Alumni Profile: Abdullah Al Abdulghani
Are you curious about what it takes to shape the future of sustainable energy? Meet Abdullah Al Abdulghani, a KGSP alumnus whose journey spans UC Berkeley, KAUST, and the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and now a postdoctoral fellowship at Kyushu University’s International Institute for Carbon Neutral Energy Research (I²CNER) in Japan. From hands-on research in catalysis to cutting-edge work with synchrotron technology, Abdullah shares insights on global collaboration, adapting to different cultures, and why now is the best time to dive into carbon-neutral energy research. If you’re an undergraduate or young professional wondering how to make an impact in science and sustainability, this is a story you don’t want to miss.
Would you mind giving us a few details on the timeline of your career journey with KGSP?
I did my foundation year and bachelor’s in Berkeley, so I stayed there for five years. During my bachelor's, I did summer research in Saudi Arabia at Schlumberger Dhahran Carbonate Research Center, which was about asphaltenes and studying the interfacial tension of those mixtures, which is important for the oil industry and why Schlumberger funded this project.
The third summer I did a summer internship at KAUST [now called the “KAUST Summer Internship Program (KSIP)”] in the membrane lab with Professor Ingo Pinnau. I thought I would be interested in membrane science, so I joined his lab, and it was a positive two-month experience.
I think during my bachelor's I was interested in a lot of things. I ended up doing more science and engineering electives than I needed, but I thought that was a good time to explore, and I think this is a good suggestion during your bachelor's: if you have the opportunity, just go and look at what is out there. I got interested in education and ended up with a minor in science and math education, and I am proud of doing that, not just chemical engineering at Berkeley but also education.
I really liked my time at KAUST, and it was very productive. For my thesis research, I worked in catalysis, and I realized that was what I was interested in, so I continued with catalysis all the way until my postdoc. I worked with Professor Luigi Cavallo in computational chemistry and collaborated with experimentalists like Professor Jorge Gascon and Professor Kazuhiro Takanabe, who is now in Japan but was at KAUST when I was there. That was one of my best times, doing research at KAUST.
Then I spent five years at the University of Wisconsin-Madison focusing on catalysis again. I enjoyed catalysis and wanted to continue working on it, so I spent five years in Professor Ive Hermans’ lab. I think this was one of the best times of my life, where I had a problem and five years to tackle it and write a thesis on it. It was not just about research but also mentoring. I mentored five undergraduate students during my PhD, and I realized I really like mentoring. In the US, it is common to TA, so I TA'd two courses, and those were positive experiences. Now I am a postdoc at Kyushu University at the International Institute for Carbon Neutral Energy Research (I²CNER). A lot of my work is spectroscopy and method development on research topics related to environmental applications.
Why did you decide to pursue a PhD? How was the transition between each stage of your educational journey, from MS to PhD, and now to postdoc?
At KAUST I was very fortunate. I was in Professor Cavallo's group, but when I joined, Professor Luigi was not the one mentoring me directly. He had a postdoc named Sergey Kozlov, who is now a professor in Singapore, but back then he was at KAUST. The way he mentored me was really nice. He showed me what research should be: here is a problem, here are the tools, how can we tackle the problem and write about it? He took his time, a full semester of training and mentoring. I became fascinated by all the steps of research, having meetings with the experimentalist group, then meetings within our group to plan how to tackle the problem, and then having independence to develop the study.
That experience made me realize I wanted to do a PhD. It was something I really enjoyed. During my PhD, the first two years were not always positive, especially during COVID, because you need to learn a lot, TA, and take courses. But the last three years were great. It was a nice time to discover new things, go to the lab, try something different, and then meet with my advisor to share what I discovered and write about it. I really enjoyed that.
The transition between countries, from Saudi Arabia to the US and now Japan, was also important. Things are done differently, and the faster you realize that, the better. I remember when I came to Japan, I kept saying things were different in the US, and a colleague said, “So? It is different, but so what?” That does not mean one is better than the other. Having that mindset of adapting is really important when transitioning between countries. In the end, you will do research, but you need to realize things are different.
I always enjoy meeting people who earned their master's at KAUST, and then went on to receive a PhD elsewhere, which of course is an option for KGSP students. Why did you choose that trajectory?
For me, my thought process was that KAUST seemed like a fascinating institution in Saudi Arabia, and I always dreamt of going back to be a faculty at KAUST. So, I knew if I wanted to be at KAUST as a faculty, I needed to do a PhD elsewhere because usually institutions do not hire their own PhD graduates as faculty. So, I thought it would be a good experience, and if I wanted to achieve my dream of being a faculty at KAUST, I needed to be outside.
Do you believe pursuing a PhD is worthwhile for those who want to pursue a career outside of academia?
I think, although I do not have the exact numbers, about 90% of PhD holders do not end up in academia. The percentage may not be exact, but it is similar. During my PhD, I saw many colleagues pursue careers outside academia, and when I talked with them, they always said the PhD was a good time in their lives. The skill set you learn during a PhD is very transferable to many jobs. I have not worked outside academia, so my opinion may not be strong, but I believe the problem-solving experience and writing skills are very transferable. I do not think people should do a PhD just to stay in academia. If you have that goal of exploring and creating new knowledge, then a PhD will be worthwhile.
What is a synchrotron, and what are its applications?
