UNS — Dr. Ir. Dimas Rahadian Aji Muhammad, S.TP., M.Sc., a lecturer at the Faculty of Agriculture (FP) Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta, received the 1st Best Young Scientist Award by the Indonesian Association of Food Technologists (Persatuan Ahli Teknologi Pangan Indonesia-PATPI). This award was presented as part of the Annual Meeting of PATPI and the 2nd International Conference of Food Technology and Nutrition, held in Bali on November 2-4, 2023.
“The Young Scientist Award is dedicated to lecturers and researchers in the field of food technology under 40 years of age. The assessment was carried out by a panel of experts in the field of food technology from across Indonesia, assessing aspects such as scientific activities and real contributions to society,” Dr. Dimas explained on Monday (6/11/2023).
Over the past decade, a graduate of Ghent University in Belgium, Dr. Dimas, has been involved in 36 research and community service projects funded by various schemes, including internal UNS funds, DIKTI Competitive Grants, PKR BRIN, and Matching Fund grants. The research results from the last five years have led to 27 articles published in Scopus-indexed journals and 17 Scopus-indexed proceedings. Dr. Dimas, who currently holds the position of Head of the Cooperation and Development Division at the Directorate of Cooperation, Development and Internationalization UNS, is also active in various international scientific forums. To date, he has received the best presenter/paper award at two international seminars and one national seminar.
His academic achievements are complemented by his roles as an editorial board member and guest editor in Scopus-indexed journals (Caraka Tani, Frontiers in Nutrition, and Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems), as well as Sinta 2-accredited journals (Jurnal Teknologi Hasil Pertanian and AGRITech). Furthermore, he has been invited to review 151 article submissions for Scopus-indexed journals and Sinta 2-accredited journals since 2018.
Dr. Dimas has, so far, published five international book chapters, with three of them published by Academic Press and the remaining two by Springer. This prolific writer has also authored eight books and book chapters published by national publishers and over 15 popular articles in various mass media outlets.
In line with his expertise, he contributes as an expert in monitoring and evaluating the implementation of cocoa commodity policies (Ministry of Industry), a mentor for Food Start-Up Indonesia (Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy), a mentor in “Innovation Lab: Transformation Research Challenges” (World Food Forum), and a reviewer for IFS Research Grants (International Foundation for Science, Sweden). An active lecturer in Food Technology UNS, Dr. Dimas has frequently received grants and fellowships from various international institutions to engage in academic activities in several countries, including Italy, France, the Netherlands, China, Japan, Belgium, and Thailand.
In 2022, Dr. Dimas was awarded the title of World Class Professor and has been a sought-after speaker at numerous national and international universities, including Ghent University (Belgium), Mae Fah Luang University (Thailand), Davao del Sur State College (Philippines), UGM, Unnes, Itera, Mulawarman University, BINUS University, the Association of Doctors Developing Traditional Medicine and Indonesian Herbal Medicine (PDPOTJI), the Center for Agriculture Library and Literacy (Ministry of Agriculture), and many others.
One of his creative and innovative ideas, the Kumbung Hybrid System for Cocoa Beans, which integrates hybrid technology, has been adopted by the Sidodadi Farmer Group in Gunung Kidul to improve the processing capacity and stabilize the quality of dried cocoa beans. Dr. Dimas hopes that the Young Scientist Award will not only enhance UNS’s reputation nationally but also motivate him to continue producing valuable work that benefits a broader audience. HUMAS UNS
Reporter: Dwi Hastuti
