Energizing a global partnership in materials

Born and raised in France from an immigrant family of African descent, Ismaila Dabo enjoyed playing video games with his friends in his youth. As his interest developed, he was encouraged by his father to learn more about what was behind the creation of the games. This prompt drew him to become interested in computer animations and graphics, and eventually engineering. As a college student, his interest in coding led him to solve complex problems, particularly as they related to fundamental molecular behavior. 

As machine learning and artificial intelligence assume larger roles in computational research, Dabo is eager to bring his expertise to the materials science and engineering department at Carnegie Mellon. In his research, Dabo uses quantum mechanical models to discover materials for use in efficient energy technologies. 

“Leveraging machine learning and artificial intelligence, we can explore millions of materials at a time for predicting the best chemical formula to enable sustainable technologies,” says Dabo. 

By focusing on energy access, carbon emissions reduction, and mineral extraction, we can make strides in the inclusive digital transformation in Africa.

Ismaila Dabo, Professor

While this work has typically been demanding in terms of computing power, using ML and AI has accelerated the discovery of materials that can be formulated before they are synthesized. 

The addition of Dabo to the CMU MSE faculty will provide the department with its first substantial presence at CMU-Africa, where he will spend fall semesters teaching Research Methods for Engineering. As his family hails from Guinea, he is acutely aware of energy access issues across the continent, and hopes that his work will make an impact on infrastructure and inspire future generations of engineers.

“Energy supply is a problem across the globe, especially in many African communities,” notes Dabo. “By focusing on energy access, carbon emissions reduction, and mineral extraction, we can make strides in the inclusive digital transformation in Africa to push the continent toward the fourth industrial era.” 

When Dabo returns to Pittsburgh for spring semesters, he will teach a course on kinetics focused on energy conversion, while maintaining strong ties with CMU-Africa.  

Prior to joining Carnegie Mellon, Dabo held the role of tenured associate professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the Department of Physics at the Pennsylvania State University with joint appointments in the Penn State Institutes of Energy and the Environment, and the Penn State Materials Research Institute. He has garnered numerous awards during his time in academia, including the Wilson Teaching Excellence Award, Montgomery-Mitchell Teaching Innovation Award, Corning Chair in Materials Science and Engineering, and a National Science Foundation CAREER Award. He has served as principal investigator for multiple projects funded by the National Science Foundation and Department of Energy. He holds a Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and B.S. and M.S. degrees from École Polytechnique, France.