Dr. Fatma Ismail is an Assistant Professor in the Materials Science and Engineering Department at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), specializing in nanomaterials, heterogeneous catalysis, and electrochemical energy conversion. She earned her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from McMaster University in Canada, where her research focused on the development of advanced electrocatalysts and membrane electrode assemblies (MEA) for efficient CO₂ electroreduction to value-added products. Prior to joining KFUPM, Dr. Ismail worked as a Senior Research Scientist at CERT Systems Inc. in Toronto/Canada, where she contributed to the scale-up and performance optimization of electrochemical systems for carbon dioxide utilization. Her work involved catalyst design and integration into MEA for industrially relevant flow electrolyzer configurations. She played a key role in bridging laboratory-scale innovations with scalable electrochemical reactor technologies, enabling significant developments in sustainable CO₂-to-C2 products conversion processes. Dr. Ismail's research has been widely published in top-tier journals such as Nature Communications, ACS Catalysis, Nano Energy, and ACS Applied Energy Materials. She has held research positions in different leading institutions including Georgia Tech in the US, KAUST in SA, and the Canada Center for Electron Microscopy in Canada. Her interdisciplinary approach integrates materials synthesis, advanced characterization (e.g., in-situ TEM, XAS), and electrochemical system design, with a vision to drive sustainable innovations in clean energy technologies.

Education

• Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, McMaster University, Canada, 2023
• M.Sc., Photo-Chemistry and Photo-Biology, Cairo University, Egypt, 2019
• B.Sc., Chemistry, Minia University, Egypt, 2012

Courses Taught

• ME 217      Materials Lab
• ME 216      Materials Science and Engineering

Research Interests:

Dr. Ismail’s research is driven by a commitment to advancing sustainable and circular technologies through the design of next-generation functional materials. Her work focuses on developing high-performance catalysts and materials for CO₂ conversion and energy storage, with the ultimate goal of mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and enabling broader integration of renewable energy sources. A defining feature of her research is its emphasis on structure–property relationships—engineering materials at the atomic and nanoscale to precisely tune their chemical reactivity and product selectivity. This molecular-level control ensures that the materials she develops are not only efficient but also robust and scalable for industrial deployment. Her research stands at the intersection of chemistry, materials science, and electrochemical engineering, where she integrates fundamental insights with applied innovation to tackle pressing energy and environmental challenges. By merging these disciplines, she develops transformative technologies that bridge the gap between lab-scale discovery and industrial application. From electrochemical CO₂ conversion into fuels and chemicals to the development of next-generation energy storage systems, her work is guided by real-world imperatives—scalability, cost-efficiency, environmental impact, and long-term durability—ensuring that scientific breakthroughs translate into tangible solutions for a more sustainable future.

Recent Publication:

