MDPI World Wetlands Day 2024 Webinar

Department of Geography and Earth Sciences (DGES), Aberystwyth University, UK;Stephen Tooth graduated with a Geography BSc degree from the University of Southampton, England, and completed a PhD at the University of Wollongong, Australia. Following a short period as a Temporary Lecturer at the University of Nottingham, England, he undertook post-doctoral work at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, and then joined Aberystwyth University, Wales, in April 2000. His main research interests focus on geomorphology and sedimentology, especially in drylands. Particular research themes include: wetlands in drylands; channel-vegetation interactions; bedrock-influenced rivers; controls on gully erosion; long-term fluvial landscape development; and palaeoenvironmental change, including human-environment interactions. He is also interested in environmental issues more generally, including current debates about global climate change and the Anthropocene, and in science education.

aconium GmbH (previously atene KOM), Innovation Management Department, Germany;DProf. Miklas Scholz, cand ing, BEng (equiv), PgC, MSc, PhD, DSc, CWEM, CEnv, CSci, CEng, FHEA, FIEMA, FCIWEM, FICE, Fellow of IWA, Fellow of IETI is a Senior Expert in Water Management at atene KOM, Germany, and a Distinguished Professor at Johannesburg University, South Africa. Miklas holds the Chair in Civil Engineering as a Professor at The University of Salford, United Kingdom. He is also a Technical Specialist for Nexus by Sweden and a Hydraulic Engineer at Kunststoff-Technik Adams, Germany. He has published 8 books and 316 journal articles. Prof. Scholz has total citations of about 14200 (8300 citations since 2019), resulting in an h-index of 57 and an i10-Index of 230. He belongs to the top 2% academics regarding the i10-index in the past five years. Miklas also belongs to the World's Top 2% Scientists by Stanford University. A bibliometric analysis of all constructed wetland-related publications and corresponding authors with a minimum number of 20 publications and 100 citations indicates that Miklas is on place 5 in the world of about 70 authors (including those who have sadly passed away). In 2019, Prof. Scholz was awarded EURO 7M for the EU H2020 REA project Water Retention and Nutrient Recycling in Soils and Streams for Improved Agricultural Production (WATERAGRI). He received EURO 1.52M for the JPI Water 2018 project Research-based Assessment of Integrated approaches to Nature-based SOLUTIONS (RAINSOLUTIONS).

Agroecology Program, Earth and Environment Department, Florida International University, USA;Dr. Krish Jayachandran is a professor of environmental microbiology/soil science in the Department of Earth and Environment. Using microbiology as a central tool, he is specialized in nutrient cycling and soil health, microbial diversity and activity, isolation and characterization of pesticide degrading microorganisms, biocontrol of invasive plant species, marine and freshwater toxins and microbial degradation, and soil-plant-microbial interactions. His research projects have been funded by the ENP, SFWMD, USDA, NIEH, DOE, Silver Consortium, and World Bank/FAO. He has more than 300 publications, including referred articles, research reports, book chapters, conference publications, and over 50 invited lectures. Dr. Jayachandran co-founded the ongoing FIU Agroecology Program, which he built with the support of USDA grants of more than 15.0 million dollars towards research, education, student training, and outreach activities. Dr. Jayachandran has supervised directed research projects for >300 undergraduate students, graduated 50 master’s students, 15 PhD students, and served on several doctoral and master’s students committees. In his professional field, Dr. Jayachandran served as an Associate Editor for one of the premier environmental journals, Journal of Environmental Quality (2002-07), several journal’s Editorial Board, and Associate Editor for NACTA journal. He also served on ~35 research panels (as panel member and panel manager) that included EPA, NSF, USDA agencies. Dr. Jayachandran received several awards for his teaching, research, mentorship, service, community engagement from FIU and Fellow of American Society of Agronomy. Dr. Jayachandran is promoted to Distinguished University Professor, and a recognition from his alma mater as TNAU Distinguished Alumnus Award.