Research Fellows Conference 2021

Conference was held on 14th December 2021 in lecture hall "Uhelna/Coal Room" (Building A, Technická 5, Prague - Dejvice) in a hybrid form.

Recently, our University has received a number of fellows from all around the world to work at various research positions. The conference aims to bring together the research fellows working at UCT Prague and academic scientists, postdocs and PhD students from UCT and other institutions to discuss the research topics and possible ways of collaboration. The fellows will have the opportunity to present their background and research interests to the academia. The conference will provide an ideal platform for interaction, networking and seeking new collaborations.

Program:

13:45 – 14:00 Registration & Welcome Coffee

14:00 – 14:10 Welcome Address - Prof. Dalibor Vojtěch, Vice-Rector for Research and Development

14:10 – 15:30  1st Session

• Bhupender Pal (Chemfells IV) - Electrochemistry and Optimization of Electrolytes for Electrochemical Energy Storage Devices
• Kunal Jani (ChemJets2) - Insight into the microbial communities thriving at extremes of life
• Joyce Boitumelo Matsoso (Chemfells IV) - Selective recognition of VOCs on B/N co-doped graphene
• Szabolcs Muráth (ChemJets2) - Intercalation into layered double hydroxides - strategies for hydrophobic molecules
• Abhilash Karuthedath Parameswaran (Chemfells IV) - Recent trends and challenges in research in the frontiers of research in all-solid-state batteries
• Mahashanon Arumugam (ChemJets2) - Investigation of Multifunctional (metal-doped acid-base modified SBA-15) catalyst for one-pot aldol-condensation and hydrodeoxygenation of furfural and ketones to bio-jet fuel
• Vipin Mishra (ChemJets2) - Glass Surfaces
• Huaijuan Zhou (MSCA IF ) - Micromotors for environmental remediation

15:30 – 15:50 Coffee Break

15:50 – 17:20 2nd Session

• Jalal Azadmanjiri (Chemfells IV) - Two-dimensional MXenes for energy conversion applications
• Avanish Bharati (ChemJets2) - Developing Sustainable 3D Porous Materials using Emulsion Templating method in Microfluidics
• Martin Veselý (Chemfells IV) - Investigation of the 2D material – metal nanoparticle interaction via targeted deposition
• Carlos García Hernández-Gil (ChemJets2) - Untargeted metabolomics approach to evaluate the impact of low carbohydrate diet and exercise on human plasma
• Marc Martínez De Sarasa Buchaca (ChemJets2) - Catalytic polymerization of CO2 with heterocycles to biodegradable polymers
• Sana Akir (Chemfells IV) - 2D/2D Heterojunction of V2C / BiVO4  for Nitrogene Revolution Reduction (NRR)  Performance
• Chhabilal Regmi (ChemJets2) - Mixed Matrix Membranes for gas separation : How far we are?
• Edith Mawunya Kutorglo (Chemfells IV) - Nanostructure engineering of TiO2 and its composites: a strategy to improve visible light absorption and photocatalytic efficiency

17:10 - 17:20 Information speech

17:20 – 20:00 Discussion, networking, refreshments

There are researchers, who will not be able to participate due to their schedule. However, they are still interested in cooperation.

• Jinhua Li (Chemfells IV)

Bhupender Pal (Chemfells IV)

Scientific specialization & research interest and experience before UCT

• PhD from: Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, Patiala, India
• My last position: Postdoctoral researcher, Universiti of Malaysia, Pahang, Malaysia
• My former collaborations:
  • Donghua University, Shanghai, China
  • University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
  • University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia,
• My scientific highlights:
  • During my PhD, I have studied the effect of particle size, shape, silica coating and laser irradiation on thermal conductivity of metal oxide (CuO, TiO₂, and WO₃) based nanofluids. I have worked on synthesis of various sizes and shapes of metal oxide (CuO, TiO₂, WO₃) nanoparticles, core shell structures (SiO₂@TiO₂, SiO₂@CuO) to improve the dispersion stability of nanoparticles in base fluids (such as water, ethylene glycol, and engine oil etc.) for cooling applications.
  • During postdoctoral period, my research focus was to design new electrode (carbon-based          materials, mixed metal oxide nanocomposites and conductive polymers) and electrolyte (aqueous and gel polymers) materials for energy storage applications. Fabrication of symmetric and asymmetric    prototype supercapacitors. Measurement of electrochemical properties by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge discharge and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.
• My achievements, awards
  • Secured 72% in MSCA-IF 2019
  • University Grants Commission Fellowship, India

Scientific specialization & research interest at UCT

• Fabrication of flexible, ultralight and scalable electrode/electrolyte materials for energy storage applications. Fabrication of prototype by 3D printing for energy storage applications.

