Graduate Research Assistant

Mohammad Usman

Phone: 979-***-****

Email: adcmpd@r.postjobfree.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohammad-usman-a22954b6 SUMMARY

Solid state inorganic chemist interested in the structure-property relationship of complex d- and f-block oxides and chalcogenides. Spent three years devising alkali halide flux growth routes for the synthesis of complex rare earth containing chalcogenides and investigating their magnetic and optical properties, including those utilized in non-linear optics. For the last eighteen months, I have been working on a different project focused on fabricating new complex oxides with unprecedented magnetic and optical properties. I have structurally characterized and synthesized these compounds utilizing powder and single crystal X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. In addition, I have gained sufficient experience in physical property measurements such as thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy, UV-Vis, FTIR, fluorescence, and SQUID magnetometry. EDUCATION

PhD Chemistry, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC Dec. 2020 (tentative) Advisor: Professor Dr. Hans-Conrad zur Loye

Dissertation Title: TBD

Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan May. 2015 Advisor: Dr. Salman Noshear Arshad

Undergraduate Research: Investigating the Photocatalytic Activity of UV-ozone Treated TiO2 Loaded Polymer Nanofiber Membranes

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Graduate Research Assistant, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC Aug. 2016-present

• Synthesized a family of novel uranium (IV) containing alkali phosphates and studied their magnetic and optical properties

• Carried out conventional solid state synthesis of several rare-earth uranium oxides for magnetic property measurements

• Synthesized and structurally characterized a new lanthanide/actinide chalcogenide: La2USe3S2

• Synthesized twenty new noncentrosymmetric thio- siliciates and germanates

• Grew single crystals of nine penternary rare earth containing thiophosphates and carried out their physical property measurements

• Developed flux growth routes for the synthesis of structurally complex novel cobalt-based systems

• Discovered several new iron and other transition metal-based oxides that crystallize in new and known structure types

• TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Graduate Teaching Assistant, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX Fall 2015 - Summer 2016

• Supervised, taught, and graded 50+ students during two semesters of general chemistry I Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC Fall 2016 - Summer 2017

• Supervised, taught, and graded 300+ students during two semesters of organic chemistry I Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC Spring 2020

• Supervising, teaching, and grading 85 students for organic chemistry II Undergraduate Teaching Assistant, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan Fall 2013

• Oversaw 100 students carrying out fundamental organic synthesis and operating FT-IR and UV-Vis spectrometers

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

• Skilled in design of experiments (DOE) to study cause-and-effect relationships

• Expert in molten inorganic salt flux, hydroflux, mild and high pressure hydrothermal crystal growth; conventional solid state synthesis; superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometry data analysis; furnace diagnostics and repair (basics); TIG welding; characterization of inorganic compounds including X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS)

• Proficient in diffuse reflectance UV-Vis; fluorescence; thermogravimetric analysis (TGA); X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS); and flame sealing evacuated quartz tubes

• Fluent in English and four other languages native to Pakistan

• Skilled in public speaking and mass communication RESEARCH PUBLICATIONS

• Dilpazir, S.; Usman, M.; Rasul, S.; Arshad, S. N. A Simple UV-Ozone Surface Treatment to Enhance Photocatalytic Performance of TiO2 Loaded Polymer Nanofiber Membranes. RSC Adv. 2016, 6, 14751- 14755.

• Usman, M.; Felder, J. B.; Morrison, G.; zur Loye, H.-C. A Family of Rare Earth Uranium Oxides, RE6UO12- δ (RE = Rare Earth). Synthesis, Structure and Magnetic Behavior. J. Solid State Chem. 2018, 266, 210-216.

• Usman, M.; Morrison, G.; Klepov, V. V.; Smith, M. D.; zur Loye, H.-C. Flux Crystal Growth, Structure, Magnetic and Optical Properties of a Family of Alkali Uranium(IV) Phosphates. J. Solid State Chem. 2019, 270, 19-26.

• Usman, M.; Morrison, G.; zur Loye, H.-C. La2USe3S2: A Serendipitously Grown Lanthanide/Actinide Chalcogenide from a Eutectic Halide Flux. J. Chem. Cryst. 2019, 49, 169-173.

• Usman, M.; Smith, M. D; Morrison, G; Klepov, V.V; Zhang, W; Halasyamani, P. S; zur Loye, H.-C. Molten Alkali Halide Flux Growth of an Extensive Family of Non-Centrosymmetric Rare Earth Sulfides: Structure, Magnetic and Optical (SHG) Properties. Inorg. Chem. 2019, 58, 8541-8550.

• Usman, M.; Smith, M. D; Klepov, V.V; zur Loye, H.-C. One-Dimensional Quaternary and Penternary Alkali Rare Earth Thiophosphates Obtained via Alkali Halide Flux Crystal Growth. Cryst. Growth Des. 2019, 19, 5648-5657.

• Usman, M.; Smith, M. D; zur Loye, H.-C. Complex Cobalt Silicates and Germanates Crystallizing in Porous Three-Dimensional Framework Structure. Cryst. Eng. Comm. 2020, 22, 1112-1119.

• Usman, M.; Smith, M. D; Morrison, G; zur Loye, H.-C. New Rubidium-Containing Mixed-Metal Titanium Hollandites. Cryst. Growth Des. 2020. (DOI: 10.1021/acs.cgd.9b01560)

• Usman, M.; Kocevski, V.; Smith, M.D.; Morrison, G.; Zhang, W.; Besmann, T.; Halasyamani, P.S.; zur Loye, H.-C. Polymorphism and Molten Nitrate Salt-assisted Single Crystal to Single Crystal Ion Exchange in Zeolitic Cesium Ferrogermanate: CsFeGeO4. Submitted to Inorg. Chem.

• Usman, M.; Smith, M.D.; Ayer, G.B.; zur Loye, H.-C Synthesis and Crystal Structure of a 6H Hexagonal Fluoro-perovskite: RbMgF3. Submitted to J. Chem. Cryst. PRESENTATIONS

• “Synthesis of New Uranium Containing Materials” Poster presentation at North American Solid State Chemistry Conference (Santa Barbara, CA, Aug. 2017)

• “Uranium and Non-Uranium Metal Sulfides” Poster presentation at the Southeast Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society (Charlotte, NC, Nov. 2017)

• Invited to attend the MADE in SC All-Faculty Meeting and Research Fellows Conference (Columbia, SC, Sep. 2018)

• “New Uranium (IV) and Complex Metal Oxides: Flux Growth Synthesis and Physical Properties” Poster presentation at the Southeast Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society (Augusta, GA, Nov. 2018)

• “Molten Flux Synthesis of Complex Transition Metal and Rare Earth Oxides: Crystal Structure, Polymorphism, Optical and Magnetic Properties” Poster presentation at the MADE in SC SC EPSCoR State Conference (Greenville, SC, Apr. 2019)

• Oral presentation titled, "Polymorphism and Molten Nitrate Salt-assisted Ion Exchange in Zeolitic Cesium Ferrogermanate: CsFeGeO4" at the Southeast Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society

(Savannah, GA, Oct. 2019)

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