Biography

Dr. Si Amar Dahoumane earned his MSc (2005-2007) and Ph.D. (2007-2011) from Paris-Diderot Univ. (France). Then, he did a post-doctoral fellowship at McMaster Univ. (Canada, 2011-2013). He Joined the School of Biological Sciences and Engineering of Yachay Tech Univ. in January 2016. During his M.Sc., Si Amar achieved the electroless functionalization of nanodiamonds with biomolecules via combined diazonium chemistry and atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), and the study of DNA hybridization on modified glassy carbon electrodes via electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). His PhD thesis was dedicated to the feasibility of gold colloid biosynthesis using living cultures of several species of microalgae by studying the impact of the cation concentration, species and culture media on the production yield, viability of the cells and features of the as-synthesized gold nanoparticles (shape, size, stability…). Moreover, he shed light on the biochemical mechanisms that govern such bioprocesses towards the design of photobioreactors. Besides, he studied the toxic effects of lab-made nanoparticles on the same photosynthetic organisms.

As a post-doctoral researcher at McMaster Univ. (Canada), Si Amar Dahoumane worked on the design of high-density living biohybrid micro-arrays and on the scalable production of portable, shelf-storable 96-well plate assays, each of which are made of bacteria immobilized within silica-derived networks obtained via the sol-gel process. He also demonstrated the ability of living microalgae to stoichiochemically control the composition of cell-made bimetallic alloy colloids.

Since he joined Yachay, Si Amar Dahoumane shares active research projects with Dr. Clayton Jeffryes (Chem. Eng., Lamar Univ., USA) related to the design of photobioreactors for the scalable and continuous production of valuable nanomaterials, algal tissue engineering and microwave-assisted synthesis of nanomaterials.

Research interests

• Green routes for the synthesis, functionalization and bio-applications of nanomaterials
• Scalable and continuous photobioreactors
• Algal tissue engineering
• Synthesis, functionalization, characterization and bio-applications of nanomaterials
• Genetic engineering of microorganisms towards the enhanced production of nanomaterials
• Toxicity of nanomaterials
• Sol-gel process
• Biosensors

Teaching

• Nanobiotechnology
• Biosensors
• Biophysics

Selected Publications

A. Bafana, S.V. Kumar, S. Temizel-Sekeryan, S.A. Dahoumane, L. Haselbach, C.S. Jeffryes “Evaluating microwave-synthesized silver nanoparticles from silver nitrate with life cycle assessment techniques,” Sci Total Environ (2018) 636; 936-943.

S.V. Kumar, A.P. Bafana, P. Pawar, A. Rahman, S.A. Dahoumane, C.S. Jeffryes. “High conversion synthesis of < 10 nm starch-stabilized silver nanoparticles using microwave technology,” Sci Rep-UK (2018) 8:5106.

S.A. Dahoumane, C. Jeffryes, M. Mechouet, S.N. Agathos. “Biosynthesis of Inorganic Nanoparticles: A Fresh Look at the Control of Shape, Size and Composition” Bioengineering 4(2017), 14 (Issue cover).

S.A. Dahoumane, M. Mechouet, K. Wesejekera, C.D.M. Filipe, C. Sicard, D.A. Bazylinski, C. Jeffryes. “Algae-mediated biosynthesis of inorganic nanomaterials as a promising route in nanobiotechnology – a review,” Green Chem 19(2017), 552-587.

A.A. Mohamed, Z. Salmi, S.A. Dahoumane, A. Mekki, B. Carbonnier, M.M. Chehimi. “Functionalization of nanomaterials with aryldiazonium salts,” Adv Colloid Interface Sci 225(2015) 16.

S.A. Dahoumane, M.N. Nguyen, A. Thorel, J-P. Boudou, M.M. Chehimi, C.Mangeney. “Protein-functionalized Hairy Diamond Nanoparticles”, Langmuir 25 (2009), 9633.

S.A. Dahoumane, C. Yéprémian, C. Djédiat, A. Couté, F. Fiévet, T. Coradin, R. Brayner. “A Global Approach of the mechanism involved in the biosynthesis of gold colloids using micro-algae”, J Nanopart Res 16(2014), 2607.

S.A. Dahoumane, K. Wijesekera, C.D.M. Filipe, J.D. Brennan. “Stoichiometrically Controlled Production of Bimetallic Ag-Au Alloy Colloids Using Microalga Cultures”, J Colloid Interface Sci 416 (2014), 67.

X. Ge, N. Eleftheriou, S.A. Dahoumane, J.D. Brennan. “Sol-Gel Derived Materials for Production of Pin-Printed Reporter Gene Living-Cell Microarrays”, Anal Chem 85 (2013), 12108.

R. Brayner, S.A. Dahoumane, C. Yeprémian, C. Djédiat, M. Meyer, A. Couté, F. Fiévet. “ZnO Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Characterization and Ecotoxicological Studies”, Langmuir 26 (2010), 6522.