Mriganka Shekhar Sarkar | Environmental Conservation and Sustainability | Best Researcher Award

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Dr. Mriganka Shekhar Sarkar | Environmental Conservation and Sustainability | Best Researcher Award

Scientist – C | G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment | India

Dr. Mriganka Shekhar Sarkar is an accomplished wildlife biologist and conservation ecologist currently serving as Scientist–C at the G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment, India. His research focuses on landscape ecology, population genetics, conservation biology, and climate change impacts on biodiversity across the Indian Himalayan Region. With over 26 peer-reviewed research publications, 3 authored books, 6 book chapters, and multiple technical reports, his scientific contributions span reintroduction biology, large carnivore ecology, habitat connectivity modeling, and macro-ecological assessments using advanced geospatial and statistical approaches. Dr. Mriganka Shekhar Sarkar’s interdisciplinary work integrates molecular ecology, spatial statistics, and remote sensing to address conservation challenges for flagship species such as the tiger (Panthera tigris), common leopard (Panthera pardus), and red panda (Ailurus fulgens). His pioneering studies in PeerJ, Landscape Ecology, PLoS ONE, European Journal of Wildlife Research, and Global Ecology and Conservation have significantly advanced understanding of habitat fragmentation, dispersal corridors, and reintroduced species viability. He has successfully completed and led more than ten national and international R&D and funding projects, including those supported by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), ICIMOD, SBI Foundation, and DST–SERB. His ongoing projects address ecosystem resilience, biodiversity mainstreaming, and climate vulnerability across the Himalayas. Dr. Mriganka Shekhar Sarkar has earned 26 documents, 403 Scopus citations, an h-index of 12, and numerous recognitions including the Research Excellence Award (2020) and the prestigious Max Planck–India Mobility Fellowship (2022–2025). He also serves as Editorial Advisor for Cambridge Scholars Publishing (UK) and reviewer for several international journals. His scientific leadership, innovative modeling approaches, and conservation-driven fieldwork continue to shape biodiversity management and sustainability strategies in fragile mountain ecosystems.

Profiles: Scopus | ORCID | Google Scholar | ResearchGate | Sci Profiles | Scholar GPS | Academia

Featured Publications

1. Krishnamurthy, R., Cushman, S. A., Sarkar, M. S., Malviya, M., Naveen, M., et al. (2016). Multi-scale prediction of landscape resistance for tiger dispersal in central India. Landscape Ecology, 31(6), 1355–1368.

2. Sarkar, M. S., Ramesh, K., Johnson, J. A., Sen, S., Nigam, P., Gupta, S. K., et al. (2016). Movement and home range characteristics of reintroduced tiger (Panthera tigris) population in Panna Tiger Reserve, central India. European Journal of Wildlife Research, 62(5), 537–547.

3. Gour, D. S., Bhagavatula, J., Bhavanishankar, M., Reddy, P. A., Gupta, J. A., et al. (2013). Philopatry and dispersal patterns in tiger (Panthera tigris). PLOS ONE, 8(7), e66956.

4. Reddy, P. A., Cushman, S. A., Srivastava, A., Sarkar, M. S., & Shivaji, S. (2017). Tiger abundance and gene flow in Central India are driven by disparate combinations of topography and land cover. Diversity and Distributions, 23(8), 863–874.

5. Chaudhary, A., Sarkar, M. S., Adhikari, B. S., & Rawat, G. S. (2021). Ageratina adenophora and Lantana camara in Kailash Sacred Landscape, India: Current distribution and future climatic scenarios through modeling. PLOS ONE, 16(5), e0239690.

Xiangjiao Yi | Environmental | Best Researcher Award

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Dr. Xiangjiao Yi | Environmental | Best Researcher Award

Lecturer, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, China

Dr. Xiangjiao Yi is a rising scholar in environmental and musculoskeletal medicine, currently serving as a Lecturer at the School of Pharmacy, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University. She earned her Ph.D. in Ethnic Medicine (Traditional Chinese Medicine, TCM) from Minzu University of China in 2020, where she was recognized as an Outstanding Graduate and received the Excellent Doctoral Dissertation Award and was jointly trained at the University of Rochester, USA, through a prestigious China Scholarship Council fellowship. Her academic journey also includes a Master’s degree in TCM from Minzu University of China (2016) and a Bachelor’s degree in TCM from Henan University of Chinese Medicine (2012). Professionally, Dr. Xiangjiao Yi has held research appointments as an Assistant Researcher at Westlake University and as a Postdoctoral Fellow at both Westlake University and Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, where she focused on the mechanisms and therapeutic efficacy of TCM in treating musculoskeletal disorders. Her research interests center on the pathogenesis, therapeutic targets and TCM-based interventions for musculoskeletal diseases caused by genetics, aging and environmental toxicants, integrating big data population analyses, GWAS, multi-omics and experimental disease models. Dr. Xiangjiao Yi is proficient in advanced research skills, including gene editing, single-cell and bulk transcriptomics, and observational data analyses, bridging computational and laboratory-based approaches. She has successfully led four competitive projects, including a National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Youth project, and participated in three additional national-level grants. Her achievements include 11 Scopus-indexed publications with 160 citations and an h-index of 7, along with multiple award-winning conference papers. Among her many honors are the ICMRS Webster Jee Young Investigator Award, the ASBMR Young Investigator Travel Grant and provincial high-level talent recognition. With her innovative methodologies, international training and leadership in multidisciplinary projects, Dr. Xiangjiao Yi demonstrates outstanding potential to advance global research in environmental health and TCM-based musculoskeletal therapeutics.

Profile: Scopus | ORCID | Google Scholar | ResearchGate | Loop | ScholarGPS

Featured Publications

1. Li, J., Yi, X., Yao, Z., Chakkalakal, J. V., Xing, L., & Boyce, B. F. (2020). TNF receptor‐associated factor 6 mediates TNFα‐induced skeletal muscle atrophy in mice during aging. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, 35(8), 1535–1548.

2. Pan, J., Zhao, M., Yi, X., Tao, J., Li, S., Jiang, Z., Cheng, B., Yuan, H., & Zhang, F. (2022). Acellular nerve grafts supplemented with induced pluripotent stem cell-derived exosomes promote peripheral nerve reconstruction and motor function recovery. Bioactive Materials, 15, 272–287.

3. Dai, X., Yi, X., Wang, Y., Xia, W., Tao, J., Wu, J., Miao, D., & Chen, L. (2022). PQQ dietary supplementation prevents alkylating agent-induced ovarian dysfunction in mice. Frontiers in Endocrinology, 13, 781404.

4. Li, J., Yao, Z., Liu, X., Duan, R., Yi, X., Ayoub, A., Sanders, J. O., Mesfin, A., Xing, L., … [additional authors if needed]. (2023). TGFβ1+CCR5+ neutrophil subset increases in bone marrow and causes age-related osteoporosis in male mice. Nature Communications, 14(1), 159.

5. Yi, X., Tao, J., Qian, Y., Feng, F., Hu, X., Xu, T., Jin, H., Ruan, H., Zheng, H. F., & Tong, P. (2022). Morroniside ameliorates inflammatory skeletal muscle atrophy via inhibiting canonical and non-canonical NF-κB and regulating protein synthesis/degradation. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 13, 1056460.