Professor George Fouad Antonious of Kentucky State University’s College of Agriculture, Health, and Natural Resources has been selected to serve as Guest Editor for a special issue of the journal Applied Sciences, published by MDPI.

The upcoming issue, Soil Pollution and Remediation: Recent Developments and Future Perspectives, 2nd Edition, follows a successful first edition edited by Dr. Antonious in 2022, which focused on contaminants and remediation innovations. That first volume, Soil Pollution and Remediation: Recent Developments and Future Perspectives, can be accessed here.

“Contaminated soils present risks to ecosystems, food supplies, and human health. Through this special issue we want to provide an international forum where researchers can share the most current findings and practical applications,” he said.

“Through this second edition, the exchange of knowledge across disciplines and across borders is essential if we are to make meaningful progress. Our goal is not only to identify challenges but also to bring forward the solutions and technologies that will help safeguard soils for generations to come.”

Researchers are invited to submit original articles, reviews, or short communications on topics such as how contaminants occur and transform in soil, new methods for monitoring and risk assessment, the ecological and toxicological effects of pollutants, and the interactions between soil ecosystems and contaminants.

The issue will also explore environmentally friendly remediation approaches and the effects of pollutants on beneficial microorganisms and enzyme activity.

Submissions are being accepted now through January 20, 2026, via the MDPI online system. Accepted papers will be peer-reviewed and published as part of an open-access collection with an Impact Factor of 2.5 and CiteScore of 5.5.

A longtime faculty member at Kentucky State University, Antonious has published extensively on soil science, organic fertilizers, antioxidants, and sustainable agricultural practices. He is recognized for his research on soil amendments and bioactive compounds in plants.

More information, including submission guidelines, is available on the Applied Sciences special issue website: https://www.mdpi.com/si/245628.