Principal Investigator
Dr. Alexander R. Uhl
Contact: alexander.uhl@ubc.ca
Research Project Managers
Dr. Maria Tsemperouli
Maria Tsemperouli received her PhD in chemistry from the Université de Genève in Switzerland, a position funded by the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Chemical Biology and the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF). She continued her research as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Nanobiology Institute and School of Medicine at Yale University under the supervision of Prof. Erdem Karatekin. Her multidisciplinary research interests focused on a range of scientific fields including electrochemistry, molecular biology, biophysics, electrophysiology, and nanotechnology. She joined as a Research Project Manager of the Solar Energy for Net Zero Cluster of Research Excellence at the School of Engineering at the University of British Columbia in September 2023.
Education: Ph.D. in Chemistry, University of Geneva, Switzerland
Contact: maria.tsemperouli@ubc.ca
Amandine Drew
Amandine Drew’s research is centered around the techno-economic feasibility of photovoltaic (PV) systems in British-Columbia. She examines both the profitability and energy output of PV systems by creating predictive models using simulation softwares. She received her undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from Western University, having completed her undergraduate thesis with the Nanophotonic Energy Materials group.
Education: MASc in Mechanical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Canada
Contact: amandine.drew@ubc.ca
Postdoctoral Fellows
Dr. Abraha Tadese Gidey
Abraha Tadese Gidey is an expert in perovskite photovoltaics, perovskite thin films & single crystals for optoelectronic applications as well as various characterization techniques. His research interests mainly focus on Materials for Sustainable Energy and Optoelectronic applications. He joined LSEF at UBC – Okanagan Campus in September 2022, and working on solution-processed solar cells.
Education: Ph.D. in Sustainable Chemical Science and Technology, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) in collaboration with Academia Sinica, Taiwan
Contact: abraha.gidey@ubc.ca
Dr. Mohamed Hamada Abdel Kodous
Mohamed Abd Elkodous, researcher of solar fuel production at LSEF since April 2024. He obtained his PhD of Engineering from Toyohashi University of Technology (Japan), through the Japanese government scholarship (MEXT). Mohamed received numerous national and international awards including Nile University (Egypt) award for being recognized as Scopus top 2% scientists in the world (2021 – 2022) and Top 10 researchers award. In addition, the first place in Falling Walls Lab Sendai 2023 (Japan). Mohamed’s research focuses on nanomaterials development and characterization, sustainable solar fuel production, and membrane-electrode assemblies for water electrolyzers and fuel cells.
Education: Ph.D. in Electrical and Electronic Information Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology, Japan
Contact: mohamed.abdelkodous@ubc.ca
Dr. Haritham Khan
Haritham Khan received his PhD in Materials and Chemical Engineering from Hanyang University, South Korea, in August 2023 through the prestigious Korean Government Scholarship (KGS). His research primarily focused on artificial photosynthesis targeting CO2 reduction, hydrogen evolution, and water treatment. After completing his doctoral studies, he conducted short postdoctoral research at Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) in Suwon, Korea, under the supervision of Professor Yoo Pil Jin from September 2023 to April 2024. Dr. Khan also has four years of undergraduate teaching experience at National Textile University, Faisalabad, Pakistan, and over two years of textile manufacturing and R&D experience at top textile companies, including Nishat Chunian Pvt. Ltd. and Interloop Hosiery Ltd, in Pakistan.
Dr. Khan joined LSEF in May 2024 with focus on low-dimensional materials and technologies for solar energy conversion, particularly photoelectrochemical devices for CO2 conversion and hydrogen evolution reactions. To date, he has authored several top-tier Q1 journal research papers, contributed to two book chapters, and attended multiple national and international conferences.
Education: Ph.D. in Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Hanyang University, South Korea
Contact: haritham.khan@ubc.ca
Dr. Pravin Pawar
Dr. Pravin S. Pawar joined the LSEF as a postdoctoral researcher in August 2024. With a background in chalcogenide-based thin-film solar cells (TFSCs), he specializes in solar cell device fabrication and related characterizations. He is also an expert in vapor transport deposition, atomic layer deposition, and solution-based thin film deposition processes.
Dr. Pawar earned his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Chonnam National University in South Korea, focusing on Sn and Sb-based chalcogenide TFSCs. His research has resulted in the publication of over 20 research articles in respected peer-reviewed journals and a couple of Korean patents, demonstrating a strong dedication to the field of solar energy harvesting. At LSEF, Dr. Pawar is working on chalcogenide-based solar cells using solution processes. Dr. Pawar is eager to collaborate with fellow researchers and contribute to the advancement of TFSCs.
