Javier Ruiz-del-Solar | Environments | Best Researcher Award

Prof. Javier Ruiz-del-Solar |  Environments | Best Researcher Award

Universidad de Chile,  Chile

Prof. Javier Ruiz-del-Solar S. (b. April 23, 1968) is a Full Professor at the Department of Electrical Engineering and Director of the Advanced Mining Technology Center at the Universidad de Chile. A Chilean national, he earned his Doctor-Engineer degree from the Technical University of Berlin, Germany (1997), following a Master’s and Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering from Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Chile.

Profile:

🎓 Education:

  • 🧠 Doctor-Engineer – Technical University Berlin, Germany (1997)

  • M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering – Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Chile (1992)

  • 🔌 Electrical Engineer – Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Chile (1991)

🏆 Selected Awards & Honors:

  • 🏅 Member, Chilean Academy of Engineering (since 2009)

  • 🏆 Best Paper Awards – RoboCup Symposium (2004, 2015, 2017)

  • 🤖 RoboCup @Home Innovation Awards (2007, 2008)

  • 🎤 Distinguished Lecturer, IEEE RAS (2008–2009)

  • 👨‍🏫 Best Teacher Award, Universidad de Chile (2007)

🤖 Research Interests:

  • Robotics & Autonomous Systems

  • Mining Technology

  • Deep Learning & Artificial Intelligence

🔬 Professional Activities:

  • 📚 Academic Accreditation: Comisionado, Comisión Nacional de Acreditación (CNA) (2010–2016)

  • 🛠️ Chairman, IEEE Latin American Robotics Council (2003–present)

  • 📝 Editorial Roles:

    • Journal of Intelligent and Robotic Systems – Associate Editor (2008–2017)

    • IEEE Trans. on Cognitive and Developmental Systems – Associate Editor (2017–2023)

    • Journal of Field Robotics – Advisory Board Member (2022–2024)

🎓 Ph.D. Thesis Supervision (Selected, 2014–2024):

Guided diverse theses in robotics, AI, and mining tech, including:

  • 👕 Recognition of clothing using continuous perception

  • 🧠 Brain-computer interfaces

  • 🤖 Multi-agent reinforcement learning

  • 🛻 Autonomous vehicle environment mapping

  • ⛏️ Geometallurgical unit discovery (Mining)

📚 Teaching (2014–2024):

Led numerous undergraduate and graduate courses, including:

  • 💡 Inteligencia Computacional

  • 🖼️ Procesamiento Avanzado de Imágenes

  • 🤖 Seminario de Robótica y Sistemas Autónomos

  • 🛠️ Diseño e Innovación Tecnológica I, II, III

  • 🧪 Tópicos Especiales en Minería

📈 Citation Metrics:

  • Cited by:

    • All time: 5,930 citations

    • Since 2020: 1,958 citations

  • h-index:

    • All time: 38

    • Since 2020: 25

  • i10-index:

    • All time: 143

    • Since 2020: 59

Publication Top Notes:

  1. Eigenspace-based face recognition: A comparative study of different approaches
    J. Ruiz-del-Solar, P. Navarrete
    IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, Part C: Applications and Reviews, 2005.
    247 citations

  2. Recognition of faces in unconstrained environments: A comparative study
    J. Ruiz-del-Solar, R. Verschae, M. Correa
    EURASIP Journal on Advances in Signal Processing, 2009, Article ID 1–19.
    179 citations

  3. Illumination compensation and normalization in eigenspace-based face recognition: A comparative study of different pre-processing approaches
    J. Ruiz-del-Solar, J. Quinteros
    Pattern Recognition Letters, 29(14), 1966–1979, 2008.
    171 citations

  4. Real-time hand gesture detection and recognition using boosted classifiers and active learning
    H. Francke, J. Ruiz-del-Solar, R. Verschae
    In: Advances in Image and Video Technology: Second Pacific Rim Symposium, PSIVT 2007.
    141 citations

  5. Object recognition using local invariant features for robotic applications: A survey
    P. Loncomilla, J. Ruiz-del-Solar, L. Martínez
    Pattern Recognition, 60, 499–514, 2016.
    136 citations

