Yury Gogotsi is a Distinguished University Professor and the Charles T. and Ruth M. Bach Endowed Chair in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. He also serves as Director of the A.J. Drexel Nanomaterials Institute. He received his MS (1984) and PhD (1986) from Kyiv Polytechnic and a DSc degree from the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (1995). Together with his students and colleagues, he has made principal contributions to the development of materials for electrochemical capacitors and other energy storage devices, discovered MXenes, demonstrated the tuning of structure and porosity of carbide-derived carbons, and developed new processes for the synthesis, surface modification, and purification of nanotubes and nanodiamonds.
Yury Gogotsi also published the first microscopic observation of water inside carbon nanotubes, discovered polygonal nanotubes (graphite polyhedral crystals), and shaped the field of high-pressure surface science. He is recognized as a Highly Cited Researcher in Materials Science and Chemistry and a Citations Laureate in Physics by Clarivate. He has received numerous awards for his research, including the Blaise Pascal Medal from the European Academy of Sciences, the Ceramic Prize from the World Academy of Ceramics, the Materials Research Society (MRS) Medal, the American Chemical Society (ACS) Award in the Chemistry of Materials, etc. He has been elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, the World Academy of Ceramics, the European Academy of Sciences, Academia Europaea, and many professional societies. He holds honorary doctorates from several European Universities.
For full CV, publications, and current research activities, visit https://research.coe.drexel.edu/mse/nanomaterials/
Ekaterina Pomerantseva is a Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Drexel University. She received a B.S. degree in Materials Science in 2000 and an M.S. degree in Chemistry and Materials Science in 2003 from Lomonosov Moscow State University, an M.S. degree in Biochemistry in 2005 from McGill University, and a Ph.D. degree in Solid-State Chemistry in 2007 from Lomonosov Moscow State University. Prior to joining Drexel, she held postdoctoral appointments at the Institute for Systems Research at the University of Maryland, College Park (2010–2013) and in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Waterloo (2009–2010). She has co-authored over 90 peer-reviewed journal publications. She received the prestigious NSF CAREER Award (2018) and was named a Scialog Fellow (2017), a Stein Fellow (2019) and a MESC+ Faculty Fellow (2022). She has also served as an Associate Editor of Materials Today Chemistry.
Professor Pomerantseva’s research integrates materials chemistry and electrochemistry to address critical challenges in sustainable energy storage and water treatment. She leads the Material Electrochemistry Group, which designs nanostructured materials with precisely controlled crystal structures, compositions, and architectures to enable selective ion transport, rapid charge transfer, and long-term electrochemical stability. Her work has established fundamental structure–property relationships in electrochemically active nanoscale materials, advancing battery and capacitive deionization technologies as well as electrochromic and biomedical devices. By bridging molecular-level synthesis with device-level performance, her research provides design principles for electrochemically driven systems capable of selective ion removal, critical mineral recovery, and high-rate energy storage. These contributions support the development of scalable technologies for clean water and next-generation energy systems, positioning her work at the interface of fundamental materials discovery and real-world implementation.
Lucia Gemma Delogu leads the Immune-NanoLab, a multinational research laboratory operating between the University of Padova (Italy) and Khalifa University of Science and Technology (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates).
Professor Delogu has developed extensive international experience through research and leadership roles at several world-class institutions, including the University of Southern California (Los Angeles, USA), the Sanford-Burnham Institute (San Diego, USA), the Technische Universität Dresden (Germany), where she served as a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellow, and New York University Abu Dhabi (UAE), where she held the position of Visiting Professor. In these institutions, she not only led pioneering research projects in nanomedicine but also actively established new international academic collaborations and strategic partnerships. Her achievements have been recognized by the Italian Government, which named her among the “200 Best Talents of Italy.”
As scientific coordinator of four interdisciplinary projects funded by the European Commission, Professor Delogu has led major research initiatives involving more than 60 academic and industrial partners across Europe, the United States, and the Middle East. She has been awarded the prestigious European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant. Through highly competitive funding programs, she has secured more than €8 million in research funding, contributing significantly to the advancement of two-dimensional materials and nanotechnology, with support from the European Commission, the Italian Government, the European Space Agency, and the Graphene Flagship initiative. She has delivered more than 100 invited lectures and keynote presentations at leading international conferences and institutions, including the University of Cambridge, CNRS Strasbourg, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, and New York University, among others.
Professor Delogu’s research lies at the intersection of nanotechnology and biomedicine. She pioneered the concept of “Nano-Immunity-by-Design,” an approach that integrates principles of chemical engineering to design nanomaterials capable of eliciting tailored immune responses. Her work has been published in leading scientific journals, including Nature Communications, Nature Nanotechnology, Advanced Materials, Nano Today, and ACS Nano. Her studies collectively contribute to the advancement of immunology, biomedicine, and materials science.
Professor Delogu is recognized for cultivating durable collaborations that span disciplines, borders, and cultures, transforming scientific ideas into innovation-driven research roadmaps. Her mission is to connect academic excellence with real-world needs, advancing transformative solutions in biomedicine, healthcare, and advanced-materials ecosystems.