Type of collaborations I am looking for

• In-situ characterization of full energy storage device
• Advance 3D printing techniques for real-time application of energy storage devices.

Kunal Jani (ChemJets2)

Scientific specialization & research interest and experience before UCT

• Ph.D. from: I have completed my PhD from Symbiosis International University, Pune, India.- My last position: Before joining UCT, I was working as a Research Associate at National Centre for Cell Science, Pune, India.
•  My former collaborations: During the course of my Ph.D. I had undergone training at the Department of Infectious and tropical diseases, University Hospital Grenoble, France. An extension of my PhD work was in collaboration with King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and University College London, UK.
•  My scientific highlights: My doctoral work was focused on evaluating the influence of mass gathering events on ecology and public health. It was the first study using the changes in the microbial communities as a proxy to quantify the potential risks. It further gained importance as a based study during the course of COVID-related lockdown to derive the ecological restorations, if any. 
•  My achievements, awards: I am a recipient of various travel grants and conference attendance grants of premier institutions like
  • Federation of European Microbiological Societies and Society for Applied Microbiology, UK
  • European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Switzerland. 
  • Science and Engineering Research Board (DST-SERB), India.
  • Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), India.
  • International Society for Microbial Ecology (in India), The Netherlands.

Scientific specialization & research interest at UCT

• I am currently studying microbial communities thriving at extremes of life by using bioinformatics. In particular, we analyze the microbes at the level of communities (amplicon/metagenomics) and individual microbes (whole genome) to deduce their surviving mechanism. Additionally, it would be later exploited to derive industrially important bioactive compounds. E.g. The most famous bioactive compound derived from the extremophiles is TaqPolymerase, - a heat-stable enzyme that has revolutionized the field of molecular biology. 

Type of collaborations I am looking for

• I always eagerly look forward to having discussions to develop an inter/trans-disciplinary project. I strongly believe that discussion leads to criticism/curiosities which opens a new arena that has not yet been explored. Having said that, biology and chemistry always go hand in hand so I would be look forward to some collaborations in chemistry which will enable technological advancement to better understand biology.
• Finally, my favorite Czech phrase to open up discussions "mam rad pivo :D"

Joyce Matsoso (CHEM FELLS IV)

Scientific specialization & research interest and experience before UCT

• PhD in Chemistry (Catalysis): University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
• My last position: Research Fellow in Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1
• Country of my last position: France
• My former collaborations:
  • Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, France
  • Departamento de Físca Universidade Federal do Parana, Brazil
  • National Research Centre for Energy and Materials (CNPEM), Campinas, Sao Paulo, Brazil
  • Canadian Light Source Inc., Saskatoon, Canada
  • DST/CSIR National Centre for Nano-structured materials, South Africa
• My scientific highlights:
  • Supervision of 12 students (PhD, MSc and Honours, 2015-2020) at University of the Witwatersrand.
  • Referee for Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Sensors, Energies
  • 2007 Student Chapter for South African Nanotechnology Initiative (SANi)
  • Graduate student exchange programme to Johnson Matthey Technology Center, Sonning Common, UK.
• My achievements, awards:
  • Recipient of African Pittcon 2020 Travel Grant for 2020 Pittcon Conference, Chicago, USA.
  • Recipient of Graphene Flagship research fellowship (2018) for research at LMI UMR-5615 CNRS, Lyon.
  • 2016 National Young Spectroscopist Award recipient, South Africa.
  • 2016 Graphene Conference Student Travel grant, Genoa, Italy.

Scientific specialization & research interest at UCT

• Synthesis of 2D hybrids nanostructures as electrochemical electrodes in chemical sensors and supercapacitors.

Type of collaborations I am looking for

• DFT modelling of electrochemical energy systems. 

