Resume

 

   

 

                                                  Maheen Gull, Ph.D.

          6202 Soaring Ave.,                                                                      Phone: 813-898-3370

       Temple Terrace, FL, 33617                                                              Email: ambermaheen@yahoo.com

 

 Synthetic chemistry/origin of life sciences/geochemistry/organic chemistry researcher at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)

 Websites: www.maheengull.com, www.linkedin.com/in/maheen-gull, RPI webpage (under construction)

 Citizenship: United States

 Work Experience

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Starting 12/2024-)

·        Research Scientist (12/2024-)

         Prebiotic chemistry, minerals-organic interactions, solvents of life, prebiotic phosphorylation, P-N compounds formation

 

         University of South Florida (07/13/2011-Present)

·        Research Scientist (05/2016- present)

         Prebiotic phosphorus chemistry, meteorite phosphorus chemistry, inorganic condensed phosphates formation, prebiotic organic synthesis

·        Visiting Chemistry Instructor, Dept. of Chemistry (08/2015-05/2016)

          General Chemistry 1 (CHM 2045) and (CHM 2045 L), Fundamentals of physical sciences (ISC 3403)

·        Postdoctoral Fellow, School of Geosciences (07/2011-08/2015)

          Researched on prebiotic phosphorylation reactions on the early Earth, deep eutectic solvents and various other ionic solvents, mineral catalysis and the origin of           life

          NASA/NSF’s Center for Chemical Evolution (09/2012-08/2015)  

          Research on prebiotic evolution, http://centerforchemicalevolution.com/

         

         University of Engineering & Technology, Lahore, Pakistan (03/2006-06/2011)   

·        Assistant Professor, Dept. of Chemistry (01/ 2010-06/2011)

          Taught various graduate and undergraduate chemistry courses and supervised research projects of graduate students

·        Lecturer of Chemistry, Dept. of Chemistry (03/ 2006- 07/2006), Taught various graduate and undergraduate chemistry courses

 
 Professional Skills

General Chemistry Skills: Wet chemistry techniques such as titrations, extractions, digestions and preparations of various test solutions

Specialized Chemistry Skills: Synthesis of phosphate esters of biological relevance such as alcohol phosphates (glycerol and ethanolamine phosphates), sugar phosphates such as (ribose and glucose phosphates) as well as nucleotides of RNA and DNA, phosphorus biochemistry, origin of phosphorylated biomolecules on the early Earth, deep eutectic solvents & ionic solvents, mineral catalysis, meteorite minerals, hydrothermal chemistry, syntheses of various drug derivatives

Instrumentation techniques: NMR, mass spectrometer, HPLC, XRD, Raman and UV spectroscopy, atomic absorption spectrometer and glove box        

Specialized software skills: Chemdraw, ACD labs, Spinworks, Sigma Plot, Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and word

 
 Education & Professional Preparation

 09/2006- 06/2010   Ph. D. (Chemistry), State Key Laboratory of Inorganic Synthesis & Preparative Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, China

01/2003-11/2005     M. Phil (Inorganic Chemistry), Institute of Chemistry, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan

01/2001-12/2002     MS (Organic Chemistry), Institute of Chemistry, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan                                                  

01/1999-12/2000     BS (Zoology, Botany, Chemistry) Queen Mary College, Lahore, Pakistan

 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Additional Trainings, certifications & significant collaborations

Certificate of Training of EHS Lab & Research Safety granted by Division of Environmental Health & Safety, University of South Florida (2016)

Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) program, University of Miami (2014)

Collaboration with Georgia Institute of Technology as well as Scripps Institution, under a joint research center called Center for Chemical Evolution, a NASA/NSF’s funded research center (2012-2015)

 

Peer-Reviewed Publications

 Manuscripts in prep/submitted

1.      Gull, M and Pasek, M.A. Prebiotic phosphorylation solvents. Invited article for the special issue of the  journal Liquids. Manuscript in prep.

2.      Pasek, M.A.; Gull, M. et.al. Manuscript in prep. Role of meteoritic impacts in the production of reduced phosphorus. Manuscript in prep.

3.      Gull, M.; Cruz, H.; Krishnamurthy, R.; Pasek, M.A. Prebiotic availability and generation of P-N compounds on the early Earth. Manuscript in prep.

4.      Gull, M. et al. Prebiotic chemistry of hypophosphate. Manuscript in prep.

5.      Gull, M.; Pasek, M.A. et al. Cyclization reactions & dimer formation in nucleotides. Manuscript in prep.

6.      Gull, M.; Pasek, M.A. et al. Inorganic condensed phosphates formation. Manuscript in prep.

 

 Published/accepted research papers

7.      Tian, F.; Omran, A.; Gull, M.; et. al. Schreibersite oxidation under varied oxygen buffers. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 380, pages 140-148.

