PhD student from UPWr wins Interstudent award

The Interstudent competition, organized by the Perspektywy Education Foundation, honors the best international students studying at Polish universities. – We are looking for good students, interesting and ambitious people, but above all, those who are active and engaged in the academic community of their university – say the organizers of the event.

Waheed Rasaq began his academic career at the Aleksandras Stulginskis University in Lithuania, where he completed his bachelor's degree in hydraulic engineering in 2017. He then continued his education at the Poznań University of Life Sciences, earning a master's degree in environmental engineering and protection.

Currently, the PhD student is a member of the UPWr Doctoral School, pursuing his doctorate under the supervision of Professor Andrzej Białowiec. His research focuses on waste management, the thermal, high-pressure conversion of organic waste, and the valorization of the produced materials.

In addition to his doctorate, Waheed has also been involved in a research project under the Preludium 18 program, funded by the National Science Centre (NCN), which has expanded his knowledge in waste management, biogas production, and wastewater treatment.

Waheed also received his own NCN Preludium 22 grant for a project on transforming sewage sludge into valuable products. The project combines various fields, such as environmental engineering and biotechnology, to develop an efficient way of recycling and recovering substances from sludge. The main goal is to find optimal conditions for hydrothermal and biological processes to maximize the production of useful substances from waste. The results aim to assist in creating zero-waste systems following the principles of a circular economy. The Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences also awarded Waheed a grant for research on transforming food waste into hydrochar and lipids, providing him with funding from the Innovative Doctorate program.

The PhD student can also boast an impressive publication record – since 2020, he has published 13 articles in prestigious scientific journals with high impact factors, such as Frontiers in Energy Research, Journal of Food Process Engineering, and Global Nest Journal.

– Waheed is engaged in scientific work and collaboration with foreign research centers and scientists from various research units – says his supervisor, noting that Waheed has participated in a conference in Venice, a three-month scientific internship at BOKU in Vienna, and collaborates with Dr. Chinenye Adaobi Igwegbe, a scientist in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Nigeria, who is currently undertaking a scientific internship at UPWr, at the Department of Applied Bioeconomy. He is a member of the Waste and Biomass Valorization Group Leading Research Group.

Prof. Białowiec also emphasizes that the student is involved in the social life of the university. He has represented UPWr in competitions such as Survival Race, Corporate Run, and Wild Run. He is also a member of the rowing team and the running team. He was also a representative in the previous term of the Doctoral Students' Council.

• 

  Dr. Habiba Khalid: - In life, as in science, my goal is to improve the lives of others

  Dr. Habiba Khalid, an adiunkt assistant professor from Pakistan, is working alongside Prof. Andrzej Białowiec on research aimed at enhancing biomethane production from biowaste, a key area in renewable energy that holds significant promise for sustainable environmental management.

• 

  MINIATURA 7 for three scientists from UPWr

  Dr. Katarzyna Patejuk, Dr. Joanna Tunikowska, and Dr. Błażej Nowak have received nearly 140,000 PLN from the National Science Centre as part of the MINIATURA 7 competition. This grant will enable their research on new fungal species, an innovative method for treating tumors, and the genetic basis of stillbirths in sows.