Szabolcs Muráth (ChemJets2)

Scientific specialization & research interest and experience before UCT

• PhD from: University of Szeged, Hungary
• My last position: research fellow at the University of Szeged, Hungary
• My former collaborations:
  • University of Szeged, Hungary
  • Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Germany
  • Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium
  • Max-IV Laboratory, Lund University, Sweden
  • HerbaPharm Europe Ltd., Hungary
• My scientific highlights:
  • collaboration with physician colleagues to attest nanomaterial antioxidant activity in human cells (Sci. Rep. 11 /2021/ 4321.)
  • preparation of highly active and stable antioxidant nanomaterials (Antioxidants 9 /2020/ 153., Soft Matter 16 /2020/ 10518., J. Colloid Interface Sci. 543 /2019/ 174.)
  • preparation of exotic layered nanomaterials (J. Catal. 391 /2020/ 282., Colloids Surf. A 574 /2019/ 146., J. Sol-Gel Sci. Technol. 89 /2019/ 844.)
• My achievements, awards: 
  • Several scholarship awarded by the Republic of Hungary, City of Szeged and University of Szeged
  • National Talent Program Award (Hungary), 2015, 2016, 2020

Scientific specialization & research interest at UCT

• Synthesis of layered materials
• Drug intercalation

Type of collaborations I am looking for

• In vitro/in vivo experiment partners for drug dissolution

Abhilash Karuthedath Parameswaran (Chemfells IV)

Scientific specialization & research interest and experience before UCT

• PhD from: Bharathiar University, Coimbatore,Tamilnadu,India (in 2016). 
• He has worked as a Post-doctoral researcher (2016-2017) at Advanced Battery Research Laboratory, Department of Physics, National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore, where he widened his knowledge with nano scale materials for advanced energy storage and device fabrications.
• Last position: worked as a Post-doctoral researcher at NEMs Lab, Nanjing University of Science and Technology (NJUST), Nanjing, China from 2017 to 2019, where he has gained his knowledge in designing 3D nano cathodes for flexible Lithium ion batteries. 
• My former collaborations
  • Advanced Battery Research Laboratory, Department of Physics,
  • National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore
  • DRDO Centre
  • Bharathiar Universsity, Coimbatore, India
  • NEMs Lab, Nanjing University of Science and Technology (NJUST), Nanjing, China
  • Energy Centre, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Pretoria, 0001, South Africa
• My scientific highlights: Dr. K.P.A. had published more than 35 research article in different International Journals. He had edited one book on All Solid State Lithium Ion Batteries and many book chapters in different publishers. He has,visited many foreign Universities and presented the research work before different audience. He has attended more than 25 international research conferences and more than 50 national conferences /workshops. Dr. KPA had worked as a Junior Research Fellow – under the Major Research Project “In search of a thin film nano-electrolyte for lithium ion batteries” Sanctioned by University Grants Commission, New Delhi, F.No. 41-842/2012 (SR). Duration : 3 years (01-09-2012 to 30-08-2015)
• Adequate experience in handling sponsored research projects
• Adequate experience in the organization of sponsored Conferences and Seminars

• My achievements, awards:
  • Passed with “Distinction” in SSLC, PLUS TWO, BSc, MSc studies
  • Obtained Chinese National Post-doctoral Award
  • Obtained the best presentation award in research paper presentation @ International conference conducted by Bharathiar Universities
  • Delivered : 5 Guest Lectures at different Universities/ Academic Institution

Scientific specialization & research interest at UCT:

• Dr. K.P.A. is now working as a Post-doctoral researcher (Under the project : CHEMFELLs IV) in the Department of inorganic Chemistry, University of Chemistry and Technology (UCT), Prague, from 2021. His research interests include all-solid-state batteries, nano-energy materials (NEMs), and novel 3D and 2D energy storage systems.

Type of collaborations I am looking for:

• I am looking for some research collaborations to carry out some in-situ type, structural, morphological and electrochemical characterizations for my studies. Also, whoever interested to test some cathode, anode, solid electrolyte materials for Lithium/Sodium/ Potassium type batteries, you are most welcome.   

