Dr. Ruihong Zhang is a Professor in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at University of California, Davis (UC Davis) and a leading expert in the fields of bioenergy and biofuel production, waste treatment and environmental quality management and control. She has successfully transferred new technologies from her laboratories to commercial companies. She has over 300 scientific publications and seven patents. She was recognized as the Phenomenal Faculty by UC Davis in 2014, and Engineering Innovator by the UC Davis College of Engineering in 2012. Dr. Zhang received her PhD degree of Agricultural Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1992. She then joined the faculty of Iowa State University in 1993 and the faculty of UC Davis in 1995. She led and conducted innovative research and technology development on the production of bioenergy, biofuels and biochemicals from agricultural, food and municipal organic wastes, as well as energy crops. Dr. Zhang directed UC Davis Biogas Energy Project, which was sponsored by an alliance between UC Davis and private industry, for research and demonstration of new advanced anaerobic digestion and other technologies to convert a variety of organic residuals into biogas fuels and other valuable products. Dr. Zhang received many prestigious awards, including the New Holland Young Researcher Award from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers in 2003, Environmental Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2007, and Distinguished Career Award from Association of Overseas Chinese Agricultural, Biological and Food Engineers in 2010, Achievement Award from California Bioresources Alliance in 2013, and CleanTech Innovator of the Year from Sacramento Regional Technology Alliance (SARTA) in 2014. She was elected in 2016 as Fellow of American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers.
Dr. Muhammad Arslan Ashraf is an academic and researcher affiliated with the Department of Botany at Government College University Faisalabad, Pakistan.His research has received significant recognition, with a total of 3,913 citations and an h-index of 38.Dr. Ashraf obtained his B.Sc. in Biology from the University of Punjab, Lahore in 2002, followed by an M.Sc. in Botany from the University of Agriculture Faisalabad in 2004. He completed his M.Phil. in Plant Biotechnology at Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad in 2007 and earned his Ph.D. in Botany from the University of Agriculture Faisalabad in 2012. He further advanced his research training through a postdoctoral position in Plant Sciences at the University of California, Davis, USA, in 2019.He has been serving as an Instructor in the Department of Botany at Government College University Faisalabad since June 2012. Prior to this, he worked as a Research Officer at the National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (NIBGE), Faisalabad (2007–2008), and as a Lecturer in Biology through the Federal Public Service Commission of Pakistan in 2008.Dr. Ashraf has an extensive publication record, contributing numerous peer-reviewed articles to international scientific journals, reflecting his strong research activity and impact in the field of plant sciences and environmental stress biology.