Research profile
CO₂ valorization and catalytic process engineering
Discovery and development of materials for electrochemical reduction and hydrogenation, supported by DFT, machine learning and operando analysis.
Research areasResearcher profile
Catalytic materials for sustainable fuels and chemicals
I am Abdoul Salam Issiaka Ibrahim, an interdisciplinary Ph.D. researcher working across heterogeneous and electrochemical catalysis, microwave reaction engineering, DFT and artificial intelligence.
Explore the researchCatalytic engineering platform
01MaterialsOxides · Sulfides · Ionic liquids
→02ReactionsBiofuels · H₂ · CO₂ utilization
→03InsightOperando · DFT · AI/ML
Structure → activity → selectivity → stability
Research record
Six peer-reviewed articles
Four first-author papers spanning electrocatalysis, heterogeneous catalysis, biofuels and ML-assisted reaction optimization.
Full publication list06Peer-reviewed
articles
04First-author
papers
04Funded research
projects
3.89Ph.D. GPA
out of 4.00
Research
From material synthesis to validated catalytic performance
My work connects catalyst preparation, reaction engineering, product analysis, electrochemical evaluation, computational chemistry and interpretable learning models.
Heterogeneous catalysis & process intensification
Magnetic oxides, sulfides and phosphides, rGO composites, solid acids and ionic liquids for microwave-assisted esterification and transesterification.
Hydrothermal · Solvothermal · Microwave · Kinetics · ThermodynamicsElectrocatalysis & CO₂ utilization
Development of catalytic materials for hydrogen and oxygen evolution and current work on electrochemical CO₂ reduction and hydrogenation.
CV · LSV · EIS · Tafel · Chronoamperometry · Operando analysisDFT & data-driven catalysis
Electronic-structure analysis and uncertainty-conscious machine learning for catalyst descriptors, reaction prediction and process optimization.
Gaussian 16 · XGBoost · CatBoost · TabPFN · ANN/PINN · SHAPPublications
Peer-reviewed research
Complete publication list reported in the curriculum vitae, with direct DOI links.
- 01
Synergistic interfacial coupling in Ni₃(PO₄)₂@rGO for enhanced hydrogen evolution in acidic media
View DOI (opens in a new tab) - 02
Machine learning-assisted prediction and optimization of microwave-assisted esterification of levulinic acid for ethyl levulinate production
View DOI (opens in a new tab) - 03
Microwave-assisted biodiesel production from waste cooking oil using a pyrrolidinium ionic-liquid catalyst: Optimization, kinetic and thermodynamic studies
View DOI (opens in a new tab) - 04
Esterification of oleic acid using CoFe₂O₄@MoS₂ solid acid catalyst under microwave irradiation
View DOI (opens in a new tab) - 05
Microwave-assisted esterification of oleic acid using a pyrrolidinium-based Brønsted-acidic ionic-liquid catalyst
View DOI (opens in a new tab) - 06
Modulator-assisted solvothermal synthesis of CeO₂ derived from Ce-BDC MOFs: Effect on oxygen evolution reaction performance
View DOI (opens in a new tab)
Research pipeline
Current manuscripts
Under review
Explainable TabPFN-3-Guided Process Intensification of Microwave-Assisted Waste Cooking Oil Transesterification over a Magnetic Catalyst: Optimization and Kinetic Analysis
View preprint (opens in a new tab)Under review
Microwave-Intensified Biodiesel Production from Waste Cooking Oil Using Ionic Liquid Catalysis: DFT Insights and Physics-Enriched XGBoost Optimization
View preprint (opens in a new tab)In finalization
Ionic Liquid-Catalyzed Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of Ethyl Levulinate from Biomass-Derived Levulinic Acid
In finalization
Ni(OH)₂@PPy@Co₉S₈ for supercapacitor applications
In finalization
Physics-Informed Delta Learning for Experimental Crystal Geometry Correction: Interpretable Prediction of Bond Lengths and Bond Angles in Fluorinated Benzoylthiourea Ligands and Ru(II) Complexes
Funded research
Research projects and responsibilities
2022–2025
TÜBİTAK 124M005
Project Researcher
Microwave-assisted waste-cooking-oil biodiesel production using a pyrrolidinium ionic-liquid catalyst; optimization, kinetic and thermodynamic studies.
2022–2026
Mersin University BAP 2024-TP3-5031
Ph.D. Researcher / Project Member
Biodiesel production using magnetic nanomaterials.
2023–2025
Mersin University BAP 2023-1-TP2-4892
Ph.D. Researcher
ML-assisted prediction and optimization of levulinic-acid esterification to ethyl levulinate.
2022–2025
Mersin University BAP 2022-1-TP2-4571
Ph.D. Researcher
Microwave-assisted oleic-acid esterification using a pyrrolidinium Brønsted-acidic ionic-liquid catalyst.
