Navmi is a PhD student at the Department of Physics and the Texas Center for Superconductivity.
Her research focuses on advancing green hydrogen production from seawater. Hydrogen
is an increasingly promising alternative fuel, but its current production methods
depend on using ultra-pure water. In a world facing growing freshwater scarcity, this
approach is unsustainable. Navmi’s research aims to address this challenge by using
seawater as a practical feedstock for hydrogen generation. 
Seawater electrolysis poses significant technical barriers, particularly its high corrosivity. To tackle this issue, Navmi has developed a stable, and high-performance catalyst that can operate reliably in harsh seawater conditions. Together with her fellow researchers, she synthesized this catalyst at room temperature in just 15 minutes, dramatically reducing production time and cost. The simplicity and scalability of this process make it highly suitable for industrial adaptation and ultimately contribute to lower-cost sustainable hydrogen.
Navmi’s work has received wide recognition across UH and the broader scientific community. She has been awarded the prestigious NSM Alumni Association Scholarship, the UH Chevron Energy Graduate Fellowship, and the Cora Hawley Scholarship from the Texas Center for Superconductivity. She earned the Best Poster Award at the Hydrogen Day Summit at the University of Texas at Austin and placed third in the University of Houston’s Three Minute Thesis competition. Most recently, she led her team to a Mentors’ Choice Award at the Coogs for Energy Hackathon organized by the Energy Transition Institute.
Beyond her research, Navmi is committed to strengthening the UH energy community. She serves as President of The Energy Coalition, an organization dedicated to enhancing student education, professional development, and engagement in the energy sector. She is also a Graduate Student Advisor for the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and the scribe for the UH Energy Advisory Board.
In her free time, Navmi enjoys reading, painting, and volunteering at outreach events hosted by the Texas Center for Superconductivity.