PhD in Energy and Environmental Engineering
Current position: Scientist at Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und - Prüfung (BAM), Berlin, Germany
Research focus: advanced electrochemical energy conversion and storage systems – non-precious atomically dispersed catalysts for fuel cells and CO2 reduction, and porous carbons as anode materials for sodium ion batteries
As a Postdoctoral Fellow, Asad worked on the development of non-precious metal catalysts for advanced energy systems. After teaching as a Research Assistant Professor at the Department of Energy and Materials Engineering, Dongguk University in Seoul for more than a year, he was a Research Associate at Imperial College London for almost 3 years before joining BAM in 2021.
2014 Excellent Research Paper Award, Korea University of Science and Technology, Republic of Korea
2014 Academic Excellence Award, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Republic of Korea
CV as submitted for the Green Talents award (2014):
Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Republic of Korea
Research focus: low temperature fuel cells, development of oxygen depolarised cathodes for brine electrolysis
Postdoctoral research fellow Asad Mehmood is investigating the micro-structural characteristics of low temperature fuel cells in order to find ways of making this new advanced technology more commercially viable by boosting durability and reducing costs.
As a postdoctoral research fellow at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Asad is working on advances in fuel cell technology. “Fuel cells are one of the advanced clean energy systems that use hydrogen-based fuel and deliver considerably higher electrical efficiency in comparison to conventional energy conservation systems”, explains Asad. The potential uses of low temperature fuel cells – from cars to portable devices – and their extremely low rate of greenhouse gas emissions makes them a key component of a sustainable energy strategy. However, to become commercially viable, any new technology must meet requirements of performance, durability and cost. Following extensive research and rapid advances, fuel cell technology has already achieved a high level of initial performance and can satisfy commercial standards in this regard. According to Asad, the real challenge now lies in meeting the latter criteria, as low temperature fuel cells currently have “a relatively poor lifetime in real-life systems and a potentially high cost”. In order to further the commercialisation of fuel cell technology, Asad is researching ways of making the cells more durable at the lowest possible cost.
Asad’s research is focused on “the investigation of micro-structural characteristics of fuel cell electrodes, surface treatment polymer membranes and electrodes for improving membrane-electrode interfacial contact and utilisation and development of a high-performance and robust MEA structure with low Pt loading”.
The jury lauded Asad’s commitment to this important new technology. They are convinced that participation in the Green Talents Forum will help Asad meet his goal of comparing his research methodology with that of other young scientists and German experts in order to make it more efficient and productive. Furthermore, the jury was impressed by Asad’s dedication to the scientific search for sustainable energy systems as a way of helping people around the world.
