The Pakistan Embassy in Qatar honoured Pakistani graduates Mohammad Yousaf Ashfaq and Adnan Khan for being awarded gold medals by the prestigious Qatar University recently for their academic excellence.
While Ashfaq has been awarded a gold medal on successful completion of his PhD in Biological and Environmental Sciences, Khan was conferred the gold medal for his Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. Both the graduates received their awards from the Amir of the State of Qatar His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, at a graduation ceremony held on May 29.
At a felicitation ceremony held at the Pakistan embassy on June 6, Pakistan Ambassador HE Syed Ahsan Raza Shah presented shields to both the graduates.
Dr Abdul Shakoor of Qatar University, under whose supervision Adnan Khan completed his research work, was also present on the occasion.
The ambassador appreciated the hard work of both the achievers and said: "Mohammad Yousaf Ashfaq and Adnan Khan with their achievements have emerged as models for all the students.”
The ambassador announced that the two gold medalists would be invited to Pakistan International School Qatar (PISQ) once the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, to interact with students and to motivate them by sharing their own success stories. The envoy thanked the State of Qatar for providing opportunity to Pakistani students to avail themselves of the prestigious and internationally-recognised institutions of the country.
"The world class education system of Qatar provides equal and unlimited excellent access to academic and research facilities to students including those coming from less privileged backgrounds,” noted the ambassador.
Speaking to Qatar Tribune, Dr Shakoor said Adnan Khan is a conscientious, well-behaved, dutiful, intelligent, and cooperative researcher possessing commendable communication skills.
"Adnan Khan completed his entire research work under my supervision at the Center for Advanced Materials (CAM), Qatar University (QU),” remarked Dr Shakoor.
Khan was fully financially supported during his Master’s degree course through the awarded grants of Dr Shakoor, notably the QUCG-CAM-2018/2019-3 and NPRP9-080-2-039. Khan has been working under the supervision of Dr Shakoor as a graduate student and a Research Assistant (RA) since May 2017.
"Khan has demonstrated his ability to work independently and did exceptionally well in the assigned group tasks. He makes consistent efforts towards the group goals and team motivation to develop various novel, smart coatings formulations. He is managing the group research resources very well. He has a strong aptitude to excel in research related to materials science and technology. He is extremely professional in his methods, behavior, attitude, and firmly abides by the ethical guidelines,” noted Dr Shakoor who holds a PhD degree in Materials Engineering and is the group leader of the Advanced Multifunctional Materials Laboratory at CAM.
Adnan Khan
He belongs to Swabi city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. He completed his bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from CECOS University, Peshawar, Pakistan in 2016. "I secured distinction during my undergraduate studies. After completing my bachelor’s, I got admission to the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, QU, in 2017. To carry out the necessary research work, I joined the AMFML research group at the CAM headed by renowned scientist Dr Shakoor. In recognition of my academic achievements during the Master’s degree program, I have been awarded the Best Thesis and Graduate Excellence Award. I am also very thankful to Dr Anwarul Hasan, an associate professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department, QU for his valuable guidance, suggestions and keeping me motivated. My accomplishments include 12 research articles in SCI-indexed reputed international journals, a book chapter, and many international/local conferences, so far. Currently, I am exploring the areas of smart self-healing polymeric coatings for corrosion protection and aluminum metal matrix composites (AMMCs). I am confident, the development of smart self-healing coatings demonstrating remarkably improved performance will serve as novel formulations to address the corrosion challenges in the oil and gas industry of Qatar which is the backbone of its economy. I am highly dedicated and inclined to conduct active research in the important areas of nanotechnology, corrosion science, advanced materials, and failure analysis. My future intention is to pursue PhD degree in the area of advanced materials for numerous applications and failure analysis. My goal in life is to make meaningful discoveries in the challenging area of materials science and sharing them with humanity for their practical usage. I am immensely grateful to the Almighty Allah for His great blessings, my loving and caring parents, mentors, and sincere friends, as my success is the result of their shared efforts,” remarked Khan.