  6. A comparative study of thermal face recognition methods in unconstrained environments
    G. Hermosilla, J. Ruiz-del-Solar, R. Verschae, M. Correa
    Pattern Recognition, 45(7), 2445–2459, 2012.
    135 citations

  7. Skin detection using neighborhood information
    J. Ruiz-del-Solar, R. Verschae
    In: 6th IEEE International Conference on Automatic Face and Gesture Recognition, 2004.
    124 citations

  8. RoboCup@Home: Analysis and results of evolving competitions for domestic and service robots
    L. Iocchi, D. Holz, J. Ruiz-del-Solar, K. Sugiura, T. Van Der Zant
    Artificial Intelligence, 229, 258–281, 2015.
    118 citations

  9. Offline signature verification using local interest points and descriptors
    J. Ruiz-del-Solar, C. Devia, P. Loncomilla, F. Concha
    In: Iberoamerican Congress on Pattern Recognition, 22–29, 2008.
    118 citations

  10. Robotics courses for children as a motivation tool: The Chilean experience
    J. Ruiz-del-Solar, R. Avilés
    IEEE Transactions on Education, 47(4), 474–480, 2004.
    117 citations

 

Paul Sutton | Climate Change | Best Researcher Award

Prof Paul Sutton | Climate Change |  Best Researcher Award

Professor at  University of Denver, United States

Professor Paul C. Sutton is a leading expert in sustainability science, population geography, and ecological economics. He is a Professor of Geography at the University of Denver, where he has served since 1999. His research focuses on topics such as urban metabolism, green infrastructure, land degradation, and the development of indicators for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Sutton is also involved in international environmental initiatives, having contributed to UNEP’s Global Environmental Outlook and served as a Visiting Fellow at The Australian National University.

Profile

Academic Background:

  • Ph.D. in Geography, University of California, Santa Barbara (1999)
  • M.A. in Applied Statistics, University of California, Santa Barbara (1997)
  • M.A. in Geography, University of California, Santa Barbara (1995)
  • B.S. in Chemistry, Union College, Schenectady, New York (1983)

Career Highlights:

  • Professor of Geography at the University of Denver (2012-Present)
  • Visiting Fellow at The Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University (2020-2021)
  • Research Associate at NOAA’s National Geophysical Data Center (1995-2010)
  • Lecturer at UC Santa Barbara’s Department of Geography (1992-1999)
  • High School Teacher (1983-1993) and Process Engineer (1984-1992)

Research Focus:

  • Population Geography
  • Sustainability Science
  • Ecological Economics
  • Developing Indicators for the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals)
  • Ecosystem Services and Integrated Assessment
  • Urban Metabolism and Smart Cities
  • Green Infrastructure
  • Land Degradation
  • Applications of Nighttime Satellite Imagery

Engagement & Service:

  • Founding Member, Center for a Regenerative Future (2024)
  • Member, Board of Trustees, Morrison, CO (2018-2026)
  • Contributor to UNEP’s Global Environmental Outlook (GEO-6 and GEO-7)
  • Chair, Academic Program Review Team at Texas State University (2013)
  • Proposal & Manuscript Reviewer for NSF, NASA, ESA, ARC, and other scientific foundations
  • Keynote Speaker at various international forums

Honors and Awards:

  • Best Graduate Advisor, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (2024)
  • Australian Water Award for Goyder Institute Collaboration (2022)
  • Prose Award Winner for Environmental Sciences (UNEP GEO6) (2021)
  • Best Researcher Award – IRULA (2019)
  • NASA Earth System Science Fellowship (1997-1999)

Citations:

  • Citations: 62,096 (All-time), 28,454 (Since 2019)
  • h-index: 55 (All-time), 45 (Since 2019)
  • i10-index: 102 (All-time), 92 (Since 2019)