1. Fatma Ismail, Wajdi Alnoush, Ahmed Abdellah, Shunquan Tan, Kholoud E Salem Amirhossein Rakhsha, Navid Noor, Michael Fefer, Yuichi Terazono, Ning Chen, Drew C Higgins “Boosting Electrochemical Conversion of CO₂ to CO in a Membrane Electrode Assembly Using Nickel–Nitrogen/Carbon Supported Nickel–Zinc Carbide Particle Catalyst” ACS Electrochemistry 2025
2. Fatma Ismail, Amirhossein Rakhsha, Kathryn Grandfield, Drew Higgins “In-Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy of Electrocatalyst Materials: Proposed Workflows, Technical Advances, Challenges, and Lessons Learned” Small Methods 2025
3. Fatma  Ismail, Ahmed M Abdellah, Leyla Soleymani*, Drew Higgins* “Tandem gold/copper catalysis and morphological tuning via wrinkling to boost CO₂ electroreduction into C2+ products” Nano Energy 2025
4. Fatma Ismail, Oliver W. SiigJie Yang, Carmen M Andrei, Liza DiCecco, Amirhossein Rakhsha, Kathryn Grandfield, Gianluigi Botton, Nabil Bassim, Robert Black, Georg Kastlunger, Leyla Soleymani, Drew Higgins*” In-Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) Measurements of Palladium Catalysts for Understanding Heterogenous Electrocatalytic CO₂ Reduction” Nature Communication, 2023.
5. Fatma Ismail, A. Abdellah, V. Sudheeshkumar, Amirhossein Raksha, Weifeng Chen, Ning Chen, D. Higgins*, Atomically Isolated Nickel-Nitrogen-Carbon Electrocatalysts Derived by the Utilization of Mg²⁺ ions as Spacers in Bimetallic Ni/Mg-Metal Organic Framework Precursors for Boosting the Electroreduction of CO₂.” ACS Applied Energy Materials, (2022)
6. F. Ismail, A. Abdellah, H. Lee, V. Sudheeshkumar, W. Alnoush, D. Higgins*, “Impact of Nickel Content on the Structure and Electrochemical CO₂ Reduction Performance of Nickel–Nitrogen–Carbon Catalysts Derived from Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks”, ACS Applied Energy Materials, (2022).
7.  F. Ismail, Haytham Eraky, Hao Yuan,,Adam P. Hitchcock* Drew Higgins*, “Chemical Structure and Distributions in Nickel-Nitrogen-Carbon Catalysts for CO2 Electroreduction Identified by Scanning Transmission X-ray Microscopy” ACS Catalysis, (2022).
8. F. Ismail, C. Gumeci, N. Dale, J. Parrondo, D. Higgins*, “Understanding the Impact of Nitrogen Doping and/or Amine Functionalization of Reduced Graphene Oxide via Hydrothermal Routes for Supercapacitor Applications”, Electrochimica Acta, (2021).
9. F. Ismail, D. Higgins*, “Identifying Activity and Selectivity Trends for the Electrosynthesis of Hydrogen Peroxide via Oxygen Reduction on Nickel–Nitrogen–Carbon Catalysts”, Journal of Physical Chemistry C, (2021).
10. F. Ismail, D. Higgins, “In situ and operando studies with soft X-ray transmission spectromicroscopy”, Microscopy and Microanalysis, (2021).
11.  F. Ismail, D. Su, D. Higgins* G. Wu, “Supported and Coordinated Single Metal Site Electrocatalysts”, Materials Today, (2020).
12. F. Ismail, Tamer S Ahmed, Ibrahim M Ismail, “Biodiesel production catalyzed by NaOH/Magnetized ZIF-8: Yield improvement using methanolysis and catalyst reusability enhancement”, Renewable Energy, (2021).
13. F. Ismail, Amr Abdelghany, Tamer S Ahmed, Ibrahim M Ismail, “Magnetized ZIF-8 impregnated with sodium hydroxide as a heterogeneous catalyst for high-quality biodiesel production” Renewable Energy, (2021).
14. F. Ismail, Daniel O'Neil, Tareq Youssef, Souad A Elfeky, “Ultrafast laser dynamics of metal organic frameworks/TiO₂ nano-arrays hybrid composites for energy conversion applications, Journal of Energy Chemistry, Elsevier, (2019).
15. F. Ismail, Mohamed Ramadan, Ahmed M Abdellah, Ibrahim Ismail, Nageh K Allam, “Mesoporous spinel manganese zinc ferrite for high-performance supercapacitors”, Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Elsevier, (2018).
16. F. Ismail, Ahmed M Abdellah, Poussy A Ali, Sherif M Shawky, Mohamed H Alkordi, Ibrahim M El-Sherbiny, “Bilayer sandwich-like membranes of metal organic frameworks-electrospun polymeric nanofibers via SiO₂ nanoparticles seeding”, Materials Today Communications, (2017).

Dr. Fatma Ismail is an Assistant Professor in the Materials Science and Engineering Department at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), specializing in nanomaterials, heterogeneous catalysis, and electrochemical energy conversion. She earned her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from McMaster University in Canada, where her research focused on the development of advanced electrocatalysts and membrane electrode assemblies (MEA) for efficient CO₂ electroreduction to value-added products. Prior to joining KFUPM, Dr. Ismail worked as a Senior Research Scientist at CERT Systems Inc. in Toronto/Canada, where she contributed to the scale-up and performance optimization of electrochemical systems for carbon dioxide utilization. Her work involved catalyst design and integration into MEA for industrially relevant flow electrolyzer configurations. She played a key role in bridging laboratory-scale innovations with scalable electrochemical reactor technologies, enabling significant developments in sustainable CO₂-to-C2 products conversion processes. Dr. Ismail's research has been widely published in top-tier journals such as Nature Communications, ACS Catalysis, Nano Energy, and ACS Applied Energy Materials. She has held research positions in different leading institutions including Georgia Tech in the US, KAUST in SA, and the Canada Center for Electron Microscopy in Canada. Her interdisciplinary approach integrates materials synthesis, advanced characterization (e.g., in-situ TEM, XAS), and electrochemical system design, with a vision to drive sustainable innovations in clean energy technologies.

