Omar F. Mohammed, professor of Materials Science and Engineering and chair of the Materials Science and Engineering and Applied Physics Program in the Physical Science and Engineering Division at KAUST, has been selected to serve as an Advisory Board member for Matter & Light, a journal published by Cell Press.
The appointment places him among a group of internationally recognized scientists helping guide a publication focused on research at the intersection of materials science, photonics and light–matter interactions. The journal highlights work on how light can be used to probe and design new materials and devices, from solar technologies to advanced imaging systems. Backed by Cell Press — a publisher known for high-impact journals across the life and physical sciences — Matter & Light reflects a broader push to bring together disciplines where chemistry, physics and engineering meet.
“Being invited to serve as an Advisory Board member by a top-tier publisher such as Cell Press represents a significant form of international recognition for my contributions to the field of materials and light–matter applications,” Mohammed said.
In this role, he will advise handling editors on unusual, interdisciplinary or high-impact manuscripts and contribute to broader strategic discussions for the journal, including identifying emerging research directions and promising early-career researchers. Advisory Board members also act as ambassadors for the journal within the global scientific community.
The recognition aligns with Mohammed’s long-standing work on understanding how energy moves through light-harvesting materials. At KAUST, he leads the Ultrafast Laser Spectroscopy and Four-dimensional Electron Imaging, which studies charge carrier dynamics in systems used for solar cells and X-ray technologies. His research aims to reveal how electrons behave on ultrafast timescales, offering insights to design more efficient solar materials and sensitive detectors.
Before joining KAUST in 2012, Mohammed was a senior research associate at Caltech, where he helped pioneer advanced electron imaging techniques to study surface and interfacial processes. He has since published more than 390 peer-reviewed papers in leading journals, with more than 51,000 citations and an h-index of 107. He has been recognized as a Highly Cited Researcher from 2019 through 2025 and has received several international awards, including the Kuwait Prize in Physics and Shoman Prize in Photochemistry and several fellowships in Japan and Germany.
Mohammed’s appointment as a member of the Advisory Board of Matter & Light reflects his long and widely recognized experience in the field and the growing global impact of KAUST research in advancing light-driven materials and technologies.