Nikhil Komalla & Joy Adul showcased their Research During the 2025 Materials Day and EME Students Poster Presentations 

Congratulations to Nikhil Komalla and Joy Adul on presenting their research work during this year’s Materials Day and EME Research Showcase. During the 2025 Materials Day, Nikhil presented his work on "Theory-Guided Design and Optimization of Bio-Inspired Iron-Nickel Sulfide Electrocatalysts for Green Hydrogen Production", and Joy presented her research on "Photocatalytic properties of Calcium Copper Titanate (CaCu3Ti4O12): Insights from First-Principles Density Functional Theory"  For the EME Student Poster Showcase, Nikhil presented his work on "Theory Guided Design of Cu₃P/MnP Heterostructures Hybridized Active Rh co-catalyst for Efficient Water Splitting".

Dr. Dzade Attends Saudi Aramco T&D 2025 College Fair, Dammam, Saudi Arabia

Dr. Dzade had the incredible privilege of representing the Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering (EME) and the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences (EMS) at the Saudi Aramco T&D 2025 College Fair, which took place September 1-5, 2025, at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Aramco T&D College Fair reflects their long-standing commitment to Training and Development excellence. The event brought together representatives from 38 universities worldwide to engage directly with students, parents, teachers, the public, and counselors from some of Saudi Arabia's most prominent educational establishments, creating a hub for information exchange, opportunity exploration, networking, and the discovery of future opportunities.

We took the “WE ARE” spirit along with us, which made Penn State particularly popular, often attracting a large number of visitors. We showcased Penn State’s and our departmental offerings to attract talented individuals who are eager to learn and grow. By proactively participating in this event, we were able to directly connect with top talents – i.e., the best and brightest minds from Saudi Aramco communities, local high schools, and international schools.  We were also able to build strategic partnerships with Saudi Aramco and explore collaboration in training and development and beyond.

Dr. Linda Nyamen Visited Penn State via the U.S.-Africa Frontiers Fellowships

It was an incredible honor for the MMT Group to host Dr. Linda Dyorisse Nyamen from the University of Yaoundé I, Cameroon, during her four-week visit to Penn State. Her visit was sponsored by our recent joint U.S.-Africa Frontiers Fellowships award by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM). The goal of the U.S.-Africa Frontiers Fellowship is to enhance and strengthen scientific and technological cooperation and capacity between researchers and institutions in the United States and the countries of the African Union.

During Dr. Nyamen's visit, we developed new research ideas and established a synergistic experimental-computational program to design and synthesize novel transition metal sulfide materials for photocatalytic applications. Dr Linda was able to characterize some of her samples brought from Cameroon using the state-of-the-art facilities at the Materials Characterization Lab in the Penn State Materials Research Institute. She was also honored to deliver an AESEDA Indaba, where she showcased her research work on “Novel Synthesis of Metal Sulfide Nanomaterials for Environmental Photocatalytic Applications”. She concluded her visit with a day trip to explore the historical heart of Washington, D.C. 

August 5th - Septermber 6th, 2025

Nikhil Komalla Delivered His 1st International Oral Presentation at the 5th ISF Conference, U.K

Congratulations to Nikhil on attending and delivering his first international oral presentation on the topic “Theory Guided Design of MoO₃/NiMoO₄ Heterostructures Hybridized Active Pt Co-catalyst for Efficient Water Splitting,” at the Royal Society of Chemistry’s 5th International Solar Fuels Conference in Newcastle, United Kingdom, 1 - 5 September 2025. “As my first international presentation, it was an exciting opportunity to learn from and engage with the global solar fuels community”, Nikhil said. The conference's themed topics range from fundamental (photo)electrocatalysts for sustainable fuels to device deployment, offering a perfect blend of both micro- and macro-scale perspectives.

Welcome-Back Party for Henry

The MMT Group hosted a welcome-back party to celebrate Henry's return from Nigeria on July 4th, 2025.

