Usman Salahuddin (On Leave)
Education
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Ph.D. in Materials Science (Fulbright Scholar), University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA (2018–2023, CGPA 3.98/4.0) —
Thesis: Utilization and Optimization of Honeycomb Monoliths & Nanomaterials for Catalytic & Environmental Applications -
M.S. in Energy Systems Engineering (Gold Medalist), US-Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Energy (USPCAS-E), NUST, Islamabad, Pakistan (2015–2017, CGPA 4.0/4.0) —
Thesis: Safety Enhancement, Energy Analysis & Capacity Improvement of Lithium-Based Batteries Using Thermoresponsive Polymer Switching Membranes - B.E. in Chemical Engineering, National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST), Pakistan (2010–2014, CGPA 3.7/4.0)
Research Interests
- Nanomaterials (Synthesis, Characterization & Testing)
- Battery Materials
- Dry Electrode Mixing
- Thermo-Responsive Materials
- Carbon Capture & Sustainable Utilization
- AI-Driven Materials Science
- Materials Modeling & Simulation
Biography
Dr. Usman Salahuddin has served as Interim Program Director of Habib University’s Integrated Sciences & Mathematics (ISciM) program since 2025, leading a 20-member unit of faculty, fellows, and research associates, chairing the program’s Board of Studies, and driving faculty hiring and cross-program initiatives in data, climate, and applied sciences. He has been Assistant Professor at Habib’s Dhanani School of Engineering since 2023, where he designed and taught interdisciplinary courses at the nexus of climate, energy, and data, chairs the Academic Standing Committee, leads the Quantitative Reasoning Group, and spearheaded a new major in environment, data & applied sciences from concept to curriculum.
He earned his Ph.D. in Materials Science as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Connecticut (2018–2023) under Prof. Puxian Gao, working on catalytic honeycomb monoliths and brain–machine interface applications of metal-organic frameworks, and completed a Gold Medal M.S. in Energy Systems Engineering at USPCAS-E, NUST (2015–2017) and a B.E. in Chemical Engineering, also at NUST (2010–2014). During his doctoral studies he interned in cathode mixing and cell engineering at Tesla Motors (2022), was a Research Exchange Scholar at Arizona State University’s Kannan Battery Lab (2017), and was a Climate Fellow with the Future Climate Venture Studio at R/GA Ventures (2023), delivering technical diligence for early-stage climate and battery startups. Earlier, he was a Senior Renewable Energy Engineer with Indus Earth Trust (2018), leading distributed solar installations across remote Pakistani villages, and a Management Trainee Engineer at Fauji Fertilizer Company (2014–2015).
Dr. Salahuddin has published 9+ peer-reviewed papers, including recent work in ChemCatChem (2025) and Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research (2023), and continues to serve as a guest Topic Editor for Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience (2024–present).
Selected Publications
- Salahuddin, U., et al. “Titanate-Anchored Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 Catalyst for Low-Temperature CO2 Hydrogenation to Methanol.” ChemCatChem, 2025.
- Salahuddin, U., et al. “Modeling and Simulation Based Parametric Analysis for Monolithic CO2 Hydrogenation Reactors Using Experimental Data.” Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 62(36), 2023.
- Salahuddin, U., et al. “Plastic Recycling: A Review on Life Cycle, Methods, Misconceptions, and Techno-Economic Analysis.” Advanced Sustainable Systems, 7(7), 2023.
- Sun, J., Liu, F., Salahuddin, U., et al. “Optimization and Understanding of ZnO Nanoarray Supported Cu-ZnO-Al2O3 Catalyst for Enhanced CO2-Methanol Conversion.” Chemical Engineering Journal, 455, 2023.
- Salahuddin, U., and Gao, P-X. “Signal Generation, Acquisition, and Processing in Brain Machine Interfaces: A Unified Review.” Frontiers in Neuroscience, 15, 2021.
Honors & Awards
- Fulbright Scholarship, 2018–2023
- Future Climate Venture Studios Fellowship, 2023
- Kokes Award (North American Catalysis Society), 2023
- IBACS Publication Award, 2022
- Predoctoral Fellowship Award, Institute of Material Science (UConn), 2019 & 2022
- Research Publication Award, NUST, 2021
- USAID USPCAS-E Scholarship, 2017
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