Project 4 Trainee Amir Taqieddin Completes Ph.D.
In June, Project 4 Ph.D. student Amir Taqieddin defended his dissertation to complete his degree. His dissertation was focused on applying multiscale computations to investigate and develop carbon and iron materials for electrochemical applications. “The target is to develop relatively cheap and efficient materials for electrochemical technologies like water treatment,” Amir said regarding the significance of this work. In his research, Amir used simulations to study different physiochemical, electrochemical, and transport processes. These simulations gave him an understanding of the integration of targeted materials in electrochemical systems.
After completing his degree last month, Amir began his job as a researcher at Nissan North America. There, he works with the material informatics team on the development of next-generation batteries for electric vehicles. During his time as a trainee under the mentorship of Akram Alshawabkeh, Amir worked on the development and application of multiscale computational tools for electrochemical water treatment. This experience will be helpful for his continued work with Nissan, where he will resume modeling and simulation with multiscale tools, but this time with a focus on energy-storage devices rather than water treatment.
Beyond technical experience, Amir is taking other lessons from PROTECT to this next step in his career. “During my Ph.D. and trainee experience with PROTECT, I learned how to lead research projects that are directly related to real-world problems, and this will allow me to effectively design, plan, and execute my research projects at Nissan,” he said. The interdisciplinary setup of PROECT will also be helpful in Amir’s new role as he finds solutions for new electric vehicle batteries. “The nature of the interdisciplinary problems I worked on during my Ph.D. taught me to think about intersecting different applications and fields to come up with novel solutions,” he said. “These lessons show me my ability in diversifying my research solutions and how I can transfer my skills between different disciplines,” he added.
Amir looks forward to continuing his work with Nissan and to applying the skills he developed during his time as a trainee to the industrial and applied engineering domains. He is also excited to continue developing his professional goals in a new industry setting.
Congratulations, Amir!