Dr Mohamed Abdellah
Mohamed got his PhD degree in the synthesis and utilization of polymeric OSN membranes from The University of Melbourne in 2020. He worked as a research fellow at The University of Melbourne for one year before Joining KAUST as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow. Mohamed’s research interest focuses on the synthesis of bio-derived selective membranes and their applications in liquid and gas separation. ORCID profile.
Dr Rifan Hardian
Rifan received his PhD in Materials Science from Aix-Marseille University, France, within the European Commission’s Marie Curie Actions under the supervision of Philip Llewellyn and Marie-Vanessa Coulet. He worked as an Early Stage Researcher at MADIREL Laboratory to investigate the interplay between texture, structure, and reactivity in Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs), particularly in the case of defective, amorphous, and metal-encapsulated MOFs. His research interest encompasses gas storage, separation, and heterogenous catalysis. Read more about Rifan at his Blog, LinkedIn and GoogleScholar profiles.
Publications:
- R. Hardian, K.A. Miller, L. Cseri, S. Roy, J. Gayle, R. Vajtai, P.M. Ajayan, G. Szekely, 2D Conjugated Microporous Polymer Membranes for Organic Solvent Nanofiltration, Chemical Engineering Journal, 2023, 452, 139457 – IF: 16.7
- R. Hardian, A. Alammar, T. Holtzl, G. Szekely, Fabrication of sustainable organic solvent nanofiltration membranes using cellulose–chitosan biopolymer blends, Journal of Membrane Science, 2022, 658, 120743 – IF: 9.2
- J. Cavalcante, R. Hardian, G. Szekely, Antipathogenic upcycling of face mask waste into separation materials using green solvents, Sustainable Materials and Technologies, 2022, 32, e00448 – IF: 10.7
- M.A. Abdulhamid, R. Hardian, G. Szekely, Carbon molecular sieve membranes with integrally skinned asymmetric structure for organic solvent nanofiltration (OSN) and organic solvent reverse osmosis (OSRO), Applied Materials Today, 2022, 28, 101541 – IF: 8.7
- J. Hu, R. Hardian, M. Gede, T. Holtzl, G. Szekely, Reversible crosslinking of polybenzimidazole-based organic solvent nanofiltration membranes using difunctional organic acids: Toward sustainable crosslinking approaches, Journal of Membrane Science, 2022, 648, 120383 – IF: 9.2
- A. Alammar, R. Hardian, G. Szekely, Upcycling agricultural waste into membranes: from date seed biomass to oil and solvent-resistant nanofiltration, Green Chemistry, 2022, 24, 365
– IF: 11
- R. Hardian, R. M. Cywar, E. Y.-X. Chen, G. Szekely, Sustainable nanofiltration membranes based on biosourced fully recyclable polyesters and green solvents, Journal of Membrane Science Letters, 2022, 2, 100016
- M.A. Abdulhamid, R. Hardian, P.M. Bhatt, S.J. Datta, A. Ramirez, J. Gascon, M. Eddaoudi, G. Szekely, Molecular engineering of intrinsically microporous polybenzimidazole for energy-efficient gas separation, Applied Materials Today, 2022, 26, 101271 – IF: 8.7
- L. Cseri, R. Hardian, S. Anan, H. Vovusha, U. Schwingenschlogl, P.M. Budd, K. Sada, K. Kokado, G. Szekely, Bridging the interfacial gap in mixed-matrix membranes by nature-inspired design: Precise molecular sieving with polymer-grafted metal–organic frameworks, Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 2021, 9, 23793 (selected for front cover; 2021 Journal of Materials Chemistry A most popular articles)
– IF: 14.5
- K.R. Balaji, R. Hardian, V.G.D. Kumar, R. Viswanatha, S. Kumar, S.Kumar, A. Singh, M.S. Santosh, G.Szekely, Composite nanofiltration membrane comprising one-dimensional erdite, two-dimensional reduced graphene oxide, and silkworm pupae binder, Materials Today Chemistry, 2021, 22, 100602 – IF: 7.6
F. Topuz, M.A. Abdulhamid, R. Hardian, T. Holtzl, G. Szekely, Nanofibrous membranes comprising intrinsically microporous polyimides with embedded metal–organic frameworks for capturing volatile organic compounds, Journal of Hazardous Materials, 2022, 424, 127347 – IF: 14.2
- M.A. Abdulhamid, R. Hardian, G. Szekely, Waltzing around the stereochemistry of membrane crosslinkers for precise molecular sieving in organic solvents, Journal of Membrane Science, 2021, 638, 119724 – IF: 9.2
R. Hardian, P. Pogany, Y.M. Lee, G. Szekely, Molecular sieving using metal–polymer coordination membranes in organic media, Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 2021, 9, 14400.
– IF: 14.5
R. Hardian, Z. Liang, X. Zhang, G. Szekely, Artificial intelligence: the silver bullet for sustainable materials development, Green Chemistry, 2020, 22, 7521.
