Amirreza is a second-year Ph.D. student at the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering. His research focuses on the motion of small particles in a polymeric medium under the effect of a temperature gradient, which has possible applications in targeted drug delivery and enhanced-oil-recovery (EOR). Acting as VP communication over the last year helped him use his knowledge to engage effectively with the academic side of the Alberta nanotechnology community while excelling in his professional development skills and improving teamwork and communications expertise by running the NanoNexus 2022, hosting nanotalks, hosting a panel discussion, and advertising group’s events. He is currently collaborating with the UofC nanogroup to increase public awareness of this branch of science.

Pantea is a second-year Ph.D. student at the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering. Her Ph.D. thesis is about developing a novel solid polymer electrolyte with proper ionic conductivity and mechanical/electrical properties for Li-ion battery application. She has collaborated in various volunteer works during her undergraduate and M.Sc. at the Amirkabir University of Technology. She was the VP of finance of the Scientific Association and the editor of the Polymer Department student journal. As an active volunteer of the Iranian Graduate Student Association (IGSA), she collaborated in holding several events at the University of Calgary. In addition, she was a volunteer in some other events including the convocation ceremonies held by the Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS) of the University of Calgary. She is hoping to continue a decent and prosperous performance in the nanogroup group by holding useful, interesting, and new events.

Masoud’s foray into research began as a graduate student, pursuing an MSc degree in Mechanical Engineering, working on modeling blood flow and studying the drug pharmacokinetics in the application of Drug-Elutiong Stents. After completing his MSc, he was frequently hired by Iran's National Elites Foundation to collaborate with research groups in various topics. These collaborations exposed him first-hand to various engineering problems ranging from heat and mass transfer in porous media to multi-phase flow, iron ore reduction, and rheological studies of nano-lubricants, thus inspiring him to pursue a PhD in Chemical Engineering at the University of Calgary. Here, he is working on Programmable Drug-Eluting Stents with more elaborations on chemical reactions participating in degradation of polymer as drug carrier and resorbability of stent struts as a scaffold. More specifically, he is developing toolkits to anticipate the formation of Neointimal Hyperplasia in the site of stent implantation, while focusing on biodegradation kinetics of polymer as a promising approach for encouraging re-endothelialization and attenuate chronic inflammation. Away from research, you can find him playing badminton, practicing in volunteering activities, hanging out in parks with family and friends.

Ali is a second-year Ph.D. student in the Chemical and Petroleum Engineering Department, and his research focuses on soil remediation. He obtained his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Materials Engineering from the Sharif University of Technology. During his undergraduate studies, he was a member of the Science Council of Materials Science and Engineering Department for a year, working with other members to hold workshops and arrange lectures on different subjects related to Materials Science and Engineering.

Milad Rezaei is a graduate student in the chemical and petroleum engineering department. His research at the University of Calgary focuses on micro-scale ions transportation at ion-selective interfaces. More specifically, his research focuses on electrokinetic phenomena and their application in water desalination and purification technology using microfluidics. He also worked on the theory of open microfluidics and capillary flow in microchannels. Milad has an MSc degree in geotechnical engineering mainly focused on geo-environmental engineering. He has extensive experience in the field of soil pollution and remediation as well as electrokinetic soil remediation. He is drawn to tackling difficult technical challenges and most fulfilled when collaborating with a skilled team to deliver innovative solutions to said challenges. Besides his diverse research background which ended up in several publications in different fields, Milad has a great passion/experience in volunteer positions including, GSA newcomer subcommittee member, CPEGA event coordinator, CPEGA conference moderator, and recently joined nano group as VP academic to coordinate and organize interesting nanotalks.

Mehdi received his M.Sc. degree in the field of Mechanical Engineering at the Mazandaran University of Science and Technology in 2015. Currently, he is working as a Ph.D. student on hydrogen production from biomass with the use of photocatalyic at the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering. This position is related to the volunteering activities that he has done in the past, and he is hoping to engage with the nano community effectively.

Saeid is a second-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Civil Engineering, with a specialization of materials engineering. His research interest is nano-modification of the cementitious binder. He was the vice president of Student Relations at the civil engineering graduate society (CEGS) and the representative of the civil engineering department in the graduate representative council for the past year.  He is enthusiastic about being an executive member of U of C nanoGroup to improve his leadership and teamwork skills in a dynamic environment and cooperate with professionals in the nanotechnology field.

Maria is a graduate student in the Chemistry Department at the University of Calgary. Her research focuses on the development of sustainable nanomaterials for environmental purposes, more specifically, synthesizing MOFs for CO2 conversion. Not only does Maria volunteer with NanoGroup as a Member at Large, but her other current volunteer activities include Crohn’s and Colitis Canada as well as CGSA Mentorship at the UofC. Maria is excited to work with her colleagues in the group to organize new and promote scientific and networking events, facilitating good relationships between students and the industry.