Sherif AbbasView profile
Research Fellow
Dr Sherif Abbas is a Research Fellow at the Applied Artificial Intelligence Institute (A2I2) within Deakin University, Australia. Since 2021 he has held this role after being awarded the competitive Alfred Deakin Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the Institute for Frontier Materials. His work is positioned at the intersection of material science, physics, chemistry and artificial intelligence, leveraging cutting-edge AI methodologies to solve complex challenges in energy storage, sensing and computational materials discovery. Education PhD in Physics, University of Sydney (2017) Research Interests Abbas’s research focuses on the accelerated discovery and rational design of advanced functional materials through the synergistic use of density-functional theory (DFT) and state-of-the-art machine-learning techniques. Specific thrusts include: Rechargeable battery chemistries (Li-ion, solid-state, Al-rich cathodes) Solar-energy-harvesting and photovoltaic materials Supercapacitor and superionic conductor design Gas-sensing surfaces and CO₂-capture frameworks Superconducting, ferroelectric and multiferroic compounds 2D van der Waals heterostructures and their optoelectronic applications His methodological toolkit spans Bayesian optimisation, generative models, graph neural networks and physics-informed machine-learning potentials that enable multiscale simulation from the atomic level to device performance. Publication Trends Across 103 outputs (2019–2025), Abbas demonstrates a clear trajectory toward physics-informed AI for materials. There is a marked concentration on energy-storage interfaces (solid-state electrolytes, dendrite suppression) and on low-dimensional systems where quantum confinement and van der Waals interactions govern functionality. Recent work increasingly couples rigorous first-principles data with scalable ML surrogates, underscoring a shift from static property prediction to dynamic, device-relevant simulations. Scientific Awards & Fellowships Alfred Deakin Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (Deakin University, 2021–present) Doctoral Supervision & Funding Abbas currently co-supervises two doctoral candidates: Thuy Linh La: "Enhancing Scalability of Machine Learning Models for Material Simulation" Hajer Abdulhafid Mohamed Derbi: "Applied Artificial Intelligence in Dental Field" Both projects are embedded within Deakin’s Applied Artificial Intelligence Initiative and benefit from internal fellowship funds and external ARC linkage grants coordinated by A2I2. Laboratory & Entrepreneurial Activities He is an integral member of the cross-disciplinary teams at A2I2, collaborating closely with the Institute for Frontier Materials and external partners across Australia. In parallel, he founded mathpractice.xyz (2023–present), an educational technology venture aimed at democratising advanced mathematics and AI training resources for students and early-career researchers.
