Dr. Muhammad Sultan Irshad
I came to UOW as an undergraduate student to join the physics department then called the class UW-11-PHY-BS-062 in 2011. So, what changed? Nothing apparently. I embraced the change. I started seeing myself and the potential my future may hold. All because of being at UOW. And just as people need a push in their lives from a mentor, a leader at the cusp of my graduation I was prodded by my undergraduate adviser to accept an invitation to join COMSATS University, under the able supervision of Dr. Muhammad Idrees in 2016. Since then, I have not looked back. I wanted to study further, but via scholarship, I had been on a merit-based scholarship at COMSATS Lahore- thus the motivation, and I wanted to travel. I studied for a master’s in physics in the experimental field at the Nano-materials lab. I worked on a unique thin-film technology for data storage devices, and My research was published in well-reputed international journals e.g., Scientific Reports, Nature, RSC Advances, and American Chemical Society.
This led me to join the well renowned Key Laboratory for the Green Preparation and Application of Functional Materials, and eventually to my Ph.D. admission on Chinese government scholarship into Hubei University in Wuhan, China in 2019. Another moment in my life where I needed a push from a supervisor “Prof. Xianbao Wang” As inequitable as it may sound, life can be condensed into a few key moments. What you do, and what you decide during these moments shape your future, and believe it or not, helps you put your past into perspective. Oh yes! Even before I started my doctorate I wanted to contribute to tech-oriented solutions to pressing challenges of our society e.g., water scarcity. It was one of the things that were just cemented in my head - I had to do it see a shade of stubbornness? Since finishing with my Ph.D. along with an excellent thesis, and most excellent international student awards. I have had the opportunity to build solar-driven water purification and simultaneous electricity generation devices.
Currently, I am a post-doctoral researcher at Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, and his research interest focus on nano-enabled photothermal materials for multi-functional systems e.g., water-energy nexus, disinfection, and treatment of wastewater, cogeneration of water-thermoelectricity, and all-in-one integrated piezo-photothermal for tactile sensing and power generation. He published more than 30 papers during the 05 years of his research career. But life is not a destination, it's a journey. You win some, you lose some. And what better way is there to learn than to fail and fail fast? It may be a cliché but it is true - what does not kill you, makes you stronger. I have now moved on from these experiences - embracing change, and persevering. Happiness most definitely is a state of mind, but it goes arm in arm with your individuality. And happiness is not measured, it's lived. Where Irsquo;m today is a very happy spot. This time I was not prodded, I was found by someone who is no longer. And yes someday, yet again for another time, I will embrace another change and I will persevere. Because change is the only constant in life.