Faculty
Director, International Polymer & Soft Matter Center (IPSMC)
Dr. Alamgir Karim, the Dow Chair Professor and Director of the Doctoral Materials Program at the University of Houston, is a distinguished researcher with a diverse range of interests and contributions to the field of polymer nanotechnology. His work spans multiple areas with a particular focus on thin films, surfaces, and interfaces, exploring their applications in energy, sustainability, and human health. Dr. Karim's research extends to the fascinating realm of polymer nanocomposites, including nanoparticle polymer systems, polymer blend phase separation, and block copolymer thin film ordering. Additionally, his expertise encompasses the development of innovative materials such as elastomers-based systems and polymer thin films for functional applications. His impressive h-index of 70, extensive publication record, and leadership in organizing international conferences highlight his significant contributions to the field of polymer research. Furthermore, Dr. Karim's work intersects with emerging areas of study, such as the use of graphene oxide membranes for desalination and investigations into dielectric properties and separation applications, reinforcing his commitment to pushing the boundaries of materials science and engineering. In addition, Dr. Karim is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, as well as a recipient of the prestigious Keck Foundation Award.
Polymer Surfaces, Interfaces, Thin Films, Blends Phase Separation, Nanocomposite Films, Block Copolymer ordering, Nanoparticle patterning, Organic Photovoltaics, Combinatorial Materials Science, Tissue Engineering
• Graduate students:
- Kshitij Sharma, PhD, ChBE
- Samuel Wallaert, PhD, MSE
- Mina Shanbedi, PhD, MSE
- Wafa Tonny, PhD, MSE
- Farzana Hasan Likhi, PhD, MSE
- Diana Cousins, PhD, ChBE
- Akhtar Gul, PhD, MSE
- Anusha Vonteddu, PhD, MSE
- Thomas Cao, PhD, ChBE
- Saurabh Kr Tiwary, PhD, ChBE
- Amir Kashkooli, PhD, ChBE
- Hala Farghaly, PhD, MSE
- Nehil Shreyash, PhD, ChBE
- Karan Kumar Paswan, PhD, MSE
- Sushipra Vats, PhD, MSE
- Nathanael (Nate) J. Greene, PhD, MSE
- Saniya Zafar, PhD, MSE
- Hassan Yousefi, PhD, MSE
- Christopher Gonzales, Master’s, MSE
- Shuvam Vasant Chavan, Master’s, ChBE
- Siddharaj S. Dabade, Master’s, ChBE
- Masiuddin Muzzamil (Masi), Master’s, MechE
- Hitesh Potdukhe, Master’s, EEE
- Raiyan Baig, Master’s, IE
- Snehi Borsania, Master’s, ChBE
• Undergraduate students: Frank Klein, ChBE, Alejandro Rivera Ruiz ChBE
• Postdoctoral research associates: Justin D. Smith, Ugur Aslan, ChBE
NSF Special Creativity Award, 2021
Dow Chair Professor, 2017−present
Welch Foundation Endowment, 2017
Associate Dean of Research, College of Polymer Science & Polymer Engineering, 2013-2015
Institute Director, College of Polymer Science & Polymer Engineering, University of Akron, 2010-2015
Keck Foundation Award, 2013
Fellow of American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 2012
CUGSR Faculty Mentor of The Year, University of Akron, 2010
Co-Director, Akron Functional Materials Center (AFMC), University of Akron, 2010
Goodyear Chair Professor, University of Akron, 2008-present
King Saud University, Invited Program Evaluation Member, 2014
Advisory Member, Workshop, Dept. of Polymer Engineering, Yalova University, Turkey
Panel Evaluation Member: National Science and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC), 2010-2014; 2012 NSF-NSEC; Multiple NSF-MRSEC’s Panel; 2012 DOE BES-COV Panel
Sub-Committee Member, User Group, Center for Nanoscale Materials Science, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, 2008-2010
Program Advisory Board Member, University of Connecticut, Institute for Materials Science (IMS), Polymers Program, 2007-2008
Silver Medal Award, US Department of Commerce, 2007
Fellow of American Physical Society (APS), 2005
Advisory Committee Member, Keck Program, Howard University, Washington D.C., 2003
Bronze Medal Award, US Department of Commerce, NIST, 2002
Adjunct Faculty, Department of Chemistry, University of Arkansas, Little Rock, Arkansas, 2002
International Advisory Board Member for “Polymer Nanocomposites”, National Research Council of Canada (NRCC), 2000
Pace-Setter Award, Argonne National Laboratory, 1990
Summer Intern Fellowship, IBM, San Jose, California, 1988
National Talent Scholarship Award, India, 1980
National Mathematics Olympiad Award, India, 1980
Junior Science Talent Scholarship Award, India, 1978
Selected Publications
- Bera, S. et al. , 2D-Nanofiller-Based Polymer Nanocomposites for Capacitive Energy Storage Applications. Small Science 3, 2023
- Likhi, F. H. et al. , Effects of Film Confinement on Dielectric and Electrical Properties of Graphene Oxide and Reduced Graphene Oxide-Based Polymer Nanocomposites: Implications for Energy Storage. ACS Appl Nano Mater 6, 11699–11714, 2023
- Shanbedi, M., Ardebili, H. & Karim, A. , Polymer-based triboelectric nanogenerators: Materials, characterization, and applications. Prog Polym Sci 144, 101723, 2023
- Sharma, K. et al. , Hiking down the Free Energy Landscape Using Sequential Solvent and Thermal Processing for Versatile Ordering of Block Copolymer Films. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 15, 21562–21574, 2023
- Singh, M. et al. , Ultrahigh Capacitive Energy Density in Stratified 2D Nanofiller-Based Polymer Dielectric Films. ACS Nano 17, 20, 20262–20272, 2023
- Tawade, B. V. et al. , Polymer-Grafted Nanoparticles with Variable Grafting Densities for High Energy Density Polymeric Nanocomposite Dielectric Capacitors. JACS Au 3, 1365–1375, 2023
- Agrawal, A., Douglas, J. F., Tirrell, M. & Karim, A. , Manipulation of coacervate droplets with an electric field. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 119, e2203483119, 2022
- Singh, M. et al. , Enhanced Dielectric Strength and Capacitive Energy Density of Cyclic Polystyrene Films. ACS Polymers Au 2, 324–332, 2022
- Singh, M. et al. , Soft-Shear-Aligned Vertically Oriented Lamellar Block Copolymers for Template-Free Sub-10 nm Patterning and Hybrid Nanostructures. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 14, 12824–12835, 2022
- Wu, W. et al. , Facile Entropy-Driven Segregation of Imprinted Polymer-Grafted Nanoparticle Brush Blends by Solvent Vapor Annealing Soft Lithography. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 14, 45765–45774, 2022
- Wu, W. et al. , Control of Phase Morphology of Binary Polymer Grafted Nanoparticle Blend Films via Direct Immersion Annealing. ACS Nano 15, 12042–12056, 2022