Bastien Seantier Editor

Prof. Sabu Thomas is one of India’s most renowned scientists known for his contributions in polymer science and nanotechnology. He is a scientist, administrator and a teacher of national and international students. He joined Cochin University of Science and Technology, India, to pursue his bachelor’s degree in polymer science and rubber technology. He went on to complete his Ph. D. at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India. After attaining industrial experience, he returned to Mahatma Gandhi University, India, as a lecturer. He currently serves as the Vice Chancellor of the Mahatma Gandhi University. He has guided over 116 Ph. D students. He has received several national and international awards for best researcher and is a member of numerous scientific bodies and committees. He has been honoured with honorary doctorates from University of South Brittany, France; University of Lorraine, France and Siberian Federal University, Russia. He has authored more than 1,200 research publications and 156 books. He has been ranked 114th in the list of the world’s best scientists (Stanford University, USA). He was also selected for the DST Nanomission award 2020. He received Honorary Professorship from Siberian Federal University in 2020. Last year he was honoured with C.N.R Rao Award Prize Lecture in Advanced Materials by Materials Research Society of India (MRSI). He was elected as the Foreign Fellow of the European Academy of Sciences (EurASc)-2019. In 2022 he was honoured the Bailey Medal Award and in 2021 was awarded the Kairali Lifetime Research Award 2021 by the Kerala government. Dr. Bastien Seantier is a chemical physicist working in the field of material sciences, currently as associate professor at the Institute of Research Dupuy De Lôme, University of South Britany, Lorient, France. With a background in materials science and polymer chemistry, he completed his PhD in chemical physics for macromolecular imprinting on lipid bilayers at the Institute Charles Sadron, Strasbourg, France, in 2004. Dr. Seantier’s current research deals with designing new polysaccharide aerogels for multifunctional applications. Starting from cellulose nanofibers extracted from several natural resources, he aims to develop biomaterials for various applications, such as thermal insulation, biomedical applications, bio-sensors, filtration, and biocomposites. These materials are now designed with various polysaccharide bioresources and processes as environmentally friendly as possible, like freeze-drying or spray freeze-drying. The aim is to control and tune the structure and morphology of the aerogels to specific applications. Dr. Blessy Joseph is a Research Fellow at the International and Inter University Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala, India. Her research has focused on green synthesis of nanoparticles for biomedical applications and the development of polymer scaffolds for biomedical applications. Dr. Joseph has contributed to several book chapters in related areas.