Maha A. Zuod

PhD Student

PhD student

Current

Biography

Maha Zuod is a physicist with a research focus on advanced materials, condensed matter physics, and ultrafast spectroscopy. She has extensive experimental experience at international research institutions including KAUST, ETH Zurich, CERN, and X-ray Free-Electron Laser (XFEL) facilities. Her work centers on the development and characterization of functional materials for energy, imaging, and sustainability applications. She is a recipient of the First Place Award at the 3rd Saudi Aramco Digital Hackathon for the Sustainability and Advanced Materials Challenge.

Research Interests

  • Advanced and sustainable materials
  • Perovskite and semiconductor materials
  • Ultrafast and time-resolved spectroscopy
  • X-ray and Free-Electron Laser techniques
  • Photovoltaic and energy-related materials

Selected Publications

Education

  • M.Sc. in Physics, Birzeit University, Palestine
  • B.Sc. in Physics, Arab American University, Palestine
  • Diploma in Education (Upper Basic Level), Arab American University, Palestine
  • Advanced Training
    • Photovoltaic Innovation in Saudi Arabia, KAUST (2024)
    • 48th IFF Spring School on Topological Matter, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany (2017)
    • Palestinian Advanced Physics School, supported by CERN (2016) 

Professional Profile

Maha Zuod is an experimental physicist with expertise in ultrafast laser spectroscopy, pump–probe techniques, and X-ray–based material characterization. At KAUST, she works with the Ultrafast Laser Spectroscopy and 4D Imaging Group, developing perovskite materials and polymer-based films for advanced X-ray imaging applications.

Her prior research appointments include visiting and internship positions at ETH Zurich, the Paul Scherrer Institute (SwissFEL), and CERN, where she contributed to experiments under extreme conditions, high-harmonic generation optimization, and detector quality control. Her work integrates materials science, optics, and energy-related applications.

Awards

  • First Place Award – Sustainability and Advanced Materials Challenge
    Aramco Research Center (ARC), 3rd Saudi Aramco Digital Hackathon, 2026
  • Birzeit University Scholarship for Academic Excellence
  • Honor List Recognition, Arab American University

Research Interests Keywords

advanced and sustainable materials Perovskite materials semiconductor materials Ultrafast and time-resolved spectroscopy x-ray and free-Electron Laser techniques photovoltaic and evergy-related materials