Research responsibilities
- Experimental planning, catalyst synthesis, reaction-matrix design and assessment of conversion, yield, reuse and stability.
- GC-FID, FTIR, HPLC and ¹H-NMR product analysis; kinetic and thermodynamic interpretation; figure, dataset and manuscript preparation.
- Mentorship of junior researchers in synthesis, characterization, machine learning and scientific writing.
Academic trajectory
Education and professional experience
Education
2021–2026
Ph.D. in Chemistry
Mersin University, Türkiye · GPA 3.89/4.00Thesis: Development of Spinel Oxide-Based Magnetic Heterogeneous Catalysts under Microwave Irradiation for Biofuel Synthesis and Machine-Learning Applications.
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Özgür Sönmez · Türkiye Government Excellence Scholarship2019–2021
M.Eng. in Oil Refining and Petrochemicals
Abdou Moumouni University, Niger · 16.50/20Thesis: Process-Based Quantification and Engineering Assessment of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Losses at the Nigerien Company of Hydrocarbons.
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Manzola Abdou Salam · Niger Excellence Government Scholarship2014–2017
B.Eng. in Mines, Oil and Gas
Abdou Moumouni University, Niger · 13.41/20Thesis: Physicochemical Characterization of Wellhead Crude Oils and Assessment of Their Influence on Separation Performance at the CNPC-NP FPF Station, Agadem Block, Niger.
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Manzola Abdou SalamExperience
2023–2026
Chemistry Teacher
Berneshti International School · Mersin, TürkiyeChemistry teaching for grades 9–12, scientific reasoning and student assessment.
2022–2026
Laboratory Teaching & Mentoring
Mersin University · TürkiyeUndergraduate laboratory support, experimental setup, safety, data analysis, posters and reports; mentorship of Master’s and Ph.D. researchers.
2021–2022
HSE Engineer Assistant
Great Wall Drilling CorporationSafety monitoring, compliance procedures and operational risk assessment in drilling workflows.
2018–2021
Process Assistant
Nigerien Company of Hydrocarbons (SONIHY SA)Hydrocarbon-process monitoring, LPG management and loss evaluation.
Core methods
Technical expertise
Catalytic reaction engineering
Microwave-assisted esterification and transesterification; waste-cooking-oil biodiesel; oleic- and levulinic-acid conversion; kinetics, thermodynamics and catalyst stability.
Electrochemical systems
Electrode preparation; three-electrode cells; HER/OER evaluation; CV, LSV, EIS, Tafel and chronoamperometry; CO₂RR product-analysis readiness.
Materials characterization
XRD, SEM/TEM, BET, XPS, UV–Vis, FTIR, NMR, TGA, DSC and magnetic-property datasets; interfacial and structure–activity interpretation.
DFT & molecular modelling
Gaussian 16 and GaussView; geometry optimization, HOMO–LUMO, ESP and DOS; working knowledge for catalyst descriptors.
Machine learning
TabPFN, gradient boosting, XGBoost, Random Forest, CatBoost, ANN/PINN and linear models; LOOCV, nested CV, bootstrap, SHAP and partial dependence.
Process & safety
Aspen HYSYS; refining and LPG-process fundamentals; laboratory safety and HSE risk awareness.
Recognition
Awards, presentations and professional development
Awards & distinctions
- Best Poster Award · Mersin University · 2025
- First Prize – Best Graduate Student · Abdou Moumouni University · 2021
- Best Thesis Award · Faculty of Science and Technology · 2021
- Best Student Award · Abdou Moumouni University · 2017
- Türkiye Government Excellence Scholarship · Ph.D. · 2021
- Nigerien Government Excellence Scholarships · 2014, 2019 and 2021
Selected presentations
- Toward Sustainable Hydrogen Production: Advances in Electrocatalytic Urea and Urine Splitting for Circular Energy and Waste Valorization · Oral presentation · 2025
- Synthesis of a Pyrrolidinium-Based Ionic Liquid Catalyst and Its Application in Biodiesel Production · 2024
- The Roles of Magnetic Nanomaterials in Biofuel Systems · Oral presentation · 2024
Training & service
- Density Functional Theory Workshop · Mersin University · 2025
- Machine Learning Workshop · PioPetro · 2024
- Advanced Aspen HYSYS Process Simulation · 2019
- Reviewer · Biomass and Bioenergy · 2025
- Reviewer · Green Chemistry Letters and Reviews · 2026
- American Chemical Society · Member 2026–2027
- Society of Petroleum Engineers · Member 2026–2027
Contact
Research collaboration and postdoctoral opportunities
Mersin, Türkiye · French and Hausa (native) · English C1 · Turkish C1
emoue1993@gmail.com