Type of collaborations I am looking for:

• Collaborations in the research area of synthesis of MAX and MXene phases

Mahashanon Arumugam (ChemJets2)

Scientific specialization & research interest and experience before UCT

• PhD in Catalysis, University Putra Malaysia (UPM), Malaysia
• My last position
  • Lecturer at School of Energy and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University Malaysia
• My former collaborations
  • Aston University, UK; RMIT, Australia; University Malaya, Malaysia and National Taipei University of Technology, Taiwan.
•  My scientific highlights
  • My research is mainly focused on the development of heterogeneous catalysts for sustainable chemical processes, particularly the transformation of renewable and waste biomass into valuable fuels and chemicals. Understanding structure-activity correlations in catalytic processes, as well as rational design and development of nanoparticles and porous catalytic materials are two of my main research works.
•  My achievements, awards
  • Royal Society- International Exchange Scheme – 2016-2018/R2 (Standard Programme)
  • Universiti Putra Malaysia Financial Aid for Overseas Research Attachment (European Bioenergy Research Centre, Birmingham, UK (October 2017-January 2018)
  • Universiti Putra Malaysia Financial Aid for International Conference (2017)
  • Universiti Putra Malaysia Graduate Initiative Research Grant 2015/2016
  • My PhD Scholarship - Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia (2014-2017)
  • Sakura Youth Exchange Science Programme (1st July- 11th July 2015) by Japanese Government

 Scientific specialization & research interest at UCT

• Efficient conversion of simple biomass intermediates, such as different furanic compounds, aldehydes, ketones, acids, esters and phenolics, to hydrocarbons in the range of jet-fuel can be achieved through a one-pot approach using a multifunctional catalyst to perform multiple reaction steps simultaneously, rather than a cascade of single-function catalysts. My project in UCT is to design an efficient multifunctional catalyst for one-pot aldol condensation/ hydrodeoxygenation of biomass-derived oxygenates to jet-fuel ranged hydrocarbons. The catalyst activities were evaluated based on batch and flow experiments.

Type of collaborations I am looking for

• Characterization of porous materials and organic compounds using instrumentations such as x-ray, solid state NMR, LC-MS/NMR, porosimetry and etc.

Huaijuan Zhou (MSCA IF )

Scientific specialization & research interest and experience before UCT

• PhD from: University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
• My last position: Assistant Professor
• My former collaborations
  • University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
  • Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
  • Technische Universität Dresden
  • Hunan University
  • The University of Hong Kong
  • Shanghai Jiao Tong University
  • Curtin University
  • The Chinese University of Hong Kong
  • ETH Zürich
• My scientific highlights
  • As the first author or co-corresponding author, research work has been published in high-impact journals such as Chemical Reviews, Advanced Materials, Chem, Nature Communications, Energy & Environmental Science, Laser & Photonics Reviews, etc.
  • Hosted the “Shanghai Sailing Program” sponsored by the Shanghai Science and Technology Committee.
  • Publications of Chem 2019, 5 (3), 617-633 and Applied Catalysis B: Environmental 2019, 248, 277-285 have been recognized as “Highly-Cited” (Web of Science).
• My achievements, awards
  • “German Language Course Fellowship” sponsored by Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
  • “National Scholarship” awarded by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China
  • “National Encouragement Scholarship” awarded by Jiangsu Education Department
  • “Merit Award” provided by University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
  • “Rank A Scholarship” awarded by Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Scientific specialization & research interest at UCT

• Development of functional micromotors for efficient water purification.

Type of collaborations I am looking for

• Design and synthesis of (photo)electrodes for energy storage and conversion.

Jalal Azadmanjiri (Chemfells IV)

Scientific specialization & research interest and experience before UCT

• PhD from: Monash University
• My last position: Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Swinburne University of Technology
• My former collaborations:  I have had diverse collaborations with Australian, Chinese, Indian, and USA scientists in the field of Materials Science and Engineering.
• My scientific highlights: I succeeded to get Chemfells IV fellowship to work on 2D nanomaterials, their synthesis, characterization, and applications with Prof. Zdeněk Sofer. His research interests include nanomaterials and nanotechnology, focusing on the design, synthesis, functionalization, and characterization of nanomaterials in 0D, 1D, and 2D structures. He is also interested in the development of hybrid materials with layered nanostructures for energy storage, energy conversion, and biomedical applications, and the study of their surfaces and interfaces.
• My achievements, awards: Full Ph.D. scholarship (Monash University), Postdoctoral Research Fellow, and Chemfells IV (UCT Prague)

Scientific specialization & research interest at UCT

• My research interests include nanomaterials and nanotechnology, focusing on the design, synthesis, functionalization, and characterization of nanomaterials in 0D, 1D, and 2D structures

Type of collaborations I am looking for

• I am interested in collaborating with any university colleagues who are working on the design, synthesis, and characterization of nanomaterials in diverse shapes and structures. As well as, any research groups who are working in the area of energy storage, energy conversion and bioapplications by specific nanomaterials.  