MMT Group Photoshoot

The MMT Group had a group photoshoot on June 30th, 2025.

Award: Dr Nelson Dzade Receives the National Academies US-African Frontiers Fellowship

Congratulations to Dr. Nelson Dzade on the award of the prestigious U.S.-Africa Frontiers Fellowship by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) to build high-impact research collaboration and strengthen capacity building with African scientists. In addition, three African scientists will be visiting Penn State 

“It is an incredible honor for me to be awarded two National Academies US-African Frontiers Fellowships to host Dr. Linda Nyamen from the University of Yaoundé I, Cameroon here at Penn State and for me to visit Dr. Lahoucine Atourki at Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco, to conduct hands-on training workshop on materials modeling for graduate students and faculty. 

Read Penn State Press Release on this HERE

Dr. Dzade attends ASESMA-2025 @ University of Ghana 

Dr Dzade attended the 8th edition of the African School on Electronic Structure Methods and Applications (ASESMA-2025) as an invited speaker/instructor, held at the University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana, from June 9 to June 20, 2025. With participants from 16 African countries, and lecturers and tutors from four continents, the ASESMA is a truly global initiative that fosters the development and adoption of advanced methods for atomistic simulations, with roots in fundamental research and applications in physics, chemistry, biology, and materials science. The school benefits from the active participation of iconic figures in the field, like Richard Martin, Shobhana Narasimhan, and Mark Casida, from the engagement of many brilliant scientists, and from the joyful enthusiasm of all involved people. Dr Dzade delivered lectures on Pseudopotentials - ultrasoft and PAW method, as well as led a team project on surface modeling - where he taught team members how to create surfaces and build slabs using the METADISE code and the study surface passivation reactions and mechanism. 

Joy Attends the  New Energy Summer Summit

Congratulations to Joy Adul on being selected from the largest and most competitive pool of early-career scholars (advanced PhD student, postdoc, or assistant professor) to attend this year’s New Energy Summer Summit organized by the Arthur L. Irving Institute for Energy and Society at Dartmouth College, June 22-25, 2025. Joy’s application stood out because of her incredible scholarship, dedication to enhancing your interdisciplinary engagement and collaboration skills, and her commitment to advancing just and sustainable energy transitions and climate solutions. The New Energy Summit focused on topics in energy and climate, with a strong interest in building their capacity for interdisciplinary collaboration.

Joy said she is “grateful to have joined a community of brilliant early-career researchers, practitioners, and mentors committed to tackling the world’s most pressing energy challenges. From lightning talks to product design workshops, every session pushed us to think beyond disciplines, center equity, and embrace collaboration”.

🔑 Joy’s Key takeaways: 

• Equity isn’t a side conversation—it must be embedded in every stage of the energy transition.

•  Innovation thrives when diverse perspectives come together, especially across policy, engineering, and community engagement.

• It's not just about the outcomes—we must also value the creative process and the relationships we build along the way.

More Summit about the summit is found: HERE

Information about this year's cohort of participants is found: HERE

Penn State News: Penn State Students Win First Place at DOE’s Solar District Cup Challenge

Congratulations to Dr Dzade for guiding six Penn State students (Michael Gurnee, Vaughn Kutish, Jaclyn Rawa, Maria Amalia Abreu, Kurt Phillips and Sophia Warnock ) to win a first-place award in the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Solar District Cup division, the second consecutive first-place division win for the University. The national collegiate competition challenges multidisciplinary student teams to design and model distributed energy systems for a campus or district, learning the industry-relevant skills to become leaders in clean energy. 81 teams participated in the competition. 

“I am super proud of how the team impressed the judges with their novel analysis and equity considerations,” said Dzade. “I applaud the team for their hard work, dedication, and commitment throughout the competition, which connected their coursework to real-world issues, fostered a deeper understanding of the solar industry, and prepared them for future energy careers and leadership roles.”

