Join us: We constantly look for enthusiastic graduate and undergraduate students; postdoctoral candidates may inquire about possible openings.
Dr. Saiful M. Islam (Principal Investigator)
Dr. Saiful M. Islam has been an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry, Physics, and Atmospheric Sciences at Jackson State University since 2017. He earned his B.Sc. (2004) and M.Sc. (2006) in Chemistry from the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh, and completed his Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University of Bonn, Germany, in 2011. He subsequently held postdoctoral positions at the University of Bonn (2011-2012) and Northwestern University (2012-2017), where he also served as an adjunct faculty member. Dr. Islam was a recipient of the prestigious German Academic Exchange Award (DAAD) for his Ph.D. studies and was honored with the U.S. Department of Energy's Visiting Research Award in 2018 for his work at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Additionally, in 2019, he conducted research as a visiting scientist at the Army Research Laboratory in Adelphi, Maryland.
Since joining Jackson State University, Dr. Islam has been awarded numerous federal grants from the U.S. Department of Energy (Environmental Management, Basic Energy Science, and Vehicle Transportation Offices), the National Science Foundation (NSF CHE, NSF-DMR), US Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Education. Notable recognitions include the NSF CAREER Award, DOE-EERE HBCU Clean Energy Education Awards (Phase 1 and Phase 2), and Jackson State University's 2024 Shining Stars Award for research excellence. In 2022, he was named an Emerging Leader in Coordination Chemistry by the Journal of Coordination Chemistry.
Dr. Islam contributes extensively to the research community, serving as a panelist for NSF DMR and an Ad Hoc reviewer for DOE Early Career Awards, NSF DMR, NSF CHE, and DOE SBIR/STTR programs. He has also served as Vice-Chair (2019-2021) and Chair (2021-2022) of the Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Division for the Mississippi Academy of Sciences.
Dr. Islam's current research lies at the intersection of materials and environmental chemistry, with a focus on electrochemical energy storage and conversion, wastewater remediation, and nuclear waste treatment. He has authored over 60 peer-reviewed publications and holds one patent.
Contact:
Department of Chemistry, Physics and Atmospheric Sciences
1400 John R. Lynch Street, Jackson 39217, Mississippi, USA
Email: muhammad.s.islam@jsums.edu
Phone: (601)-979-3485
Postdocs
Dr. Misganaw Adigo Weret
Joined: May, 2023
Research Area: Lithium sulfur batteries, Li-ion batteries, Sulfide solid-state electrolyte and anode-free lithium sulfur battery.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4891-8526
Email: misganaw_adigo.weret@jsums.edu
Dr. Ravichandran Chitra Rohit
Joined: October, 2023
Research Area: Supercapattery, Electrocatalysis and waste water treatment.
Hobby: Movies and badminton.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6601-1891
Email: rohitnano18@gmail.com
Graduate Students
MD Robiul Alam
Joined: August, 2021
Research Area: Currently, I am conducting advanced research that centers on the advancement of metal sulfide intercalated layered double hydroxides (LDHs) for environmental remediation. This novel method focuses on efficiently eliminating heavy metal cations and oxoanions from polluted areas, providing a hopeful resolution for reducing the negative effects of industrial pollution. Furthermore, my work includes the important field of nuclear waste remediation, where I investigate the capacity of LDH materials to effectively segregate radioactive contaminants.
Hobby: Photography and fishing, with interest in religion, history and politics.
Email: md_robiul.alam@students.jsums.edu
James Daniels (part time student)
Joined: August 2021
Research Area: Chalcogels for sustainable energy and environment
MD Taohedul Islam
Joined: January, 2022
Research Area: Synthesis of chalcogels and chalcocarbogels for their applications in energy storage; local structure determination of amorphous solids using synchrotron X-ray pair distribution function (PDF) and X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) analysis.
Hobby: Learning about different cultures.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8112-398X
Email: md_taohedul.islam@students.jsums.edu
Oluwaseun Oketola
Joined: January, 2023
Research Area: My research interests lie at the intersection of materials science and environmental chemistry. I focus on the inorganic chemistry of both crystalline and amorphous materials, exploring synthesis, morphology, and their local structure and functions. My ultimate aim is to pioneer the development of innovative materials that address the requirements of sustainable energy and environmental applications, particularly in the realm of defense legacy nuclear waste treatment.
Hobby: Soccer, Painting.
Email: oluwaseun.a.oketola@students.jsums.edu
Shital Dhami
Joined: August, 2023
Research Area: 2D Materials, Wastewater treatment, Hybrid Supercapacitors, and electrocatalysis
ORCID:
Email: sital.dhami@students.jsums.edu
Ahmed Adebanjo
Joined: Spring 2025
Research Area: Semiconducting porous amorphous solids and understanding their local structures by synchrotron X-ray PDF, EXAFS and XANES.
ORCID:
Email:
Undergrads
Ayooluwa Aduragbemi
Peighton Powe
Rodger Russel
Previous Group Members
Visiting Faculty
(1) Dr. Bhanu Nellore, Assistant Professor Mississippi Valley State University
Graduate Students
(1) Dr. Ahmet Celik (Graduated in Summer, 2022); currently an assistant professor at Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University, Turkey.
(2) Dr. Alicia Blanton (Graduated in Spring, 2023); currently working as a lab director at Rapid Analytics, Louisiana, USA.
(2) Dr. Jing Nie (Graduated in Summer, 2024)
Undergrads
(1) Janiqua Bullock, (2) Darius Nelson, (3) Eli Hodge (currently at Eli Liley), (4) Jamacia Shortee, (5) Hannah Lewis (Accepted to University of Purdue for MS, Fall 2023), (6) Brooklynn May, (7) Ariel Cox, (8) Sydni Wilson (currently graduate student, University of Pennsylvania); (9) Airin Beals (Fall 2022 - Fall 2023); (10) Deja Doucet (Fall 2023-Spring 204, accepted a position at Eli Lilley), (11) Erika Cottrell (Fall 2023-Spring 2024), (12) Malachi Morris (2023-204), and (13) Hailey Barlet (2024)
Postbaccalaureate
(1) Brooklynn May (Fll 2023-Summer 2024)
Summer Interns
(1) Kennedy Smitt (University of Arkansas Pine Bluff, 2018), (2) Chad McKnight (Tugaloo College, 2022); (3) Ramiyah Thompson (Mississippi Dela Valley State, 2023), (4) Riwad Iftekhar (University of Alabam Tuscaloosa, summer 2023), (5) Olujedeg Bridgwater (Mississippi Valey State University, Summer 2024).
High School Summer Interns
(1) Ishmam Bhuiyan (Madison-Ridgeland Academy, 2023)
(2) Tasmiyah Rashid (Clinton High School, Summer 2024
(3) Suri Clark (Madison Middle School, Summer 2024)
(4) Tanisha Islam (Madison Middle School, Summer 2024)
Dr. Subrata Chandra Roy
Joined: December 2021
Research Area: 2D materials, aerogels, lithium ion batteries, wastewater treatment and nuclear waste treatment
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8506-5484
Email: subrata.c.roy@jsums.edu
Current position: Graduate Associate Director, Jackson State University