Basically, a synchrotron is a facility that produces hard X-rays. During my time at I²CNER, we use it as users, so we do not study how the hard X-rays are generated; we just utilize them. There is a large ring that produces these hard X-rays, and around the ring there are beamlines and hutches. For example, at Saga Light Source, the facility we go to, there are about 15 beamlines, and we only use two. One for the university and another for a different university. Once we have these hard X-rays, we set up how we want to use them. Most of my time here, we have used them for X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and small-angle and wide-angle scattering (SAXS and WAXS). These are unique tools for chemistry and material science because they provide enough energy to hit the material, and if you hit it at a specific energy, the core electrons of your elements will be excited. This allows you to know exactly what elements you have, their oxidation state, and their local environment, so you can characterize the material. You can also do this in situ, meaning you can flow different gases and measure your catalyst in its reactor environment. This is very useful for catalysis research, but the beamline has a wide range of applications. For catalysis, being able to study the catalyst under real conditions is something very valuable.
Saudi Arabia does not have its own synchrotron, but they are in a group of countries around the Middle East that have access to the SESAME Synchrotron. If Saudi had its own Synchrotron, what specs do you wish it would have?
I really hope they can have a synchrotron soon because it is very important. The top priority should be accessibility, so you do not have to wait a year for access, and the second priority should be good energy for fast time resolution.
When I was in the US, I thought of synchrotrons as very sophisticated facilities, and that is why you have to apply a year in advance just to get access. Kyushu University has its own dedicated beamline one hour away from the main campus, and we go there once a month, sometimes for multiple days. If it does not work, we can try again next month. That is something special in Japan.
I really like the Japanese approach of prioritizing accessibility over extreme sophistication. If we can have both accessibility and high energy, that would be ideal. Higher energy allows shorter time resolution because you get a good signal-to-noise ratio, so you can do fast measurements without compromising resolution.
How does Japan's approach to sustainability research different from other countries?
Japan has realized that collaboration is essential to progress. Collaboration is now a core part of Japan’s approach to advancing research while improving its own universities. This year has been a good year for Japan, as two Nobel laureates were affiliated with Japanese institutions.
Japan is now investing heavily in research centers such as I²CNER and CESD. I²CNER has different platforms inside it, and CESD is one of them. These are all government-funded centers. I²CNER started as an international collaboration between top institutions worldwide, and there is still ongoing collaboration with UIUC, whose logo you can see everywhere at I²CNER. This approach reflects Japan’s strategy to be international, attract talent from global institutions, and make it easy for international researchers to come to Japan for short stays or summer programs to train young researchers.
CESD also collaborates with leading Japanese universities; there are about seven universities involved. I traveled to Hokkaido University and saw their sustainability research at ICAT, the Institute for Catalysis, which is also an international institute.
Recently, we started a three-year project with Thailand, funded by both governments, and there are similar calls for collaboration with neighboring countries like Singapore and Malaysia, as well as European countries.
How do you find Japanese work culture? How does the work-life balance and scheduling expectations compare to the US or to Saudi?
Before I came to Japan, I had concerns because people often think of Japanese work culture as involving late nights and sitting at your desk all day. There is some truth to that, but in academia, I think it is different. Maybe I was lucky to work with professors who were open and trusted me to do my job without requiring late hours. I really like that kind of trust. There is no set time to check in or leave the office. It is up to you to manage your tasks. People are still motivated, and you see them coming in on weekends or staying late, but that is because they are interested in their work, not because the system requires it.
Scheduling expectations in Japan are strict, though. When they say a meeting is at 9 AM, it means you should arrive early. I once came at 8:50 thinking I was early, but everyone was already there, and they started immediately. So, when they say 3 PM, it means you need to be ready before 3 PM.
I was fortunate to work with professors who had experience outside Japan or collaborated internationally, so they do not enforce strict schedules. This openness comes from Japan’s collaborative approach, bringing in practices that work well elsewhere. It is not about sticking to old-style rules but adapting to what works better. At I²CNER, we have a good mix of Japanese and international researchers, which brings different perspectives and understanding. It is nice to experience both cultures and see how collaboration shapes a more flexible and efficient work environment.
Do you speak Japanese, and is does that ever become a challenge when communicating with your colleagues or people in general?
I do not speak Japanese, unfortunately, but if I were staying longer than my short postdoc, I think it would be important to learn Japanese. For anyone staying more than two years, I would say they should learn it. I only know basic phrases that help me live here, but I do not speak the language. Science is done in English, but if you want to integrate with the research community, Japanese is important.
For example, I attended the Japanese Catalysis Society Conference, and most talks, presentations, and posters were in Japanese. Even though I presented in English, I received fewer questions compared to those who presented in Japanese, who had more engaging discussions.
You can still do science in English, but if you want deeper engagement and integration, you need to learn Japanese. I met international PhD students who started presenting in English but switched to Japanese after learning it, and they were happier because they received more questions and engagement.
What advice would you give students who are interested in carbon-neutral energy research?
I think now is the best time. Many countries have pledged carbon neutrality within the next few decades; Japan by 2050, Saudi Arabia by 2060. A lot of funding is going into reducing carbon emissions or utilizing them. If I were a young researcher, I would start by exploring the different approaches to these problems.
My advice is to explore widely, understand the different approaches, and then choose what fits you best. It does not have to be chemistry; for me, it was catalysis research, converting CO₂ to something else. But institutes like I²CNER have mechanical engineers, social scientists, material scientists, and others working on solar energy, wind energy, and improving processes to reduce emissions. Carbon-neutral energy research is not limited to one major; many fields can contribute. If you are in your first or second year of undergrad, do not commit yet. Explore what is out there and see how different groups approach the problem. Undergraduate years are a good time to learn about the diversity of research in this area. Later, during your master’s, you can specialize. There is no single solution to carbon neutrality; different fields must work together.