READ Penn State Press Release on this HERE 

Penn State News: EMS Experts Promote Research Ties at National Academies US-African Symposium

Dr Dzade's recent selection and participation in the Third U.S.-Africa Frontiers of Science, Engineering, and Medicine Symposium, held in partnership with and hosted by the Republic of Rwanda on February 18-20, 2025, in Kigali, Rwanda, has been featured in a news article by Penn State College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. Dr Dzade attended the symposium with  Lee Kump (Dean of EMS College) and colleague Nutifafa Doumon. 

The key message Dr Dzade emphasized is that “Collaborative research is crucial for scientific advancement because it allows researchers to combine diverse expertise, share resources and tackle complex problems that will be impossible for a single individual or institution to solve alone, leading to more innovative and impactful discoveries”. We want to continue to foster these collaborations that drive impactful research that’s mutually beneficial.” 

Read Penn State Press Release on this HERE

Adeline Weitknecht graduated with an MS in Energy and Mineral Engineering 

Join us in congratulating Adeline Weitknecht on earning her Master of Science Degree in Energy and Mineral Engineering from Penn State. She completed her research thesis on “Identification of Community Definitions of Energy Access and their Integration into the Solar Engineering Design Process” under the guidance of Dr. Dzade.

Everyone in the MMT Group extends their warmest congratulations to you, Adeline Weitknecht, on achieving this remarkable milestone! Her dedication and hard work have paid off. We wish all the very best in all her future endeavors!

MMT Group Research Presentation Day

On Friday, April 25th, 2025, the MMT Group has a research presentation day, which offers group members the opportunity to present their research work, build confidence, and receive feedback from their peers and PI. It was great to have Henry join via Zoom. 

2025 MRI Interdisciplinary Seed Grants and Transdisciplinary Teaming Initiative Awards

Congratulations to Dr. Dzade on being awarded Materials Research Institute (MRI) 2025 Interdisciplinary Seed Grants and Transdisciplinary Teaming Initiative awards for his proposal “Rational Design of Ecofriendly Collectors for Efficient and Selective Flotation of Critical Minerals”, funded by the. He is looking forward to discovering and optimizing some new eco-friendly flotation collectors! Check out the MRI News Article at the link below:

www.mri.psu.edu/news/news/materials-research-institute-announces-2025-seed-grant-recipients 

EI-IPDR Sympossium Updates and Highlights 

The Materials and Minerals Theory Group had a strong representation at the just ended 3-day Energy Institute (EI) - Inter-Institutional Program for Driving Research (IPDR) joint symposium held at Penn State, 9- 11 April, 2025. The IPDR symposium together brought together researchers and students from Penn State University, Morgan State University and Howard University to discuss important topics on Sustainable Innovations in Energy, Minerals, and Materials.

Dr. Dzade delivered a keynote lecture on the topic "Rational Design of Advanced Materials for Next-Generation Energy Conversion and Storage Devices" at the EI student-led symposium on Energy Innovations.

Nikhil Komalla gave an oral presentation about his research on "Theory-Guided Design of a Pt-MoO₃/NiMoO₄ Heterostructure Catalyst for Affordable Green Hydrogen Production" at the EI student-led symposium, winning the Second Place Prize for the best students oral presentation.

Other group members Joy Adul, Ricardo Amaral and Nishant Mishra presented posters of their research work, with Joy Adul winning the Second Place Prize for the best students poster presentation for her research on "Photocatalytic Properties of Calcium Copper Titanate (CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂): Insights from First-Principles Density Functional Theory​".

Congratulations to you all for making the MMT Group proud!  

Dr. Dzade wins EMS College 2025 Innovative Teaching Award

A special congratulations to Dr. Dzade on winning the 2025 G. Montgomery and Marion Mitchell Award for Innovative Teaching in recognition of Penn State College of Earth and Mineral Sciences faculty who use innovative teaching techniques in their courses. The award was presented at the 2025 EMS Wilson Banquet Awards held on Sunday, March 30th at the Nittany Lion Inn.

