Hee Kyung Park | Environmental | Best Researcher Award

Ms. Hee Kyung Park | Environmental | Best Researcher Award

Post-master’s Researcher | Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology | South Korea

Ms. Hee Kyung Park is a Master’s Degree Researcher at the Department of Environmental Research, Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, whose work focuses on the quantitative risk assessment and safety management of next-generation clean energy systems. Her research emphasizes decarbonized fuels such as hydrogen and ammonia, exploring their combustion behavior, explosion risks, and fire dynamics through both experimental and computational methods. She has conducted extensive studies involving cone calorimetry, toxicity testing, and fire dynamics simulation to enhance safety protocols in energy infrastructure. Her recent publications in leading KCI and SCI(E) journals address crucial topics, including consequence analysis of hydrogen leakage accidents, ammonia fuel risk evaluation in combined cycle power plants, and semi-quantitative safety management frameworks using the Bow-tie method. Additionally, she has contributed to major national research projects developing hydrogen turbine combustor testing methods and retrofitting technologies for gas turbines co-firing hydrogen. Through her interdisciplinary approach integrating thermal engineering, safety systems, and computational risk analysis, Ms. Hee Kyung Park plays a key role in advancing safer, sustainable, and high-efficiency energy technologies that align with global carbon neutrality goals. Her expertise and scholarly output, reflected in 15 citations by 14 documents across 8 publications with an h-index of 3, continue to contribute significantly to the evolution of hydrogen and ammonia-based energy systems within industrial safety and environmental research domains.

Profiles: Scopus | Orcid 

Featured Publications

Park, H. K. (2023, November). Consequence analysis on the leakage accident of hydrogen fuel in a combined cycle power plant: Based on the effect of regional environmental features. Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy.

Park, H. K. (2024, January). Experimental investigation on the measurement performance of high-speed ultrasonic wave thermometry in ambient- and high-temperature environments. Applied Thermal Engineering.

Park, H. K. (2024, April). Semi-quantitative risk assessment using Bow-tie method for the establishment of safety management system of hydrogen fuel storage facility in a combined cycle power plant. Journal of the Korean Society of Safety.

Park, H. K. (2024, April). Analysis of damage impact range according to the NG/NH3 mixing ratio when applying ammonia as fuel for a combined cycle power plant using an ALOHA program. Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas.

Park, H. K. (2024, March). Fire dynamics and evacuation simulation study on the library adapting BIPV based on the experimental data of a cone calorimeter. The Korean Institute of Fire Science & Engineering.

Alessandro RoccoFasciana | Environment | Best Researcher Award

Dr. Alessandro Rocco Fasciana | Environment | Best Researcher Award

Research Fellow, University of Catania, Italy

Alessandro Fasciana 🇮🇹, born on January 14, 1991, is an Italian agronomist and research fellow passionate about agricultural innovation and sustainability. Currently affiliated with the University of Catania, he combines academic excellence with hands-on experience across agronomy, construction, and food service. Alessandro is driven by a commitment to improving environmental impacts in the agri-food sector and is actively contributing to consumer preference studies and eco-friendly agricultural solutions.

Profile

Orcid

🎓 Education

Alessandro completed his Master’s Degree in Agricultural Science and Technology at the University of Catania in 2024 with top honors (110/110 with distinction). His thesis focused on ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions from livestock, along with mitigation strategies. Prior to this, he earned a Bachelor’s degree in the same field in 2020. He also holds a high school diploma in surveying from “E. Majorana” Technical Institute and a vocational certificate in Graphic File Production from ECAP Gela.

💼 Experience

Alessandro is currently a Research Fellow at the Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Catania, conducting data analysis on consumer preferences for functional food products (2024–2025). His past experience includes working as a Geometra (2017–2023), where he specialized in building design, permits, and client consultation. He also interned with an agricultural consultant in 2016–2017, learning agronomic documentation and fertilization planning. Earlier in his career, he worked as a kitchen assistant (2013–2016), showcasing adaptability across sectors.

🔬 Research Interest

Alessandro’s research interests lie in sustainable agriculture, environmental mitigation, and consumer behavior related to functional foods. His academic and professional work focuses on analyzing emissions in livestock farming and exploring innovative strategies for environmental impact reduction. He is also keenly interested in bio-based waste recycling and soil enhancement practices.

🏆 Award

In 2024, Alessandro earned the professional qualification to practice as an Agronomist and Forestry Doctor in Italy, marking a major milestone in his career. This achievement reflects his academic dedication and readiness to serve both research and practical agricultural sectors.

📚 Publication

“Preliminary Analysis on Bio-Acidification Using Coffee Torrefaction Waste and Acetic Acid on Animal Manure from a Dairy Farm”, published in Agriculture (2025).
📄 Read publication | Published: 2025
Cited by: [Awaiting citations]

🏁 Conclusion

Alessandro Fasciana shows great potential as an emerging researcher in agricultural sciences, especially with his focus on sustainability and climate-related challenges. However, for the Best Researcher Award, which typically honors more established and prolific researchers, he may currently be better suited for a “Young Researcher” or “Emerging Talent” category. With continued research, publications, and broader engagement, he could become a strong contender for the main award in the future.