Dr. Laura Fusco is a Tenure-Track Assistant Professor at the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Padua (Italy), a position she received through a Direct Call approved by the Italian Ministry of Universities and Research (MUR) in 2025. Her research lies at the intersection of nanomaterials and biomedicine, with a particular focus on the immune interactions and biomedical applications of advanced nanomaterials.
Dr. Fusco has international research experience, including as a visiting researcher at Khalifa University (UAE) and three years supported by a prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Global Individual Fellowship (MSCA IF Global), awarded in 2021 with the University of Padua as the host institution (project SEE, grant agreement No. 101029140). Within the framework of this fellowship, she conducted the outgoing phase of her research at Drexel University (USA) in the laboratory of Prof. Yury Gogotsi, where she led research on biomedical applications of MXenes.
Before this fellowship, she joined the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Padua in July 2020 as a Postdoctoral Fellow on a project funded by the European Space Agency (ESA), focusing on nanomaterials promoting skin regeneration and wound healing for potential applications during space missions.
Dr. Fusco previously gained extensive international research experience through European collaborative projects, including the Graphene Flagship and Horizon 2020 initiatives. She conducted research at the Karolinska Institutet (Sweden) and worked as a Seconded Scientist at Sidra Medicine (Qatar), within an MSCA RISE Horizon 2020 project focusing on immune interactions with carbon nanomaterials.
Dr. Fusco received her Ph.D. with Excellent Recognition from the University of Trieste in partnership with Ca’ Foscari University of Venice in 2018. Her doctoral research focused on the biocompatibility and biomedical applications of graphene, particularly investigating mitochondrial membrane depolarization and oxidative stress mechanisms. The Ph.D. project was supported by the EU Horizon 2020 Graphene Flagship, Europe’s largest research initiative with a €1 billion budget.
She obtained her M.Sc. in Medical Biotechnologies and Molecular Medicine summa cum laude from the University of Trieste, where she studied anticancer drugs. She previously earned her B.Sc. in Medical Biotechnologies from the University of Milan, where she investigated the effects of air pollution on human health.
Since joining the University of Padua, Dr. Fusco has established a strong and internationally recognized research profile. Her work has been supported by highly competitive international funding as Beneficiary or Co-Principal Investigator, including the RIC-2D Open Call, the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Global Individual Fellowship, and the MSCA Staff Exchange project (OMNIA) as a Principal Investigator. She also coordinates, as Co-Principal Investigator, the Horizon 2020 RISE consortium MX-MAP and has contributed to multiple European and national grant proposals.
Over the past five years, her research has resulted in more than 20 peer-reviewed publications, including 15 as first author, in leading Q1 international journals. Six of these publications have been featured on journal covers, and one received the ACS Nano Championship Award as the best article published in the journal over the previous five years. She has delivered nine invited oral presentations at international conferences, reflecting the growing international recognition of her research.
Her scientific achievements have been recognized with several international awards and honors, including the Marie Curie Alumni Association Best Oral Presentation Award (2024) and the Social Innovation Award at Start Cup Padova (2024). In 2022, she was selected to participate in the 71st Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting, joining the global network of Lindau Alumni and participating in high-level scientific initiatives involving Nobel Laureates. In 2024, she obtained the Italian National Scientific Qualification (ASN) as Associate Professor.
Dr. Fusco actively contributes to the academic community as a member of the Ph.D. Academic Board, scientific coordinator for international collaborations (including partnerships with Khalifa University, UAE), and organizer of international conferences. She is also engaged in teaching and mentorship, supervising Ph.D. students and delivering lectures on nanomedicine and immunology.
Beyond academic research, she contributes to the University’s Third Mission activities by promoting the societal impact of science through outreach, innovation, and technology transfer. She is co-inventor of an international patent, recipient of innovation and entrepreneurship awards, and participant in the Italian National Innovation Prize (Premio Nazionale Innovazione).
Faisal is an Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering at Khalifa University. His research focuses on novel membranes and devices for water treatment and energy applications, including desalination, wastewater treatment, seawater and brine mining, valuable minerals recovery, ammonia, hydrogen, batteries and waste-to-wealth.
Faisal is also the Deputy Director of the Centre of Membrane and Advanced Water Technology (CMAT) at Khalifa University and serves as an Editorial Board Member in the Desalination Journal published by Elsevier. Additionally, he sits on the Advisory Board for XPRIZE Water Scarcity, part of the Mohamed Bin Zayed Water Initiative. This $119 million, five-year global competition aims to enhance access to clean water by creating reliable, sustainable, and affordable seawater desalination systems.
A frequent contributor to academic journals, Faisal was also a visiting assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States from 2016 to 2018. He received his PhD in Interdisciplinary Engineering with a focus on water technologies from the joint program at the Masdar Institute and MIT. He obtained his Master of Chemical Engineering from Imperial College London for his research on the use of ionic liquids in the determination of surface energies, which led him to receive the Lonza Award and an Associateship of the City and Guilds of London Institute Award in chemical engineering at Imperial College London.