The Award Citation highlighted that:

"𝑵𝒆𝒍𝒔𝒐𝒏’𝒔 𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒍𝒚 𝒆𝒏𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒕𝒖𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑬𝑴𝑬 𝑫𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕. 𝑯𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍-𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔, 𝒇𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒓𝒐𝒐𝒎 𝒆𝒏𝒗𝒊𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒕𝒔 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒆𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒓. 𝑩𝒚 𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕-𝒃𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒏-𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒖𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔, 𝑫𝒓. 𝑫𝒛𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒂 𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒃𝒆𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒆𝒙𝒕𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒆𝒅𝒈𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔.”

Joy Attends the 2025 CERAWeek in Houston, Texas, USA  

Special congratulations to Joy Adul for being one of the few selected candidates to attend the 2025 CERAWeek held from March 10-14, 2025, in Houston, Texas, USA.

CERAWeek is recognized as the foremost annual gathering in the energy sector, rated among the top five “corporate leader conferences” worldwide. It is the world’s stage where policymakers and government leaders come together to shape the future of energy. 

I hope the lessons learned, and the connections and relationships built during CERAWeek will help advance your research and future professional life. 

Nikhil Komalla Presents His Research @ the 2025 Penn State Graduate Exhibition

Congratulations to Nikhil on presenting a poster of his research on "Pt-MoO₃/NiMoO₄ heterostructure co-catalyst for Green Hydrogen Production" at the 2025 Penn State Graduate Exhibition, hosted by J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School at Penn State. 

Ghanaians@PennState: 68th Ghana’s Independence Anniversary Celebration

On Friday, March 7th, 2025, we had the privilege of celebrating Ghana’s 68th Independence Anniversary - commemorating the heritage won for us through the blood and toil of our forefathers and pay homage to the valiant men and women who led our fight for freedom and independence.

I had the singular honor of delivering the keynote address on the theme “From Gold Coast to Global Coast: Navigating Career Success as a Ghanaian in the Diaspora”. I was later joined by Ivy M. Asuo and Beatrice Opokua Atencah on a panel discussion as we shared our professional journeys and lessons learned!

You can watch my keynote address HERE

I ended my address by reechoing the challenge from Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana's First President to "Dare ask for more in life".

“𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘮𝘦𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘢𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺; 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘯𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦 - 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 - 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘢𝘯. 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦? - Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, First President of Ghana” 

Nikhil Attends the 4th Quantum Matters in Material Sciences (QMMS) Workshop at NIST, Maryland

The MMT Group is super proud of you Nikhil Komalla for sharing your research at the two-day 𝟒𝐭𝐡 𝐍𝐈𝐒𝐓 𝐐𝐮𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐦 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 (𝐐𝐌𝐌𝐒) 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩 February 19–20, 2025, at National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Maryland.  

Nikhil presented a poster of his research work on "Theory-Guided Design of MoO₃/NiMoO₄ Heterostructures Hybridized Active Pt Co-catalyst for Efficient Water Splitting". 

The workshop provided Nikhil with an excellent opportunity to connect with other researchers, build relationships, and potentially find collaborators for future projects.

𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙋𝙝𝘿 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝, 𝙣𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠, 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠, 𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙚𝙣𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝 𝙨𝙠𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙧 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙨!

Third U.S.-Africa Frontiers of Science Symposium

Dr Dzade is proud to be among the selected few outstanding early career scientists invited by the U.S. National Academies to attend the Third U.S.-Africa Frontiers of Science, Engineering, and Medicine Symposium, held in partnership with and hosted by the Republic of Rwanda on February 18-20, 2025, in Kigali, Rwanda. It was a pleasure to attend the symposium with Nutifafa  Doumon, and the Dean of Penn State College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, Lee Kump.

The U.S.-Africa Frontiers Symposium brings together outstanding young scientists, engineers, and medical professionals from the United States and the member countries of the African Union for a series of symposia to discuss exciting advances and opportunities in their fields. The goal of these meetings is to enhance the scientific exchange and dialogue among young researchers in African countries and the United States, including the African science diaspora, and through this interaction, facilitate research collaboration within and beyond the region.

