9 July 2026, Bangkok, Thailand — The 11th APN Early Career Professional (ECP) Poster and Networking Session was held alongside the APN 27th Joint Intergovernmental and Scientific Planning Group Meeting and 30th Anniversary Celebration at the Jubilee Prestige Hotel Ratchadapisek in Bangkok, Thailand. During the event, ECPs showcased innovative global change research on the thematic area of “Climate change and variability and disaster risk reduction”.

Dr Linda Stevenson, Programme Director of the APN Secretariat, opened the session by welcoming participants and highlighting the importance of the poster and networking session in supporting ECPs. She encouraged presenters to make the most of the opportunity to build professional networks and engage with APN members, invited experts and fellow researchers.

The session brought together nine ECPs who presented research addressing a wide range of global change challenges. Topics included sustainable soil health assessment using remote sensing, artificial intelligence for climate-resilient agriculture and green public procurement, flood resilience and habitat connectivity, image-based urban flood monitoring, ultrafine particle pollution and urban health, community participation in nature-based solutions, coastal climate adaptation through the Early Career Ocean Professionals Network, and disaster risk reduction in Southeast Asia. The diversity of research reflected the interdisciplinary approaches needed to address climate change, environmental sustainability and disaster risk reduction.

APN members served as the judges and other event attendees had the chance to explore the posters and engage in discussions with the ECPs. 

The recipient of the prestigious Mitra Award for Global Change Research was announced during the evening reception and the winner delivered a presentation. The Mitra Award for Global Change Research winner and runners up, and their posters are as follows:

• Mitra Award recipient: Dr Worradorn Phairuang (Chiang Mai University) – Ultrafine particles (PM0.1) and climate-related urban health vulnerability during biomass-burning haze episodes in Upper Southeast Asia
• Second place: Ms Suwaphat Skunareemit (Land Development Department, Thailand) – Integrating Soil Health Indicators and Remote Sensing for Sustainable Soil Health Assessment: A Case Study of the Huai Krasiew Sub-watershed
• Third place: Dr Detchphol Chitwatkulsiri (Kasetsart University) – Enhancing Climate-Resilient Urban Flood Early Warning through Image-Based Monitoring and Hydrodynamic Model Updating for Disaster Risk Reduction

The Mitra Award was created to honour the late Professor Emeritus Dr Ashesh Proshad Mitra, a prominent member of APN and SPG member for India from 1996 to 2007, who provided excellent scientific advice to APN, particularly for its Science Agenda. Dr Wiparat De-ong, Executive Director of NRCT, together with Mr Toshiyuki Yamasaki, Director of the APN Secretariat, Dr Linda Anne Stevenson, APN Programme Director, and Dr Monthip Sriratana, APN National Focal Point for Thailand, presented the awards and certificates to the winners and presenters.

The poster and networking session also featured displays from APN institutional partners, including the Asia Science Mission for Sustainability, the Asian Institute of Technology, the North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES) and the University of the South Pacific.

APN also exhibited posters on its contributions to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report and on the Asia-Pacific Network of Early Career Professionals for Global Change Research (APN-ECAP), highlighting the role of APN in supporting international climate assessments and scientific capacity development.

The complete list of participants along with their respective posters is as follows:

1. Dr Kanchit Rongchai (Rajamangala University of Technology Phra Nakhon) –  Artificial Intelligence and Green Public Procurement: Accelerating Energy Transition in ASEAN Economies
2. Ms Suwaphat Skunareemit (Land Development Department, Thailand) – Integrating Soil Health Indicators and Remote Sensing for Sustainable Soil Health Assessment: A Case Study of the Huai Krasiew Sub-watershed
3. Ms Pimphisa Leelaprapapon (SkyVIV Co., Ltd) – TerraVIV: The Platform for High-Fidelity Biomass Verification and Climate Resilience of Smallholder Farming
4. Dr Mingkwan Nantavisai (Chulalongkorn University) – Enhancing Flood Resilience and Floodplain Habitat Connectivity through Land-use Policy Scenarios under Future Climate Conditions in the Chao Phraya River Basin
5. Dr Kittiwoot Chaloeytoy (Chulalongkorn University) – Urban heat vulnerability assessment for guiding heat resilience strategies: A case study of Pattaya city, Thailand
6. Dr Worradorn Phairuang (Chiang Mai University) – Ultrafine particles (PM0.1) and climate-related urban health vulnerability during biomass-burning haze episodes in Upper Southeast Asia
7. Dr Jareerat Petsom (Kasetart University) – Bridging the Blue Gap: A Media-Based Participation Model for Localizing Nature-Based Solutions in Thong Tom Yai, Thailand
8. Dr Detchphol Chitwatkulsiri (Kasetart University) – Enhancing Climate-Resilient Urban Flood Early Warning through Image-Based Monitoring and Hydrodynamic Model Updating for Disaster Risk Reduction
9. Dr Suppakarn Jandang (Kyushu University) – Strengthening Ocean Science and Society for Climate Adaptation through ECOP Network

More photos are available in the gallery below: