The DJIRE Lab · Texas A&M University
Meet the Team
The Discovery Journey to Innovative Renewable Energy (DJIRE) Laboratory brings together researchers studying MXenes and MNenes for energy storage and conversion.
Faculty
Graduate Students
Undergraduate Researchers
Group Alumni
Principal Investigator
Dr. Abdoulaye Djire
Associate Professor and Stephanie Sneed Langenstein '89 Faculty Fellow
Affiliated Faculty, Materials Science & Engineering
Djire is an expert in the synthesis and characterization of MXenes and is considered as one of the pioneers of nitride MXenes (MNenes). Djire has over 40 published research articles in esteemed journals and had numerous invited talks at prestigious institutions and international conferences. At Texas A&M University, Djire serves as the Principal Investigator of the Discovery Journey to Innovative Renewable Energy (DJIRE) Laboratory and Summer Research Program. Djire has received numerous awards and recognitions including the DOD ARO Early Career Award, the DOE ARPA-E SPARKS Award, the DuPont GOLD Award, the College of Engineering Dean Excellence Award, the Outstanding Junior Faculty Award, and the U.S.-Africa Frontiers Fellowship. Djire is a member of the Texas PowerHouse Energy Policy Advisory Council. Prior to joining Texas A&M, Djire held positions as a Staff Scientist and a Postdoctoral Researcher at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in the Chemistry and Nanoscience Center. He earned his Ph.D. and Master’s degrees in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan and his B.S. degree from Prairie View A&M University.
Selected Awards
- Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), 2026
- Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, 2026
- C&EN Talented 12, 2026
- Sloan Research Fellow, 2026
- NSF CAREER Award, 2026
- DOE ARPA-E SPARKS Award, 2025
- Welch Foundation Faculty Poster Presentation Award, 2025
- College of Engineering Dean Excellence Award, 2025
- ACS Energy and Fuels Rising Stars, 2025
- ARO Early Career Award, 2024
- Outstanding Junior Faculty Award, 2023
- National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine Fellowship, 2023
- U.S.-Africa Frontiers of Science, Engineering, and Medicine Awardee, 2022
Faculty
Dr. Mark Barteau
Charles D. Holland ’53 Chair
Professor, Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University
Professor, Chemistry, Texas A&M University
Mark A. Barteau holds the Charles. D. Holland ‘53 Chair at Texas A&M, with appointments in the Department of Chemical Engineering and the Department of Chemistry. He received his B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis, and his M.S. and Ph.D. from Stanford. He was an NSF Post-doctoral Fellow at the Technische Universität München. He has previously served in faculty and leadership roles at the University of Michigan and the University of Delaware. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2006, and the National Academy of Inventors in 2018. His research in surface chemistry, catalysis, and energy processes has been recognized with a number of awards, including the 2018 Lawrence K. Cecil Award in Environmental Chemical Engineering, the 2001 Alpha Chi Sigma Award, and the 1991 Allan P. Colburn Award of AIChE; the 1998 International Catalysis Award; the 1995 Ipatieff Prize from ACS; the Paul H. Emmett Award in Fundamental Catalysis, and the 1993 Canadian Catalysis Lecture Tour Award.
Selected Awards
- McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University Alumni Achievement Award, 2020
- National Academy of Inventors Elected Fellow, 2018
- Environmental Chemical Engineering, Environmental Division, American Institute of Chemical Engineers Lawrence K. Cecil Award, 2018
- Guiseppe Parravano Award, Michigan Catalysis Society, 2009
- National Academy of Engineering, 2006
Graduate Researchers
Graduate Students
Graduate researchers advancing MXene and MNene chemistry for catalysis, energy storage and beyond.
Bright Ngozichukwu
PhD Student
I got my Bachelor Degree in Chemical Engineering at Federal University of Technology Minna, Nigeria in 2018. I am currently a First year PhD Student with research focused on electrocatalysis for CO2 reduction to value added fuels.
Selected Awards
- DOW Best Symposium Finalist, 2026
- NOBCChE Advancing Science Travel Grant, 2023, 2025
- Texas A&M Conference on Energy Poster Award, 2023
- Southwest Catalysis Society Poster Award, 2023
David Kumar Yesudoss
PhD Student
I completed my Bachelor’s in Chemical and Electrochemical Engineering at CSIR- Central Electrochemical Research Institute, India in 2019. My undergraduate research focused primarily on the performance evolution of cathodes for lithium-ion batteries. After that, I pursued my Master’s in Energy Science and Engineering at DGIST, South Korea. During my stint in the DGIST, I focused on the interfacial tuning of electrodes for electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction. Exploring zero-gap electrodes and electrolyzers for the conversion of atmospheric pollutants to value-added products is one of my research interests.