During the symposium, I had the opportunity to highlight the research activities of my research group, covering unraveling interfacial phenomena in solar cells; rational catalyst design for CO2 conversion and green hydrogen production; new battery materials and chemistries; and green flotation collector design for efficient mineral separation, which attracted a lot of interest for potential collaborations/partnerships. As the Co-Director, I also highlighted the work of AESEDA – The Alliance for Education, Science, Engineering, and Development in Africa, which serves as a coordinating body that promotes Penn State’s engagement in Africa. Its mission is to help build partnerships with African institutions that develop and foster collaboration and mutually beneficial programs.

Glad we could also catch up with my friend Ismaila Dabo at Carnegie Mellon University Africa.

𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘦, 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘹 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴, 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. 

MMT Group Research Presentation Day

On Friday 7th February, the Materials and Minerals Theory Group had an exciting and enlightening research presentation day where all members shared highlights of their research work, success stories, challenges, and the way forward. It was also a great opportunity for new members (Nishant Mishra - PhD student and Najd Alshamali -Schreyer Honors College Undergraduate research student) to introduce themselves and their research, and learn more about ongoing research in the group.

 Thanks to all group members for making it a fun, educative, and growth day. Your feedback, suggestions, and corrections for one another make you better at communicating your research and engaging with diverse audiences.  

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙝 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙢 𝙞𝙨 𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙝 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙢!

Highlights: Recent Visit to Indian Institute of Science (IISc)

Dr Dzade delivered an invited lecture on the "Semiconductor Talk Series" at the Department of Materials Engineering at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India.

His talk on "Making a Materials Difference to Green Energy Solutions via a Synergistic Computational‐Experimental Approach" highlighted the need for a multidisciplinary approach that combines advanced computation with experiments in the design and synthesis of novel functional materials for energy conversion and storage applications. Dr Dzade demonstrated this with some of our recent research results in the areas of high-efficiency perovskite solar cells and electrocatalysts for green hydrogen production.

It was a great joy for Dr Dzade to meet with his former Postdoc (Sachin R. Rondiya) who is now a faculty member at the Materials Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Science. He has built a vibrant and dynamic research group on "Energy Materials and Devices", mentoring several postdocs and graduate students, and leading several other initiatives at IISc including Industry-Academia Engagements and Semiconductor & AFT Talk Series.

Dr Dzade also had the pleasure of meeting with the African Students at IISc, where he shared with them the power of developing the right philosophies about life and research. He edged them to focus more on the "Ph." in Ph.D than on the "D". It was a fruitful and productive discussion which featured other topics such as the power of networking, skills developments, and capacity building. 

Highlights: Dr Dzade Visits JNCASR, Bangalore, India

Dr Dzade had the pleasure of visiting the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bangalore, India to deliver an invited pedagogical lecture at the Biennial School on Modelling and Simulation of Materials (January 20-22, 2025).

His lecture on the topic "Computational Modeling of Energy Band Alignment at Semiconductor Heterojunctions" was well received and generated lots of discussions and follow-ups.

He had the privilege and honor of meeting with former colleagues, collaborators, and mentors including the legendary Professor CNR Rao, a world-renowned Solid State Chemistry and Materials Science Scientist who served as chair of the Scientific Advisory Council to the Indian Prime Minister for two terms, from 1985 to 1989 and 2005 to 2014. 

Congratulation to Sami Al Azri on Successful completion of BS Energy Engineering 

The MMT group extend warmest congratulations to Sami on the successfully completing his degree. Sami did his Schreyer Honors College Undergraduate thesis project in the group. His thesis titled "Investigating the Viability of Chalcogenide Perovskites as Next-Gen Solar Cell Technology - A Case Study of Sn-Based CaSnS3 Absorber Material", investigates the feasibility of chalcogenide perovskites, a novel class of semiconductor materials, for next-gen solar cell applications and employs DFT calculations to characterize the properties of bulk CaSnS3 chalcogenide perovskite as a case study.

