The Group

Welcome to the website of The Szekely Group! We are based at the Advanced Membranes & Porous Materials Center at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), and previously at the School of Chemical Engineering & Analytical Science at The University of Manchester. Browse through the menu to find information about the current and alumni group members, and learn about the research areas we cover. For more information about our research, industrial projects and PhD/postdoc opportunities, use the contact form to get in touch!

Featured Content: BBC News interview

It was a pleasure to talk about our mycelium-based membranes with Lewis Vaughan Jones through a live BBC News interview. Good to see that our research has interest beyond academia. 📺 Thanks to Joyce, my PhD alumni, who developed the membranes, and BBC for the opportunity! The research article is open access, enjoy! Here is… Continue reading Featured Content: BBC News interview

Featured Content: Journal cover for ACS Nano

Check out our new article on biobased interpenetrating polymer network membranes for sustainable molecular sieving. The article was selected for the cover of ACS Nano. We developed a solely biobased interpenetrating polymer network membrane. Congrats to all the contributors in my team, namely Joyce, Diana, Aron and Rifan, as well as our collaborators from the… Continue reading Featured Content: Journal cover for ACS Nano

Featured Content: Journal covers in 2023

Our articles were featured on the front cover of 3 journals in 2023. It was a fun and creative process to design these journal covers with our talented illustrators at KAUST. 🎨 All articles are open access. Magical mushrooms turn membranes green! 🍄 The increasing demand for effective oil–water separation materials has encouraged the exploration… Continue reading Featured Content: Journal covers in 2023

Featured Content: Membranes for perfumes

Read the news piece on our efforts to sustainably source agarwood fragrances using algae and membrane technology. The Arab world’s history and significance of fragrances, particularly oud and perfumes, are deeply ingrained in the cultural fabric of the region. Rooted in ancient traditions, the use of perfumes in the Arab world can be traced back… Continue reading Featured Content: Membranes for perfumes

Featured Content: Organizing the 9th International Conference on OSN

We are thrilled to extend our warmest invitation to the upcoming 9th International Conference on Organic Solvent Nanofiltration, set to take place on 4-6 March 2024 at KAUST. 📣 This prestigious event aims to gather leading experts, researchers, and industry pioneers from around the globe to delve into the latest advancements, discoveries, and applications in… Continue reading Featured Content: Organizing the 9th International Conference on OSN

Group members

Current Group Members Dr. Iqbaal Abdurrokhman Iqbaal completed his PhD in Material Science at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden, from 2017 to 2021, under the guidance of Prof. Anna Martinelli. He then went to the Universite Littoral Cote d’Opale in Dunkerque, France, to work with Prof. Sophie Fourmentin, studying on protic ionic… Continue reading Group members

Research

Research Interests Sustainable manufacturing is one of the engineering grand challenges of the 21st century. The Szekely Group focuses on sustainable separations through the synergistic combination of materials science and chemical engineering. Sustainable production of chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and clean water is largely impacted by the efficiency of separation processes in product supply chains. The conventional… Continue reading Research