Avanish Bharati (ChemJets2)

Scientific specialization & research interest and experience before UCT

• PhD from KU Leuven, Belgium
• My last position: Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Centre for Neutron Research (NCNR)
• Country of my last position: USA
• My former collaborations: 
  • National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), USA
  • University of Delaware, USA
  • KU Leuven, Belgium
  • TU Eindhoven, The Netherlands
  • Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, India
• My scientific highlights
  • My research involves bridging the understanding between molecular interaction and device performance in soft matter materials. This objective is achieved by offering fundamental insights into multiscale structure-dynamics-processing-performance relationships in colloids, emulsions, polymers, blends, and composites. The relationships are developed using a combination of in-house developed and advanced characterization techniques, such as rheology, dielectric spectroscopy, scattering, their combinations, modelling, and coarse-grained simulation of fundamental theories. The developed materials are useful for scalable electrical applications and electrochemical energy storage in solid-state polymer electrolytes, flow batteries, and electromagnetic interference shielding.
  • Results have been disseminated in 17 papers with 12 first-author papers, 23 international conferences, and 12 scientific conferences and symposia contributions.
  • Obtained greatest distinction (Summa cum laude) with congratulations from the jury for Ph.D. dissertation
• My achievements, awards
  • 3-Year Postdoctoral Fellowship of the Foundation for Scientific Research Flanders (FWO), Belgium
  • 1-Year Postdoctoral Fellowship from postdoctoral mandate, KU Leuven, Belgium
  • Author and co-author of 3 beamtime proposals to NIST and 1 to European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF)
  • FWO travel grant award and for participation at a workshop or course abroad
  • Society of Rheology (SoR) travel grant award to attend 88^th SoR Annual Meeting in USA
  • Honored for First Class with Distinction in Master of Engineering, Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore, India
  • Kumar-Gandhi award for outstanding Master of Chemical Eng, IISc Bangalore, India.

Scientific specialization & research interest at UCT

• Developing model application-specific 3D porous materials using emulsion templating method in millifluidics for sensor application and enzyme immobilization

Type of collaborations I am looking for

• Soft Matter Scientists with open and challenging problems
• Experimentalist working on electrochemical energy systems

Martin Veselý (Chemfells IV)

Scientific specialization & research interest and experience before UCT

• PhD from: University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague
• My last position: Postdoctoral fellow at Utrecht University
• Country of my last position: Netherlands
• My former collaborations:
  • Utrecht University, Netherlands
• Gent University, Belgium
  • Leuven University, Belgium
  • University of Göttingen, Germany
  • ETH Zurich, Switzerland
  • National Physical Laboratory, United Kingdom
  • Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals, Czechia

• My scientific highlights:
  • Nanoscale chemical imaging of solid-liquid interfaces using tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (Nanoscale, 10, 1815–1824 (2018))
  • Recent Developments on the Single Atom Supported at 2D Materials Beyond Graphene as Catalysts (ACS Catal,10 (16), 9634-9648 (2020))
  • Nickel Poisoning of a Cracking Catalyst Unravelled by Single-Particle X-ray Fluorescence-Diffraction-Absorption Tomography (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 132, 3950–3955 (2020))
  • Autogenous Formation of Gold on Layered Black Phosphorus for Catalytic Purification of Waste Water (ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 12, (20), 22702- 22709 (2020))
  • 3-D X-ray Nanotomography Reveals Different Carbon Deposition Mechanisms in a Single Catalyst Particle (ChemCatChem 13, 2494 (2020))
  • Chemical Imaging of Hierarchical Porosity Formation within a Zeolite Crystal Visualized by Small-Angle X-Ray Scattering and In-Situ Fluorescence Microscopy (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 60, 13803–13815 (2021))
• My achievements, awards:
  • Board member of the Czech Society of Industrial Chemistry
  • Dean’s Award for the best students of the year (2010)
  • Internal UCT student research grant, principal investigator, 2011. Budget (197 kCZK)
  • Internal UCT grant for pedagogical activities, principal investigator, 2021. Budget (300 kCZK)
  • Prize for the best poster, ICCT 2019

    Scientific specialization & research interest at UCT

    • Correlative microscopy and spectroscopy, image and data processing, catalytic testing and characterization.

