https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2800-1684
2022 John C. Warner early career researcher prize
Congratulations to Associate Professor Enyew Amare Zereffa for being chosen as winner of the 2022 John C. Warner Early Career Researcher Prize. From the outstanding nominations received, the panel chose Associate Professor Zereffa’s manuscript ‘Phyto-mediated synthesis of copper oxide nanoparticles using Artemisia abyssinica leaf extract and its antioxidant, antimicrobial and DNA binding activities’, Green Chemistry Letters & Reviews, 2022, 15, 598–614 as the winning entry.
Professor John C. Warner was the founding Editor of Green Chemistry Letters & Reviews in 2007. He is one of the cofounders of the field of green chemistry, coauthoring the defining text ‘Green Chemistry: Theory and Practice’ and articulating the 12 principles of green chemistry with Paul Anastas. Professor Warner has over 100 publications providing foundational work in the fields of noncovalent derivatization, polymer photochemistry, metal oxide semiconductors and synthetic organic chemistry and over 300 patents that served as the basis for several new companies. The Early Career Research Author Prize is named in his honor.
We will be soliciting nominations for the 2023 John C. Warner Early Career Researcher Prize ($1,000 USD) for high quality manuscripts published in the Green Chemistry Letters & Reviews in Volume 16 in January 2024. To be eligible, the author must be within twelve years of receiving her/his Ph.D. and in a full-time academic or government laboratory position. The nomination must include: (1) the manuscript to be considered for the John C. Warner Early Career Researcher award, (2) when the nominee received his/her Ph.D. and her/his current position and (3) his/her contribution to a multi-author manuscript. Only one author per published manuscript will be considered and the Editors will make the final decision. The Prize Winner for 2023 will be announced in April 2024.
Again, heartfelt congratulations to Associate Professor Enyew Amare Zereffa for his achievement!
Anja-Verena Mudring
Editor-in-Chief.
Green Chemistry Letters and Reviews
Associate Professor Dr. Enyew Amare Zereffa received his PhD in solid state chemistry from Andhra university, India (2013). He obtained MSc (2005) and BSc (1998) in chemistry from Addis Ababa University. At present he is working at Adama Science and Technology University, Ethiopia, in the rank of an Associate Professor of Inorganic Chemistry. Dr. Zereffa worked in the position of associate dean for Research Project Management, associate editor in chief of Ethiopian Journal and scientific ethical committee member of Applied Natural. He also served at Dilla University, Ethiopia, in the academic ranks of lecturer and assistant professor, and department head of chemistry. He is teaching and advising undergraduate and graduate students, conducting research on the area of his interest: solid catalyst development, synthesis of inorganic/composite medicinal materials and ceramic fabrication for energy & environmental applications. He is supervising MSc and PhD students and published over 50 scientific papers in different peer-reviewed journals.
Winning article: ‘Phyto-mediated synthesis of copper oxide nanoparticles using Artemisia abyssinica leaf extract and its antioxidant, antimicrobial and DNA binding activities’, Green Chemistry Letters & Reviews, 2022, 15, 598-614.
How would you summarize your paper for an undergraduate?
In this project we reported the preparation of copper(II) oxide nanoparticles using aqueous extracts of plant leaves for medical applications. Different important chemicals can be found in plants and we used hot water instead of commonly used, more toxic, organic solvents for extraction. We then used these plant chemicals (phytochemicals) for the synthesis of copper(II) oxide. The synthesized nanoparticles were very efficient in terms of reactivity and others valuable properties due to their large number of active surface atoms on the particles. I should also add that we used a cohort of analytical methods to investigate our copper complexes including some electrochemical techniques which were performed by our undergraduate student, Marcos Tapia (third author!). Marcos is currently working on a follow-up paper to show how the electrochemical techniques can be utilized to understand the speciation of redox active coordination complexes in different media.
Who or what inspired you to get involved in this research?
Mostly I am conducting problem-oriented research such as developing materials for water treatment, energy storage, and medical applications. The existing global challenges are the main driving force. Moreover learning new things through research is also a great inspiration for conducting further research.
How did you feel about winning the John C. Warner Early Career Researcher Prize and what does this mean to you?
It is a great honor and great pleasure for me to be selected as the winner and receive the 2022 John C. Warner Early Career Researcher award. I would truly express my gratitude to everyone who gave me the opportunity to prove myself and created the conditions for me to deserve this award. I am sincerely happy to be awarded and will do my best to justify this trust. This recognition will always encourage me to serve better in my field.