The Effect of Freezing on the Physico-Chemical Properties of Tomato Fruits” (U.P.B. Sci. Bull., 86(1), 166–172), examined the influence of storage conditions on nutritional quality. Her 2025 publication in Horticulturae (Q1, IF: 3) titled “Analysis of the Antioxidant Capacity of Whole-Fruit Tomato Powder Using the FRAP Assay — An Eco-Friendly Approach for the Valorization of Horticultural Products” underscores her commitment to sustainable science and innovation in agricultural product research. Through her teaching excellence, research dedication, and academic leadership, Iuliana Peste-Ras continues to make a meaningful contribution to science education, food chemistry, and ecological sustainability in Romania and beyond.

Profile: Orcid

Featured Publications

Pește-Ras (Marcu), I., Radu, G. L., & Dăncilă, A. M. (2025). Analysis of the antioxidant capacity of whole-fruit tomato powder using the Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) assay—An eco-friendly approach for the valorization of horticultural products. Horticulturae, 11(9), 1145. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae11091145