Christian Siewert | Soil Science | Best Researcher Award

Published on by Soil Scientist

Prof. Dr. Christian Siewert | Soil Science | Best Researcher Award

Christian Siewert | University of Applied Sciences Dresden | Germany 

Dr. Christian Siewert is a German soil scientist and ecologist with more than three decades of academic and international experience. Holding a Ph.D. in natural sciences from the Soil Research Centre in Müncheberg and a Habilitation in soil science from the Technical University of Berlin, he has built a distinguished career across research, teaching, and international collaboration. Since 2005, he has served as a full professor, currently at the Dresden University of Applied Sciences, where he focuses on ecological sciences, soil fertility, land use technologies, environmental monitoring, and scientific publication activities. His professional record spans leadership roles, international project coordination, and contributions to over 14 EU strategic partnership research projects, including SUMCULA on sustainable cultural landscape management. With academic engagements across regions such as Russia, Eastern Europe, New Zealand, South America, and Japan, he has demonstrated long-standing expertise in cross-border ecological initiatives. Dr. Siewert has authored 32 scientific documents, which have collectively earned 809 citations, reflecting his influence in his field. His publication impact is further evidenced by an h-index of 15, underscoring the significance and reach of his scholarly contributions. Alongside 60 scientific publications and six patents, his work integrates research excellence with teaching, innovation, and global scientific cooperation.

Profiles: Scopus | Orcid 

Featured Publications

  • Krahl, I., Tokarski, D., Kučerík, J., Schwitzky, E., & Siewert, C. (2025). New approach to experimental soil health definition using thermogravimetric fingerprinting. Agronomy.

  • Tokarski, D., Šimečková, J., Kučerík, J., Kalbitz, K., Demyan, M. S., Merbach, I., Barkusky, D., Ruehlmann, J., & Siewert, C. (2019). Detectability of degradable organic matter in agricultural soils by thermogravimetry. Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science.

  • David, J., Weissmannová, H. D., Steinmetz, Z., Kabelíková, L., Demyan, M. S., Šimečková, J., Tokarski, D., Siewert, C., Schaumann, G. E., & Kučerík, J. (2019). Introducing a soil universal model method (SUMM) and its application for qualitative and quantitative determination of poly(ethylene), poly(styrene), poly(vinyl chloride) and poly(ethylene terephthalate) microplastics in a model soil. Chemosphere.

  • Tokarski, D., Kučerík, J., Kalbitz, K., Demyan, M. S., Merbach, I., Barkusky, D., Ruehlmann, J., & Siewert, C. (2018). Contribution of organic amendments to soil organic matter detected by thermogravimetry. Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science.

  • Kučerík, J., Tokarski, D., Demyan, M. S., Merbach, I., & Siewert, C. (2018). Linking soil organic matter thermal stability with contents of clay, bound water, organic carbon and nitrogen. Geoderma.

Riffat Rahim | Soil Science | Best Researcher Award

Published on by Soil Scientist

Dr. Riffat Rahim | Soil Science | Best Researcher Award

University of Leipzig | Germany

Dr. Riffat Rahim is an accomplished soil scientist with a strong research portfolio and international experience across Germany, Canada, and Pakistan. She has contributed significantly to soil chemistry, rhizosphere processes, mucilage dynamics, salinity management, and phosphorus behavior in calcareous soils. Her academic journey includes a Ph.D. in Agricultural Sciences from Forschungszentrum Jülich and the University of Bonn, a Master’s and Bachelor’s in Soil Science from Bahauddin Zakariya University. She has authored 4 scientific documents, accumulated 40 citations, and holds an h-index of 4, reflecting the visibility and impact of her publications. Her work spans experimental studies, pore-scale simulations, and field-relevant investigations, with research outputs published and additional manuscripts under review. She has presented at major platforms such as the EGU General Assembly, World Congress of Soil Science, DBG Germany conferences, and international workshops on spectroscopy and bioeconomy. Professionally, she serves as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Rostock and has held roles as a Visiting Scientist, Doctoral Researcher, and Research Assistant in leading institutions. Her technical mastery includes XANES, GC, HPLC, tomography, atomic absorption, and advanced data analysis using Python, R, and Origin. She is multilingual and experienced in laboratory management, project execution, and scientific communication.

Profile:  Scopus

Featured Publications

Nazir, M. J., Hussain, M. M., Albasher, G., Iqbal, B., Khan, K. A., Rahim, R., Li, G., & Du, D. (2024). Glucose input profit soil organic carbon mineralization and nitrogen dynamics in relation to nitrogen-amended soils. Journal of Environmental Management.