Sami has accepted an offer to return to work at Electric Power Engineers as a Power Systems Engineer on the Energy Market Analysis team!  We wish Sami all the best with his new position!

Highlights from AMRS2024 Conference, Kigali, Rwanda

It was a great pleasure to catch up with friends and colleagues at the recent 12th International Conference of the African Materials Research Society (AMRS2024) held in Kigali, Rwanda from December 16-19, 2024. The conference featured some insightful and innovative talks, panel discussions, and two keynote talks by Nobel Laureates (Prof. Konstantin Novoselov - 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics, and Prof. Frances Arnold -2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2018).

Dr. Dzade delivered an invited talk on "Making a Materials Difference to Green Energy Solutions via Computer-Accelerated Design and Optimization", where I highlighted the role of advanced computation in providing the fundamental atomic-level insights needed for the rational design and optimization of energy conversion and storage materials.

Dr Dzade also teamed up with Dr. Ismaila Dabo and our amazing graduate students (Henry Igwebuike Eya, Jessica Wen, Cierra Chandler & Lorenzo Bastonero) to organize a Pre-Conference Workshop on "Computational Materials Science" on December 14 & 15 where we introduced the participants to the fundamentals of Schrödinger equation, an overview of Density-Functional Theory (DFT), interatomic forces, geometry optimization methods, and vibrational modes. Practical tutorials were carried out using the Quantum Espresso package, implemented in the Google Colab Environment.

Henry Igwebuike Eya, a PhD student from the Materials and Minerals Theory Group also delivered a talk on "Bandgap engineering of SrZrS3 for photovoltaic applications".

The conference allowed the scientific and research communities to build knowledge, foster relationships, and promote action for further understanding and collaboration in the broad fields associated with materials science and technology.

MINTEK@90 Conference Attendance

Dr Dzade was part of a seven-member Penn State team consisting of 4 Faculty and 3 PhD students that attended the MINTEK@90 Conference, in Johannesburg, South Africa. Mintek is South Africa's national mineral research organization and one of the world's leading technology organizations specializing in mineral processing, extractive metallurgy, advanced materials, and related fields. The conference brought together leading academics, industry partners, and government officials to celebrate Mintek's 90th year of groundbreaking contributions to the industry.

During the conference, the team set up an exhibition booth showcasing the state-of-the-art facilities and world-leading research institutes at Penn State University. The ground-breaking research activities in the minerals and materials fields in the John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering were also highlighted. We saw a constant stream of visitors to our booth including several prospective students/research collaborators.  The role of AESEDA in fostering partnerships and collaborations with African institutions was also highlighted!

After the conference, the team had a day-long workshop at Mintek attended by Group Executives, Leaders, Managers, and Research Scientists where we presented an overview of our research. The presentations triggered serious discussions regarding potential research collaborations. Several strategic areas were identified, and we look forward to working with colleagues at Mintek to address challenges in mineral processing and advanced materials design.

The team also had the once-in-a-lifetime privilege of visiting Blyvoor Gold Mine, they witnessed mining operations at a subsurface depth of 1.7 km in the mine. What a mind-changing adventure and experience that was! It was, however, heartbreaking the see the extremely difficult and dangerous conditions the miners work including cave-ins, gas explosions, exposure to harmful dust, extreme heat and pressure, long hours underground, and the constant risk of injury or death.

8-16 November 2024

IPCC Scholarship FOR Two MMT Group Members

A special congratulations go to two PhD students from the MMT Group (Ricardo Amaral and Joy Adul) on receiving the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Scholarship funded by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and the Cuomo Foundation.

Ricardo and Joy had the privilege and honor of attending the 17th Annual Award for Planetary Health ceremony in Monaco, where the 2023–2025 cohort of IPCC scholars was formally celebrated in the presence of HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, Dr. Ladislaus Chang’a, and Mrs. Maria Elena Cuomo. 

