Mesfin Haile Mamme

Mesfin Haile Mamme holds a joint senior researcher position bridging the General Chemistry (ALGC) and Materials and Chemistry (MACH) departments. He completed his PhD in Engineering Science at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) in July 2018, followed by a tenure as an FWO Junior Postdoctoral Fellow from 2020 to 2023. During this period, he conducted research at Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL) at the institute of condensed matter and nanoscience. In 2022, Mesfin undertook a visiting scientist position at Pennsylvania State University, working under the guidance of Prof. Adri van Duin, an inventor and main developer of reactive force field (ReaxFF/eReaxFF). Subsequently, in 2023, he assumed the role of Assistant Professor within the Faculty of Engineering's Materials and Chemistry (MACH) department.

Mesfin's research endeavours are centred on confronting significant global challenges, encompassing the surge in energy demand, the depletion of fossil fuels, the exacerbation of global warming due to CO2 emissions, vulnerabilities related to critical raw materials, and the potential for unforeseen and catastrophic failures in infrastructure (such as bridges and buildings). His primary focus lies in developing a multifaceted multiscale computational framework, enhanced by artificial intelligence, aimed at predicting, interpreting, and enhancing experimental data. This framework is instrumental in streamlining the design process of high-performance Materials and electrochemical systems, thereby reducing both cost and time. Mesfin's research also underscores theoretical advancements and nurtures collaborations with the General Chemistry group at Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Increasingly, Mesfin's research agenda gravitates towards advancing various fields of electrochemistry and Materials including lithium-ion and beyond batteries, catalysis, fuel cells, and the design and synthesis of functional materials and coatings.

Selected Publications

J.S. Freeman, M. H. Mamme, J. Ustarroz, G. G. Warr, H. Li, & R. Atkin, Molecular Resolution Nanostructure and Dynamics of the Deep Eutectic Solvent—Graphite Interface as a Function of Potential. Small 2023, 19, 220499. doi:10.1002/smll.202204993 

L. Bekaert, S. Akatsuka, N. Tanibata, F. De Proft, A. Hubin, M. H. Mamme, & M. Nakayama, M, Increasing the Sodium Metal Electrode Compatibility with the Na3PS4 Solid‐State Electrolyte through Heteroatom Substitution. ChemSusChem  2023, 16, e202300676. doi:10.1002/cssc.202300676

L. Bekaert, S. Akatsuka, N. Tanibata, F. De Proft, A. Hubin, M. H. Mamme, & M. Nakayama, M, Assessing the Reactivity of the Na3PS4 Solid-State Electrolyte with the Sodium Metal Negative Electrode Using Total Trajectory Analysis with Neural-Network Potential Molecular Dynamics. J. Phys. Chem. C 2023, 127, 8503. doi:10.1021/acs.jpcc.3c02379

M.H. Mamme, C. Köhn, J. Deconinck, J. Ustarroz, Numerical insights into the early stages of nanoscale electrodeposition: nanocluster surface diffusion and aggregative growth, Nanoscale 2018, 10, 7194.  doi:10.1039/C7NR08529J 

M.H. Mamme, S.L. Moors, H. Terryn, J. Deconinck, J. Ustarroz, F. De Proft, Atomistic insight into the electrochemical double layer of choline chloride–urea deep eutectic solvents: Clustered interfacial structuring, J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2018, 9, 6296. doi:10.1021/acs.jpclett.8b01718