– IF: 11
P. Kisszekelyi, R. Hardian, H. Vovusha, B. Chen, X. Zeng, U. Schwingenschlogl, J. Kupai, G. Szekely, Selective Electrocatalytic Oxidation of Biomass-derived
5-Hydroxymethylfurfural to 2,5-Diformylfuran: From Mechanistic Investigations to Catalyst Recovery, ChemSusChem, 2020, 13, 3127. (selected for front cover)– IF: 9.1
Claudia Iluhi Oviedo Osornio
Claudia earned her bachelor’s degree in Medicinal Chemistry at UAQ in Mexico, which provided her with a broad knowledge in chemistry, pharmacy, and biology. Throughout the degree, she was selected for an international placement in Spain and another one within Mexico’s top universities, UNAM in Mexico City. At UNAM, she completed her dissertation, which centered on complementing computational tools, statistics, and laboratory results to drastically reduce the time required for drug discovery. Nowadays, she is working towards her MS-PhD degree focused on the effect of deacetylation on cellulose acetate membranes for liquid separations. Expected MS graduation: 2022, PhD graduation: 2025. ORCiD profile, LinkedIn profile.
Aron Beke
Aron received his Chemical Engineering BSc degree from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, with a specialization in pharmaceutical chemistry and technology. By combining the pharmaceutical sciences with process engineering and machine learning, Aron worked on modeling continuous pharmaceutical technologies before joining the group as an MS/PhD student in 2021 to extend his work to membrane processes. Expected MS graduation: 2022, PhD graduation: 2025. ORCiD profile, LinkedIn profile.
Publications:
- S. Overmans, G. Ignacz, A.K. Beke, J. Xu, P. Saikaly, G. Szekely, K.J. Lauersen, Continuous extraction and concentration of secreted metabolites from engineered microbes using membrane technology, Green Chemistry, 2022, 5479 (selected for 2022 HOT Green Chemistry article; selected for front cover)
– IF: 11
Diana Gulyas Oldal
Diana received her BS degree in Chemical Engineering from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, and she joined the group as a visiting student in January 2020. She continued her work in the group as an MS student from August 2020. Diana defended her MS thesis, focused on electrospinning biodegradable polymers using green solvents, in April 2022. She was awarded the highly competitive KAUST Discovery Doctoral Fellowship and now continues her studies as a PhD student in our group. Expected PhD graduation: 2025. ORCiD profile, LinkedIn profile.
Publications:
- D.G. Oldal, F. Topuz, T. Holtzl, G. Szekely, Green Electrospinning of Biodegradable Cellulose Acetate 2 Nanofibrous Membranes with Tunable Porosity, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 2023, 11, 994 – IF: 9.2
- F. Topuz, D.G. Oldal, G. Szekely, Valorization of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Plastic Wastes as Nanofibrous Membranes for Oil Removal: Sustainable Solution for Plastic Waste and Oil Pollution, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2022, 61, 9077 – IF: 4.3
Nawader Alqadhi
Nawader received her MS degree in Chemistry from Taibah University, Saudi Arabia. Nawader was a lecturer at Taibah University, after which she decided to pursue a PhD degree. She joined the group as a PhD student to investigate the solvent effect in the field of organic solvent nanofiltration. PhD graduation: 2024. ORCiD profile.
Publications:
- G. Ignacz, N. Alqadhi, G. Szekely, Explainable machine learning for unraveling solvent effects in polyimide organic solvent nanofiltration membranes, Advanced Membranes, 2023, 3, 100061
Joyce Cavalcante
Joyce received her MS degree in Material Science and Engineering from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, in Brazil. She joined the group as a PhD student to investigate the fabrication and characterization of biopolymer-based membranes, and their separation performance in organic media. PhD graduation: 2023. LinkedIn profile.
Publications:
- J. Cavalcante, R. Hardian, G. Szekely, Antipathogenic upcycling of face mask waste into separation materials using green solvents, Sustainable Materials and Technologies, 2022, 32, e00448 – IF: 10.7
Martin Gede
Martin received his BEng and MEng degrees in Chemical Engineering from Budapest University of Technology and Economics, and he was a visiting student in the group during the summer of 2019. He joined the group as a PhD student in 2020 to develop nanocomposite membranes and intrinsically microporous polymers for various separation challenges. PhD graduation: 2023. ORCiD profile.
Publications:
- J. Hu, R. Hardian, M. Gede, T. Holtzl, G. Szekely, Reversible crosslinking of polybenzimidazole-based organic solvent nanofiltration membranes using difunctional organic acids: Toward sustainable crosslinking approaches, Journal of Membrane Science, 2022, 648, 120383 – IF: 9.2
Cong Yang
Cong received her MS degree from the University of Manchester. Cong’s PhD research focuses on developing green, solvent-resistant thin film composite membranes for organic solvent nanofiltration. PhD graduation: 2023.