Education: Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Chonnam National University, South Korea
Contact: pravin.pawar@ubc.ca
Dr. Mahboob Alam
Dr. Mahboob Alam is an analytical chemist and material scientist (working as PDF) at the University of British Columbia Okanagan Campus. He is presently engaged in researching CO2 reduction reactions. His work centers on the development of innovative protocols aimed at understanding and enhancing CO2 reduction mechanisms, exploring novel photo-catalyst materials, and advancing techniques for efficient carbon capture and utilization. His research endeavors to contribute insights that could potentially influence advancements in sustainable energy technologies and environmental management strategies.
Education: PhD in Chemistry and Material Sciences at Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) in collaboration with Technical University of Darmstadt (TU-Darmstadt)
Contact: mahboob.alam@ubc.ca
Ph.D. Students
Elnaz Ghahremani Rad
Elnaz is a PhD candidate in Electrical Engineering and joined LSEF in September 2020. She received her BSc and MSc degrees in Electrical Engineering in Iran. She previously worked on the design and modeling of nanophotonic devices, pleasmonic-based perovskite solar cells and impedance spectroscopy characterization. Her current research focuses on fabrication, optoelectronic characterization, and modelling of perovskite solar cells. Outside of the lab, she enjoys hiking, photography, and dancing.
Education: Electrical Engineering, Shahed University, Iran
Contact: elnaz.ghahremanirad@ubc.ca
Sadaf Shabanian
Sadaf is a PhD candidate in Mechanical engineering. She joined UBC in January 2019. She received her BSc and MSc degrees in Materials Engineering at Isfahan University of Technology, in Iran. Her PhD research focuses on making water-repellent and oil-repellent coatings using non-fluorinated surface chemistries.
Contact: sadaf.shabanian@ubc.ca
Abdul-Mubarak Yussif Yidana
Abdul-Mubarak Yussif Yidana is a Ph.D. student in Mechanical Engineering at the University of British Columbia, where he joined the Laboratory for Sustainable Energy and Fuels (LSEF) in May 2024. With a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from SRM University in India, Abdul-Mubarak is dedicated to advancing sustainable energy solutions. His current research focuses on modelling the feasibility of solar energy implementation, aiming to harness solar potential for a more sustainable future. Outside the lab, he enjoys programming and biking.
Education: Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical Engineering, SRM University-Andhra Pradesh, India
Contact: a.yidana@ubc.ca
Masters Students
Tim Webster
Education: Bachelor in Mechanical Engineering, UBC Okanagan, Canada
Contact: tim.webster@ubc.ca
Shahrukh Hossain Rian
Education: Bachelor in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, BAIUST, Bangladesh
Contact: rian1997@mail.ubc.ca
Katherine Latosinsky
Education: Bachelor of Applied Science in Engineering Science, University of Toronto, Canada
Contact: katherine.latosinsky@ubc.ca
Undergraduate Students
Jason Schultz
Jason Schultz is an undergraduate student in mechanical engineering. He joined the LSEF in May of 2022 focusing on the instrumentation for Perovskite Solar Cells, with parallel J-V curves and efficiency measurements of multiple cells performed simultaneously. His current research is on MPPT software for long term stability testing under various external conditions.
Education: Mechanical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Canada
Contact: jasons07@student.ubc.ca
Alex Sol
Alex Sol is an undergraduate student in mechanical engineering. Having joined LSEF in May of 2023, his current research focuses on the optimization of high bandgap, printed chalcogenide solar cells through advanced surface treatments.
Education: Mechanical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Canada
Contact: alex.sol@ubc.ca
Andrea Santiago
Education: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Mexico
Sonia Mann
Education: Mechanical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Canada
Swarna Nagaraj Kasi
Education: Mechanical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Canada
Alumni
Postdoctoral Fellows
Dr. Ela Nurlaela
(PDF, now PDF at CatEC group, , Japan)
Dr. Towhid Chowdhury (PDF)
PhD Students
Dr. Sunil Suresh
(PhD, now at IMEC, Belgium)
Dr. Sonia (Zahra) Azimi Dijvejin
(PhD, now PDF at SintonLab, University of Toronto)
MASc Students
Amandine Drew (MASc, now Project Manager at LSEF, UBC)
Noah McIntosh (MASc, now at Selkirk College)
MEng Students
Artur Santos (MEng, now at Mercer)
Aly Merchant (MEng, now at TYCROP)
UG Students
Chris Paul (UG, now graduate student at UBC)
