Group members
Group head
A/Prof. Md. Arifur Rahim
A/Prof. Rahim obtained his PhD in 2016 from the Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Melbourne. In 2020, he was awarded a Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) from the Australian Research Council (2021 to 2024). Before joining Monash University, he was a Lecturer at the University of Sydney. He is currently an Associate Professor at the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, heading the SCLC group. He also holds the highly prestigious Australian Research Council Future Fellowship. His research career has been focused on contemporary aspects of materials science, physical chemistry, nanomaterials, and catalysis. His research findings have appeared in high-impact journals including Nature Nanotechnology, Nature Chemistry, Angewandte Chemie, Advanced Materials, Advanced Sciences, and ACS Nano.
Contact
- LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/marahim1722
- Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=QFDMOpAAAAAJ&hl=en
PhD students
Tajwar Azim Baigh
PhD Candidate | Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering | Faculty of Engineering
Main supervisor: A/Prof. Md. Arifur Rahim
Co-supervisor: A/Prof. John Quinn
Tajwar joined the research group in July 2024 as a PhD candidate. His research focuses on developing coordination-driven functional materials using natural polyphenols and transition metals. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from IUT, Bangladesh, where he worked on developing fiber-reinforced biocomposites and integrated thermodynamic systems. His research combines materials science and engineering, aiming to advance sustainable and high-performance materials for wide-ranging applications.
Contact
Fairooz Nanzeeba
PhD Candidate | Chemical and Biological Engineering | Monash University
Supervisor: A/Prof. Md. Arifur Rahim
Co-Supervisor: Dr Shanthi Priya Samudrala
Fairooz is a PhD candidate who joined the group in late 2024. Her research focuses on investigating the interfacial and thermo-chemical phenomena of low-temperature liquid metals and their alloys to develop catalysts and 2D materials, and exploring their potential applications. She holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from IUT, Bangladesh and was involved in research on biocomposites and thermodynamic power and cooling systems. Her current work integrates fundamental chemistry, materials engineering, and nanotechnology to advance novel materials and catalysts synthesis.
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Ngari Kahia
PhD Candidate | Chemical and Biological Engineering | Monash University
Supervisor: Prof. Akshat Tanksale
Co-Supervisor: A/Prof. Md. Arifur Rahim
Ngari joined the group in early 2025 as a PhD candidate. His research focuses on using low temperature liquid metal systems in the production of hydrogen from ammonia. He holds a masters from the University of Hull, UK. His research focused-on methane decomposition for hydrogen, carbon nanomaterial synthesis and usage as well as catalytically enhanced processes. His research combines areas of catalysis, engineering and sustainable processes.
Contact
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ngari-kahia
Md. Muhyminul Islam
PhD Candidate | Chemical and Biological Engineering | Monash University
Supervisor: A/Prof. Md. Arifur Rahim
Co-Supervisor: Dr Shanthi Priya Samudrala
Muhyminul joined the research group in September 2025 as a PhD candidate. His research focuses on the development of liquid metal catalysts. He obtained his B.Sc. (Honours) and M.Sc. (with Thesis) in Chemistry from the University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh. Prior to his PhD, he worked as a Research Assistant in the Polymer Colloids & Nanomaterials Lab at the University of Rajshahi, where he was involved in the synthesis and functionalization of polymer and magnetic nanoparticles for applications such as CO₂ adsorption, dye adsorption, and catalytic studies.
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