People

People

Picture of Nazim Muradov.Nazim Muradov
Professor
Special Projects

(321) 638-1448
muradov@fsec.ucf.edu

Education:

Doctor of Science, Physical Chemistry
Institute of Chemical Physics, USSR, 1990

Ph.D., Kinetics and Catalysis
Institute of Chemical Physics, USSR, 1975

BS/MS, Petrochemical Engineering
ASOIU, Azerbaijan, 1970

Research Focus:

Dr. Nazim Muradov joined the University of Central Florida’s (UCF) Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) in 1990. His main areas of research include thermocatalytic and photocatalytic hydrogen production systems, solar-powered water-splitting cycles, advanced biofuels, fossil fuel decarbonization, hydrogen sensors, radiant detoxification of hazardous wastes and nanostructured carbon materials. Dr. Muradov is one of the pioneers of the Hydrogen Movement (joined it in 1979). In 1980-90s, he conducted pioneering studies on CO2-free production of hydrogen via direct methane decomposition (DMD) process (subsequently, he was recognized as "the father of DMD" by the group of researchers from France, USA and Australia in their review article published in the Int. J. Hydrogen Energy, p.25831, 2022).

Dr. Muradov has been principal investigator (PI) and co-PI of close to $10 million in externally funded research projects from such funding sources as US Department of Energy, US Department of Defense (Navy), NASA, EPA, NSF, Chevron, National Priorities Research Program (Qatar), Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (Australia), FL-DACS, PetroAlgae, Science Application International Corporation, Radian Corp., Procyon Corp., GRT Inc., FHTCC, Breakthrough Energy Ventures (founded by Bill Gates)and others.

As a member of the NASA-UCF research team, Dr. Muradov participated in the development of a unique hydrogen sensor, which was successfully tested during the NASA's Space Shuttle Endeavour mission (for this achievement, the team received a prestigious international R&D 100 Award). He is the principal investigator of a climate-focused multi-phase multi-million dollar collaborative academia-industry project (UCF/FSEC and M2X Energy Inc) targeting the development and commercialization of modular chemical "plants-on-wheels" for converting "stranded" and renewable methane sources to low-carbon fuels (including, sustainable aviation fuels) and chemical feedstocks.

Dr. Muradov is a member of the Board of Directors of the International Association for Hydrogen Energy (IAHE), and a member of the Board of Trustees and the Scientific Council of the Madrid Institute for Advanced Studies, IMDEA Energia (Spain).  He is an editor-emeritus of the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy (IJHE) (2006-2021) and a member of the International Editorial Board of the Processes of Petrochemistry and Oil Refining (ISSN 1726-4685). Dr. Muradov is a member of the national panel of reviewers for the US Department of Energy and the US Department of Agriculture. He is the Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and the International Association for Hydrogen Energy.

Dr. Muradov has authored two books: "Carbon-neutral Fuels and Energy Carriers" (co-authored with T.N. Veziroglu), CRC Press, 2010 and "Liberating Energy from Carbon: Introduction to Decarbonization", Springer, 2014 (the number of chapter downloads from the latter book exceeds 19,000). He has also authored 6 book-chapters (including an encyclopedia article) and coauthored over hundred refereed research papers. His publications have received over 7100 citations (one article was cited over 1000 times: Scholar.Google.com) and several of them were internationally recognized as high-impact research papers. In particular, his paper "From hydrocarbon to hydrogen-carbon to hydrogen economy" (coauthored with N. Veziroglu) was identified by Thomson Reuters' Essential Science Indicators to be one of the most cited papers in research area of Hydrogen Economy (http://sciencewatch.com/dr/fmf/2009/09mayfmf/09mayfmfMura/.).

Dr. Muradov has been actively involved in the practical implementation of the results of his fundamental research. He has been awarded 44 US patents (www.USPTO.gov) and 6 foreign patents in the areas of hydrogen energy and technology, advanced biofuels, carbon nanostructures, hydrogen sensors and environmental remediation technologies. Several of his inventions have been licensed and commercialized by the industry (Japan, USA) with the subsequent release of commercial products.

Dr. Muradov presented papers at more than hundred national and international meetings, including several keynote presentations and plenary lectures. He was invited to give seminars and lectures at MIT (Cambridge, USA), Vrije University (Amsterdam, the Netherlands), Ray Juan Carlos University (Madrid, Spain), Tokyo Science University (Japan), Saudi Aramco (Dhahran, Saudi Arabia), Dutch Hydrogen Dialog (Oisterwijk, the Netherlands), Institute for Advanced Studies (Mostoles, Spain), University of Agriculture and Technology (Tokyo, Japan), Brookhaven National Laboratory (NY, USA), Universal Oil Products (Chicago, USA), the Society of Automotive Engineers International and others. He chaired and co-chaired technical sessions during several World Hydrogen Energy Conferences and American Chemical Society meetings, and was an invited member of scientific committees and advisory boards for a number of international conferences and symposiums.

Dr. Muradov's research work was highlighted in a number of national and international news outlets, such as, Renewable Energy Global Innovations, BusinessGreen.com, Eureka, Energy Innovation Portal (DOE), Before It's News, Orlando Business Journal, Armed Forces Dispatch (Navy, DOD), Poten & Partners, News Edge, News and Views, BusinessGreen.com, Florida Today, High Beam Research, Science Watch (Reuters), Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Letters, Pollution Online, The Hydrogen Journal Newsletter and many others.

Awards and Honors:

  • Jules Verne Award (the highest honor bestowed by the International Association for Hydrogen Energy)
  • National Academy of Inventors Fellow (USA)
  • Lifetime Fellow of the International Association for Hydrogen Energy
  • “Progress” medal, the state award of Azerbaijan Republic (2022)
  • Honorary Professor (Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University) (2021)
  • Jubilee medal, awarded by the Department of Education of Azerbaijan (2021)
  • Jubilee medal awarded by National Hydrogen Energy Association, Russian Federation (2018)
  • Excellence in Research Award (UCF Institutes & Centers, 2017)
  • The nationally syndicated "The Greenpreneur Show" featured guest appearance (Chicago, 2017)
  • Best Paper Award (Int. Conf. Hydrogen Production, China, 2016)
  • “Key Scientific Article”, Renewable Energy Global Innovations Series (2015)
  • R&D100 Award(also known as “Oscar of Inventions) (2014)
  • “The most prolific inventors at UCF”, Orlando Business Journal (2013)
  • Excellence in Research Award (UCF Institutes & Centers, 2012)
  • Most downloaded articles, Solar Energy (2011)
  • Top 25 Hottest Articles (Ranked 9), Int. J. Hydrogen Energy (2010)
  • Nomination for NASA's Blue Marble Award (as a member of NASA-UCF team) (2010)
  • Most downloaded articles, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy (2009)
  • Thomson Reuters “Highly Cited Paper” (Science Watch, 2009)
  • Research Incentive Award (UCF, 2003)
  • SAE Recognition Award (Society of Automotive Engineers International, 1996)
  • Distinguished Researcher of the Year Award (UCF Institutes & Centers, 1996)
  • Listed in Who's Who in America and Who's Who in Science and Engineering