Selected Awards
- CHEN Endow Graduate Fellowship, 2025
- ECS Symposium – Texas Section Poster Award, 2024
Laura Hoagland
PhD Student
A Texas native, I came back to this state for my PhD after receiving my bachelors in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University in May of 2022. I am co-advised by Dr. Mark Barteau and Dr. Abdoulaye Djire to work on the applications of MXenes for energy storage.
Selected Awards
- 12th ChEGSA Symposium Technical Presenter Award, 2025
Eugenie Marie Pranada
PhD Student
I completed my Master’s Degree in Materials Science and Engineering at Texas A&M in 2023. For my PhD work, I will focus on the use of 2D MXenes for the electrode reactions of batteries, fuel cells, and water splitting devices.
Selected Awards
- Texas A&M Chevron Graduate Fellowship, 2026
- ECS Symposium – Texas Section Poster Award, 2025
- NOBCChE Advancing Science Travel Grant, 2022, 2023
- 10th ChEGSA Symposium Technical Presenter Award, 2023
- TAMU Department of Materials Science Fellowship, 2021
Undergraduate Researchers
Undergraduate Researchers
Texas A&M undergraduates getting hands-on research experience in the lab.
Kash Kalvakota
Undergraduate Researcher
My name is Kash Kalvakota and I am pursuing a Bachelor's of Science degree in Materials Chemistry, with great interest in energy and energy storage. I am researching the energy storage capabilities of titanium-based nitride MXenes in aqueous neutral multivalent electrolytes.
Atharva Shastri
Undergraduate Researcher
I am an undergrad in Chemical Engineering here at Texas A&M University. I worked previously in the Phate lab on the development of hydroelectric motors in the Department of Materials Engineering at Texas A&M University. I also worked at Iowa State University in the Nanovaccine Institute on developing polyanhydride polymers for vaccine delivery systems over the summer of 2025. Working on the electrochemical synthesis of ammonia using 2D nitride MXenes in the Djire lab.
Selected Awards
- Undergraduate Research Thesis, Defended 2026
- Student Research Week Post Award, 2026
Lab Mascot
Maxie
“I am a stuffed Cheetah weighing 3 lbs of chonk. I am interested in providing emotional support to all the members and I know I’ve been doing a great job so far.”
Former Members
Group Alumni
Former post-docs, graduate and undergraduate researchers of the DJIRE Lab.
Post-Doctoral Researchers
Graduate Researchers
Dr. Ray Yoo
October 2021 – July 2025
Chemical Engineering, PhD. Fall 2025
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Dr. Denis Johnson, Lab Manager
October 2020 – May 2024
Chemical Engineering, PhD. Summer 2024
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Yasar Dambo
March 2026 – August 2026
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Vaishnavi Nemaniwar
October 2022 – June 2023
Chemical Engineering, M.Eng. Summer 2024
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Yashaswini Paleru
January 2023 – May 2023
Chemical Engineering, M.Eng. Summer 2023
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Cheng-Che Hsiao
October 2021 – May 2023
Chemical Engineering, MS. Spring 2023
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Ebtihal Youssef
September 2022 – March 2023
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Ekene Uwadiunor
March 2021 – December 2022
Chemical Engineering, MS. Fall 2022
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Rolf Hermanson
January 2022 – August 2022
Chemical Engineering, M.Eng. Spring 2022
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Undergraduate Researchers
Carter Garland
February 2025 – August 2025
Chemical Engineering, BS. Spring 2028
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Wynn Miholits
June 2023 – May 2026
Chemical Engineering, BS. Spring 2026
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Shrinarayanee Rengarajan
February 2024 – December 2024
James Kasten
February 2022 – May 2024
Chemical Engineering, BS. Spring 2024
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Olivia Rajagopal
January 2023 – May 2024
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Josh Honnekeri
January 2023 – May 2023
Chemical Engineering, BS. Spring 2023
Allyssa Moore
January 2023 – May 2023
Chemical Engineering, BS. Spring 2023
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Kieran Tillis
September 2022 – May 2023
Chemical Engineering, BS. Spring 2023
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Mike Nguyen
June 2022 – May 2023
Chemical Engineering, BS. Spring 2023
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Eshan Sandhu
May 2022 – July 2022
Chemical Engineering, BS. Spring 2023
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Kyle Hansen
May 2021 – June 2022
Chemical Engineering, M.Eng. Spring 2023
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Christopher Sims
January 2022 – May 2022
Chemical Engineering, BS. Spring 2022
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Eric Kelley
July 2021 – December 2021
Chemical Engineering, BS. Fall 2021
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Visiting Researchers
Brock Hunter
May 2021 – July 2021
Fatma Ahmed
May 2021 – July 2021
Hania Elsayed
May 2021 – July 2021