Muhammad N. Huda

Dr. Muhammad N. Huda is a Professor in the Physics Department at The University of Texas at Arlington. His research focuses on theoretical and computational condensed matter physics, with emphasis on strongly correlated f-electron systems and metal oxides for solar energy conversion. Previously, he was a research associate at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and a postdoctoral fellow at UT Austin. He has authored approximately 100 journal publications (h-index 31) and secured significant external funding from NSF, DOE, and Welch Foundation.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Physics, University of Texas at Arlington (2004)
• M.S. in Applied Mathematics, University of Cambridge (1997)
• M.Sc. in Physics, University of Dhaka (1996)
• B.Sc. in Physics, University of Dhaka (1994)

Research Interests: Dr. Huda's work combines density functional theory (DFT) and computational methods to design novel materials for renewable energy applications. Key areas include:

• Photovoltaic and photoelectrochemical materials
• Metal-oxide semiconductors for solar fuel generation
• Electronic structure of strongly correlated systems
• Phase stability predictions and defect engineering
• Quantum mechanical modeling of nanoscale systems

Publication Trends: Recent articles demonstrate a strong focus on computational design of solar energy materials, including quaternary metal oxides, chalcogenides, and sensitizers. Common themes include bandgap engineering, polaron formation effects, surface/interface properties, and thermodynamic stability of photovoltaic materials. DFT+U methods are consistently employed to address electron correlation in transition metal and rare-earth systems.

Awards and Honors:

• Vebleo Fellow (2021)
• Member, Royal Society of Chemistry (2021)
• Sigma Xi Honor Society (2020)
• Cambridge Commonwealth Trust Fellow (1997)
• Multiple student research awards (ACES, APS)
• IOPSELECT recognized publications (2012, 2015)

Advising and Grants: Dr. Huda has supervised 12+ PhD students and secured over $1M in external funding. Key grants include:

• NSF RET Site: Sustainable Infrastructure ($596K, 2021-2024)
• DOE/NSF collaborations on solar materials ($180K-$250K)
• Welch Foundation grants for actinide research ($75K)
• LANL sub-contract for plutonium studies ($19K, 2021-2026)

He currently advises graduate students in computational materials physics and solid-state theory.

Research Group: Leads a computational materials group focusing on renewable energy materials. Collaborates with national labs (NREL, LANL) and international institutions. Current projects include polaron dynamics in metal oxides, f-electron systems, and high-throughput materials discovery for photovoltaics.