The IPCC Scholarship Programme, administered by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, plays a pivotal role in empowering early-career researchers working on innovative climate change solutions. Every two years, an esteemed scientific panel selects scholars from across the globe, emphasizing impactful, forward-thinking research.

Penn State 2024 Materials Day

Members of the MMT Group showcased their research work at the Penn State 2024 Materials Day. Henry Eya and Nikhil Komalla presented a poster on "semiconductor bandgap engineering for PV applications" and "metal-supported catalyst design for green hydrogen generation", respectively.

I was part of a panel that discussed the topic "Critical minerals: exploring AI applications, health implications, sustainability, and socio-political considerations"

2024 EME Student Poster Exhibition

Two members of the MMT group Henry Eya and Nikhil Komalla participated in the 2024 John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering Student Poster Exhibition on October 23, 2024.

 A special congratulations goes to Henry Eya, whose poster on "Bandgap Engineering of SrZrS3 via Substitutional Doping for Photovoltaic Applications" won the 2ND PLACE award!

Big shout out to Nikhil Komalla also for showcasing his research on "Theory-Guided Design and Optimization of Bio-Inspired Iron-Nickel Sulfide Electrocatalysts for Green Hydrogen Production"

𝗜𝗣𝗗𝗥 𝗦𝘆𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘂𝗺 𝗮𝘁 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆

Our 2nd IPDR Symposium at Morgan State University on Friday 27th September was a great success. There were amazing talks and discussions covering, energy transition, energy harvesting and storage, batteries, critical metals, solar cells, computational energy materials design, excitons and defects in semiconductors, climate science, and advanced characterization facilities at the Materials Characterization Lab in Penn State Materials Research Institute, and at Morgan State University. There was also a Q&A section on graduate school experience, challenges, and career opportunities.

The Inter-Institutional Program for Diversifying Research (IDPR) aims to foster diverse and inclusive research environments and build sustainable partnerships and strategic collaboration between faculties and students at Penn State University and Minority Serving Institutions (Morgan State University and Howard University in our IPDR) to address critical energy challenges.

Henry Eya and Joy Adul attended the symposium and presented posters of their research.

We acknowledge Penn State Institute of Energy and the Environment for funding the IPDR.

2024 Obelisk Society Dinner, Awards, & Research Showcase

It was a great honor for Dr Dzade to be selected to represent the John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering at this year's 2024 Obelisk Society Research Showcase on Friday, September 20, 2024.

The Obelisk Society was established in 1981 to give special recognition and honor to distinguished Alumni of Penn State College of Earth and Mineral Sciences for their extraordinary contributions and support of the College.

Dr Dzade is particularly thankful and thrilled for two of my PhD students Henry Eya and Nikhil Komalla who accompanied me and assisted in presenting our group's research poster on "𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆" to the Obelisk Society members.

 September 20, 2024

Here are some guidelines to follow when choosing who to ask for letters of recommendation for graduate school. Select someone who:

𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘆. Choose an individual who you have spent time with outside the classroom if possible. They should also be familiar with your career goals and hold a favorable view of you.

𝗛𝗮𝘀 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲. A recommendation letter for graduate school carries more influence if the person has known you for months or years instead of months. If you can, find someone who knows you from various contexts, such as a professor who is also your advisor.

𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺. For instance, choosing an Energy and Mineral Engineering professor to write your recommendation letter for an Energy or Mineral Engineering program (say at Penn State University) would be a good idea because they can write about the qualities that will aid you in pursuing an Energy and Mineral Engineering and a broader career in this field.

𝗛𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂. Who was fortunate enough to see you succeed in an academic, extracurricular, or professional setting? Having someone write your LOR who has good stories to share about you is certainly going to benefit you more than someone whose class you took with two hundred other students. 

Certificate of Achievement

Congratulations to Dr Dzade for guiding a team of six EME students (Nittany Solar) to win the University of Washington Use Case Division of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar District Cup. 

