Muhammad Abdullah Zafar Ghauri

Field evaluation and energy gain modeling of photovoltaic modules coupled with evaporative and convective cooling

M.H. Iqbal, M.A.Z. Ghauri, M.S. Nawaz, M.S. Mustafa, A.A. Zaidi, M.A. Javed

Field tests of solar panels with evaporative and convective cooling, backed by an energy-gain model. Cooling raised efficiency by 12–14% for polycrystalline and 9–11% for monocrystalline panels.

Next Research · Accepted 2 November 2026 · doi:10.1016/j.nexres.2026.102664

Parametric instability landscapes and regime classification of laminar natural convection over a vertical plate under mixed thermal boundary conditions: A von Kármán–Pohlhausen linear-stability study

M.A.Z. Ghauri, M.A. Zeeshan, M. Safdar, M.A. Javed

Maps when airflow along a heated wall becomes unstable, for walls between the two textbook heating cases. Uses Orr–Sommerfeld stability analysis and physics-informed neural networks to sort the behavior into three instability regimes.

International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer 180 (2026) 112622 · doi:10.1016/j.icheatmasstransfer.2026.112622

Comparative investigation of machine learning and semi-analytical frameworks for magnetohydrodynamic flow characteristics of Maxwell fluid in parallel-plate channel using Lie similarity transformation

M.A.Z. Ghauri, M. Safdar

Compares two deep-learning solvers (PINNs and the Deep Galerkin Method) against classical methods for a magnetically controlled viscoelastic flow. The Deep Galerkin Method matched the reference solution to within 0.01% near the walls.

Nonlinear Science 9 (2026) 100202 · doi:10.1016/j.nls.2026.100202

Coupled Lie symmetry reductions and Physics-Informed Neural Network validation for flow and heat transfer in Maxwell liquid film

M. Safdar, M.A.Z. Ghauri, S. Taj, N. Afzal, I. Hussain

Reduces the equations for a thin viscoelastic film on a stretching sheet with Lie symmetry analysis, solves them with the homotopy perturbation method, and checks the result independently with a physics-informed neural network.

International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer 178 (2026) 111586 · doi:10.1016/j.icheatmasstransfer.2026.111586

Optimizing enclosure geometry for enhanced energy conversion in flow-induced piezoelectric energy harvesters

A. Naveed, E. Uddin, U. Latif, M.Y. Younis, Z. Ali, H.M.M. Rehman, M.M. Shah, M.A.Z. Ghauri, B.A. Chuddher

Experiments with a flexible piezoelectric "flag" that generates power from flowing water inside a duct, using particle image velocimetry. An inverted C-shaped cylinder upstream and an enclosure aspect ratio of 0.75 gave the most power.

Energy 345 (2026) 140241 · doi:10.1016/j.energy.2026.140241

From reservoirs to fuel cells: the role of hydropower in scaling green energy

M.A.Z. Ghauri, M.K. Shahid, I. Zahid, A.A. Hassan, M.A. Javed

Reviews how hydropower's steady, low-cost electricity can run electrolyzers for green hydrogen, bringing costs to $1.5–3 per kg at favourable sites.

In Handbook of Sustainability of Chemical Processes · Expected March 2027 · DOI to follow

Maritime biofuels as transitional fuels: bridging the gap to zero-carbon shipping

M.A.Z. Ghauri, A.A. Zaidi, M.H. Iqbal, M.Y. Javaid, A.A. Hassan, M.A. Javed

Assesses biofuels as a bridge to zero-carbon shipping. Waste-derived biodiesel and renewable diesel cut emissions by 68–98% compared with heavy fuel oil, and the chapter sets out a 2025–2050 transition roadmap.

In Handbook of Sustainability of Chemical Processes · Expected March 2027 · DOI to follow

Data center cooling in the Gulf states: a review of climate constraints, deployment, energy, and water

M. Usama, M.A.Z. Ghauri, A. Oswal

The first review to bring together climate, deployment, power, cooling, water and waste-heat data for data centers in the six Gulf states. It finds warm-water liquid cooling the most promising way to avoid both chillers and water use for most of the year.

With The University of Texas at Austin · ssrn.com/abstract=7650703

Where to treat the ground: optimal placement and coverage of reflective ground treatment in bifacial photovoltaic plants

M. Usama, M.A.Z. Ghauri, J. Bendetti, M.A. Mahesar, O.E. Tunca, Y. Yildirim

Models where to put reflective ground cover under two-sided solar panels and when it pays off. For a 1 MW plant near Dallas, treating the most responsive half of the ground captures 65% of the benefit for 50% of the cost.

With The University of Texas at Austin and Rice University · ssrn.com/abstract=7310839

District heating networks as sinks for waste heat from AI data centers across 26 cities, three cooling types and future climates

M. Usama, M.A.Z. Ghauri

Develops a case study investigating district heating networks for waste heat across 26 countries. Considers Asia, Europe, and North America, involving air-cooling, liquid cooling, and hybrid cooling.

How warm-water liquid cooling enables free cooling: a case study of data center cooling in Singapore

M. Usama, M.A.Z. Ghauri, A. Oswal

Case study on warm-water cooling and its role in promoting free cooling for Singapore modeled for a 4 MW IT load in a data center

Data center expansion as a new competitor for agricultural water, energy and land

M. Usama, M.A.Z. Ghauri, Z. Ali, M.C. Ndukwu

Reviews 61 studies and models how data center growth competes with farming for water and power. Data center water use could reach 1,460 billion liters by 2030, and US demand growth could add USD 150–730 million a year to irrigation pumping costs.

Unified Graetz-type solutions for thermal entry region heat transfer of liquid metals under slug flow with volumetric internal heat generation and PINN validation

M.A.Z. Ghauri, M. Safdar, K.F. Iqbal, M.A. Javed

Exact solutions for liquid-metal coolants heating up in tubes, channels and annular ducts with internal heat generation, as in fusion blankets and Generation-IV reactors. Physics-informed neural networks confirm the solutions and also recover unknown heat sources.

Physics-informed investigation of exact solutions for slip flow over flat plate subjected to constant heat flux using Lie symmetry analysis

M.A.Z. Ghauri, M. Safdar

Exact solutions in modified Bessel functions for a heated plate with flow through the wall, cross-checked with a Chebyshev spectral method and a neural network that needs no training data.

Lie symmetry and physics-informed machine learning analysis of magnetohydrodynamic boundary layer flow about inclined flat plate subjected to convective boundary conditions

M.A.Z. Ghauri, M. Safdar

Magnetically controlled flow over a tilted heated plate, solved four ways. Three methods (PINNs, Deep Galerkin and shooting) agree to within 0.1%, while the homotopy method drifts under strong buoyancy.

Lie symmetry and physics-informed machine learning analysis of flow and heat transfer characteristics of a second grade fluid over horizontal stretching sheet subjected to prescribed temperature conditions

M.A.Z. Ghauri, M. Usama, M.K. Shahid, M. Safdar, A. Aslam

Models an elastic polymer-like fluid over a stretching sheet, as in extrusion and fiber spinning. Four solvers plus exact hypergeometric solutions agree on the heat transfer rate to within 0.013%.

Lie symmetry analysis and physics-informed investigation of Casson fluid over elongated sheet subjected to thermal radiation

M.A.Z. Ghauri, M.T. Nasir, M.Zain ul Abideen

Derives the governing equations for a non-Newtonian fluid over a porous, radiating stretching sheet from symmetry analysis instead of assuming them. Spectral and neural-network solvers agree to within 0.01% in most cases.