Education

• Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, McMaster University, Canada, 2023
• M.Sc., Photo-Chemistry and Photo-Biology, Cairo University, Egypt, 2019
• B.Sc., Chemistry, Minia University, Egypt, 2012

Courses Taught

• ME 217      Materials Lab
• ME 216      Materials Science and Engineering

Research Interests:

Dr. Ismail’s research is driven by a commitment to advancing sustainable and circular technologies through the design of next-generation functional materials. Her work focuses on developing high-performance catalysts and materials for CO₂ conversion and energy storage, with the ultimate goal of mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and enabling broader integration of renewable energy sources. A defining feature of her research is its emphasis on structure–property relationships—engineering materials at the atomic and nanoscale to precisely tune their chemical reactivity and product selectivity. This molecular-level control ensures that the materials she develops are not only efficient but also robust and scalable for industrial deployment. Her research stands at the intersection of chemistry, materials science, and electrochemical engineering, where she integrates fundamental insights with applied innovation to tackle pressing energy and environmental challenges. By merging these disciplines, she develops transformative technologies that bridge the gap between lab-scale discovery and industrial application. From electrochemical CO₂ conversion into fuels and chemicals to the development of next-generation energy storage systems, her work is guided by real-world imperatives—scalability, cost-efficiency, environmental impact, and long-term durability—ensuring that scientific breakthroughs translate into tangible solutions for a more sustainable future.

Recent Publication:

1. Fatma Ismail, Wajdi Alnoush, Ahmed Abdellah, Shunquan Tan, Kholoud E Salem Amirhossein Rakhsha, Navid Noor, Michael Fefer, Yuichi Terazono, Ning Chen, Drew C Higgins “Boosting Electrochemical Conversion of CO₂ to CO in a Membrane Electrode Assembly Using Nickel–Nitrogen/Carbon Supported Nickel–Zinc Carbide Particle Catalyst” ACS Electrochemistry 2025
2. Fatma Ismail, Amirhossein Rakhsha, Kathryn Grandfield, Drew Higgins “In-Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy of Electrocatalyst Materials: Proposed Workflows, Technical Advances, Challenges, and Lessons Learned” Small Methods 2025
3. Fatma  Ismail, Ahmed M Abdellah, Leyla Soleymani*, Drew Higgins* “Tandem gold/copper catalysis and morphological tuning via wrinkling to boost CO₂ electroreduction into C2+ products” Nano Energy 2025
4. Fatma Ismail, Oliver W. SiigJie Yang, Carmen M Andrei, Liza DiCecco, Amirhossein Rakhsha, Kathryn Grandfield, Gianluigi Botton, Nabil Bassim, Robert Black, Georg Kastlunger, Leyla Soleymani, Drew Higgins*” In-Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) Measurements of Palladium Catalysts for Understanding Heterogenous Electrocatalytic CO₂ Reduction” Nature Communication, 2023.
5. Fatma Ismail, A. Abdellah, V. Sudheeshkumar, Amirhossein Raksha, Weifeng Chen, Ning Chen, D. Higgins*, Atomically Isolated Nickel-Nitrogen-Carbon Electrocatalysts Derived by the Utilization of Mg²⁺ ions as Spacers in Bimetallic Ni/Mg-Metal Organic Framework Precursors for Boosting the Electroreduction of CO₂.” ACS Applied Energy Materials, (2022)
6. F. Ismail, A. Abdellah, H. Lee, V. Sudheeshkumar, W. Alnoush, D. Higgins*, “Impact of Nickel Content on the Structure and Electrochemical CO₂ Reduction Performance of Nickel–Nitrogen–Carbon Catalysts Derived from Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks”, ACS Applied Energy Materials, (2022).
7.  F. Ismail, Haytham Eraky, Hao Yuan,,Adam P. Hitchcock* Drew Higgins*, “Chemical Structure and Distributions in Nickel-Nitrogen-Carbon Catalysts for CO2 Electroreduction Identified by Scanning Transmission X-ray Microscopy” ACS Catalysis, (2022).
8. F. Ismail, C. Gumeci, N. Dale, J. Parrondo, D. Higgins*, “Understanding the Impact of Nitrogen Doping and/or Amine Functionalization of Reduced Graphene Oxide via Hydrothermal Routes for Supercapacitor Applications”, Electrochimica Acta, (2021).
9. F. Ismail, D. Higgins*, “Identifying Activity and Selectivity Trends for the Electrosynthesis of Hydrogen Peroxide via Oxygen Reduction on Nickel–Nitrogen–Carbon Catalysts”, Journal of Physical Chemistry C, (2021).
10. F. Ismail, D. Higgins, “In situ and operando studies with soft X-ray transmission spectromicroscopy”, Microscopy and Microanalysis, (2021).
11.  F. Ismail, D. Su, D. Higgins* G. Wu, “Supported and Coordinated Single Metal Site Electrocatalysts”, Materials Today, (2020).
12. F. Ismail, Tamer S Ahmed, Ibrahim M Ismail, “Biodiesel production catalyzed by NaOH/Magnetized ZIF-8: Yield improvement using methanolysis and catalyst reusability enhancement”, Renewable Energy, (2021).
13. F. Ismail, Amr Abdelghany, Tamer S Ahmed, Ibrahim M Ismail, “Magnetized ZIF-8 impregnated with sodium hydroxide as a heterogeneous catalyst for high-quality biodiesel production” Renewable Energy, (2021).
14. F. Ismail, Daniel O'Neil, Tareq Youssef, Souad A Elfeky, “Ultrafast laser dynamics of metal organic frameworks/TiO₂ nano-arrays hybrid composites for energy conversion applications, Journal of Energy Chemistry, Elsevier, (2019).
15. F. Ismail, Mohamed Ramadan, Ahmed M Abdellah, Ibrahim Ismail, Nageh K Allam, “Mesoporous spinel manganese zinc ferrite for high-performance supercapacitors”, Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Elsevier, (2018).
16. F. Ismail, Ahmed M Abdellah, Poussy A Ali, Sherif M Shawky, Mohamed H Alkordi, Ibrahim M El-Sherbiny, “Bilayer sandwich-like membranes of metal organic frameworks-electrospun polymeric nanofibers via SiO₂ nanoparticles seeding”, Materials Today Communications, (2017).

