Firas Barraj | Construction and Building Materials | Best Researcher Award

Assist. Prof. Dr. Firas Barraj | Construction and Building Materials | Best Researcher Award

Assistant Professor | University of Balamand | Lebanon

Assist. Prof. Dr. Firas Barraj is a distinguished researcher and academic in civil engineering, specializing in transportation systems, pavement materials, sustainable construction, and traffic management. His research emphasizes the use of recycled and waste materials in highway infrastructure and the advanced characterization of asphalt and pavement performance. Dr. Barraj has made significant contributions to both fundamental and applied research, developing innovative frameworks for mechanistic-empirical pavement design and probabilistic modeling of recycled asphalt mixtures. He actively engages with the global research community as an associate editor and peer reviewer for multiple reputable journals. Alongside his research, he is an accomplished educator, teaching a wide range of undergraduate and graduate courses in transportation engineering, sustainable development, and pavement design. His work demonstrates a strong integration of sustainability and practical engineering solutions. According to Scopus, his research impact includes 156 citations, 8 documents, and an h-index reflecting his growing influence in the field.

Profiles: Google Scholar | Scopus | ORCID

Featured Publications

1. Hatoum, A. A., Khatib, J. M., Barraj, F., & Elkordi, A. (2022). Survival analysis for asphalt pavement performance and assessment of various factors affecting fatigue cracking based on LTPP data. Sustainability, 14(19), 12408.

2. Barraj, F., Khatib, J., Castro, A., & Elkordi, A. (2022). Effect of chemical warm mix additive on the properties and mechanical performance of recycled asphalt mixtures. Buildings, 12(7), 874.

3. Barraj, F., Mahfouz, S., Kassem, H., Khatib, J., Goulias, D., & Elkordi, A. (2023). Investigation of using crushed glass waste as filler replacement in hot asphalt mixtures. Sustainability, 15(3), 1–18.

4. Alhakim, G., Jaber, L., Baalbaki, O., & Barraj, F. (2023). Utilization of fan palm, date palm, and Phragmites australis fibers for improving the mechanical behavior of sandy soil. Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment, 33, 100427.

5. Barraj, F., & Elkordi, A. (2022). Investigating the effect of using unclassified fractionated reclaimed asphalt pavement materials on the properties of hot mix asphalt. Construction and Building Materials, 353, 129099.

Mar Villamiel | Agricultural and Biological Sciences | Best Researcher Award

Dr. Mar Villamiel | Agricultural and Biological Sciences |Best Researcher Award

Director | Food Science Research Institute | Spain

Dr. Mar Villamiel Guerra is a distinguished researcher in carbohydrate chemistry and functional food sciences, leading innovative work on sustainable food preservation, bioactive compound extraction, and the valorization of agri-food by-products. She has directed a highly productive research group, contributing to numerous national and international projects, patents, and collaborations with industry and academic institutions. Her work emphasizes eco-friendly methodologies, structural characterization, and technological and biological evaluation of functional carbohydrates. Dr. Villamiel Guerra has also played a pivotal role in mentoring doctoral and postdoctoral researchers, fostering the next generation of scientific talent. Her prolific publication record in high-impact journals and active participation in international networks underline her global influence in the field. According to Scopus, her research impact is reflected in 8,789 citations by 6,948 documents, across 191 published documents, with an h-index of 50.

Profile: Scopus | Google Scholar | ORCID

Featured Publications

  • A. C. Soria and M. Villamiel, “Effect of ultrasound on the technological properties and bioactivity of food: a review,” Trends in Food Science & Technology, vol. 21, no. 7, pp. 323-331, 2010.

  • M. Corzo-Martínez, N. Corzo, and M. Villamiel, “Biological properties of onions and garlic,” Trends in Food Science & Technology, vol. 18, no. 12, pp. 609-625, 2007.

  • M. Villamiel and P. de Jong, “Influence of high-intensity ultrasound and heat treatment in continuous flow on fat, proteins, and native enzymes of milk,” Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, vol. 48, no. 2, pp. 472-478, 2000.

  • L. Jiménez-Castaño, M. Villamiel, and R. López-Fandiño, “Glycosylation of individual whey proteins by Maillard reaction using dextran of different molecular mass,” Food Hydrocolloids, vol. 21, no. 3, pp. 433-443, 2007.

  • E. Valero, M. Villamiel, B. Miralles, J. Sanz, and I. Martínez-Castro, “Changes in flavour and volatile components during storage of whole and skimmed UHT milk,” Food Chemistry, vol. 72, no. 1, pp. 51-58, 2001.