8.      Gull, M and Pasek, M.A. Systems geology in astrobiological context in Guidebook for Systems Applications in Astrobiology, Eds: Kolb V et al. Book Chapter, CRC Press, 2023.

9.      Gull, M. et. al. Prebiotic Syntheses of Organophosphorus Compounds from Reduced Source of Phosphorus in Non-Aqueous Solvents. Life 2023, 13(11), 2134.

10.   Gull, M. et. al. Results of an eight-year extraction of phosphorus minerals within the Seymchan meteorite. Life 2022, 10, 1591.

11.   Gull, M. et al. Organophosphorus Compound Formation Through the Oxidation of Reduced Oxidation State Phosphorus Compounds on the Hadean Earth. J. Mol. Evol. 2022.

12.   Pasek, M.A.; Omran, A and Gull, M. et. al. Serpentinization as a route to liberating phosphorus on habitable worlds. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 2022, 336, 332-340.

13.   Gull, M et al. Catalytic Prebiotic Syntheses of Glycerol and its Phosphorylated Derivatives and their Potential Significance in the origin of Life. Catalysts 2021, 11, 86.

14.   Gull, M et al. Catalytic prebiotic formation of the phosphate esters of glycerol, estimation of their decomposition rates and its implications in the origin & cell membranes on the early Earth. Catalysts 2021.

15.   Tian, F.; Gull, M.; Pasek, M.A. The evolution of ephemeral phosphate minerals on planetary environments. ACS Earth and Space Chemistry 2021, 5, 1647-1656.

16. Gull, M. et al. Silicate-, magnesium sulphate-, and urea-induced prebiotic phosphorylation of uridine

      via pyrophosphate; revisiting the drying water pool scenario. Life 2020, 10, 122.

17. Pasek, M. A.; Gull, M.; Herschy, B. Phosphorylation on the early earth. Chemical Geology 2017, 475,

     149-170.

18. Gull, M.; Cafferty, B.; Hud, N. V.; Pasek, M. A. Silicate-promoted phosphorylation of glycerol in non-

      aqueous solvents: a prebiotically plausible route to organophosphates. Life 2017, 7(3), 29.

19. Burcar, B.; Pasek, M. A.; Gull, M. et al. Darwin's Warm Little Pond: A one-pot reaction for prebiotic

      phosphorylation and the mobilization of phosphate from minerals in a urea-based solvent. Angewandte

      Chemie International Edition 2016, 55, 13249.

20. Cruz, N. L.; Qasim, D.; Abbott-Lyon, H.; Pirim, C.; McKee, A. D.; Orlando, T.; Gull, M. et al. The

      evolution of the surface of the mineral schreibersite in prebiotic chemistry. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys.

      2016, 18, 20160-20167. 

21. Gull, M. et. al. Nucleoside phosphorylation by the mineral schreibersite. Scientific Reports 2015, 5,

      Article number: 17198.

22. Gull, M. Prebiotic Phosphorylation Reactions on the Early Earth, Challenges 2014, 2, 193-212.

23. Gull, M. et. al. Prebiotic Phosphate Ester Syntheses in a Deep Eutectic Solvent. J. Mol. Evol. 2014, 78,

      109-117.

24. Gull, M.; Pasek, M. A. Is struvite a prebiotic mineral?  Life 2013, 3, 321-330.

25. Pasek, M.A.; Harnmeijer, J.; Buick, R.; Gull, M.; Atlas, Z. Evidence for reactive reduced phosphorus

      species in the early Archean Ocean. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science USA 2013, 110,

      10089-10094.

26. Gull, M. et. al. Resolving the Enigma of Prebiotic C-O-P Bond Formation: Prebiotic hydrothermal

      synthesis of important biological phosphate esters” Heteroatom Chemistry 2010, 21, 161-167.

27. Gull, M. et. al. A Novel Synthetic Route to Synthesize 2,4,8,10-Tetraoxaspiro [5.5]-Undecane from

      Formaldehyde under Hydrothermal Conditions” Journal of Heterocyclic Chemistry 2010, 47, 483-485.

28. Janjua, M. R. S. A.; Su, Z-M.; Guan, w.; Liu, C-G.; Yan, L-K.; Song, P.; Gull, M. Tuning second-Order

      non-linear (NLO) optical response of organoimido-substituted hexamolybdates through halogens:

     Quantum Design of Novel Organic-Inorganic Hybrid NLO Materials” Aust J Chem 2010, 63, 836–844.

29. Gull, M. et. al. Mimicking the Prebiotic Acidic Hydrothermal Environment: One Pot Prebiotic

      Hydrothermal Synthesis of Glucose Phosphates. Heteroatom Chemistry 2011, 22, 186-191.

