PhD student wins Exceptional Research Promise award
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PhD student Mohamed Saad won UIC’s Graduate Student Award for Exceptional Research Promise.
The award is given to PhD students who are within a year of graduating and have demonstrated excellence in scholarship, academic publication, and other research-focused activities.
“The exceptional research award means a lot to me — it values not only my research but also the journey I’ve taken to get here since I started from scratch in my research major, and it was very challenging to get to this point,” Saad said. “This award motivates me even more to keep pursuing solutions for some of today’s challenging water quality issues.”
Saad is working under the direction of Assistant Professor Ahmed Abokifa in the Smart Water Infrastructure Modeling Research Laboratory at UIC, where he is focused on the removal of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), highly toxic and carcinogenic compounds, from water and wastewater.
“PFAS contamination is a global crisis. These chemicals have been found in more than 98% of human blood samples, and without action, the problem will only get worse. My research brings us one step closer to a world where clean water is a right, not a privilege,” Saad said.
His hard work and dedication led to his publishing three high-impact papers in less than one year.
“By leveraging computational simulations, Mohamed has successfully identified potential adsorbent materials with high PFAS removal efficiency, contributing valuable insights to the development of next-generation water and wastewater treatment technologies. His research has not only advanced fundamental scientific understanding but also holds great promise for real-world implementation in municipal and industrial treatment systems,” Abokifa added.
The young researcher appreciates working in Abokifa’s lab, where he has developed and honed his research skills.
“I’m especially grateful to Dr. Ahmed Abokifa for his continuous support. His mentorship has been key to my growth as a researcher. He is the nicest advisor I have ever met,” he said. “After graduation in December, I aim to find a postdoc position to continue building my academic career so I can land a good faculty position.”
Saad has won several awards for his research. Previously, he received the UIC Chancellor’s Student Service Award. Outside of UIC, he earned the Environmental and Water Resources Institute Scholarship for outstanding graduate students in the ASCE Illinois Section, InFLOW Scholarship from the Illinois Water Environment Association, and he is a two-time recipient of the Arab American Association for Engineers and Architects scholarship for outstanding academic performance.