About me

"Advancing sustainable energy solutions through computational catalysis and hydrogen production research"

I am a computational catalysis researcher blending heterogeneous experimentation with high-performance modelling (DFT, MD, AI/ML) to design low-carbon hydrogen and CO₂ utilisation pathways. I deliver reactor innovations, cross-functional collaborations, and data-driven workflows that accelerate catalyst discovery from concept to pilot scale.

Currently serving as a Postdoctoral Researcher at University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P) in Morocco, I steer multi-institutional hydrogen production and CO₂ valorisation programmes, building automated computational pipelines on HPC clusters and deploying machine learning tools to reduce experimental screening time by ~40%.

Research Expertise

  • Computational Catalysis

    Computational Catalysis

    Density Functional Theory (DFT), Molecular Dynamics, and Microkinetic Modeling using Quantum ESPRESSO, VASP, Gaussian, LAMMPS, Cantera, and CHEMKIN.

  • Hydrogen Production

    Hydrogen Production

    Development of sustainable hydrogen production pathways through photocatalysis and thermochemical processes, with focus on catalyst design and reactor optimization.

  • Machine Learning in Chemistry

    Machine Learning in Chemistry

    Deploying ML and LLM tools for catalyst formulation screening, reducing experimental time and accelerating discovery of optimal materials for energy applications.

  • Experimental Catalysis

    Experimental Catalysis

    Expertise in XRD, XPS, Raman, BET, SEM/EDS characterization; Sol-gel and CVD synthesis; CO oxidation and photocatalysis testing.

Academic Achievements

  • Outstanding International Student

    UCAS, Beijing, China (2022)

  • CAS-TWAS Fellowship

    The World Academy of Sciences (2020-2024)

  • Belt and Road Fellowship

    UCAS, Beijing, China (2017-2020)

  • Top Crisis Manager

    UET Lahore, Pakistan (2016)

Research Interests

  • Hydrogen Production
  • CO₂ Valorization
  • Heterogeneous Catalysis
  • Photocatalysis
  • Machine Learning in Chemistry

Resume

Download CV

Education

  1. PhD, Engineering Thermophysics

    Aug 2017 — Aug 2023

    University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China 🇨🇳
    Built coupled experimental–computational workflows for heterogeneous and photo-catalytic systems. Created bespoke photocatalytic reactors increasing quantum efficiency by 35%. Authored 8+ peer-reviewed articles through international collaborations.

  2. BSc, Mechanical Engineering (Fluid Dynamics)

    Aug 2012 — Aug 2016

    University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan 🇵🇰
    Graduated with specialization in fluid dynamics. Completed industry-sponsored design projects utilizing CAD/CAM, CFD, and experimental validation of thermal processes.

Professional Experience

  1. Postdoctoral Researcher

    2025 — Present

    University Mohammed VI Polytechnic (UM6P), Morocco 🇲🇦
    Steering multi-institutional hydrogen production and CO₂ valorisation programmes. Building automated DFT, molecular dynamics, and micro-kinetic pipelines on HPC cluster. Deploying ML and LLM tools to reduce experimental screening time by ~40%.

  2. Postdoctoral Researcher

    2023 — 2024

    Institute of Engineering Thermophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 🇨🇳
    Mentored 5+ international researchers, improving catalytic test repeatability by 25%. Co-led CO oxidation and methane activation campaigns, delivering three peer-reviewed papers and two invited talks.

  3. Intern Engineer

    2016 — 2017

    Pakistan Industrial Technical Assistance Centre (PITAC), Lahore 🇵🇰
    Supported CAD/CAM workflows and produced fabrication drawings for bespoke tooling projects. Documented test procedures and implemented design refinements for thermal systems.

Technical Skills

  • Computational Modeling
    Expert

    DFT, MD, Quantum ESPRESSO, VASP, Gaussian, LAMMPS

  • Catalysis & Kinetics
    Expert

    Microkinetic Modeling, Cantera, CHEMKIN, Reaction Mechanisms

  • Programming & HPC
    Advanced

    Python, Bash, Git, High-Performance Computing, LaTeX

  • Experimental Techniques
    Advanced

    XRD, XPS, Raman, BET, SEM/EDS, Sol-gel, CVD

  • Machine Learning
    Advanced

    ML for catalyst screening, LLM tools, Data-driven workflows

  • Technical Communication
    Expert

    Scientific Writing, Adobe Illustrator, CAD/CAM, Research Supervision

Languages

  • English
    Fluent
  • Urdu
    Native
  • Mandarin
    Conversational

Publications

11 peer-reviewed publications with focus on computational catalysis, hydrogen production, and sustainable energy solutions. Publications indexed in high-impact journals including ACS Omega, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, and Materials Research Bulletin.

11+

Publications

International

Collaborations

ORCID

0000-0003-1828-9458

Selected Publications

Selected Conference Presentations

  • 2021

    European Combustion Meeting

    Australia 🇦🇺

    Ab Initio Calculation of Surface Thermochemistry for Popular Solid Transition Metal-Based Species

  • 2020

    Chinese Combustion Symposium

    Tianjin, China 🇨🇳

    Insight into one-step synthesis of active amorphous La-Co thin films for catalytic oxidation of CO

Contact

Get In Touch

Address

University Mohammed VI Polytechnic
Ben Guerir, Morocco 🇲🇦

Professional Profiles

ORCID | GitHub | LinkedIn | Google Scholar

Research Collaboration & Opportunities

I am open to collaborations in computational catalysis, hydrogen production, and sustainable energy research. Feel free to reach out for potential research partnerships, consulting opportunities, or academic discussions.