Mmasechaba Lebogang Moropane l Environmental Sciences | Research Excellence Award

Ms. Mmasechaba Lebogang Moropane l Environmental Sciences | Research Excellence Award

 University of the Western Cape | South Africa

Ms. Mmasechaba Lebogang Moropane is a Doctoral Researcher in Environmental and Water Sciences at the University of the Western Cape with an MSc (Summa Cum Laude) and BSc Honours in the same field. Her education integrates remote sensing, hydrology, geospatial analysis, machine learning, and big data analytics. Professionally, she serves as an Earth Science Departmental Research Assistant, supporting teaching and contributing to peer-reviewed journals, policy-oriented reports, and international conferences. Her research interests focus on groundwater-dependent ecosystems, non-perennial rivers, land degradation, and food–water security in semi-arid regions, employing advanced satellite analytics, AI, and XAI. She has received recognition through high-impact publications, peer-review roles, and national and international research collaborations, positioning her as a promising early-career researcher with strong interdisciplinary impact.

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Featured Publications

International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, 2026
Mmasechaba L. Moropane; Cletah Shoko; Timothy Dube; Dominic Mazvimavi

Alicia Palacios-Orueta | Spatial Data Analysis | Research Excellence Award

Dr. Alicia Palacios-Orueta | Spatial Data Analysis | Research Excellence Award

 Universidad Politécnica de Madrid | Spain

Dr. Alicia Palacios-Orueta is a Full Professor (Catedrática de Universidad) in the Department of Agroforestry Engineering at the Technical University of Madrid (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, UPM), with an internationally recognized career in environmental science and remote sensing. She holds a degree in Agricultural Engineering from UPM and completed her MSc and PhD in Soil Science at the University of California, Davis. Her academic trajectory spans more than two decades, including appointments as Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Full Professor, as well as research positions in leading international institutions in the United States, Italy, Israel, and Sweden. Her research focuses on soil science, climatology, meteorology, geology, plant ecology, remote sensing, hyperspectral analysis, and spatial–temporal time series analysis. She is especially known for pioneering work on hyperspectral indices for soil and vegetation assessment and for innovative statistical approaches to remote sensing time series with spatial dimensions. Her research has received international visibility, including coverage by Nature Geoscience and New Scientist, and she has contributed to advisory bodies such as the Seosat/Ingenio Mission Advisory Group. She has coordinated numerous national and international research projects, supervised doctoral theses, and taught extensively at undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral levels. Her scholarly impact is reflected in 44 documents, an h-index of 21, and approximately 1,743 citations. Overall, Dr. Palacios-Orueta is a leading scholar whose work has significantly advanced the understanding of land–atmosphere interactions and environmental monitoring through remote sensing.

Citation Metrics (Scopus)

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Featured Publications

Eva Ternon | Environmental Data Analysis | Best Researcher Award

Mrs. Eva Ternon | Environmental Data Analysis | Best Researcher Award

CNRS/Laboratory of Oceanography of Villefranche | France

Dr . Eva Ternon is a chemical oceanographer and natural‑products chemist whose work spans atmospheric deposition, seawater biogeochemistry and the chemical ecology of harmful microalgae. After obtaining her PhD on atmospheric deposition in the Mediterranean Sea at the Laboratory of Oceanography of Villefranche (LOV), she held positions in France, the USA and Monaco, working on topics such as algicidal compounds, benthic organism chemistry and toxin‑producing dinoflagellates. In October 2024 she secured a permanent CNRS researcher position at LOV after ranking 1st/120 in the national contest for the “Science to Society” section. Her current research focuses on the chemical ecology of toxic dinoflagellates (particularly Ostreopsis cf. ovata), aerosols of phycotoxins, mucus‑mediated microalgal interactions and discovery of novel toxin families. She has published around 27 peer‑reviewed documents (14 as 1st or 2nd author), been cited ~493 times by ~402 documents, and holds an approximate h‑index of 13. She leads major projects including a MSCA Global Fellowship and H2020 CHEMICROS. Her discoveries of two new toxin families earned her the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropole Entrepreneurship Award in 2022, and she was among the interviewees for an ERC CoG call in 2024. With her dual expertise and interdisciplinary trajectory, she is advancing our understanding of how external drivers and chemical interactions shape harmful algal blooms and air‑sea toxin transfer.

Profiles : Scopus | Orcid

Featured Publications

Alexander, K. L., Naman, C. B., Iwasaki, A., Mangoni, A., Leao, T., Reher, R., Petras, D., Kim, H., Ternon, E., Caro-Diaz, E. J. E., et al. (2025). “Fatuamide A, a Hybrid PKS/NRPS Metallophore from a Leptolyngbya sp. Marine Cyanobacterium Collected in American Samoa.” Journal of Natural Products.

Ternon, E., Dinasquet, J., Cancelada, L., Rico, B., Moore, A., Trytten, E., Prather, K. A., Gerwick, W. H., & Lemée, R. (2024). “Sea-Air Transfer of Ostreopsis Phycotoxins Is Driven by the Chemical Diversity of the Particulate Fraction in the Surface Microlayer.” Environmental Science & Technology.

