Biography:

Dr. Karim is a Condensed Matter Physicist and Materials Scientist who earned his Ph.D. degree from Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, USA. He also holds a professional certificate in Data Science and Big Data Analytics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA. In 2016 and 2017, Dr. Karim served as the Head of the Department of Physics at COMSATS University Islamabad. His research focus has centered on developing and implementing cutting-edge theoretical and experimental techniques, particularly multiscale modeling and machine learning methods for materials discovery in the areas of nanoscience and technology, heterogeneous catalysis, energy storage and conversion, fuel cells, and batteries for hybrid hydrogen-powered electric vehicles.

Before joining COMSATS University Islamabad, Dr. Karim worked at the Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, USA. Additionally, he had the unique opportunity to collaborate with Professor Gerhard Ertl, the 2007 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, at the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society in Berlin, Germany. In this capacity, Dr. Karim applied his theoretical and computational framework based on hybrid Density Functional Theory-Kinetic Monte Carlo methods to comprehend the underlying atomistic mechanisms of Professor Ertl's experiments on heterogeneous catalysis. This collaborative work resulted in a landmark publication, affirming that the aforementioned computational framework has evolved to a point where it can make quantitative predictions about the properties of materials, bridging the gap between atomistic simulations and engineering applications.

In light of this accomplishment, the motto of Dr. Karim's research group is, "Let's leverage the power of our state-of-the-art computational framework to predict the properties of new or conceived materials with high accuracy before attempting their synthesis, thus preventing the unnecessary expenditure of millions of dollars in the laboratory."

Webpage: Link to Dr. Karim's Computational Materials Discovery Group