Iheanyichukwu Ajoku | Advanced Materials Engineering | Best Researcher Award

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Mr. Iheanyichukwu Ajoku | Advanced Materials Engineering | Best Researcher Award

Missouri University of Science and Technology | United States

Iheanyichukwu C. Ajoku, P.E., is a distinguished metallurgical engineer and doctoral student in Materials Science and Engineering (Ceramic Engineering) at Missouri University of Science and Technology, United States. His research focuses on sustainable materials for nuclear waste management, MXene synthesis, energy storage, metallurgy, and biomaterials processing. Ajoku holds a B.Sc. in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering from the University of Lagos, Nigeria, and possesses a Certified Management Specialist credential from the London Graduate School. He is a licensed Senior Engineer with COREN and a Fellow of ISDS, IMC-Nigeria, and IOASD. His academic and research contributions include publications in prestigious journals such as the American Chemical Society and Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, with 3 citations and an h-index of 1. Professionally, he has served as a Risk Engineer and Graduate Research Assistant in both Nigeria and the U.S., participating in projects supported by the U.S. Department of Energy and NSF. Recognized for excellence, he has received multiple honors, including the Graduate Council Outstanding Service Award and Fellowship distinctions. His work contributes to advancing sustainable nuclear waste immobilization and fostering global STEM outreach through the Ceramic and Glass Industry Foundation.

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Featured Publications

Evarts, J. S., Riley, B. J., Lonergan, C. E., Harris, M. S., Bai, J., Bohannan, E., Ajoku, I., & others. (2025). Synergy in materials: Leveraging phosphosilicate waste forms for electrochemical salt waste. ACS Sustainable Resource Management, 2(3), 514–523.

Ajoku, I., & Ani, P. C. (2025). Phosphate-based vitrification strategies for electrorefiner salt waste management. Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, 1–14.

Baba, A. A., Balogun, A. F., Tripathy, B. C., Okeola, F. O., Owolabi, A. O., Olaoluwa, D. T., Jacob, S. O., & Ajoku, I. (2025). Preparation of an indigenous bismutite ore for improved bismuth-based alloys production. In TMS 2026 Conference Proceedings.

Chih-Lyang Hwang | Electrical Engineering | Best Researcher Award

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Prof. Chih-Lyang Hwang | Electrical Engineering | Best Researcher Award

National Taiwan University of Science and Technology | Taiwan

Dr. Chih-Lyang Hwang (SM’08) is a distinguished researcher and academic in the field of electrical and mechanical engineering, currently serving as a Research Fellow at the Intelligent Robot Center, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (NTUST), Taipei, Taiwan. He earned his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Tatung Institute of Technology  and subsequently held professorial positions at Tatung Institute of Technology, Tamkang University, and NTUST. With an extensive academic career spanning over three decades, he has contributed significantly to robotics, fuzzy neural modeling, nonlinear control, and human–robot interaction. His research also encompasses distributed visual and wireless localization, UAV control, and emotion recognition. Dr. Hwang has been a Visiting Scholar at Georgia Institute of Technology and Auburn University, broadening his international academic collaborations. He has authored numerous influential journal and conference papers, amassing over 3,383 citations, 533 documents, and an H-index of 29. Recognized among the world’s top 2% scientists by Stanford University for multiple years, he has also received Excellent and Outstanding Research Awards from NTUST and 2024. His enduring contributions continue to advance intelligent robotics and control systems research globally.

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Featured Publications

Hwang, C.-L., Yang, C.-C., & Hung, J.-Y. (2017). Path tracking of an autonomous ground vehicle with different payloads by hierarchical improved fuzzy dynamic sliding-mode control. IEEE Transactions on Fuzzy Systems, 26(2), 899–914.

Hwang, C.-L., Jan, C., & Chen, Y.-H. (2001). Piezomechanics using intelligent variable-structure control. IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, 48(1), 47–59.

Hwang, C.-L., Chang, L.-J., & Yu, Y.-S. (2007). Network-based fuzzy decentralized sliding-mode control for car-like mobile robots. IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, 54(1), 574–585.

Hwang, C.-L., Chiang, C.-C., & Yeh, Y.-W. (2013). Adaptive fuzzy hierarchical sliding-mode control for the trajectory tracking of uncertain underactuated nonlinear dynamic systems. IEEE Transactions on Fuzzy Systems, 22(2), 286–299.

Hwang, C.-L. (2004). A novel Takagi–Sugeno-based robust adaptive fuzzy sliding-mode controller. IEEE Transactions on Fuzzy Systems, 12(5), 676–687