Dr. Fatma Ismail is an Assistant Professor in the Materials Science and Engineering Department at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), specializing in nanomaterials, heterogeneous catalysis, and electrochemical energy conversion. She earned her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from McMaster University in Canada, where her research focused on the development of advanced electrocatalysts and membrane electrode assemblies (MEA) for efficient CO₂ electroreduction to value-added products. Prior to joining KFUPM, Dr. Ismail worked as a Senior Research Scientist at CERT Systems Inc. in Toronto/Canada, where she contributed to the scale-up and performance optimization of electrochemical systems for carbon dioxide utilization. Her work involved catalyst design and integration into MEA for industrially relevant flow electrolyzer configurations. She played a key role in bridging laboratory-scale innovations with scalable electrochemical reactor technologies, enabling significant developments in sustainable CO₂-to-C2 products conversion processes. Dr. Ismail's research has been widely published in top-tier journals such as Nature Communications, ACS Catalysis, Nano Energy, and ACS Applied Energy Materials. She has held research positions in different leading institutions including Georgia Tech in the US, KAUST in SA, and the Canada Center for Electron Microscopy in Canada. Her interdisciplinary approach integrates materials synthesis, advanced characterization (e.g., in-situ TEM, XAS), and electrochemical system design, with a vision to drive sustainable innovations in clean energy technologies.

Education

• Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, McMaster University, Canada, 2023
• M.Sc., Photo-Chemistry and Photo-Biology, Cairo University, Egypt, 2019
• B.Sc., Chemistry, Minia University, Egypt, 2012

Courses Taught

• ME 217      Materials Lab
• ME 216      Materials Science and Engineering

Research Interests:

Dr. Ismail’s research is driven by a commitment to advancing sustainable and circular technologies through the design of next-generation functional materials. Her work focuses on developing high-performance catalysts and materials for CO₂ conversion and energy storage, with the ultimate goal of mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and enabling broader integration of renewable energy sources. A defining feature of her research is its emphasis on structure–property relationships—engineering materials at the atomic and nanoscale to precisely tune their chemical reactivity and product selectivity. This molecular-level control ensures that the materials she develops are not only efficient but also robust and scalable for industrial deployment. Her research stands at the intersection of chemistry, materials science, and electrochemical engineering, where she integrates fundamental insights with applied innovation to tackle pressing energy and environmental challenges. By merging these disciplines, she develops transformative technologies that bridge the gap between lab-scale discovery and industrial application. From electrochemical CO₂ conversion into fuels and chemicals to the development of next-generation energy storage systems, her work is guided by real-world imperatives—scalability, cost-efficiency, environmental impact, and long-term durability—ensuring that scientific breakthroughs translate into tangible solutions for a more sustainable future.