Publication Top Notes

  1. The value of the world’s ecosystem services and natural capital
    Costanza, R., d’Arge, R., De Groot, R., Farber, S., Grasso, M., Hannon, B., et al. (1997). Nature, 387(6630), 253.
  2. Changes in the global value of ecosystem services
    Costanza, R., De Groot, R., Sutton, P., Van der Ploeg, S., Anderson, S. J., et al. (2014). Global Environmental Change, 26, 152-158.
  3. Twenty years of ecosystem services: how far have we come and how far do we still need to go?
    Costanza, R., de Groot, R., Braat, L., Kubiszewski, I., Fioramonti, L., Sutton, P., et al. (2017). Ecosystem Services, 28, 1-16.
  4. The coasts of our world: Ecological, economic and social importance
    Martínez, M. L., Intralawan, A., Vázquez, G., Pérez-Maqueo, O., Sutton, P., et al. (2007). Ecological Economics, 63(2-3), 254-272.
  5. The value of coastal wetlands for hurricane protection
    Costanza, R., Pérez-Maqueo, O., Martínez, M. L., Sutton, P., Anderson, S. J., et al. (2008). Ambio, 241-248.
  6. Global estimates of market and non-market values derived from nighttime satellite imagery, land cover, and ecosystem service valuation
    Sutton, P. C., Costanza, R. (2002). Ecological Economics, 41(3), 509-527.
  7. Is decoupling GDP growth from environmental impact possible?
    Ward, J. D., Sutton, P. C., Werner, A. D., Costanza, R., Mohr, S. H., Simmons, C. T. (2016). PLOS ONE, 11(10), e0164733.
  8. Radiance calibration of DMSP-OLS low-light imaging data of human settlements
    Elvidge, C. D., Baugh, K. E., Dietz, J. B., Bland, T., Sutton, P. C., Kroehl, H. W. (1999). Remote Sensing of Environment, 68(1), 77-88.
  9. Census from Heaven: An estimate of the global human population using night-time satellite imagery
    Sutton, P., Roberts, D., Elvidge, C., Baugh, K. (2001). International Journal of Remote Sensing, 22(16), 3061-3076.
  10. A global poverty map derived from satellite data
    Elvidge, C. D., Sutton, P. C., Ghosh, T., Tuttle, B. T., Baugh, K. E., Bhaduri, B., Bright, E. (2009). Computers & Geosciences, 35(8), 1652-1660.
  11. Global distribution and density of constructed impervious surfaces
    Elvidge, C. D., Tuttle, B. T., Sutton, P. S., Baugh, K. E., Howard, A. T., Milesi, C., et al. (2007). Sensors, 7(9), 1962-1979.
  12. The value of ecosystem services: putting the issues in perspective
    Costanza, R., d’Arge, R., De Groot, R., Farber, S., Grasso, M., Hannon, B., et al. (1998). Ecological Economics, 25(1), 67-72.
  13. Shedding light on the global distribution of economic activity
    Ghosh, T., Powell, R. L., Elvidge, C. D., Baugh, K. E., Sutton, P. C., Anderson, S. (2010). The Open Geography Journal, 3(1), 147-160.
  14. Estimation of gross domestic product at sub-national scales using nighttime satellite imagery
    Sutton, P. C., Elvidge, C. D., Ghosh, T. (2007). International Journal of Ecological Economics & Statistics, 8(S07), 5-21.
  15. A comparison of nighttime satellite imagery
    Sutton, P., Roberts, D., Elvidge, C., Meij, H. (1997). Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing, 63(11), 1303-1313.
  16. A review of methods, data, and models to assess changes in the value of ecosystem services from land degradation and restoration
    Turner, K. G., Anderson, S., Gonzales-Chang, M., Costanza, R., Courville, S., et al. (2016). Ecological Modelling, 319, 190-207.
  17. A scale-adjusted measure of “urban sprawl” using nighttime satellite imagery
    Sutton, P. C. (2003). Remote Sensing of Environment, 86(3), 353-369.
  18. The Nightsat mission concept
    Elvidge, C. D., Cinzano, P., Pettit, D. R., Arvesen, J., Sutton, P., Small, C., et al. (2007). International Journal of Remote Sensing, 28(12), 2645-2670.
  19. Modeling population density with night-time satellite imagery and GIS
    Sutton, P. (1997). Computers, Environment and Urban Systems, 21(3-4), 227-244.
  20. The future value of ecosystem services: global scenarios and national implications
    Kubiszewski, I., Costanza, R., Anderson, S., Sutton, P. (2017). Ecosystem Services, 26, 289-301.