      Type of collaborations I am looking for

      • I look for experts in operando setup for catalyst testing and in DFT calculations. I can offer help with image and data processing, including tomography.

Carlos García Hernández-Gil (ChemJets2)

Scientific specialization & research interest and experience before UCT

• PhD in Untargeted metabolomics from CEBAS-CSIC Research institute (Spanish National Council Research, Spain)
• My last position: Postdoctoral researcher at Group of quality, safety and bioactivity of plant foods (CEBAS-CISC, Spain)
• My former collaborations: Department of Biochemistry (University of Murcia, Spain); MeBios, KU Leuven (Belgium); School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (Shanghai, China); University of Florence, Dipartimento di Scienze delle Produzioni Agroalimentari e dell'Ambiente (DISPAA) (Florence, Italy)
• My scientific highlights. First author of 9 publications in Q1 Scientific Journal. Firs author of the chapter entitle “Gut microbiota interactions with dietary terpenoids and nitrogen-containing phytochemicals” included in the prestigious Elsevier book collections entitled Reference Module in Food Science. First author in Spain of a complete PhD based on Untargeted metabolomics tools.
• My achievements, awards. Awarded with a 4-year FPI grant to obtain the PhD degree from the Spanish Government.  

Scientific specialization & research interest at UCT

• Postdoctoral researcher in the department of food analysis and nutrition. Participating mainly in:
• Project focused on targeted and untargeted metabolomics analysis of human biofluids including the biomonitoring. The main project goal is evaluating the very low carbohydrate high fat diet and exercise effect on untargeted plasma and urine metabolomic signature in sedentary overweight individuals 
• Targeted metabolomics study to discover new conversion of secondary Biles acids by the human gut microbiota.

Type of collaborations I am looking for 

• Projects or studies interested to apply Untargeted metabolomics to discover new molecules or biomarkers to explaining changes in the metabolome.

Marc Martínez De Sarasa Buchaca (ChemJets2)

Scientific specialization & research interest and experience before UCT

• PhD from: University of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain
• My last position: PhD student at University of Castilla La-Mancha
• Country of my last position: Spain
• My former collaborations:
  • University of Castilla La-Mancha, Ciudad Real, Spain
  • University of Castilla La-Mancha, Facultad de Farmacia, Spain
  • Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence, University of York, Prof. Michael North
  • University of California Los Ángeles (UCLA), Prof. Paula Diaconescu
  • Universiteit van Amsterdam, HomKaT Group, Prof. Bas de Bruin
• My scientific highlights:
  • Author and co-author of 12 publications, including a Chapter Book in homogeneous catalysis.
  • Organizing committee in the International School on Organometallic Cheistry “Marcial Moreno Mañas”.
  • 2 poster and 2 flash presentations, and 2 oral communications in international conferences.
• My achievements, awards:
  • Visiting Student Fellowship, 2019: University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Chemistry and Biochemistry Department.
  • Winner of the VI Prize of Young Science at UCLM

Sana Akir (Chemfells IV)

Scientific specialization & research interest and experience before UCT

• • PhD from: Faculty of Sciences of Bizerte (Tunisia)
  • My last position: Researcher- University of Science, Bizerte-Tunisia
  • Country of my last position: Tunisia
  • My former collaborations
  • Technopole Borj Cedria – Tunisia
  •  Institute of Electronics, Microelectronics and Nanotechnology, University of Lille- France
  • scientific highlights: My research interests involved the synthesis with green chemistry, characterizations and surface modification of nanomaterials and their photocatalytic application. During my graduate careers, I spent many internships in abroad and I had a teaching experience in inorganic Chemistry at Faculty of Science Bizerte-Tunisia. I collaborated and co-authored several conferences and international papers with researchers in different areas of chemistry and physics.

