Two outstanding Ph.D. students from the Texas A&M Chemical Engineering Department, Fatima Mahnaz and Ashfaq Iftakher, have been selected to attend the Global Young Scientist Summit (GYSS) 2025 in Singapore.
Representing Texas A&M University on the global stage, Mahnaz and Iftakher will join 300 other young scientists and postdocs from across the globe to engage with Nobel Laureates, Fields Medalists, Turing Fellows, and esteemed researchers.
According to the Global Young Scientists Summit's (GYSS) website, this summit aims to inspire and connect the brightest young researchers from around the world and share compelling research propositions with scientific leaders to address major global challenges.
“This summit is one of the most premier scientific events in the world,” Iftakher said.
“They bring together around 300 Ph.D. students and postdocs from around the world,” Mahnaz said. “I'm very excited to be selected for the summit and have the opportunity to represent Texas A&M and the department.”
Mahnaz and Iftakher were nominated for the summit by their respective advisors, Dr. Manish Shetty, assistant professor of chemical engineering, and Dr. Faruque Hasan, associate professor of chemical engineering.
"This recognition is a testament to Fatima's accomplishments and dedication to her research,” Shetty said. “She represents the best in the department. GYSS should give Fatima good exposure to cutting-edge research and researchers and help her seek and motivate higher standards in her research.”
Through CO₂ hydrogenation, we can produce carbon-neutral fuels and chemicals as alternatives to fossil fuels, for our transition towards a circular carbon economy.
Mahnaz and Iftakher will have the opportunity to showcase their individual research, meet renowned scientists, and network with peers. Mahnaz’s research includes converting carbon dioxide into gasoline.
“What we're doing is designing bifunctional catalytic materials that can convert carbon dioxide and green hydrogen, to fuels and chemicals,” Mahnaz said. "We need to tackle the carbon emission challenge. Through CO₂ hydrogenation, we can produce carbon-neutral fuels and chemicals as alternatives to fossil fuels, for our transition towards a circular carbon economy.”
Iftakher’s research focuses on developing computational models and methods for computer-aided molecular and process design.
“One of the new classes of materials that we're working on is called ionic liquid,” Iftakher said. “We are trying to identify the optimal ionic liquid that can effectively separate mixed refrigerants that possess high global warming potential. It boils down to identifying the optimal materials and processes that will minimize the environmental impact of these harmful chemicals.”
As the two prepare for the summit, they are starting to get excited about the possibility of rubbing elbows with recipients of the Nobel Prize, Fields Medal, Millennium Technology Prize, and Turing Award. These award winners will be speaking on topics including chemistry, physics, medicine, mathematics, computer science and engineering.
We are trying to identify the optimal ionic liquid that can effectively separate mixed refrigerants that possess high global warming potential.
At the summit, Fatima hopes to learn and discuss global challenges with fellow scientists.
“I want to learn what are the critical global challenges we need to address and how to think about those challenges,” Fatima said. “We can interact with other giants in the field to get to know about them and learn from their thinking process.”
Iftakher feels the same and is looking forward to interacting and presenting his work in front of Nobel Laureates.
“I have always been very inspired and fascinated with all of these big scientists,” Iftakher said. “To be able to meet them in person and hopefully discuss research and present mine, that's probably the highlight of the entire summit.”
Mahnaz and Iftakher’s future plans include joining academia; by attending this summit, they will get the chance to connect and network with luminaries in various fields that could impact their careers.
"Ashfaq is truly an outstanding student and a valuable member of my research group,” Hasan said. “He has consistently impressed me with his deep intellectual curiosity, intriguing research ideas, unwavering dedication, maturity and genuine passion for addressing complex challenges in the broader area of multiscale process systems engineering. His work not only demonstrates technical brilliance but also a mix of scientific rigor, diligence and creativity."
Mahnaz and Iftakher are not only unified in their studies but also in their relationship as a married couple.
“Getting this opportunity together and traveling to Singapore for a conference, that's going to be exciting,” they said. “I think as a couple, we both push each other, and I think it's important having support to and from your spouse.”