11th September 2024

Nikhil Komalla wins 1st Place for Poster Presentation at  the Hydrogen Americas 2024 Summit & Exhibition

Join me in congratulating Nikhil Komalla, on winning 1st Place for Poster Presentations at the Hydrogen Americas 2024 Summit & Exhibition, held in Washington D.C. on 11 – 12 June 2024.

During his poster presentation titled "Theory-Guided Design and Optimization of Bio-Inspired Iron-Nickel Sulfide Electrocatalysts for Green Production", Nikhil had the opportunity to interact and exchange ideas with energy industry leaders and hydrogen experts. He was inspired by the exhibitor's hydrogen technologies and the strong interest that energy industries are showing towards the green energy transition.

Sami Al Azri Awarded EMSAGE Laureate

The MMT Group Congratulates Sami Al Azri (an undergraduate research student in the group) on being awarded the status of EMSAGE Laureate by the Penn State College of Earth and Mineral Sciences.

Awarded to only around 6% of all EMS graduates, students who attain significant achievement beyond their academic degree requirements across the broad categories of scholarship, experiential learning, global literacy, and service are recognized by the college with the distinctive designation of EMSAGE Laureate.

Sami Al Azri said "As a recipient, I am both humbled and inspired by the responsibility that comes with this honor. It is a call to continue striving for excellence and to serve as a beacon for others to emulate, ensuring that the values of integrity, service, and leadership continue to thrive in the EMS community" 

Climate Solutions Symposium at PennState

May 14–15, 2024, The Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center

The Materials and Minerals Theory Group members (Henry Igwebuike Eya; Nikhil Komalla & OluwaYomi Awe) joined me to attend the Climate Solutions Symposium at  Penn State University.

Nikhil Komalla presented a poster of his research on "Theory Guided Design and Optimization of Bio-Inspired Iron-Nickel Sulfide Electrocatalysts for Green Hydrogen Production"

My favorite quote from the symposium is "Nothing is Sustainable Unless it is Loved" May we love our planet to a greater extent so that we can do everything possible to protect and sustain it. 

EME Graduate Cultural Potluck and Gathering 

The EME Graduate Student Council organized a Graduate Cultural Potluck and Gathering event on January 26th, 2024 in Steidle Atrium (lobby area). The MMT Group members featured prominently at the event (See pictures below).

AESEDA's Annual Newsletter: A Year of Progress and Impact 

23 February 2023

Webinar -C3AMS-AUST 3rd Decarbonization Pathway Series Seminar

Dr Nelson Dzade delivered an invited talk on the topic "The  Role of Green Hydrogen in Decarbonizing the Transportation Sector: Opportunities for Africa" at the Centre for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Studies (C3AMS-AUST) Webinar.

20 October 2022

2022 Materials Day @Penn State

Henry Eya and Ricardo do Amaral (PhD students in the MMT Group) presented a poster of their research at the 2022 Materials Day at Penn State (10/20/2022), the annual marquee event for materials-related interdisciplinary science and engineering at Penn State. 

Henry's project "Density Functional Theory Investigation of the Bulk and Surface Properties of BaZrS3 for Photovoltaic Applications"

Ricardo's project "Nickel Phosphide (Ni2P): An Effective Host Material for High-Performance Lithium–Sulfur Battery"

15 September 2022

WAAIME Scholarship

Congratulations to my Ph.D. student (Ricardo do Amaral) on receiving the WAAIME Scholarship, which provides financial support to students pursuing earth science degrees including mining, geological sciences, metallurgy, petroleum, mineral sciences, materials science, mineral economics, chemical engineering, and other related studies. 

5 August 2022

Literature Review Online Training 

#capacitybuilding; #mentoring; #GeniusInAfrica; #literaturereview

I conducted a Literature Review Online Training. The training was designed to provide young scientists with the skills they need to conduct successful research. It was indeed a great pleasure to see a large number of participants from Africa and the across the World.