Laleh Kalankesh | Environmental Science | Women Researcher Award

Assist Prof Dr. Laleh Kalankesh | Environmental Science | Women Researcher Award 

Medical science university | Iran

Dr. Laleh R. Kalankesh is an accomplished environmental health engineer and academic whose research integrates environmental engineering, public health, and environmental epidemiology, with a strong emphasis on water quality, pollution control, and human health risk assessment. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at Gonabad University of Medical Sciences, Iran, where she is actively involved in teaching, mentoring postgraduate students, and leading multidisciplinary research projects addressing critical environmental and health challenges in Iran and comparable arid and semi-arid regions. Dr. Kalankesh earned her PhD in Environmental Health Engineering from Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, where her doctoral research focused on monitoring disinfection by-products (DBPs), including trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs), in surface water, groundwater, and drinking water distribution networks. Her work also advanced membrane technology by developing graphene oxide–modified polyamide nanofiltration membranes to enhance the removal of DBPs and total organic carbon (TOC). This research built on her earlier MSc and BSc training in environmental health engineering, with a strong foundation in nanoparticle applications for wastewater treatment and heavy metal removal. Her research portfolio spans water and wastewater treatment, membrane processes, nanomaterials, air pollution, and environmental epidemiology. She has made notable contributions to understanding DBP formation and health risks, desalination using microbial desalination cells, photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants, and the application of nanoparticles and composites as bactericides and adsorbents. In parallel, her epidemiological studies examine the health impacts of air pollution, meteorological factors, and socio-environmental inequalities, including contributions to large-scale Global Burden of Disease (GBD) studies published in leading journals such as The Lancet Planetary Health and The Lancet Global Health. Dr. Kalankesh has authored 45 peer-reviewed publications, holds an h-index of 21, and is recognized among the world’s top 2% scientists (2025). She has served as principal investigator on numerous nationally funded research projects and is an active peer reviewer for international journals. Her innovative capacity is further reflected in a patented portable device for sterilizing fruits and vegetables. Through her interdisciplinary research and academic leadership, Dr. Kalankesh continues to contribute significantly to advancing environmental health science and evidence-based policy for sustainable development and public health protection.

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Featured Publications

Suocheng Dong | Environmental and Sustainable Materials | Best Researcher Award

Prof. Suocheng Dong | Environmental and Sustainable Materials | Best Researcher Award

Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences | China

Prof. Dong Suocheng is a leading scholar in regional economic geography, ecological economics, and green development studies, widely recognized for his influential contributions to the understanding of resource–environment interactions and sustainable development pathways in China and across Eurasia. As a senior professor at the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research (IGSNRR), Chinese Academy of Sciences, he has built a distinguished academic career centered on the theory, methodology, and empirical assessment of ecological economic systems, regional sustainable development, and the coupling mechanisms between urbanization, economic growth, and the ecological environment. His research spans a broad range of topics including regional ecological economic differentiation, circular economy models, eco-city construction, ecological civilization pathways, green development strategies, and the quantitative analysis of urban–environment coordination. He has contributed extensively to the development of frameworks for evaluating ecological risks, optimizing regional resource allocation, and guiding policy for cross-border sustainable development initiatives such as the Belt and Road, the China–Mongolia–Russia corridor, and regional integration across Northeast and Central Asia. Prof. Dong has led nearly one hundred major national-level, ministerial, and regional research projects, including key programs of the National Natural Science Foundation of China and strategic cooperation initiatives. His contributions have resulted in more than 360 academic publications, monographs, and research reports that have significantly shaped scholarly discourse and policy formulation in resource economics, environmental management, and regional planning. More than forty of his advisory reports have been acknowledged and adopted by national decision-making bodies, demonstrating his strong impact on high-level sustainable development policy. His influential publications include seminal works on the coupling coordination between urbanization and the eco-environment in Mongolia, ecological and socioeconomic risks in international infrastructure projects, spatial–temporal drivers of carbon emissions in interprovincial trade, and assessment of circular economy systems in energy-intensive industries. His research in Land Use Policy, Environmental Science & Technology, Sustainability, Journal of Geographical Sciences, and Resources Science has become central to the advancement of regional ecological economics and spatial sustainable development. Through decades of rigorous scholarship, multidisciplinary collaboration, and strategic policy engagement, Prof. Dong has established himself as a major contributor to the evolution of ecological economic theory, regional green development models, and the science–policy interface essential to achieving sustainable development in rapidly transforming regions.

Profile: Scopus

Featured Publications

Dong, S., Chen, C., & Li, Y. (2016). An investigation report on economic and social sciences in Northern China and its adjacent areas. Science Press.

Dong, S., & Sun, J. (2017). Regional sustainable development of Northeast and Central Asia. Science Press.

Dong, S., Zheng, J., Li, Y., Li, Z., Li, F., Jin, L., & Yang, Y. (2019). Quantitative analysis of the coupling coordination degree between urbanization and eco-environment in Mongolia. Chinese Geographical Sciences, 29(5), 861–871.

Dong, S., Yang, Y., Li, F.*, et al. (2018). An evaluation of the economic, social, and ecological risks of China-Mongolia-Russia high-speed railway construction and policy suggestions. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 28(7), 900–918.

Dong, S., Wang, Z., Li, Y., Li, F., Chen, F., & Cheng, H. (2017). Assessment of comprehensive effects and optimization of a circular economy system of coal power and cement in Kongtong District, Pingliang City, Gansu Province, China. Sustainability, 9(787). https://doi.org/10.3390/su9050787

Dong, S., Cheng, H., Guo, P., et al. (2016). Transportation industry patterns and strategy of the Belt and Road. Bulletin of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 31(6), 663–670.

Dong, S., Huang, Y., Li, Z., et al. (2014). Economic development patterns and regional economic integration modes for the Silk Road Economic Zone. Resources Science, 36(12), 2451–2458.

Wu, Y., & Dong, S.* (2018). Quantifying urban land expansion dynamics through improved land management institution model—Application in Ningxia–Inner Mongolia, China. Land Use Policy, 78, 386–396.