Ivan Marović | Strategic Decision-Making | Best Researcher Award

Prof. Ivan Marović | Strategic Decision-Making | Best Researcher Award 

Professor at University of Rijeka | Croatia 

Prof. Ivan Marović is a Professor at the University of Rijeka, Faculty of Civil Engineering, with over two decades of academic experience progressing from research assistant to full professorship. His research focuses on Project Management in civil engineering, emphasizing management information systems, multi-criteria decision analysis, and soft computing methods. He has led and contributed to numerous research projects addressing sustainable management of urban areas, adaptation of coastal structures to climate change, and performance management of construction projects using artificial intelligence and soft computing approaches. His work has resulted in 458 citations across 404 documents, with an h-index of 13. Marović has received multiple awards for his scientific contributions, including recognition for the best doctoral thesis in civil engineering, honors from the Croatian Academy of Technical Sciences, and a Global Peer Review Award for top-ranked reviewers in environmental and cross-field research. He has also been acknowledged for innovation and knowledge transfer with national awards and a silver medal at an international innovation exhibition. He has actively collaborated with leading universities and research institutions in Croatia and internationally, contributing to both academia and industry. Marović has published extensively in indexed journals, authored book chapters, and served as guest editor for special issues in reputable journals, while also participating in the scientific committees of numerous international conferences. An accomplished educator, he has mentored over 45 bachelor and master’s theses and supervised one doctoral thesis, earning multiple teaching awards. He is an active member of professional associations in construction management and operational research, promoting interdisciplinary research, industry collaboration, and sustainable practices in civil engineering.

Profiles : Scopus | ORCID | Google Scholar | Linked In 

Featured Publications : 

Ružić, I., Marović, I., Benac, Č., & Ilić, S. (2014). Coastal cliff geometry derived from structure-from-motion photogrammetry at Stara Baška, Krk Island, Croatia. Geo-Marine Letters, 34(6), 555–565.

Marović, I., Perić, M., & Hanák, T. (2021). A multi-criteria decision support concept for selecting the optimal contractor. Applied Sciences, 11(4), 1660.

Jajac, N., Knezic, S., & Marović, I. (2009). Decision support system to urban infrastructure maintenance management. Organization, Technology & Management in Construction: An International Journal.

Marović, I., Androjić, I., Jajac, N., & Hanák, T. (2018). Urban road infrastructure maintenance planning with application of neural networks. Complexity, 2018(1), 5160417.

Hanák, T., Marović, I., & Aigel, P. (2015). Perception of residential environment in cities: A comparative study. Procedia Engineering, 117, 495–501.

Kebiao Yuan | Strategic Decision-Making | Best Researcher Award

Dr. Kebiao Yuan | Strategic Decision-Making | Best Researcher Award 

Lecturer at Ningbo University of Technology | China 

Dr. Kebiao Yuan is a scholar specializing in logistics engineering and transportation management. He completed his doctoral studies in logistics engineering and management and holds a master’s degree in transportation planning and management, along with a bachelor’s degree in traffic engineering. His research focuses on port cluster development, collaborative governance, sustainable logistics, and the integration of digital technologies in supply chains. Throughout his academic career, he has actively contributed to numerous national and provincial research projects, including studies on regional port integration, air pollutant emission governance, port cooperation mechanisms, and the modernization of China’s port and shipping industries. Yuan’s work has accumulated 33 citations across 30 documents, with an h-index of 4, underscoring his growing influence in the field of logistics and transportation research. His work often employs evolutionary game theory, bibliometric analysis, and system modeling to address challenges in transportation planning, port governance, and supply chain resilience. In addition to research, he has gained practical experience through internships in transportation planning and urban design, contributing to projects in public transport optimization, highway ecological zones, tourism passenger flow forecasting, and rural revitalization. Yuan has published extensively as a first author or corresponding author in leading journals, including Transport Policy, Sustainability, Mathematics, Ocean & Coastal Management, and Transportation Research Record, with his research covering port cooperation, emission reduction, infrastructure effects on urban growth, and sustainable logistics practices. His contributions have earned recognition in academic competitions and scholarships, reflecting both his research excellence and commitment to advancing sustainable and collaborative approaches in transportation and port logistics.

Profiles : Scopus | ORCID 

Featured Publications : 

Yuan, K., Xu, X., Xu, Z., & Fu, H. (2025). Research on the impact mechanism of digital technology on the new-quality productivity of port logistics. PLOS ONE.

Xue, C., Chao, Y., Xie, S., & Yuan, K. (2025). Will road infrastructure become the new engine of urban growth? A consideration of the economic externalities. Sustainability, 17(15), 6813.

Xue, C., Chao, Y., Xie, S., & Yuan, K. (2025). The health effects of economic growth: Evidence from PM2.5-attributable mortality in China. Economies, 13(7), 192.

Feng, X., Chen, Y., Pan, H., Chao, Y., Yuan, K., & Yue, Z. (2025). Inter-port relationships management: A bibliometric analysis and a systematic review of influencing factors of port co-opetition patterns. Ocean & Coastal Management, 265, 107656.

Yuan, K., Ma, L., & Wang, R. (2025). Research on collaborative governance mechanism of air pollutant emissions in ports: A tripartite evolutionary game analysis with evidence from Ningbo-Zhoushan Port. Mathematics, 13(12), 2025.