Ahmed Al Harraq


Contact email: aahme22@lsu.edu

Office address (also for lab deliveries):  3307 Patrick F. Taylor Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803

Biography

photograph of ahmed al harraq
map indicating iraq, italy, scotland and louisiana

I was born in the town of Basra, in Iraq. My family moved to Parma, Italy, when I was 3. I grew up in Northern Italy, where I was fortunate to receive a great educational blend of science and humanities. As EU citizen, I went to Glasgow, Scotland, to attend the University of Strathclyde where I earned a B.Eng. in Chemical Engineering. The international community and faculty at Strathclyde truly opened horizons for me. I decided to move to the US in 2018 to work towards my PhD, at LSU.

I am currently in my 4th year of the program, doing experiments in soft matter in the Bharti Research Group.


Current research

Microscopy image of c. elegans nematode worms

 

 

I am investigating the potential in manipulating the motionand behavior of simple living organisms using magnetic fields. 

C. elegans nematodes (shown in the left), are our current model system.

 

 

 

Overlay of microscopy images tracking the helical motion of a patchy particle coassembled with a non-patchy particle

 

 

 

Active particles moving via induced-charge electrophoresis can also bind with other colloids polarized by the ac electric field.

I am studying the mechanism and condition in which the motion and assembly of active and passive colloids occur simultaneously.


Publications

9. A. Al Harraq*, P. Brahana*, O. Arcemont, D. Zhang, K.T. Valsaraj, B. Bharti, "Effects of Weathering on Microplastic Dispersibility and Pollutant Uptake Capacity", ACS Environmental Au, 2022, in press

8. A. Al Harraq, M. Bello, B. Bharti, "A guide to design the trajectory of active particles: From fundamentals to applications", Current Opinion in Colloid & Interface Science, 2022, in press

7. A. Al Harraq, A. A. Hymel, E. Lin, T. M. Truskett, B. Bharti, "Dual nature of magnetic nanoparticle dispersions enables control over short-range attraction and long-range repulsion interactions", Communications Chemistry, 2022, 5, 1, 1-9

6. A. Al Harraq, B. D. Choudhury, B. Bharti, "Field-Induced Assembly and Propulsion of Colloids”, Langmuir, 2022, 38, 10, 3001-3016, Invited Featured Article – ACS editor’s choice

5. A. Al Harraq, B. Bharti, "Microplastics through the lens of colloid science", ACS Environmental Au, 2022, 2, 1, 3–10

4. J. Lee, A. Al Harraq, K. J. M. Bishop, B. Bharti, "Fabrication and electric field-driven propulsion of patchy microellipsoids", J. Phys. Chem. B, 2021, 125, 16, 4232–4240

3. J. Lee*, Y. Guo*, J. Belgodere, A. Al Harraq, A. Hymel, A. Pete, K. T. Valsaraj, M. G. Benton, M. G. Miller, J. P. Jung, B. Bharti, "Lignin–Zein Composite: Synthesis, Three-Dimensional Printing, and Microbial Degradation", ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng., 2021, 9, 4, 1781-1789

2. A. Al Harraq, B. Bharti, "Increasing aspect ratio of particles suppresses buckling in shells formed by drying suspensions", Soft Matter, 2020, 16, 9643-9647

1. A. Al Harraq, J. Lee, B. Bharti, "Magnetic field-driven assembly and reconfiguration of multicomponent supraparticles", Science Advances, 2020, 6, eaba5337


Teaching, Service and SciComm

I have been a teaching assistant (TA) for classes in reaction kinetics, heat/mass transport, and chemical engineering labs. I was elected by the students as Outstanding TA for the 2018/2019 academic year!

I enjoy mentoring undergraduates in the lab and am currently working with super talented Aubry Hymel and Ruby Roberg.

I volunteer through LSU ENGage to showcase exciting aspects of STEM to middle schoolers in the Baton Rouge area.

I am also involved in activities of the Chemical Engineering Graduate Student Organization and the LSU Honors College service events.

I have also acted as reviewer for the journal 'Colloid and Polymer Science'

I am passionate about science policy and I enjoy science communication.

I participate to the Science NextGen Voices events and two of my contributions have been published:

1. News from a postpandemic world

2. Pandemic haiku

3. A pandemic education