January 2025

We are looking for motivated students:

We are always looking for highly motivated students, including PhD, MSc, and undergraduate students, to join our group. If you are interested in process control, optimization, and innovation at the intersection of technology and engineering, please email kazi.khoda@sdsmt.edu

New Publication:

The PRODIGI Research Group was proud to attend and present two research works at the 2025 AIChE Spring Meeting and 21st Global Congress on Process Safety, held April 6–10 at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, Texas. This premier event brought together our collaborators from academia and industry to discuss advancements in chemical engineering and process safety.

The first-year Ph.D. student, Nahid Sarker, presented two research works of the PRODIGI Research Group at the 2025 AIChE Spring Meeting in Dallas, Texas.

1. Hybrid Mechanistic Multi-Stage Modeling for Proactive and Adaptive Gas Utilization under Uncertainty.

https://aiche.confex.com/aiche/s25/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/702036

2. Socially Responsible Process Safety: Game Theory-Informed Social Life Cycle Assessment for Equitable Decision-Making.

https://aiche.confex.com/aiche/s25/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/702040

October 2024

Dr. Kazi presented four works (one oral presentation and three poster presentations) in the 2024 AIChE Annual Meeting, San Diego, California.

• Optimizing Crashworthiness of Hexagonal Composite Rings Using Inverse Physics-Informed Neural Networks.

  https://aiche.confex.com/aiche/2024/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/689405

• Game Theory-Informed Blockchain Framework for Social Life Cycle Assessment: Enhancing Sustainability in Germanium Extraction from PV Scrap. https://aiche.confex.com/aiche/2024/meetingapp.cgi/Person/288298

• Predictive Resilience and Equitable Risk Assessment in Supply Chains Via Consensus-Driven Inverse Neural Network on Interoperable Blockchains. https://aiche.confex.com/aiche/2024/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/689395

• Quantum-Enhanced Next-Generation Blockchain Consensus Protocol for Energy Efficiency and Climate Sustainability. https://aiche.confex.com/aiche/2024/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/692711

PRODIGI Research Group attended the AIChE Annual Meeting:

Recent News

April 2025

PRODIGI Research Group attended the 2025 AIChE Spring Meeting in Dallas, Texas:

Our Collaborative review paper was published as a cover article in the ACS Journal of I&EC Research.

Title: Advancing PFAS Remediation through Physics-Based Modeling of 2D Materials: Recent Progress, Challenges and Opportunities.

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.iecr.4c03715

Journal Name: Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research (IF 3.8, CS: 7.4)

Authors: Kazi, Monzure-Khoda; Varghese, Sunith; Sarker, Nahid; Aich, Nirupam; Gadhamshetty, Venkataramana.

PRODIGI group PhD student, Nahid Sarker, presented at the 110th Annual Meeting of the South Dakota Academy of Science:

We are proud to announce that PRODIGI Research Group PhD student Nahid Sarker presented his research at the 110th Annual Meeting of the South Dakota Academy of Science, held in April 2025 at South Dakota School of Mines in Rapid City, South Dakota.

Nahid's presentation, titled "A Socio-Technical Framework for Process Safety Optimization: Integrating Inherently Safer Design Tool, Social Life Cycle Assessment and Game Theory," showcased his innovative work on socially responsible process safety to resolve stakeholder conflicts and provide a holistic process safety framework.

Dr. Kazi delivered a research seminar at the Department of Chemical Engineering, BUET:

July 2025

Dr. Kazi was invited by the Department of Chemical Engineering at BUET for a research seminar on July 1st. He engaged with bright, enthusiastic students who are eager to explore how AI/ML and blockchain can be integrated into chemical processes.

He expressed gratitude to Prof. Shoeb Ahmed, Head of the Department, for the kind invitation to deliver the seminar, and to Prof. Easir Arafat Khan for thoughtfully arranging it. He also sincerely thanked Prof. Syeda Sultana Razia, Member of BERC, for the opportunity to engage in a follow-up meeting and share valuable insights.

June 2025

PRODIGI research group's PhD student, Nahid Sarker, has been named Helen and Pat Goth Fellow for 2024–2025:

Congratulations to Nahid Sarker! He has been selected as the Helen and Pat Goth Fellow for the 2024–2025 academic year at South Dakota School of Mines, recognizing his outstanding academic performance. The fellowship will enable him to focus more deeply on his research and pursue larger, high-impact projects

October 2025

November 2025

PRODIGI group presented at the 2025 AIChE Annual Meeting, Boston, MA:

PhD Student, Nahid Sarker, presented two oral talks on our recent work:

• Physics-Informed Neural Networks with Sparse System Identification and Bayesian Optimization for Data-Efficient Inverse Design of Hexagonal Energy Absorbers.

  https://aiche.confex.com/aiche/2025/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/717361

• Physics-Informed Neural Networks for Accelerating PFAS Sorbent Discovery: A Hybrid Mechanistic–Data Driven Approach. https://aiche.confex.com/aiche/2025/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/717446

We also presented four posters on:

• Equitable, Sustainable, and Safer Process Design: Game Theory-Informed Social Life Cycle Assessment for Safety Governance. https://aiche.confex.com/aiche/2025/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/717676

• Hybrid Mechanistic Game-Theoretic Design for Resilient Hydrogen Supply Chains Under Uncertainty. https://aiche.confex.com/aiche/2025/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/718265

• Bollinger Band-Guided, Event-Driven Reinforcement Learning Control of Multivariable Process Systems Under Uncertainty. https://aiche.confex.com/aiche/2025/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/717480

• AI-Driven Risk-Aware Blockchain for Shared and Toll Manufacturing Under Uncertainty: A Tokenized Cooperative Framework for Decentralized Industrial Ecosystems.

  https://aiche.confex.com/aiche/2025/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/718340

Our team, 𝐀𝐆𝐑𝐈-𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐍, has completed the regional NSF I-Corps program:

AGRI-BRAIN - Autonomous Governance and Circular Reverse-Logistics Intelligence in Agri-Food Value Chains via Blockchain-Regulated AI Agents.

August 2024

Nahid Sarker, PhD Student, joined PRODIGI Research Group:

Nahid completed his Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). As a member of the PRODIGI Research Group, he will work on hybrid mechanistic data-driven modeling using Physics-Informed Neural Networks, with a focus on developing physically consistent and scalable predictive tools for complex process systems.

• 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐝
  Conducted 20 customer discovery interviews across shippers, distributors, co-ops, and retailers.
  Validated pain points in cold-chain freshness, late/manual decisions, and rejection costs.
  Advanced our MVP: a decision-and-governance platform for produce value chains.

• 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 (𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰)
  Physics-informed AI for spoilage prediction under real temperature profiles.
  RAG to ground recommendations in SOPs, policies, and claims data; MCP tool calls to query simulators/DBs and enforce unit/feasibility checks.
  Blockchain-anchored provenance and policy contracts for auditable actions and salvage workflows.

• 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭
  Earlier signals → reroute or downgrade with confidence.
  Lower rejection/spoilage, higher salvage recovery, better on-time freshness.

• 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭
  Line up pilot partners on regional lanes; expand interview base; finalize evaluation metrics (freshness hit rate, reduction in write-offs, decision latency).

  If you operate produce lanes or cold storage and are interested in exploring a pilot, please feel free to contact us.