Publications:
- C. Yang, G. Szekely, Ultrathin 12-nm-thick solvent-resistant composite membranes from biosourced dialdehyde starch and priamine building blocks, Advanced Membranes, 2022, 2, 100041 (selected for journal cover)
- C. Yang, F. Topuz, S.-H. Park, G. Szekely, Biobased thin-film composite membranes comprising priamine–genipin selective layer on nanofibrous biodegradable polylactic acid support for oil and solvent-resistant nanofiltration, Green Chemistry, 2022, 24, 5291
– IF: 11
- S.-H. Park, C. Yang, N. Ayaril, G. Szekely, Solvent-resistant Thin Film Composite Membranes from Biomass-derived Building Blocks: Chitosan and 2,5-Furandicarboxaldehyde, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 2022, 10, 998 (selected for journal cover)
– IF: 9.2
- G. Ignacz, C. Yang, G. Szekely, Diversity matters: Widening the chemical space in organic solvent nanofiltration, Journal of Membrane Science, 2022, 641, 119929
– IF: 9.2
Jiahui Hu
Jiahui received her MS degree from the University of Manchester under the supervision of Dr Thomas Rodgers. Jiahui’s PhD research focuses on exploring the potential of artificial intelligence for advancing membrane separations, and developing novel membranes for organic solvent nanofiltration. PhD graduation: 2023. LinkedIn profile.
Publications:
- J. Hu, R. Hardian, M. Gede, T. Holtzl, G. Szekely, Reversible crosslinking of polybenzimidazole-based organic solvent nanofiltration membranes using difunctional organic acids: Toward sustainable crosslinking approaches, Journal of Membrane Science, 2022, 648, 120383 – IF: 9.2
J. Hu, C. Kim, P. Halasz, J.F. Kim, J. Kim, G. Szekely, Artificial Intelligence for Performance Prediction of Organic Solvent Nanofiltration Membranes, Journal of Membrane Science, 2021, 619, 118513 – IF: 9.2
Gergo Ignacz
Gergo received his MRes from the University of Manchester in The Szekely Group, and his thesis focused on polymers of intrinsic microporosity in nanofiltration systems. After one year of working in the pharmaceutical industry, he joined the Group again, this time as a PhD student. Gergo is developing nature-inspired polymers and membranes for separations, in particular organic solvent nanofiltration. PhD graduation: 2023. LinkedIn and GoogleScholar profiles.
Publications:
- G. Ignacz, N. Alqadhi, G. Szekely, Explainable machine learning for unraveling solvent effects in polyimide organic solvent nanofiltration membranes, Advanced Membranes, 2023, 3, 100061
- S. Overmans, G. Ignacz, A.K. Beke, J. Xu, P. Saikaly, G. Szekely, K.J. Lauersen, Continuous extraction and concentration of secreted metabolites from engineered microbes using membrane technology, Green Chemistry, 2022, 5479 (selected for 2022 HOT Green Chemistry article; selected for front cover)
– IF: 11
- G. Ignacz, G. Szekely, Deep learning meets quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) for leveraging structure-based prediction of solute rejection in organic solvent nanofiltration, Journal of Membrane Science, 2022, 646, 120268
– IF: 9.2
- S. Kumar, G. Ignacz, G. Szekely, Synthesis of covalent organic frameworks using sustainable solvents and machine learning, Green Chemistry, 2021, 23, 8932
– IF: 11
- G. Ignacz, C. Yang, G. Szekely, Diversity matters: Widening the chemical space in organic solvent nanofiltration, Journal of Membrane Science, 2022, 641, 119929
– IF: 9.2
Fadhilah Alduraiei
Fadhilah received her MS degree from KAUST under Prof Peng Wang. Her project focused on superwettable membranes for highly efficient separation of oil in water emulsions. She worked on multiple environmental sustainability projects, which looks into treating industrial waste. Fadhilah develops TFC membranes for separations in non-polar organic solvents in collaboration with Professor Suzana Nunes. PhD graduation: 2023.
Publications:
- B. Alhazmi, F. Alduraiei, P. Manchanda, S. Chisca, G. Szekely, S.P. Nunes, Naturally-derived Allylated Gallic Acid for Interfacially Polymerized Membranes, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 2022, 10, 13585 (selected for journal cover) – IF: 9.2
- F. Alduraiei, S. Kumar, J. Liu, S.P. Nunes, G. Szekely, Rapid fabrication of fluorinated covalent organic polymer membranes for organic solvent nanofiltration, Journal of Membrane Science, 2022, 648, 120345 – IF: 9.2
- F. Alduraiei, P. Manchanda, B. Pulido, G. Szekely, S.P. Nunes, Fluorinated thin-film composite membranes for nonpolar organic solvent nanofiltration, Separation and Purification Technology, 2021, 279, 119777 – IF: 9.1