Fleming, L. E., Landrigan, P. J., Ashford, O. S., Whitman, E. M., Swift, A., Gerwick, W. H., Heymans, J. J., Hicks, C. C., Morrissey, K., White, M. P., et al. (2024). “Enhancing Human Health and Wellbeing through Sustainably and Equitably Unlocking a Healthy Ocean’s Potential.” Annals of Global Health.

Lanceleur, R., Gémin, M.-P., Blier, A.-L., Meslier, L., Réveillon, D., Amzil, Z., Ternon, E., Thomas, O. P., & Fessard, V. (2024). “Toxic Responses of Metabolites Produced by Ostreopsis cf. ovata on a Panel of Cell Types.” Toxicon.

Skelton, Z. R., McCormick, L. R., Kwan, G. T., Lonthair, J., Neira, C., Clements, S. M., Martz, T. R., Bresnahan, P. J., Send, U., Giddings, S. N., et al. (2024). “Organismal Responses to Deteriorating Water Quality during the Historic 2020 Red Tide off Southern California.” Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene.

Emuobosa Orijemie – Environmental Data Analysis – Best Researcher Award 

Dr. Emuobosa Orijemie - Environmental Data Analysis - Best Researcher Award 

University of Ibadan - Nigeria

Author Profile

Early Academic Pursuits

Dr. Emuobosa Akpo Orijemie began his academic journey at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, where he earned his BSc (Hons) in Botany in 2001. His interest in environmental archaeology led him to pursue an MSc in the same field at the University of Ibadan, which he completed in 2005. He continued to deepen his expertise by obtaining a PhD in Environmental Archaeology from the same institution in 2013. His education laid a strong foundation for his future research endeavors in palynology, archaeobotany, and palaeoenvironments, particularly focusing on the tropics.

Professional Endeavors

Dr. Orijemie’s professional career is marked by a series of esteemed positions and fellowships. He began as a Lecturer in the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Ibadan in 2010, where he was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2019. His international experience includes a Newton International Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, UK (2016-2017). He has also been a Visiting Researcher and Scholar at prestigious institutions such as the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa.

In 2022, Orijemie expanded his teaching influence as a Visiting Lecturer in the Department of Pure and Applied Botany at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria. Currently, he is an Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology, Jena, Germany, further enhancing his research capabilities and international collaborations.

Contributions and Research Focus

Dr. Orijemie specializes in palynology and archaeobotany, with a keen focus on studying preserved pollen, spores, phytoliths, and dinocysts to reconstruct ancient environments and human-landscape interactions. His work is pivotal in deciphering the cultural dynamics and environmental conditions of the tropics, particularly in Africa. He employs archaeobotanical evidence to investigate food pathways, addressing food security and insecurity in African rainforests.

His research integrates palaeo-science with human-ecology data, aiming to provide a comprehensive understanding of human-landscape interactions within environmental contexts. Orijemie’s interdisciplinary approach has led to significant insights into the relationship between ancient human activities and environmental changes, contributing valuable knowledge to the fields of environmental archaeology and anthropology.

Accolades and Recognition

Dr. Orijemie has been the recipient of numerous grants and awards, underscoring his contributions to his field. Notable among these are the Newton Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Funds (£99,000.00) and the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research Fieldwork Grants (£8,500.00). His travel grants from INQUA, PALSEA, and various other institutions have facilitated his participation in international conferences and workshops, fostering global scholarly exchange.

He has also received substantial support for his research, including the MacArthur Doctoral Research Grant from the University of Ibadan (USD 2,300) and various conference travel funds from prestigious institutions such as the University of Kiel, Germany, and the International Quaternary Association (INQUA).

Impact and Influence

Dr. Orijemie’s research has had a profound impact on the understanding of palaeoenvironmental changes and human-environment interactions. His work on Holocene vegetation and climatic changes in Nigeria, published in journals like Quaternary Science Advances, provides critical insights into the historical climatic patterns and their implications for contemporary environmental issues. His interdisciplinary studies, combining palynology with archaeobotany, have advanced the knowledge of ancient agricultural practices and their environmental consequences.

His findings on the ecological consequences of iron smelting in Nigeria and the archaeobotanical legacy of agroforestry in African rainforests have been instrumental in understanding the long-term sustainability of agricultural practices. Orijemie’s research also extends to the forensic use of palynology, demonstrating its applicability in modern scientific investigations.

Legacy and Future Contributions

Dr. Orijemie’s legacy is one of pioneering research and significant academic contributions to environmental archaeology. His work continues to shape the understanding of ancient human activities and their environmental impacts, providing valuable lessons for addressing current environmental and food security challenges. As an Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellow, he is poised to further his research on human-environment interactions, potentially leading to new discoveries and methodologies.

Looking ahead, Orijemie aims to expand his interdisciplinary research, integrating more advanced technologies and collaborative approaches to further unravel the complexities of past human-environment interactions. His future contributions will likely continue to influence the fields of archaeology, anthropology, and environmental science, cementing his position as a leading figure in these disciplines.

Citations

A total of 269 citations for his publications, demonstrating the impact and recognition of her research within the academic community.