Ken Aldren S. Usman

Dr. Ken Aldren S. Usman is currently an Associate Research Fellow at the Institute for Frontier Materials (IFM), Deakin University, under the supervision of Prof. Joselito Razal, the incumbent director of the Australian Research Council’s Research Hub for Future Fibers. His research interests include the synthesis, surface modification, and processing of nanomaterials, including metal oxide nanoparticles, quantum dots (Ag, Fe3O4, ZnO, TiO2), porous materials (MOFs, zeolites), 2D materials (graphene oxide, MXenes), and ceramics (SiC, ZrB2).
Dr. Usman specializes in developing liquid crystalline MXene dispersions for high-strength fiber applications, collaborating with MXene pioneers like Profs. Yury Gogotsi (Drexel University) and Babak Anasori (Purdue University). He has contributed to >60 research articles, with first-author publications in top journals such as Journal of Materials Chemistry A, and Materials Horizons, as well as co-authorship in leading journals including ACS Nano and Nature Communications.
Beyond his work at Deakin and Purdue, he collaborates globally with research teams, including Prof. Gogotsi’s at Drexel, as well as groups at the University of the Philippines, RMIT, University of Sydney, and Qingdao University, focusing on MXene synthesis and processing. In 2024, he was recognized as a CAS Future Leader, an award highlighting emerging scientific leaders for their contributions and potential to drive innovation