Yidan Tang | Spectroscopy | Research Excellence Award

Dr. Yidan Tang | Spectroscopy | Research Excellence Award

The University of Melbourne, Australia

Dr. Yidan Tang is an accomplished agricultural scientist whose work bridges plant physiology, remote sensing, and sustainable farming systems. She earned her PhD in Agricultural Science from the University of Melbourne, where she received distinctions including the Albert Shimmins Award, Best Student Presentation Award, and the Crawford Fund Scholarship. Her professional experience spans research, teaching, and science communication, beginning with her contributions to grant research projects and agricultural innovation initiatives. As a Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne, she advances drought resilience strategies for the horticulture industry, integrating survival signatures with cutting-edge sensing technologies for major crops such as almonds, pears, and nectarines. She has previously served as a Tutor and Associate Lecturer, developing interactive learning materials across multiple undergraduate and postgraduate subjects and supporting high-achieving students in sustainability-focused research. Her experience also includes STEMM outreach with Agriculture Victoria and leadership roles in university engagement, workshops, and science events. Her research interests focus on drought adaptation, precision agriculture, plant-environment interactions, and data-driven decision support for sustainable farming. With a strong record of scientific impact and communication excellence, Dr. Tang continues to contribute meaningfully to advancing resilient, technology-informed agricultural systems.

Profile: Orcid

Featured Publications

Tang, Y., Fitzgerald, G. J., Gupta, D., Delahunty, A., Nuttall, J. G., & Walker, C. (2026). Predicting faba bean yield and grain quality pre-harvest using chemometric modelling. Precision Agriculture. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11119-025-10306-5

Fuentes, S., Viejo, C. G., Hall, C., Tang, Y., & Tongson, E. (2021). Berry cell vitality assessment and the effect on wine sensory traits based on chemical fingerprinting, canopy architecture and machine learning modelling. Sensors, 21(21), 7312. https://doi.org/10.3390/s21217312

Prof. Dr. K. Yamuna Rani | Chemical Engineering | Best Researcher Award

Prof. Dr. K. Yamuna Rani | Chemical Engineering | Best Researcher Award

CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology | India

Prof. Dr. K. Yamuna Rani is a distinguished chemical engineering professional whose academic journey reflects consistent excellence and innovation. She earned her B.Tech. in Chemical Engineering from Osmania University with distinction, followed by an M.Tech. in Process Control from IIT Madras, where she secured the first rank and was awarded the prestigious Dr. Subba Raju Memorial Medal. She later completed her Ph.D. at IIT Madras, focusing on the optimization and control of semi-batch processes using artificial neural networks. With an illustrious career spanning over three decades at CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, she has advanced through progressive scientific leadership roles, from Scientist B to Chief Scientist and Chair. Her research interests lie in process control, optimization, artificial neural networks, and plantwide control design, contributing significantly to both fundamental and applied aspects of chemical engineering. She has been recognized with numerous honors, including the CSIR Young Scientist Award, Kuloor Memorial Award, DAAD Fellowship, Distinguished Professional Accomplisher Award (IIChE HRC Chemical Ratna), and fellowships from prestigious professional bodies. She also serves as an editor and reviewer for reputed journals, highlighting her academic influence. Prof. Rani’s career epitomizes excellence, dedication, and leadership, making her a trailblazer and inspiration in the field of chemical engineering.

Profile: Google Scholar

Featured Publications

Viswanath, D. S. (2007). Viscosity of liquids: Theory, estimation, experiment, and data. Springer Verlag.

Sarmah, N., Revathi, D., Sheelu, G., Rani, K. Y., Sridhar, S., Mehtab, V., & Sumana, C. (2018). Recent advances on sources and industrial applications of lipases. Biotechnology Progress

Prasad, N. S., Moulik, S., Bohra, S., Rani, K. Y., & Sridhar, S. (2016). Solvent resistant chitosan/poly (ether-block-amide) composite membranes for pervaporation of n-methyl-2-pyrrolidone/water mixtures. Carbohydrate Polymers

Alam, S., Kumar, J. P., Rani, K. Y., & Sumana, C. (2017). Self-sustained process scheme for high purity hydrogen production using sorption enhanced steam methane reforming coupled with chemical looping combustion. Journal of Cleaner Production

Rani, K. Y., & Gangiah, K. (1991). Adaptive generic model control: Dual composition control of distillation. AIChE Journal

Sunitha, K., Rani, K. Y., Moulik, S., Satyanarayana, S. V., & Sridhar, S. (2013). Separation of NMP/water mixtures by nanocomposite PEBA membrane: Part I. Membrane synthesis, characterization and pervaporation performance. Desalination

Kamesh, R., & Rani, K. Y. (2016). Novel formulation of adaptive MPC as EKF using ANN model: Multiproduct semibatch polymerization reactor case study. IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks and Learning Systems