   

  Scientific specialization & research interest at UCT

  The major aim is developing novel materials and processes to advance Energy         devices: Hydrogen Fuel cells, Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER), Super capacitors, Nitrogene Reduction Reaction (NRR)

   

  Type of collaborations I am looking for:

    I am interested in collaborating with universities and research groups working in the area of 2D materials and Energy devices

Chhabilal Regmi (ChemJets2)

Scientific specialization & research interest and experience before UCT

• PhD in Advanced Materials Engineering for Energy and Environmental Applications from Sun Moon University, Republic of Korea
• My last position
  • Guest Scientist Research fellow at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute of Advanced Membrane Technology (IAMT), Karlsruhe, Germany
• Country of my last position
  • Germany
• Former collaborations
  • Leibniz Institute of Surface Engineering, Germany, Institute of Microstructure Technology (IMT-KIT), Germany, Institut National de La Recherche  Scientifique, Quebec Canada,  Institute of Biomolecule Reconstruction, Department of BT-Convergent Pharmaceutical Engineering, Sun Moon University, Republic of Korea, Instituto Potosino de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica, IPICYT, San Luis Potosí, México
• Scientific Highlights
  • I completed my Ph.D. degree from Sun Moon University, Republic of Korea. My PhD was focused on development of hierarchical nanomaterials for catalytic/photocatalytic applications for pollutants removal. As a post-doctoral researcher at the Department of Advanced Membrane Technology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) I was developing self-cleaning membrane. The idea brought together the experience in that the photocatalytic nanoparticles were incorporated into ceramic/polymeric membrane enabling a breakthrough in terms application of these novel material to solve global challenges in water engineering. With the background of Chemistry shifting towards Materials Engineering then advancing knowledge towards Chemical Engineering, currently in UCT, my research is focused on the development of multifunctional Mixed Matrix Membranes for natural gas/bio gas upgrading.

Scientific specialization and research interest at UCT

• Synthesis of novel hybrid mixed matrix membranes for selective CO₂-CH₄/N₂ separation. I am keenly interested on the development of mixed matrix membranes with highly selective and catalytic properties for the one-pot separation of CO₂ from the gases mixture and its subsequent conversion to CH₄.

Type of collaboration I am looking for

• Computational chemist for the study of the catalytic behavior of fillers during CO₂ conversion process.

Edith Mawunya Kutorglo (Chemfells IV)

Scientific specialization & research interest and experience before UCT

• PhD in Chemical and Process Engineering from UCT, Prague (2019)
•   My former collaborations:
  • ETH Zurich, Switzerland
  • University of Bath, UK
  • Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain
  • Université de Montpellier, France
  • MemBrain s.r.o, Czechia

•  My scientific highlights:
  • I developed hierarchically porous 3-D adsorbents from polyaniline which exhibit one of the highest CO₂ adsorption capacities reported for porous carbons so far (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2018.10.133).
  • I received “Recognized reviewer status" for my reviewing activities for Chemical Engineering Journal (Elsevier). I am also a reviewer for Catalysts (MDPI), Powder Technology (Elsevier), Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids (Elsevier), JCIS (Elsevier), Jounal of Colloids and Surfaces A (Elsevier).
• My achievements, awards
  • Seal of excellence awarded by the European Commission for my project proposal 3-D Composite Photocat submitted under the MSCA call H2020-MSCA-IF-2019 scored as a high quality proposal in a highly competetive evaluation process.
  • Travel Bursary from the European Colloid and Interface Society (ECIS) to participate in ESC conferences, 2x (17th ESC conference 2019 and 16th ESC conference 2017).
  • Full sponsorship from BASF for participating in the 135th International Summer Course, 19th – 25th August, 2018 in Ludwigshafen, Germany.
  • Awarded Erasmus Mundus full scholarship worth 48000 euros for enrolling in the Joint M.Sc. Membrane Engineering program (2013 – 2015).
  • Awarded for being the best graduating student in the B.Sc. Biochemistry Class (2011/2012), University of Cape Coast, Ghana (First Class Honours).

