Meet the Team

PhD in Environmental Science and Engineering, IIT Bombay, 2024
M.Tech in Civil Engineering with specialization in Environmental Engineering, Indian Institute of Engineering, Science and Technology, Shibpur, West Bengal, 2019
B.Tech in Civil Engineering, Tezpur University, 2017
Research Focus: Resource Recovery: Critical minerals including Li and rare earth elements; Membrane adsorbers; Extraction and purification of critical minerals
Email: najmul.barbhuiya@ttu.edu
Office: MERC 005

Md Hasib Al Mahbub, PhD

PhD, Chemical Engineering, Texas Tech University, 2022
MS, Chemical Engineering, Texas Tech University, 2022
BS, Chemical Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, 2015
Research Focus: Graphene-based conductive membrane fabrication
Email: hasib.mahbub@ttu.edu
Office: MERC 005

Utkarsh Misra, PhD

PhD in Centre for Research in Nanotechnology & Science (CRNTS), IIT Bombay, 2025
M.Sc. in Renewable Energy Technology, Department of Physics, University of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, 2018
B.Sc. in Chemistry & Physics, University of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, 2016
Research Focus: Nanotechnology-Enabled Membrane Processes for Water Treatment
Email: utkarsh.misra@ttu.edu
Office: MERC 005

S M Tanveer Mahtab, PhD

Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, Texas Tech University, 2026
MS in Chemical Engineering, Texas Tech University, 2023
B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), 2018
Research focus: Reactive separation to increase the yield by shifting the equilibrium forward + Optimizing sorbent material for high temperature in-situ product removal. Decentralized ammonia production with integrated renewable energy
Email: smahtab@ttu.edu
Office: MERC 005

Md Shahriar Rahman

M.S. in Chemical Engineering from Texas Tech University in 2025
B.S. in Chemical Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, 2018
Research focus: Adsorbent-based lithium extraction, Catalyst development for ammonia synthesis under mild operating conditions, and Integrated reaction–absorption processes for efficient and sustainable ammonia production
Email: mdshahra@ttu.edu
Office: MERC 005

Sufian Bin Humayun

M.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from Texas Tech University in 2025
B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) in 2018
Research focus: Gas absorption in thermally conductive solid media, Thermochemical energy storage, and Reaction engineering
Email: sbinhuma@ttu.edu
Office: MERC 005

Shehab Shahreyar

M.Sc. Chemical Engineering, Texas Tech University, 2026
B.S. Chemical Engineering, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST), 2019
Research Focus: Electrochemical Separation, REE CMs Recovery, Produced-water and Water Treatment Technologies
Email: s.shahreyar@ttu.edu
Office: MERC 005

Larissa Rocha

M.Sc., Chemical Engineering, Federal University of Santa Catarina, 2024
B.S., Chemical Engineering, Federal University of Technology – Paraná, 2022
Research Focus: Membrane-Based Electrochemical; Resource Recovery; Ion Exchange membranes; Produced Water Treatment; Desalination
Email: Larissa.Rocha@ttu.edu
Office: MERC 005

Md Abdullah Al Numanbakth

M.Sc in Chemical Engineering and Polymer Science, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST), 2016
B.Sc in Petroleum and Mining Engineering, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST), 2014
Research Focus: Produced Water Analysis, Treatment and Resource Recovery, Environmental Pollution Assessment, Drilling Fluid Rheology
Email: a.numanbakth@ttu.edu numan-pme@sust.edu
Office: MERC 005

Swaraj Podder Anik

B.Sc. In Chemical Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology(BUET), 2017
Research Focus: Produced Water Treatment, Desalination, and Resource Recovery
Email: sanik@ttu.edu
Office: MERC 005

Josiah Whiting

B.Sc in Chemistry, Lubbock Christian University (LCU), 2026
B.Sc in Mathematics, Lubbock Christian University (LCU), 2026
Research Focus: Ammonia reactor design utilizing microwave catalysis and sequential catalysis-absorbent beds to surpass traditional limitations and deep dehydration of water/toluene mixture using moelecular seiving and adsorption
Email: joswhiti@ttu.edu
Office: MERC 005

Aarón Lozano

B.S. in Chemical Engineering, University of Guadalajara, 2022
Research Focus: Development and optimization of electrospun nanofiber membranes for selective mineral recovery from produced water
Email: aaron.lozano@ttu.edu
Office: MERC 005

Madhumita Ravishankar

Masters Student /

Major: B.S. in Chemical Engineering
Minor: Bioengineering
Expected Graduation: Spring 2027 (B.S.)
Research Focus: Computer simulation of desalination membrane distillation and exergy efficiency
Email: mravisha@ttu.edu

Alumni

Aurélien Ruiz-Frachon

Visiting Research Scholar
B.Sc in Engineering Sciences, Toulouse INP-ENSIACET, 2025
Research Focus: Lithium recovery from hypersaline brine via lithium metal oxide sorbents
Email: aurelien.ruizfrachon@gmail.com

Fouzia Nowrin, PhD

Ph.D, Chemical Engineering, Texas Tech University, 2024
MS, Chemical Engineering, Texas Tech University, 2022
BS, Chemical Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, 2014
Research Focus: Catalyst development for ammonia synthesis
Email: fouzia.h.nowrin@ttu.edu

Emily Dowding

BS, Chemical Engineering, Texas Tech University
Research Focus: Ammonia absorption, absorbent synthesis
Email: emily.a.dowding@ttu.edu

Tzu Yang Tseng (Morgan)

B.S., University of Colorado Boulder, 2021.
Research Focus: Synthesis of Lithium adsorbent and Ammonia catalyst
Email: tzutseng@ttu.edu
Office: MERC 005

Amit Kumar Thakur, PhD

Current position: Senior Chemist/Senior Scientist, Mojave Energy Systems, USA
Ph.D., Chemistry, CSIR-Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute, India, 2016
M.Sc., Chemistry, Jai Prakash University, India 2009
B.Sc., Jai Prakash University, India, 2007
Email: amit.thakur@ttu.edu

Kyle Markel

BS in Chemical Engineering, Texas Tech University, 2025
Research focus: Sorbents and Electrospun Nanomaterials for Lithium Extraction
Email: kmarkel@ttu.edu

Paige Skeets

BS in Chemical Engineering, Texas Tech University, 2023
Research focus: Adsorption
Email: Paige.Skeets@ttu.edu

I-Min Hsieh, PhD

Current position: LTD module integration engineer at Intel Corporation
Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, Texas Tech University, 2022
M.S., Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taiwan, 2014
B.S., Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taiwan, 2011
Research Focus: Mitigation and mechanism of fouling and scaling in membrane distillation (MD) for produced water treatment.
Email: i-min.hsieh@ttu.edu

Bosong Lin, PhD