2024

After completing a 2-year degree in Chemistry and a pre-engineering preparatory class in Paris, I joined ENSICAEN - an engineering school and research center in northern France - in 2021, to study materials and chemistry. I discovered an interest in environment-related material applications, such as renewable energies, sustainable building, or water treatment. Thus, I’m very enthusiastic about the idea of studying titanium-based catalysts for hydrogen production during this four-month internship. It will mark the end of my French equivalent 1st year of master. Besides, I am fond of music. I have a certificate of musical studies and have been playing the flute for 15 years.

Iris.colnot@ecole.ensicaen.fr

I was born in Montreal, but have spent most of my life in Edmonton. I started my Materials Engineering Undergraduate Degree in 2020 and will be entering my fourth year this fall. I am very excited to be joining NRGMATs for the summer through an NSERC award. This is my first experience working in a lab, and I am passionate about the topics that we are studying as they relate to climate issues. In my free time I like to travel, read, and attend live music events. I also enjoy spending time outdoors, and am currently training for a 300km bike tour in the mountains this summer.

igsmith@ualberta.ca

I completed my bachelor's degree at Isfahan University of Technology, where my research journey began and I delved into synthesis and characterization of nanocomposites and nanomaterials, preparing me for my graduate studies. After that, I earned my Master's degree from University of Tehran, where I specialized in photoelectrochemical water splitting. I started my PhD program at the University of Alberta in January 2023 and joined NRGMATs to work on hydrogen generating photoreactors for a greener future. .

tavazohi@ualberta.ca

In 2019, I was enrolled in the Ph.D. course at the Indian Institute of Technology, Jodhpur, India, under the direction of Prof. Ambesh Dixit, at IIT jodhpur my research focused on nanostructured metal oxide-based materials for gas sensing and memory devices beyond von Neumann architecture applications. Currently, I am a SERB-OVDF fellow at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, for a period of one year (sept 2023 to sept 2024) while continuing to pursue my Ph.D. in dynamic group CEAES and NRGMATs whose principal investigators are Dr. Jing Liu and Dr. Shiva Mohajernia, and my study will concentrate on the synthesis of binder-free bifunctional catalysts for electrochemical water splitting.

cprakas1@ualberta.ca

Nastaran Farahbakhsh is a visiting PhD student in the NRGMATs group within the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering at the University of Alberta, funded by the Globalink Research Award (Mitacs). Her research focuses on energy materials, particularly nanostructured NiO for energy conversion. She is also pursuing her PhD in the CSnM group within the Department of Chemistry-Biology at the University of Siegen, Germany. Previously, she conducted research on energy conversion at Isfahan University of Technology. Nastaran earned her MSc in Nanotechnology Engineering- Nanomaterials at Tarbiat Modares University, with a thesis on nickel nanoparticles on CuO foam and their electrocatalytic properties. She completed her BSc in Materials Science and Engineering at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad.

Nnfarahba@ualberta.ca

Majid completed his master’s in materials engineering, focusing on corrosion and electrochemistry, at Ferdowsi University. He began his career as a materials and corrosion engineer in the energy industry, including gas, oil, and renewable energies, while also researching at Isfahan University of Technology. After over six years of experience in the energy industry, he started his PhD in Chemistry and Structure of Novel Materials (CSnM) with Professor Manuela Killian at the University of Siegen, Germany. Majid received the Globalink Research Award (Mitacs) for researching novel nanostructured oxides for energy conversion with Professor Shiva Mohajernia in the NRGMATs group at the University of Alberta. He is also a swimming coach and lifeguard.

shahsana@ualberta.ca

I am a material scientist and engineer who is passionate about interdisciplinary research. I began my journey at Ferdowsi University in Iran and during my master's, I led the development of an Electrospark Deposition machine. This machine produced both amorphous and nanocrystalline Fe-based coatings. In industry, I have managed diverse projects such as manufacturing power plant components, mass-producing Steering Column Assemblies, and implementing ISO 17025 standards. In 2019, I initiated my Ph.D. in Material and Electrochemistry in Montreal. During this time, I contributed to projects focused on Ti 3D skeleton structures for water electrolysis and an innovative method for creating Ni 3D skeletons for Alkaline water electrolysis. Currently, I am serving as a Mitacs postdoc fellow under Dr. Shiva Mohajernia, where I am focusing on AEM electrolyser development via advanced Ni 3D structures.

mfakouri@ualberta.ca