Ashraf Muhammad Mahey

Ashraf Muhammad Mahey is an MPhil student in Mathematical and Computational Physics at the Department of Physics, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), working under the supervision of Dr. Henry Martin. His research uses Crystal Graph Convolutional Neural Networks (CGCNN) to predict mercury (Hg²⁺) adsorption and water stability in metal–organic frameworks (MOFs). The work is motivated by mercury contamination of water bodies from artisanal gold mining (galamsey) in Ghana.

He is the first author of a systematic review of machine learning for MOF-based heavy-metal removal in water treatment, written with Henry Elorm Quarshie and Dr. Henry Martin and currently in preparation. Following PRISMA 2020, the review synthesises 12 peer-reviewed studies and concludes that dataset size, quality and standardisation, rather than the choice of algorithm, are the main barriers to reliable ML-guided MOF design.

Ashraf holds a BSc in Mathematics from KNUST, where his undergraduate thesis modelled the transmission dynamics of bacterial meningitis with hospitalisation. He served as a Teaching Assistant at KNUST from November 2023 to September 2024, preparing course materials, running tutorials and mentoring students. Since October 2024, he has worked part-time as a Junior Systems Analyst at Narrowlite International Company Limited, where he installs, configures and supports client software systems and trains users.

Research and Technical Expertise

• Machine learning for materials discovery: graph neural networks (CGCNN) for predicting MOF properties.
• Water-purification materials: mercury adsorption and structural water stability of MOFs.
• Materials data and interpretable machine learning: MOFDB and CoRE MOF databases; Random Forest, SVR, XGBoost and SHAP analysis.
• Systematic review methodology: PRISMA 2020, risk-of-bias appraisal and GRADE assessment.
• Mathematical and computational modelling: differential equations, numerical analysis, atomistic and quantum simulation of materials.
• Programming and tools: Python, MATLAB, SQL and LaTeX; database optimisation and technical consulting.
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Education

MPhil Mathematical and Computational Physics, KNUST, Ghana, 2025–Present. Thesis: Prediction of Mercury (Hg²⁺) Adsorption and Water Stability in Metal–Organic Frameworks Using Crystal Graph Convolutional Neural Networks

BSc Mathematics (First Class), KNUST, Ghana, 2019–2023

Thesis: Mathematical Model of the Transmission Dynamics of Bacterial Meningitis with Hospitalisation

Publications

Machine Learning for Metal–Organic Frameworks in Water Treatment: A Systematic Review of Predictive and Design Approaches

Mahey, A. M., Quarshie, H. E., and Martin, H. (In preparation).

 

Conferences, Workshops and Training

• Ghana Science Association Annual Conference, Ghana, 16–17 September 2026.
• Mini-ASESMA 2026: Atomistic and Quantum Simulation of Materials, University of Ghana, Accra, 15–26 June 2026.
• African International Conference on Quantum Computing and Simulation (AoC|Q), KNUST, Kumasi, 13–20 February 2026.
• Perimeter Scholar International – Start Satellite Program (PSI-SSP), 19 May–5 July 2025.

Honours and Awards

• Most Outstanding Poster Award, Mini-ASESMA 2026 School, University of Ghana, 26 June 2026.

Certifications

• AI Career Essentials (AiCE), African Leadership X (ALX), 2024.
• Google Data Analytics, Coursera, 2023.