Mohamed Noufal | Chemical Engineering | Best Researcher Award

Prof. Mohamed Noufal | Chemical Engineering | Best Researcher Award

Hampton University | United States

Prof. Mohamed Noufal, Ph.D., is a distinguished chemical engineer and academic leader, serving as Chair of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Director of the Quantum Materials Laboratory at Hampton University, Virginia, USA. He earned his Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences and Engineering from The University of Texas at El Paso (2022), an M.Sc. in Chemistry from Ain Shams University, Egypt (2016), and a B.Sc. in Chemistry from Mansoura University, Egypt (2012). With over eight years of experience in research, teaching, and program development, Prof. Mohamed Noufal has established an internationally recognized portfolio in advanced electrocatalysis, semiconductor interfaces, 2D materials, green hydrogen technologies, and AI-assisted materials discovery. His professional journey includes faculty associate roles at Purdue Fort Wayne’s First Molecule Center, visiting professorships at the University of Pennsylvania and University of Virginia, and leadership of interdisciplinary initiatives in fullerenes and van der Waals heterostructures. He has secured competitive funding from NSF, NASA, DOE, and other agencies, and has mentored numerous graduate and undergraduate researchers advancing in academic and professional roles. Prof. Mohamed Noufal’s recent publications include “Raman fingerprints of spin-phonon coupling and magnetic transition in an organic molecule intercalated Cr₂Ge₂Te₆”, “Unraveling the Cooperative Activity of Hydrophilicity, Conductivity, and Interfacial Active Sites in Alginate‐CNT‐CuO Self‐Standing Electrodes”, and “Cylindrical C96 Fullertubes: A Highly Active Metal‐Free O₂‐Reduction Electrocatalyst”, collectively cited 19 times across 7 Scopus-indexed documents with an h-index of 3. Recognized for his innovation in nanomaterials synthesis, biosensor development, and sustainable energy technologies, Prof. Mohamed Noufal has significantly advanced research, education, and interdisciplinary collaboration in chemical engineering.

Profile: Scopus | Staff Page

Featured Publications

Samanta, S., Iturriaga, H., Mai, T. T., Biacchi, A. J., Islam, R., Hight Walker, A. R., & Noufal, M. (2023). Raman fingerprints of spin-phonon coupling and magnetic transition in an organic molecule intercalated Cr₂Ge₂Te₆. arXiv preprint arXiv:2312.01270.

Noufal, M., et al. (2023). Unraveling the cooperative activity of hydrophilicity, conductivity, and interfacial active sites in alginate‐CNT‐CuO self‐standing electrodes with benchmark-close activity for alkaline water splitting. Advanced Sustainable Systems, 7(12), 2300283.

Bhunia, S., Peña-Duarte, A., Li, H., Li, H., Noufal, M., Saha, P., Addicoat, M. A., Sasaki, K., Strom, T. A., Yacamán, M. J., & Cabrera, C. R. (2023). [2,1,3]-Benzothiadiazole-spaced Co-porphyrin-based covalent organic frameworks for O₂ reduction. ACS Nano, 17(4), 3492–3505.

Noufal, M., et al. (2022). Cylindrical C₉₆ fullertubes: A highly active metal‐free O₂‐reduction electrocatalyst. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 61(21), e202116727.

Puente Santiago, A. R., Noufal, M., Moreno-Vicente, A., Ahsan, M. A., Cerón, M. R., Yao, Y.-R., Sreenivasan, S. T., Rodriguez-Fortea, A., Poblet, J. M., & Echegoyen, L. (2021). A new class of molecular electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution: Catalytic activity of M₃N@C₂ₙ (2n = 68, 78, and 80) fullerenes. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 143(16), 6037–6042.

Noufal, M., et al. (2021). Co–Cu bimetallic metal-organic framework catalyst outperforms the Pt/C benchmark for oxygen reduction. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 143(10), 4064–4073.

Noufal, M., et al. (2022). Metal-organic framework in fuel cell technology: Fundamentals and application. In Electrochemical applications of metal-organic frameworks (pp. 135–189). Elsevier.

Baorui Xu | Chemical Engineering | Best Researcher Award

Mr. Baorui Xu | Chemical Engineering | Best Researcher Award

Laoshan Laboratory | China

Mr. Baorui Xu, Associate Professor at Northeast Petroleum University and Laoshan Laboratory, is a leading researcher whose work has advanced petroleum machinery engineering and multiphase flow technologies. With a Ph.D. in Chemical Process Machinery, he has developed expertise in downhole cyclonic separation, oil–water multiphase transport, and co-well injection-production optimization. His research portfolio includes 24 peer-reviewed publications, which have collectively received 283 citations across 224 documents, demonstrating his sustained scholarly impact within the global academic community. His h-index of 9 further reflects both the depth and consistency of his contributions, with several of his works becoming important references in petroleum engineering, separation science, and fluid dynamics. Mr. Baorui Xu has been instrumental in designing innovative hydrocyclone systems, integrating coalescence and stabilization mechanisms, and optimizing separation processes for small-diameter oilfield applications. His research excellence is complemented by 22 authorized national patents, a published monograph on process flow equipment, and leadership of multiple national and provincial research projects, including support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China. Importantly, his findings have not remained confined to theory but have been successfully applied in large oilfields such as Daqing and Dagang, improving oil recovery efficiency and advancing sustainable petroleum production. His achievements were formally recognized when he received the First Prize of Technological Invention from the Heilongjiang Provincial Department of Science and Technology in 2022. By combining a strong record of publications, measurable citation performance, and field-ready innovations, Mr. Baorui Xu has emerged as a recognized leader in petroleum machinery design and applied fluid mechanics research.

Profile: Scopus | ORCID

Featured Publications

Zhang, X., Wei, H., Huang, X., Xu, B., Yu, F., & Zhao, L. (2025). Liutex-based flow structure characterization in vibrating downhole hydrocyclone for oil-water-sand multiphase systems. Chemical Engineering Research and Design. Advance online publication.

Liu, X., You, C., Cao, Y., Xu, B., Yang, Y., Li, H., Lv, P., Sun, C., & Duan, H. (2024). Friction drag reduction of Taylor–Couette flow over air-filled microgrooves. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 984, A18.

Zhang, X., Shakaib, M., Yu, F., Jin, Y., Zhao, L., Wang, S., & Xu, B. (2024). Study on flow field characteristics of gas-liquid hydrocyclone separation under vibration conditions. PLOS ONE, 19(7), e0307110.

Xu, B., Li, H., Liu, X., Xiang, Y., Lv, P., Tan, X., Zhao, Y., Sun, C., & Duan, H. (2023). Effect of micro-grooves on drag reduction in Taylor–Couette flow. Physics of Fluids, 35(4), 045118.

Xu, B. (2020). Structure design and preliminary experimental investigation on oil-water separation performance of a novel helix separator. Separation Science and Technology, 55(16), 2862–2875.

Liu, L., Zhao, L., Yang, X., Wang, Y., Xu, B., & Liang, B. (2019). Innovative design and study of an oil-water coupling separation magnetic hydrocyclone. Separation and Purification Technology, 211, 446–455.

Xu, B., Jiang, M., Zhao, L., Wang, Y., Zhang, X., & Deng, X. (2018). CFD simulation and PIV test of water flow characteristics in helix separator. Shiyou Xuebao/Acta Petrolei Sinica, 39(2), 220–228.