Biographical note

Dr. Mohammad Abu Jafar Mazumder is an Associate Professor of Chemistry at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Saudi Arabia, who has a wide experience in design, synthesis, modification and characterization of various organic compounds, ionic and thermo-responsive polymers using various spectroscopic and chromatographic techniques. Dr. Jafar Mazumder earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry) (2009) from McMaster University, Canada followed by 2 years MITACS-postdoctoral fellowship in Chemical and Biomedical engineering at McMaster University, Canada. In 17 years of academic research, Dr. Jafar Mazumder has had the opportunity to work with several international collaborative research groups and has exposed himself to a broad range of research areas, including chemistry, engineering and material sciences where he developed and engineered synthetic and natural organic and polymeric materials for various applications. Moreover, he has over three years of working experience inpharmaceutical and polymer industry, worked on the development, optimization and characterization of various polymers/chemicals and exposed with a variety of analytical techniques/instruments. Dr. Jafar Mazumder secured 5 US patents, 2 books edited, 6 invited book chapters, published more than 50 journal articles in synthesis, characterization and applications based peer reviewed journal of Chemistry and material sciences, and had the opportunity to present his research more than 25 international conferences. Dr. Jafar Mazumder has conducted and completed several internally and externally funded research projects from KFUPM, Saudi Aramco, KACST and NSTIP. Currently, he is actively involved in a number of ongoing university, and client funded research projects in a capacity of principal and co- investigators where he is responsible for synthesis and characterization of various materials including modification of monomers and polymers for their potential use as corrosion inhibitors andfor the removal of heavy metal ions and organic contaminants from aqueous samples.

Heather Sheardown is a Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering with a cross appointment to the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine and an adjunct appointment with the School of Optometry at the University of Waterloo. She holds a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Ophthalmic Biomaterials and Drug Delivery and has published more than 140 peer reviewed papers on this subject. She is currently the ScientificDirector of C20/20, an ORF funded incubator aimed at the commercialization of ophthalmic biotechnologies. Sheardown was previously the Scientific Director of the 20/20 NSERC Ophthalmic Materials Research Network which brought together 12 researchers and more than 10 companies aimed at the early stage development of novel materials based treatments for ophthalmic conditions. Sheardown is the Associate Director of Biomedical Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing(BEAM), a McMaster partnership with the Fraunhofer IZI which partners with companies for incubation and commercialization of cell based therapies, diagnostics and biomaterials. She holds 18 patents or provisional patents and is currently the Chief Scientific Officer of 20/20 OptimEyes, a McMaster based spin out focused on developing and commercializing a micelle based technology developed in her laboratory. She runs a large and vibrant research group with more than 10 postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students.

Dr. Amir-Al-Ahmed is working as a Research Scientist-II (Associate Professor) in the Center of Research Excellence in Renewable Energy (CoRERE), at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Saudi Arabia. He graduated in chemistry from the Department of Chemistry, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), India. Then completed his M.Phil. (2001) and Ph.D. (2003) degree in Applied Chemistry from the Department of Applied Chemistry, AMU, India, followedby three consecutive postdoctoral fellowships in South Africa and Saudi Arabia. During this period he worked on various multidisciplinary projects in particular, electrochemical sensors, nano-materials, proton exchange membranes, DMFC, electro-catalysis and solar cells. At present, his research activity is fundamentally focused on 3rd generation solar cell devices such as low band gap semiconductor quantum dot structures, perovskite cells and silicon nanowire base tandem cells. At the same time, he is also having projects on PCM based latent heat energy storage, evaluation of electricity storage devices and dust repellent coating for Harsh Saudi Arabian weather condition. He has worked on different KACST, NSTIP and Saudi Aramco funded projects in the capacity of a co-investigator and principle investigator. Dr. Amir has two US patents, over 60 journal articles, invited book chapters and conferences publications. He has edited nine books with Trans Tech Publication, and Elsevier and several other books are in progress. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of an international journal “NanoHybrids and Composites” along with Professor Y. H. Kim.