Scientific specialization & research interest at UCT

• Environmental protection and clean enerygy production are two of the major problems facing the world today. Photocatalytic processes that utilize free energy from the sun and recycle waste CO₂ are promising to solve these problems. To achieve this goal, efficient catalysts are needed. My current research focuses on the synthesis and nanostructure engineering of metal oxide catalysts and their composites for visible light driven water splitting and CO₂ reduction. I also specialize in the design, characterization and investigation of structure-function relationship in 3-D porous materials for CO₂ capture and enzyme immobilization.

Type of collaborations I am looking for

• Catalyst characterization (Ultraviolet–vis diffuse reflectance spectrometer, HPLC, GC-MS, Photoluminescence spectrofluorometer)
• Photocatalytic CO₂ reduction, water splitting and hydrogenation reactions
• Enzyme immobilization and activity testing

Jinhua Li (Chemfells IV)

Scientific specialization & research interest and experience before UCT

• PhD from: University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
• My last position: Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (AvH) Fellow
• My former collaborations
  • Technische Universität Dresden
  • The University of Hong Kong
  • City University of Hong Kong
  • Shanghai Jiao Tong University
  • University of California, Los Angeles
  • University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
  • Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
  • Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
  • Tianjin University
  • Zhejiang University
• My scientific highlights
  • Research interests focus on Biomaterials, Immunotherapy, 3D Printing, Drug Delivery, Tissue Engineering, and Regenerative Medicine.
  • Scientific publications of 53 SCI papers in high-impact journals (e.g. Advanced Materials, Materials Today, Chemical Society Reviews, Materials Science and Engineering: R: Reports, Advanced Functional Materials, Nature Communications, Advanced Science, Materials Horizons, and Biomaterials) and 1 book chapter.
  • Invited journal referee for Advanced Materials, Biomaterials, Laser & Photonics Reviews, Applied Materials Today, Journal of Materials Chemistry B, Biomaterials Science, RSC Advances, New Journal of Chemistry, Materials Letters, etc.
  • The publication of Materials Science and Engineering: R: Reports 2020, 140, 100543 (first author and co-corresponding author) has been recognized as Essential Science Indicators (ESI) Highly Cited Paper.
• My achievements, awards
  • “Outstanding Research Output Award” awarded by University of Hong Kong
  • “Humboldt Research Fellowships for Postdoctoral Researchers” sponsored by Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
  • “German Language Course Fellowship” sponsored by Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
  • “National Scholarship for Distinguished Doctorates” awarded by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China
  • “Excellent YAN Dongsheng Scholarship” awarded by Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
  • “UCAS-BHPB Scholarship for Distinguished Doctorates” awarded by University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and BHP Billiton(Australia company)
  • “BAOSTEEL Scholarship for Distinguished Doctorates” awarded by Baosteel Education Foundation
  • “National Scholarship for Distinguished Undergraduates” awarded by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China
  • “Outstanding Student of Anhui Province” awarded by Anhui Provincial Department of Education
  • “National Encouragement Scholarship for Distinguished Undergraduates” awarded by Anhui Provincial Department of Education
  • “Rank A Scholarship” awarded by Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
  • “Outstanding PhD Graduate” awarded by Shanghai Municipal Education Commission

Scientific specialization & research interest at UCT

• Development of biomedical materials and micro/nanomachines for intelligent drug delivery and precision disease therapy.

 Type of collaborations I am looking for

• Preclinical study of biomaterials for translational medicine.

Vipin Mishra (ChemJets2)

• Ph.D.: Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, India   
• My last position: PostDoctoral Researcher at J. Heyrovsky Institute of Physical Chemistry, Prague
• Scientific Highlights:  During my Doctoral studies my research was directed towards the synthesis of ultrathin films of advanced 2D hybrid material (COF, MOF, Selfassembly) and their characterization on graphite surfaces.
• During my post-doctoral research, I have been involved with the synthesis of the single crystal of MOF and its luminescence studies.
• Awards: Best paper presentation at “International Conference on Thin Films (ICTF), 2017”

• CSIR-JRF Fellowship scheme for Ph.D.
• Scientific specialization & research interest at UCT: The surface properties of glasses and their degradation behavior. Effect of glass composition on corrosion behavior using Secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS), Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) composition analysis, and Raman spectroscopy. 
• Type of collaborations I am looking for: Synthesis and characterization of advanced ceramic materials, hybrid functional materials (2D and 3D).

Past Research Fellows Events

• Research Fellows 2018

                                                                                                        LTI20005, INTER-INFORM