Dumitru Mitrica | Alloy Design | Research Excellence Award

Dr. Dumitru Mitrica | Alloy Design | Research Excellence Award

Research and Development Institute for Nonferrous and Rare Metals – IMNR | Romania

Dr. Dumitru Mitrica is a seasoned materials scientist and research leader with extensive experience in non-ferrous alloys, composite materials, and advanced alloy design. He holds a PhD in Materials Engineering from the Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, University “Politehnica” of Bucharest, with earlier bachelor and master studies in the same faculty, and additional master-level training at the University of Arizona, USA. Over decades at the National R&D Institute for Nonferrous and Rare Metals (Bucharest), he has progressed from research assistant to Senior Researcher (grade I), leading numerous national and European research projects. His technical expertise spans nonferrous alloy preparation and processing, high-entropy alloys, composites, rapid solidification and induction melting, thermodynamic assessment, modelling, experimental processing and characterization. Dr. Mitrica has authored  papers granted patents plus  patent applications. He has directed major projects including the international M-Era.Net project COMPTRANS, national complex programs such as HEAPROTECT and multiple PNCDI3 and national innovation calls. A member of European materials research networks, his work has been recognized with awards and broad international collaboration. Dr. Mitrica remains committed to bridging theoretical materials science and practical industrial applications, driving innovation in alloy design and sustainable materials engineering.

Profile: Orcid

Featured Publications

Mitrica, D., Mosinoiu, L.-F., Sobetkii, A., Caramarin, S., Matei, A.-C., Cursaru, L.-M., Tudor, I.-A., Serban, B.-A., Ghita, M., Vitan, N., Romanitan, C., Olaret, E., Postolnyi, B., & Pogrebnjak, A. (2025). Selected high-entropy alloys for thin film deposition, with improved mechanical and corrosion properties. Scientific Reports, 15, 37712.

Serban, B.-A., Olaru, M.-T., Badea, I.-C., Mitrica, D., Burada, M., Anasiei, I., Ghita, M., Tudor, A.-I., Matei, C.-A., Popescu, A.-M. J., Constantin, V., Branzoi, F., & Dobrescu, C. (2022). Non-aqueous electrodeposition and characterization of AlCrCuFeNi high-entropy alloy thin films. Materials, 15(17), 6007.

Soare, V., Mitrica, D., Constantin, I., Popescu, G., Csaki, I., Tarcolea, M., & Carcea, I. (2014). The mechanical and corrosion behaviors of as-cast and re-melted AlCrCuFeMnNi multi-component high-entropy alloy. Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A.

Anasiei, I., Badea, I.-C., Mitrica, D., Ghita, M., & others. (2023). Characterization of complex concentrated alloys and their suitability for brake disc materials. Materials, 16(14), 5067.

Mosinoiu, L.-F., Mitrica, D., & collaborators. (2024). High-entropy alloys and methods for synthesis. Conference Proceedings.

Xuyang Liu | Alloy Design | Research Excellence Award

Prof. Xuyang Liu | Alloy Design | Research Excellence Award

Chongqing University | China

Xuyang Liu is an Associate Professor in the School of Aerospace Engineering at Chongqing University, China. She earned his B.Sc, M.Sc, and Ph.D. in Metallurgical Engineering from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Chongqing University; his doctoral training included a year of joint research at the University of Leicester, UK (2014–2015).The scopus of h-index is 15 then peered document are 67 and citation is 932. Since 2018 she has served as Associate Professor having previously worked as a Lecture, contributing significantly in both teaching and research. His research centers on computational materials science  powder metallurgy, and the preparation and processing of advanced alloy materials with applications in aerospace. She has led or co-led numerous nationally and regionally funded research projects, covering high-performance titanium alloys, multi-principal-element alloys, graphene- and carbon nanotube–reinforced composites, alloy wettability and interfacial thermodynamics, sintering processes, oxidation behavior, fatigue and deformation analysis, and first-principles predictions of thermodynamic and mechanical properties under extreme conditions. she has supervised many undergraduate and graduate students, guiding them toward competitive awards and publications. In summary, Xuyang Liu is a dedicated materials scientist bridging theory, experiment, and application, with a solid track record in teaching, research, mentorship, and innovation contributing substantially to advanced materials design for aerospace and high-performance engineering.