Recent Publication:

1. Fatma Ismail, Wajdi Alnoush, Ahmed Abdellah, Shunquan Tan, Kholoud E Salem Amirhossein Rakhsha, Navid Noor, Michael Fefer, Yuichi Terazono, Ning Chen, Drew C Higgins “Boosting Electrochemical Conversion of CO₂ to CO in a Membrane Electrode Assembly Using Nickel–Nitrogen/Carbon Supported Nickel–Zinc Carbide Particle Catalyst” ACS Electrochemistry 2025
2. Fatma Ismail, Amirhossein Rakhsha, Kathryn Grandfield, Drew Higgins “In-Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy of Electrocatalyst Materials: Proposed Workflows, Technical Advances, Challenges, and Lessons Learned” Small Methods 2025
3. Fatma  Ismail, Ahmed M Abdellah, Leyla Soleymani*, Drew Higgins* “Tandem gold/copper catalysis and morphological tuning via wrinkling to boost CO₂ electroreduction into C2+ products” Nano Energy 2025
4. Fatma Ismail, Oliver W. SiigJie Yang, Carmen M Andrei, Liza DiCecco, Amirhossein Rakhsha, Kathryn Grandfield, Gianluigi Botton, Nabil Bassim, Robert Black, Georg Kastlunger, Leyla Soleymani, Drew Higgins*” In-Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) Measurements of Palladium Catalysts for Understanding Heterogenous Electrocatalytic CO₂ Reduction” Nature Communication, 2023.
5. Fatma Ismail, A. Abdellah, V. Sudheeshkumar, Amirhossein Raksha, Weifeng Chen, Ning Chen, D. Higgins*, Atomically Isolated Nickel-Nitrogen-Carbon Electrocatalysts Derived by the Utilization of Mg²⁺ ions as Spacers in Bimetallic Ni/Mg-Metal Organic Framework Precursors for Boosting the Electroreduction of CO₂.” ACS Applied Energy Materials, (2022)
6. F. Ismail, A. Abdellah, H. Lee, V. Sudheeshkumar, W. Alnoush, D. Higgins*, “Impact of Nickel Content on the Structure and Electrochemical CO₂ Reduction Performance of Nickel–Nitrogen–Carbon Catalysts Derived from Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks”, ACS Applied Energy Materials, (2022).
7.  F. Ismail, Haytham Eraky, Hao Yuan,,Adam P. Hitchcock* Drew Higgins*, “Chemical Structure and Distributions in Nickel-Nitrogen-Carbon Catalysts for CO2 Electroreduction Identified by Scanning Transmission X-ray Microscopy” ACS Catalysis, (2022).
8. F. Ismail, C. Gumeci, N. Dale, J. Parrondo, D. Higgins*, “Understanding the Impact of Nitrogen Doping and/or Amine Functionalization of Reduced Graphene Oxide via Hydrothermal Routes for Supercapacitor Applications”, Electrochimica Acta, (2021).
9. F. Ismail, D. Higgins*, “Identifying Activity and Selectivity Trends for the Electrosynthesis of Hydrogen Peroxide via Oxygen Reduction on Nickel–Nitrogen–Carbon Catalysts”, Journal of Physical Chemistry C, (2021).
10. F. Ismail, D. Higgins, “In situ and operando studies with soft X-ray transmission spectromicroscopy”, Microscopy and Microanalysis, (2021).
11.  F. Ismail, D. Su, D. Higgins* G. Wu, “Supported and Coordinated Single Metal Site Electrocatalysts”, Materials Today, (2020).
12. F. Ismail, Tamer S Ahmed, Ibrahim M Ismail, “Biodiesel production catalyzed by NaOH/Magnetized ZIF-8: Yield improvement using methanolysis and catalyst reusability enhancement”, Renewable Energy, (2021).
13. F. Ismail, Amr Abdelghany, Tamer S Ahmed, Ibrahim M Ismail, “Magnetized ZIF-8 impregnated with sodium hydroxide as a heterogeneous catalyst for high-quality biodiesel production” Renewable Energy, (2021).
14. F. Ismail, Daniel O'Neil, Tareq Youssef, Souad A Elfeky, “Ultrafast laser dynamics of metal organic frameworks/TiO₂ nano-arrays hybrid composites for energy conversion applications, Journal of Energy Chemistry, Elsevier, (2019).
15. F. Ismail, Mohamed Ramadan, Ahmed M Abdellah, Ibrahim Ismail, Nageh K Allam, “Mesoporous spinel manganese zinc ferrite for high-performance supercapacitors”, Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Elsevier, (2018).
16. F. Ismail, Ahmed M Abdellah, Poussy A Ali, Sherif M Shawky, Mohamed H Alkordi, Ibrahim M El-Sherbiny, “Bilayer sandwich-like membranes of metal organic frameworks-electrospun polymeric nanofibers via SiO₂ nanoparticles seeding”, Materials Today Communications, (2017).