The combination of analytical models and experiments attracted Mohamed

Can you tell briefly about your background?

I got both my Bachelor’s and Master’s degree at Ain Shams University in Cairo in Egypt. My focus was on in electronic and magnetic properties.

How come you wanted to do your PhD at Mid Sweden University? 

I wanted to broaden my knowledge and choose to search for PhD positions beyond what I have focused on in my Bachelor and Master studies. I wanted to combine theoretical models and computational methods with experimental work and found that here at Mid Sweden University. It is very interesting and enriching to have this combination.

What is your research about?

My research is about triboelectrification, which is about how to generate an electric current by two materials close to each other. 

The first step is to solve the equations based on quantum mechanics to get the value of this current. This step can be done with the means of analytical methods and computational software.

The second step is to verify the theoretical results experimentally. 

The third step is to compare different combinations of materials due to their triboelectric currents The long term aim is to find various combinations of materials that can be of great potential for generating electricity from mechanical energy 

How do you like it at Mid Sweden University so far?

My supervisor has great research experience and I learn a lot from him, and he is also very supportive and encourages me to generate and develop my ideas. There is also a flexibility in the topic in order to find a good point of research in this project, that will continue for four years.