Profile: Scopus 

Featured Publications

Liu, X. Y., Chen, M., Bai, C. G., Liu, C. L., & Soon, A. (2025). Towards designing titanium alloys with high mechanical performance via grain boundary segregation strategy based on data-driven. Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 1038, 182803.

Song, W. H., Liu, X. Y., Chen, M., Bai, C. G., & Feng, Z. X. (2025). Data-driven prediction of sintering and deformation behavior of ZrO₂ ceramics. Ceramics International, 51, 27379.

Liu, X. Y., Liu, C. L., Chen, M., Gao, Y. Z., Wei, L. X., Peng, X. H., & Zhang, X. F. (2023). Multi-principal element alloys with high-density nanotwinned 9R phase. Materials & Design, 229, 111925.

Gao, Y. Z., Chen, M., Liu, X. Y., Wei, L. X., & Hu, N. (2022). Experimental and first-principles study of the interactions between graphene oxide and carbon nanotube. Surfaces and Interfaces, 30, 101836.

Zhou, H. L., Luan, B. F., Yan, A., Yang, X. L., Liu, C. Q., Liu, X. Y., Xu, C. R., Sun, C., Ruan, H. B., Huang, W. J., & Murty, K. L. (2025). First-principles prediction of thermodynamic and mechanical properties of ZrCr₂ under extreme conditions. Journal of Nuclear Materials, 610.

Morteza Taheri | Materials Characterization | Best Researcher Award

Assist. Prof. Dr. Morteza Taheri | Materials Characterization | Best Researcher Award

Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology (IROST)  Tehran | Iran

Dr. Morteza Taheri is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Advanced Materials and New Energies at the Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology (IROST), focusing on advanced manufacturing, laser processing, and protective coatings. He holds an M.Sc. in Materials Science with a specialization in material selection and a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering, where his doctoral research explored the influence of Nd:YAG pulsed-laser welding parameters and heat treatment on GTD superalloy joints. He also completed a postdoctoral program centered on Ni-Cr/cBN laser coatings and the enhancement of wear behavior through ultrasonic assistance. Dr. Taheri has collaborated extensively with knowledge-based companies, contributing to major industrial projects involving the development of high-entropy alloys, anti-wear automotive coatings, laser cladding of gas turbine blades, advanced heat-treatment strategies for superalloys, and additive manufacturing of titanium alloys. He has authored more than scientific publications, achieving an h-index of 20, over 864 citations, and more than 56 research documents based on Google Scholar metrics. His research interests include laser welding, laser cladding, additive manufacturing, high-entropy alloy coatings, tribology, microstructural evolution, and the wear and corrosion behavior of advanced materials. His contributions have earned recognition such as Publons Top Reviewer honors, highlighting his impact within materials science.

Profiles: Scopus | Google Scholar | Orcid

Featured Publications

Taheri, M., & Razavi, M. (2022). Effect of TiC on the microstructure of GTD-111 superalloy processed by laser powder bed fusion. Materials Letters, 133091.

Taheri, M., Vashian, S., Zamani, N., Torkamany, P., Heidarpour, I., & Torkamany, M. J. (2022). Measurement of local creep life of laser cladding coatings by small punch creep test. Engineering Failure Analysis, 106524.

Taheri, M., Davar, A., Beni, M. H., Jam, J. E., Zamani, M. R., & Alizadeh, A. (2022). The impact toughness of Nd:YAG laser-welded GTD-111 superalloy joints. Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance, 1–11.

He, Y., Taheri, M., Zou, Y., Lashkari, A., Shirvani, K., Beirami, K., & Moghaddam, A. P. (2024). Investigating the microstructure and tribological properties of ZrB₂ and ZrB₂/TiB₂ coatings applied by ultrasonic field-assisted laser cladding. Materials Letters, 365, 136449.

Wu, Z., Taheri, M., Shirvani, K., Raji, E., Torkamany, M. J., & Jelodar, R. T. (2024). Development of NiCrFeCoBX eutectic high-entropy alloy coating by laser cladding: Investigation of microstructural, solidification, corrosion, and wear properties. Materials Chemistry and Physics, 129428.