 

Patents

Matthew. A. Pasek and Maheen Gull. Phosphorylation of organics in a deep eutectic solvent (Provisional Patent)

 

Graduate Dissertations

1. Ph.D: Prebiotic Mineral Catalysis and Hydrothermal Synthesis of Some Biologically Important

    Phosphate Compounds (Bio-inorganic Chemistry/Astrobiology)

2. M.Phil : Metal complexes of antibiotic Amoxicillin and its antimicrobial properties (Bio-

    inorganic chemistry)

3. M. S: Esterification reactions of Molasses (Organic Chemistry)

Selected Conferences/Work Presentations

1. Pasek, M.A and Gull, M. An early Earth was predisposed to phosphorylation via Fenton

    Chemistry.Poster presentation, Astrobiology Sci. Con 2019.

2. Burcar, B.T.; Pasek, M.A.; Gull, M. et. al. Phosphorylation in Urea-Rich Eutectic Solvents,

    XVIIIth International Conference on the Origin of Life. 2017

3. Mojica, M.A, Gull, M, Pasek, M.A, et al. A Systems Chemistry Investigation into Nucleoside

    Phosphorylation Mechanisms by Prebiotic Meteoritic Materials. Poster presentation, PittCon.

    Conference & Expo. 2016, Atlanta, USA

4. Gull, M and Pasek, M.A. Phosphorylation of organics in deep eutectic solvents. Poster

    presentation, Astrobiology Science Conference 15th-19th June 2015, Chicago, USA

5. Nikita, L.C, Pasek, M.A., Pirim, C., Sampson, J.M., Lindsay, D., Gull, M. Synthesis and

    corrosion of schreibersite and nickel phosphide and possible implications for origin of life. GSA,

    oct. 19-22, 2014, Vancouver, Canada

6. Gull, M and Pasek, M. A. Prebiotic phosphorylation reactions and origin of life on the early

    Earth. Poster Presentation, NASA Ab.Grad.Con. Troy, New York, 2014

7. Gull, M, Zhou, M, Fernandez, F.M., Pirim, C., Orlando, T., Bryant, D.E., Kee, T.P., and Pasek,

     M.A. Cell membrane making lipid-P formation by Meteoritic Phosphorus source. Poster

     presentation at Gordon conference of Origin of Life, Galveston, Texas, USA, Gordon Origin

     of Life conference (12-17th Jan-2014), Galveston, Texas, USA

8. Gull, M and Pasek, M. A. Role of Phosphorus Minerals in the Origin of Life on Earth. Poster

    presentation at AGU, San Francisco California (9th-13th Dec 2013)

9. Gull, M and Pasek, M. A. Phosphorylation in deep eutectic solvents, Poster presentation, April

    17, 2012, NASA Astrobiology Conference April 2012 (Atlanta, Ga)

10. Gull, M and Pasek, M. A. Phosphorylation in Deep Eutectic solvents (the case of calcium

      phosphates), Poster presentation at NASA Astrobiology Conference (California) August 28,

      2012

11. G. Tian, He. C, M. et.al Gull, M. Hydrothermal Biochemistry. The 2nd International

      Solvothermal & Hydrothermal Association Conference, (Beijing,China) July 2010
 

        Selected Research Contributions, Honors & Awards

·        Appointed as ‘Courtesy assistant professor ‘by USF

·        Travel grant by CCE (Center for Chemical Evolution) to present my research work at Gordon Origin of life conference 2014

·        NASA travel grants (2012, 2013 and 2014) to present my work at NASA astrobiology graduate conferences (California 2012), (Canada 2013) and

         (Troy, New York 2014)

·        Travel grant by USF post-doctoral association to present my research work at Astrobiology Science conference 2012 (Atlanta)

·        (China) June 2010, Roll of Honor granted by Jilin University, College of Chemistry, as my PhD thesis was ranked among top 10                              

·        (China) 2006-2010, Cultural Exchange Scholarship: Granted by Chinese Scholarship Council for Ph.D. studies                                      

·        (Pakistan) 2003-2004, Higher Education Commission Scholarship

·        (Pakistan) 2003-2004, Roll of Honor: By Queen Marry College, Lahore, Pakistan  

·        (Pakistan) 2001-2002, Govt. Merit Scholarship: By University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan

 

         Undergraduate Research students mentoring

·        Spring 2015, Lyle Garong, Project: Prebiotic Phosphorylation   reactions (USF)

·        Summer 2013, Greg Maurer, Project: Prebiotic chemistry in simulated tidal environments (USF)

·        Summer 2009, Wang Yu, Project: Hydrothermal synthesis of glycerol phosphates (Jilin University)
        

         Services to the Research community

·        External reviewer of various NASA research proposals

·        Peer reviewed journals such as Geochmicia et. Cosmochimica Acta., Origins of life and evolution of the biosphere, Life, Sci, Science Advances, Catalysts, Sci,

         Geology, Processes and Astrobiology

·        NASA Research Reviews Panel member

·        Topic Editor of the journal Life and Catalysts