Best Researcher Award
Hyginus Ozioko
Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Nigeria
Hyginus Ozioko is a researcher affiliated with Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Nigeria, whose work addresses environmental and sustainable materials. His publications examine sustainable concrete, soil-based construction materials and bioremediation, often combined with machine learning and statistical modeling. This article summarizes his research profile in connection with the International Soil Scientist Awards. [1]
Abstract
This article presents the research profile of Hyginus Ozioko, whose recent work applies experimental testing and predictive modeling to sustainable construction materials and contaminated soil remediation. His studies investigate agricultural and industrial waste as concrete admixtures, palm kernel shell concrete under different curing methods, laterite as a partial substitute for sharp sand in cement blocks, and geopolymer concrete prediction using artificial intelligence. [2][3]
Keywords
Sustainable concrete, agricultural waste, geopolymer concrete, laterite, bioremediation, machine learning, predictive modeling, environmental materials.
Introduction
Construction materials and soil management are closely linked to environmental sustainability. The use of waste-derived and locally available materials can reduce dependence on conventional resources, while data-driven models can help estimate material performance with fewer laboratory trials. Ozioko’s work sits at this intersection, pairing laboratory evaluation with computational prediction. [2]
Research Profile
According to his Scopus author record, Ozioko holds Author ID 60379357200 with two indexed documents, one citation and an h-index of one. [1] His ORCID record additionally lists several recent journal articles from 2025 and 2026, produced with collaborators including Emmanuel Ebube Eze, Ekunie Augustine Chidera, Edward Ingio Adah and Henry Ogumere. [5]
Research Contributions
- Sustainable concrete: experimental evaluation and predictive modeling of concrete incorporating agricultural and industrial waste admixtures. [2]
- Palm kernel shell concrete: compressive strength under various curing methods, with machine learning prediction. [3]
- Alternative aggregates: assessment of laterite soil as a substitute for sharp sand in cement block production. [4]
- Soil remediation: bioremediation of hydrocarbon-contaminated soils using artificial neural networks and response surface methodology. [5]
Publications
- “Experimental evaluation and predictive modeling of sustainable concrete incorporating agricultural and industrial waste admixtures,” Discover Civil Engineering, 2026. [2]
- “Sustainable Bioremediation of Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Soils Using ANN and RSM,” Journal of Water and Environmental Nanotechnology, 2026. [5]
- “Study of Compressive Strength of Palm Kernel Shell Concrete Under Various Curing Methods,” Engineering and Technology Journal, 2026. [3]
- “Suitability assessment of laterite soil as alternative to sharp sand in cement block production,” Nigerian Journal of Technology, 2026. [4]
- “Artificial intelligence-based prediction of compressive strength of metakaolin-saw dust geopolymer concrete,” Journal of Management and Engineering Sciences, 2025.
Research Impact
The author’s indexed record is at an early stage, with two documents and one citation in Scopus. [1] Its relevance lies in topic focus: the studies address practical questions in low-cost, locally sourced construction materials and environmental remediation, and they apply modeling methods that may support reduced experimental effort in future work.
Award Suitability
Ozioko’s work on soil-based materials, waste utilization and contaminated soil remediation relates to the scope of the International Soil Scientist Awards. His combination of laboratory investigation and machine learning in soil and materials research is consistent with the recognition of emerging researchers in environmental and sustainable materials. [3][4]
Conclusion
Hyginus Ozioko is an early-career researcher whose recent publications connect sustainable construction materials, soil science and predictive modeling. His portfolio shows a consistent thematic direction and continuing output, and it provides a basis for recognition under the Best Researcher Award category. [1][2]
External Links
References
- Elsevier. (n.d.). Scopus author details: Hyginus Ozioko, Author ID 60379357200. Scopus.
https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=60379357200
- Ozioko, H. O., Eze, E. E., & Chidera, E. A. (2026). Experimental evaluation and predictive modeling of sustainable concrete incorporating agricultural and industrial waste admixtures. Discover Civil Engineering.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s44290-026-00596-7
- Ozioko, H. O., Eze, E. E., & Adah, E. I. (2026). Study of compressive strength of palm kernel shell concrete under various curing methods and predictive modeling using machine learning. Engineering and Technology Journal.
https://doi.org/10.30684/2412-0758.1567
- Ozioko, H. O., Eze, E. E., & Ekunie, A. C. (2026). Suitability assessment of laterite soil as alternative to sharp sand in cement block production: Performance evaluation and predictive analysis. Nigerian Journal of Technology.
https://doi.org/10.4314/njt.2025.4767
- Ozioko, H., Eze, E., & Ogumere, H. (2026). Sustainable bioremediation of hydrocarbon-contaminated soils using ANN and RSM with enhanced feature engineering and data augmentation. Journal of Water and Environmental Nanotechnology.
https://doi.org/10.22090/jwent.2026.2074964.1982