Mohammad Yousaf Ashfaq
He was born and brought up in Qatar. After completing my initial education from Bright Future International School, he went to Pakistan to obtain Bachelor’s degree in Environmental sciences from COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Abbottabad in 2007. His father, Mohammad Ashfaq, has been the resident of Qatar for more than 40 years. "I was fortunate enough to complete my education with flying colors and able to secure bronze medal from my university. Upon returning back to Qatar in 2011, I started working at Hamad Medical Corporation from June 2012. I also enrolled for Master’s program in Environmental Engineering the same year and completed it in 2015. I completed PhD in Biological and Environmental Sciences QU with distinction in 2020,” said Ashfaq, who is very passionate about environmental science field and has demonstrated knowledge and skills in a variety of disciplines such as environmental chemistry, environmental microbiology, water conservation and reuse, drinking water production, water treatment technologies and environmental management among others. "I am looking forward to further developing my expertise in these fields and widen my scope with experience. With the advent of industrial revolution, we have made such rapid progress, never witnessed in the history of mankind before.
However, this has also resulted in various environmental issues which have negatively impacted the quality of life and well-being. My association in this field has helped me understand these issues better and enable me to contribute towards the betterment of mankind. During my research career, I have worked towards improving the quality and quantity of drinking water resources, protection of groundwater, treatment, and reuse of wastewaters. Through participation in a multi-disciplinary team, we have answered complex environmental problems constituting microbiological, chemical, and physical interactions in environmental systems. Through hard work and devotion, I strive to reach excellence in my career.
"I would like to play active role in resolving complex environmental problems such as water shortage, waste management, protection of environment and public health, among others. By doing so, I will hopefully generate more interest among Qatari youth in this field and inspire them to work towards cleaner and greener Qatar. I would like to pay my sincere gratitude to my PhD mentor Prof Mohammad Al Ghouti, who guided me through this difficult journey. I would like to thank all my professors and teachers as they have contributed towards my success. My sincere thanks to my work colleagues Fatma Al Mohannadi, Khloud Al Qadi and Dr Emad Ibrahim for their continued support. Last, but not the least, I would like to pay gratitude to my family members who have always encouraged me to aim big in my life,” noted Ashfaq.
While Ashfaq has been awarded a gold medal on successful completion of his PhD in Biological and Environmental Sciences, Khan was conferred the gold medal for his Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. Both the graduates received their awards from the Amir of the State of Qatar His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, at a graduation ceremony held on May 29.
At a felicitation ceremony held at the Pakistan embassy on June 6, Pakistan Ambassador HE Syed Ahsan Raza Shah presented shields to both the graduates.
Dr Abdul Shakoor of Qatar University, under whose supervision Adnan Khan completed his research work, was also present on the occasion.
The ambassador appreciated the hard work of both the achievers and said: "Mohammad Yousaf Ashfaq and Adnan Khan with their achievements have emerged as models for all the students.”
The ambassador announced that the two gold medalists would be invited to Pakistan International School Qatar (PISQ) once the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, to interact with students and to motivate them by sharing their own success stories. The envoy thanked the State of Qatar for providing opportunity to Pakistani students to avail themselves of the prestigious and internationally-recognised institutions of the country.
"The world class education system of Qatar provides equal and unlimited excellent access to academic and research facilities to students including those coming from less privileged backgrounds,” noted the ambassador.
Speaking to Qatar Tribune, Dr Shakoor said Adnan Khan is a conscientious, well-behaved, dutiful, intelligent, and cooperative researcher possessing commendable communication skills.
"Adnan Khan completed his entire research work under my supervision at the Center for Advanced Materials (CAM), Qatar University (QU),” remarked Dr Shakoor.
Khan was fully financially supported during his Master’s degree course through the awarded grants of Dr Shakoor, notably the QUCG-CAM-2018/2019-3 and NPRP9-080-2-039. Khan has been working under the supervision of Dr Shakoor as a graduate student and a Research Assistant (RA) since May 2017.
