Qafoku, a Laboratory Fellow at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), was one of five PNNL researchers elected to the academy this year in recognition of his work in environmental science, soil and groundwater protection, contaminated-site remediation, sustainable agriculture and decarbonisation.

His research on the transport and long-term behaviour of radioactive elements and metals in soils and groundwater has contributed to environmental remediation strategies, risk assessment and the protection of water resources, the academy said.

In addition to his role at PNNL, Qafoku serves as an associate professor at the University of Washington, an adjunct faculty member at Washington State University and a professor at the Agricultural University of Tirana.

The Albanian Academy of Sciences highlighted Qafoku’s longstanding collaboration with the institution, saying he has played an active role in its efforts to strengthen international scientific cooperation through conferences, research forums and initiatives organised with the Alb-Shkenca academic network.

Qafoku also serves on the editorial board of the Albanian Journal of Natural and Technical Sciences and is editor-in-chief of its environmental sciences section.

The academy said its Section of Natural and Technical Sciences has approved a proposal to elect Qafoku as a foreign member of the Albanian Academy of Sciences, with the appointment expected to be finalised in accordance with the institution’s statutes.

In its statement, the academy wished Qafoku continued success in his scientific career and expressed confidence that his collaboration with the institution would continue to strengthen Albanian science and its links with the international research community.

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The conference examined the relationship between art, urban transformation, and mobility, from local urban spaces to national and international levels.

Stefan Çapaliku, director of the Centre, said this year’s edition focused on the period from 1991 to the present. He noted that the end of state socialism reshaped notions of borders: while freedom of movement became a guaranteed right, the early 1990s’ experience of open borders and mass migration was traumatic and had a significant impact on post-socialist and contemporary Albanian art.

The opening session featured Franco “Bifo” Berardi, social theorist and activist from Italy’s 1970s Autonomia movement, presenting “Auschwitz on the Seashore.”

Other speakers included Sofia Franchini, a PhD student in social anthropology at Cambridge University; Filippo Furri, anthropologist at Institut Convergences Migration in Paris; and Ervin Shehu, PhD candidate in social anthropology at the University of the Aegean.

On the second day, sessions addressed “Social Justice” and “New Geographies.” Presenters included architect Silvia Cafora (University of Bergamo), Luis Guerra Miranda (Madrid), Skënder Luarasi and Mehmet Sinan Bermek (Istanbul), Dimitra Gkitsa (University of Southampton), curators Pati Vardhami and Niovi Zarampouka-Chatzimanou, and Giuseppe Previtali (University of Bergamo).

The conference concluded with analyses by Stefano Romano and Jonida Gashi, who reviewed the presentations and discussions.

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This high-level scientific event is set to bring together around 250 participants from various countries worldwide. The conference aims to showcase a wide range of current research in nanoscience and nanotechnology, alongside related policies and initiatives such as NanoBALKAN, the Regional Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology.

Since 2021, NanoBalkan has organized four successful international conferences in Tirana, making the 2025 edition the fifth in this ongoing series.

The event is organized by NanoBalkan – Academy of Sciences of Albania, the SUSNANO Project at the University of Tirana, in close collaboration with Spain’s Institute of Nanotechnology (ICN2) and the Phantoms Foundation, also based in Spain.

The conference seeks to highlight the most significant global achievements in nanoscience and nanotechnology, while fostering policy development, networking, and collaborations vital for advancing the field.

“NanoBalkan 2025” also aims to strengthen scientific cooperation across a broad spectrum of related disciplines.

Hosting the event in Tirana is expected to have a positive impact not only on scientific research and its applications in Albania but also on raising the country’s profile and facilitating extensive international collaborations.

The five-day conference will feature plenary sessions and parallel panels covering cutting-edge topics such as Atoms and Molecular Computing; Graphene & 2D Materials/Carbon Nanotubes; Low-Dimensional Materials (nanowires, clusters, quantum dots); Nanobiotechnologies & Nanomedicine; NanoChemistry and Nanofabrication Tools & Nanoscale Integration; Nanomaterials for Energy; and Nanosensors, among others.

During the conference, key trilateral meetings will take place, including the third Italy-Spain-Albania summit and the fifth Japan-Spain-Albania summit.