He is a graduate of both the Executive Leaders and Innovative Leaders programs of the UAE Government Leaders Program at the Prime Minister’s Office in Dubai. Additionally, he is an alumnus of the Young Future Energy Leaders Program at the Masdar Institute and a Water Expert in the National Experts Program managed by the Emirates Foundation under the Abu Dhabi Government. Finally, Faisal is the recipient of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Award in 2025.
Yash Athreya is a PhD student at the A.J. Drexel Nanomaterials Institute, Drexel University, where he conducts experimental research on MXene-based materials for Hybrid Capacitive Deionization and electrochemical applications, including ion transport and selective separation. His work spans synthesis, characterization, and emerging electrode designs. Prior to his doctoral studies, Yash completed his Master of Science in Nanomaterials at Drexel and holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Chemical Engineering from RV College of Engineering in Bangalore, India. He is active in academic outreach, having presented at international MXene conference and supported educational initiatives like the Drexel MXene Course.
Anna-Maria Pappa is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology at Khalifa University and a visiting scholar at Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas. Prior to this, she was the Oppenheimer Research fellow and the Maundslay-Butler Fellow at Cambridge University and Pembroke College respectively. She received her PhD in Bioelectronics in 2017 from Ecole des Mines de St Etienne. Anna-Maria is currently leading the Bioelectronics and Biosystems on chip laboratory focusing on developing smart materials and engineering bio-interfaces for on-chip and wearable bioelectronics. Anna-Maria has received multiple awards for her research including the L’Oreal-UNESCO Women in Science award, being listed in the Innovators under 35 MIT technology review.
Deema Islayem received her PhD in Biomedical Engineering in 2025 from Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, UAE. Her research expertise focuses on biosensors, microfluidics, and biofilm-associated infections. During her PhD, she received several awards, including Outstanding Graduate Student and Best Paper Presentation at conferences. She is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at Khalifa University within the Center for Catalysis and Separation, working under the supervision of Dr. Anna Maria Pappa at the Laboratory of Bioelectronics & Biosystems on Chip (Lab BBC), where her research centers on materials science and its integration with extracellular vesicles.
Dr. Oleksiy Gogotsi, PhD is a materials scientist and technology entrepreneur specializing in MXenes, MAX phases, and advanced nanostructured materials. He is the Founding Director of Y-Carbon LLC (Carbon-Ukraine).
With a background in mechanical engineering and a PhD in Electrical Engineering (Heat and Power Transfer), Dr. Gogotsi brings over three decades of experience in nanomaterials research, advanced ceramics, and technology commercialization.
As one of the pioneers of scalable MAX-phase and MXene synthesis, he has led the development of industrial-scale reactors, automated coating systems, and advanced research equipment supplied to leading laboratories and companies worldwide. His work bridges fundamental science and industrial implementation, supporting more than 300 research groups globally and advancing MXene applications in energy, electronics, environmental technologies, and biomedicine.
Veronika Zahorodna is Executive Director and Materials Science Engineer–Researcher at Carbon-Ukraine (Y-Carbon LLC). She specializes in MXenes, MAX phases, and functional nanomaterials, contributing to research, process optimization, and the scale-up of advanced materials for scientific and industrial applications. Her work integrates experimental materials engineering with project coordination and international collaboration, supporting the company’s global partnerships and the supply of high-quality MAX-phase and MXene materials to research institutions and technology developers worldwide.
Dr. Faisal Shahzad is a materials scientist and Senior Research Scientist at Khalifa University, where he plays a leading role in developing the RIC2D laboratories, fostering strong local and international collaborations, and advancing new research directions for MXenes across diverse applications. With over 15 years of combined academic and industrial experience, he previously served as a faculty member at the Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS), where he contributed to launching the BS program in Metallurgy and Materials Engineering and established state-of-the-art teaching and research laboratories. Internationally recognized as one of the early pioneers of MXene-based technologies for electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding and water remediation, he founded the Functional Hybrid Materials Laboratory, opening new avenues in EMI shielding, hybrid materials, and nanomaterials research. His collaborative work with Prof. Yury Gogotsi’s group on MXene-based EMI shielding, including a landmark first-author publication in Science cited more than 5,000 times, has helped establish MXenes as a leading platform material for high-performance shielding and advanced functional systems.
Dr. Shahzad’s broader research spans energy storage and catalysis, water purification, biosensing, and functional coatings, with a growing emphasis on green synthesis, AI-guided materials design, micro-printing technologies, and the translation of 2D materials into commercially viable solutions. His work has been published in leading journals, including Science, Advanced Materials, Advanced Science, Materials Science and Engineering R: Reports, and Progress in Materials Science. He is also the editor and co-author of a book titled Two-Dimensional Materials for Electromagnetic Shielding. In the current project, Dr. Shahzad serves in an advisory capacity across multiple work packages, with particular emphasis on the large-scale synthesis and commercialization of MXene technologies in the UAE and internationally.