"Khan has demonstrated his ability to work independently and did exceptionally well in the assigned group tasks. He makes consistent efforts towards the group goals and team motivation to develop various novel, smart coatings formulations. He is managing the group research resources very well. He has a strong aptitude to excel in research related to materials science and technology. He is extremely professional in his methods, behavior, attitude, and firmly abides by the ethical guidelines,” noted Dr Shakoor who holds a PhD degree in Materials Engineering and is the group leader of the Advanced Multifunctional Materials Laboratory at CAM.
Adnan Khan
He belongs to Swabi city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. He completed his bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from CECOS University, Peshawar, Pakistan in 2016. "I secured distinction during my undergraduate studies. After completing my bachelor’s, I got admission to the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, QU, in 2017. To carry out the necessary research work, I joined the AMFML research group at the CAM headed by renowned scientist Dr Shakoor. In recognition of my academic achievements during the Master’s degree program, I have been awarded the Best Thesis and Graduate Excellence Award. I am also very thankful to Dr Anwarul Hasan, an associate professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department, QU for his valuable guidance, suggestions and keeping me motivated. My accomplishments include 12 research articles in SCI-indexed reputed international journals, a book chapter, and many international/local conferences, so far. Currently, I am exploring the areas of smart self-healing polymeric coatings for corrosion protection and aluminum metal matrix composites (AMMCs). I am confident, the development of smart self-healing coatings demonstrating remarkably improved performance will serve as novel formulations to address the corrosion challenges in the oil and gas industry of Qatar which is the backbone of its economy. I am highly dedicated and inclined to conduct active research in the important areas of nanotechnology, corrosion science, advanced materials, and failure analysis. My future intention is to pursue PhD degree in the area of advanced materials for numerous applications and failure analysis. My goal in life is to make meaningful discoveries in the challenging area of materials science and sharing them with humanity for their practical usage. I am immensely grateful to the Almighty Allah for His great blessings, my loving and caring parents, mentors, and sincere friends, as my success is the result of their shared efforts,” remarked Khan.
Mohammad Yousaf Ashfaq
He was born and brought up in Qatar. After completing my initial education from Bright Future International School, he went to Pakistan to obtain Bachelor’s degree in Environmental sciences from COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Abbottabad in 2007. His father, Mohammad Ashfaq, has been the resident of Qatar for more than 40 years. "I was fortunate enough to complete my education with flying colors and able to secure bronze medal from my university. Upon returning back to Qatar in 2011, I started working at Hamad Medical Corporation from June 2012. I also enrolled for Master’s program in Environmental Engineering the same year and completed it in 2015. I completed PhD in Biological and Environmental Sciences QU with distinction in 2020,” said Ashfaq, who is very passionate about environmental science field and has demonstrated knowledge and skills in a variety of disciplines such as environmental chemistry, environmental microbiology, water conservation and reuse, drinking water production, water treatment technologies and environmental management among others. "I am looking forward to further developing my expertise in these fields and widen my scope with experience. With the advent of industrial revolution, we have made such rapid progress, never witnessed in the history of mankind before.
However, this has also resulted in various environmental issues which have negatively impacted the quality of life and well-being. My association in this field has helped me understand these issues better and enable me to contribute towards the betterment of mankind. During my research career, I have worked towards improving the quality and quantity of drinking water resources, protection of groundwater, treatment, and reuse of wastewaters. Through participation in a multi-disciplinary team, we have answered complex environmental problems constituting microbiological, chemical, and physical interactions in environmental systems. Through hard work and devotion, I strive to reach excellence in my career.
"I would like to play active role in resolving complex environmental problems such as water shortage, waste management, protection of environment and public health, among others. By doing so, I will hopefully generate more interest among Qatari youth in this field and inspire them to work towards cleaner and greener Qatar. I would like to pay my sincere gratitude to my PhD mentor Prof Mohammad Al Ghouti, who guided me through this difficult journey. I would like to thank all my professors and teachers as they have contributed towards my success. My sincere thanks to my work colleagues Fatma Al Mohannadi, Khloud Al Qadi and Dr Emad Ibrahim for their continued support. Last, but not the least, I would like to pay gratitude to my family members who have always encouraged me to aim big in my life,” noted Ashfaq.