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The agreement, signed by Academy President Skënder Gjinushi and EBTNA Vice President Prof. Dr. Oscar Vicente Mana, grants the Academy voting rights in the EBTNA General Assembly and full access to its initiatives.

The two institutions will cooperate in organizing scientific events, including congresses, workshops, symposia, public lectures, and academic networking, as well as participation in European and international research projects.

The signing ceremony took place as part of the European Congress of Biotechnology 2025, hosted for the first time in Albania, with over 200 researchers, academics, industry representatives, and students from the EU, Western Balkans, Canada, Israel, Australia, China, and beyond.

Participants will focus on topics such as medical, environmental, agricultural, pharmaceutical, industrial, and aquatic biotechnology.

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Skënder Gjinushi, the Head of the Albanian Academy of Sciences, highlighted the event’s timing amid the completion of the major four-volume work “History of the Albanians,” with two of its first volumes already published.

He praised the scholars involved, noting the importance of presenting history impartially amid ongoing debates.

Professor Paskal Milo, head of the History Commission, addressed key challenges including the politicization of history, selective use of sources, distortion of historical narratives, and difficulties accessing archival materials due to censorship and delayed declassification.

Milo also discussed the balance between global and national history, the role of artificial intelligence (AI) and technology, and the reevaluation of historical figures through modern ethical standards.

Professor Ferit Duka reviewed historiography during communist and post-communist eras, noting political instrumentalization of history and the rise of amateur historians influencing public discourse. He emphasized the need for professional historians resilient to external pressures.

Professor Arben Cici focused on “historical apathy” among youth, exacerbated by social media and technology, proposing curriculum reform, critical thinking approaches, and immersive digital tools to engage younger generations.

The session concluded with a lively discussion on preserving historical integrity and fostering collective memory in Albania.

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In his opening speech, the Prime Minister Rama outlined the progress of this institution, which according to him was founded as a jewel of Albanian knowledge in these 30 years, has been damaged, but following the reform undertaken in 2019, it already is at the crossroads of two eras.

“My words have hurt you. Honestly believe me, the conditions in which I found the Academy of Sciences has hurt me just as much. I am convinced that the reform crowned with the law of 2019 makes one of the highest scientific institutions to overcome two eras,” the premier added.

“And when I say overcoming, I do not mean that we have crossed over to the other side. If we take a picture of this unique moment detached from the race, we are suspended in the air, between a step finally removed from the swamp, and a foot that is touching slowly but without stepping on or rocking a safe shore, from where it can start quickly to reach the finish,” the Prime Minister Rama said.

“The Academy of Sciences did not meet the requirements, but today, the Albanian Academy is at least an ordinary institution, which stands out neither for good nor for bad in the list of almost 120 scientific academies around the world,” the premier stressed.

“Finally, the Academy of Sciences is no longer a naked carbine. The new law provides for over 20 direct competencies for this institution, as well as a special role in the delivery of scientific research, and even complete freedom in attracting additional funding, such as EU funding for research,” the premier Rama said.

The Albania’s Prime Minister Rama underlined that, the Academy of Sciences is returning to concrete projects and it no longer is an institution without any role in scientific life.

“The three major albanological projects are being embarked after a sad and long gap in this field, thanks to government additional funding of 100 million ALL , the “Great Dictionary of Albania”, “Albanian Encyclopedia” and “History of Albanians” ”, which are definitely not enough, but which are significant signs of life as well as other traces, finally, in a space that has had as center of gravity an institution, where many traces are found thanks to the care and knowledge of the founders of this academy,” the Prime Minister Rama said.

“Also, the legalization and signing of the agreement with the universities and their inclusion in the certification process of the candidates competing for academic title, as well as in the main projects and initiatives of the decades guarantees a complete separation from the time when the academic titles were distributed, such as the presidential medals distributed over the years, or the high state titles, with the honorable title of Skanderbeg, Naim Frashëri or Mother Teresa,” the Prime Minister Rama said.

“Today, for the first time, all the members of this Academy have in their hands the institutions’ keys. Therefore, they have taken on the burden of further change today. If there is room for improvement, we will always be ready to listen to you,” the premier said. //a.i/