Raneesh Balakrishnan Editor

Rahul M T is a research scholar at Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India. He received Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree in Physics and Master’s degree in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology from Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India. His current research activities includes the development of nanostructured polymer composites for multiferroics and energy harvesting applications. He has 7 publications in international journals which includes Journal of Power sources, Journal of alloys and compounds and RSC advances. Dr. Nandakumar Kalarikkal is an Associate Professor at the School of Pure and Applied Physics and Joint Director of the International and Inter University Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology of Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India. His research activities involve applications of nanostructured materials, laser plasma, and phase transitions. He is the recipient of research fellowships and associateships from prestigious government organizations such as the Department of Science and Technology and Council of Scientific and Industrial Research of the Government of India. He has active collaborations with national and international scientific institutions in India, South Africa, Slovenia, Canada, France, Germany, Malaysia, Australia, and the United States. He has more than 130 publications in peer-reviewed journals. He also co-edited nine books of scientific interest and co-authored many book chapters. Prof. Sabu Thomas, an outstanding Alumnus of IIT, Kharagpur, is one of India’s most renowned scientists in the area of Polymers. After completing his Ph.D. from IIT Kharagpur (1984-1987), he joined MG University as a Lecturer in 1997 and later became its Vice Chancellor. He has taken up a large number of visiting assignments abroad. Under his leadership, the University has been ranked 713th by TIMES, 30th in NIRF and the best University inKerala. He has supervised 120 Ph.D. students, authored 1,300 publications and edited 150 books earning him a H-index of 112 and 60,000 citations. He has received Honoris Causa degrees from Russia and France and obtained grants amounting to Rs. 30 crores for research funding from India and abroad. He has been ranked 114th in the list of the world’s best scientists and 2nd in India by the Stanford University Ranking in Polymers. He was elected as a Fellow of the European Academy of Sciences. Considering his excellent contributions in teaching, research and administration, Prof. Thomas is the best candidate for the outstanding Alumnus award of IIT KGP. Dr. Bruno Ameduri (DR CNRS Senior Researcher) leads the “Fluorine” Group at the “Engineering and Macromolecular Architectures” Team of Institute Charles Gerhardt in Montpellier, France. His main interests focus on the synthesis and the characterization of fluorinated monomers (including cure site monomers, telechelics, and polyfunctional ones), telomers, and copolymers for various applications such as F-surfactants, F-elastomers, F-coatings, and F-polymers related to energy (fuel cell membranes-protonic, alkaline and quasianhydrous ones-, polymer gel electrolytes and separators for Li-ions batteries, piezo-, ferro- or electroactive films, and nanocomposites). Coauthor of three books, ca. 45 reviews or book chapters, >360 peer review publications and coinventor of more than 80 patents, he is also a member of the American and French Chemical Societies and is a member of the Editorial Boards of the Journal of Fluorine Chemistry, European Polymer Journal, Polymer Bulletin. Outside of research, Bruno enjoys cycling, soccer, tennis, and jogging and is an active member of the “Rire” Association and visits, dressed as a clown, sick children in hospitals of Montpellier. Dr. Didier Rouxel is a Professor at the Institut Jean Lamour, Université de Lorraine, France. Prof. Rouxel has been involved in the spectroscopic analysis of inorganics and is vastly experienced in the analysis of polymer nanocomposite systems by almost all spectroscopic techniques. His major areas of interest include elastic properties of polymeric materials studied by Brillouin spectroscopy, development of polymer nanocomposite materials, development of micro-devices based on electro-active polymers, piezoelectric nanocrystals, microsensor development for surgery, cell excitement in organic medium by piezoelectric polymers etc. He has written 80 publications, 6 book chapters and 138 communications. Dr. Raneesh Balakrishnan is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics, Catholicate College, Pathanamthitta, Kerala, India. He received his M.Sc and M.Phil degrees from Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, and Ph.D. in Physics from Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala, India. His research interests include nanomultiferroics, metal oxide thin films, nanoelectronics, plasma science, and electron microscopy. He has published many research articles in peer-reviewed journals and also co-edited three books.