Nelson Y. Dzade

Nelson Y. Dzade is an Assistant Professor and Undergraduate Program Chair of Energy Engineering in the John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering at The Pennsylvania State University's College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. He holds affiliate positions with the EMS Energy Institute, Materials Research Institute, Institute for Computational and Data Sciences, and Institutes of Energy and the Environment. As Co-Director of AESEDA (Penn State Alliance for Education, Science, Engineering, and Design with Africa), he actively promotes STEM capacity building across African universities.

Education

• Ph.D. Computational Materials Science, University College London (2014)
• PGDip Materials Science, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (2010)
• MSc Materials Science, African University of Science and Technology (2010)
• BSc Mathematical Science (1st Class Hons), University for Development Studies (2007)

Research Focus

Dzade leads the Materials and Minerals Theory (MMT) Group, specializing in computational design of energy materials through first-principles DFT and multiscale modeling. Key research thrusts include: rational catalyst design for green hydrogen production and CO2 conversion; interfacial phenomena in solar cells; earth-abundant battery materials; and geochemical processes at mineral interfaces. His work bridges computational chemistry, materials informatics, and renewable energy applications.

Publication Trends

Dzade's recent publications demonstrate strong focus on computational materials design for renewable energy systems, particularly photovoltaics (perovskite/chalcogenide solar cells), electrocatalysts (hydrogen evolution, CO2 reduction), and battery materials. Over 80% of recent articles involve atomistic simulations to unravel structure-property relationships in energy materials, with experimental collaborations validating predictions.

Awards and Honors

• U.S.-Africa Frontiers Fellowship (2025)
• DOE Early Career Research Award (2024-2029)
• G. Montgomery and Marion Mitchell Teaching Award (2025)
• EPSRC Innovation Research Fellowship (2018-2021)
• DUO-India Professor Fellowship (2020)
• Multiple scholarships including BP Research Fellowship and World Bank Scholarship

Teaching and Mentorship

Teaches Thermodynamics (EME 301), Solar Energy Systems Design (EGEE 437), and Molecular Modeling (EME 597). Leads the MMT research group with multiple graduate students, focusing on computational materials discovery. Actively mentors underrepresented minorities and founded the Africa Network of Computational Materials Scholars (AFRINETCOMS).