PhD (2018-2021): University of Otago, New Zealand, with Professor Sally Brooker, ‘Catalysts for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction’, awarded with distinction as the examiners placed it in the top 10% of theses examined.
MSc (Analytical Sciences): University of Bradford, MSc thesis with Dr Sanjit Nayak, ‘Thin Films of Zirconium-based Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) on Conductive FTO Substrate’, awarded with distinction.
MSc (Chemistry): University of Jordan, MSc thesis with Prof Musa Nazer, ‘Schiff bases of heterocyclic with amidine system: 2-aminobenzothiazole derivatives’
I came to New Zealand in 2017, after completing my Masters at the University of Bradford, which I received with distinction, to pursue a PhD with Prof. Sally Brooker. The University of Otago which is located in Dunedin was not only a place I pursued my PhD but also one of the best places I ever seen. I really enjoyed the nature of Dunedin, its landscapes, forests, hills, and warm beaches in summer. I used to call it “Paradise on Earth”. The lifestyle is amazing and the kind-hearted people there made me feel at home.
I am truly grateful to Sally for her support, guidance, creativity and enthusiasm throughout the hard and easy times of my PhD project (3.5 years due to COVID19). Her unlimited care as a person, and the passion Sally has for both science and teaching, made my PhD journey exciting, creative and joyful. Professor Sally Brooker helped to make my research exchange visits to the University of Montreal (Canada) and to the Engineering school at University of Canterbury feasible and successful. I am truly honoured to have been a part of Sally Brooker’s research group, and thankful that this has expanded and fine-tuned my scientific skills, allowed me to attend international conferences, meet new people and collaborate with world-class chemists across a variety of disciplines. It was unique experience indeed.
During my PhD I learned a wide range of hands-on skills and techniques, from multi-step synthesis of organic ligands to complexations with 3d metal ions, and crystallisation to allow single crystal structure determination by X-ray diffraction, from data collection to refinement to publication standards. A wide range of characterisation techniques such as NMR, IR, UV-vis, and analysis of ESI-MS and microanalysis data, were amongst the very useful techniques I learned.
Learning the skills and techniques needed for evaluating coordination complexes as catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO2RR) under photocatalytic and electrocatalytic conditions was the key milestone of my PhD. This is a field which requires knowledge in catalysis, surface attachment, photochemistry and electrochemistry, plus on-hand skills on gas chromatography (GC), cyclic voltammetry (CV), linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and controlled potential electrolysis (CPE). I learned all of this from members of Brookers Bunch, from our collaborators at Montreal and Canterbury Universities, and through conferences and intensive literature reading.
During my PhD I had opportunities to attend many domestic and international conferences, including giving invited talks at a couple of them: 6th Crystal Engineering and Emerging Materials Workshop of Ontario and Quebec (CEMWOQ), Canada in 2019. Otago Future Fuels (OFF) workshop, chaired by Prof Sally Brooker, University of Otago in 2019 and Otago Energy Research Centre (OERC) conference, in 2020. We have published the first of the papers from my PhD thesis, on a family of three copper catalysts for the photo- and electro- catalytic hydrogen evolution reaction, as a full paper in Inorganic Chemistry Frontiers. I am also a co-author on a surface attachment paper published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. Several other papers are in preparation.
A really positive part of being part of Brookers Bunch was the friendly environment in our workspace and the research enthusiasm. All my peer-researchers have been tremendously awesome and will always remain in my most cherished memories.
The examiners placed my thesis on the Division of Sciences list of exceptional theses (top 10%), so overall the journey was a rewarding and inspiring experience – enjoying nature, meeting nice people, making friends, integrating within new cultures, learning unique skills and instilling a good research philosophy, and ending up with exceptional PhD.
I am immensely grateful to Sally, to the University of Otago and to the whole New Zealand for letting me have this opportunity. Thanks heaps indeed!
