Huma Sanawar successfully defends her Ph.D. thesis

29 October, 2019

2019-Huma-Hans_1000px

Huma Sanawar with her supervisor, Professor Johannes Vrouwenvelder, WDRC Director

On October 28th, Huma successfully defended her thesis entitled “Enhanced Chemical Cleaning of Reverse Osmosis Membranes to Mitigate Biofouling.” 

Huma started her Ph.D. research with Professor Johannes Vrouwenvelder in 2016, investigating curative biofouling control methods in reverse osmosis membranes, focusing mainly on alternative chemical cleaning methods. 

She is an alumna of Limerick Institute of Technology, Ireland, and holds a B.Sc. in Pharmaceutical and Forensic Analysis and M.Sc. in Analytical Chemistry. “I have always been very intrigued by forensic sciences. I was ecstatic when I managed to enroll myself in a Bachelor’s degree program to pursue a career as a forensic scientist. Little did I know that through the course of this degree program, I would eventually end up doing a Ph.D. in environmental sciences!” Huma said. 

2019-Huma_Sanawar_1000px

2019-Phd-defense_Huma_1000px

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“My Ph.D. journey has been an invaluable academic experience and a process of personal growth. The challenges have been many, but the support I received from Professor Vrouwenvelder and my colleagues has been incredible. I am sincerely grateful to them for providing me with a comfortable working environment with positive vibes all around! I also extend my gratitude to KAUST for the excellent research facilities.”, Huma said of her experience at the center.

“I wish all WDRC students the best of luck with their research. Hold your head high and take it one day at a time.”, Huma said as a final message to her fellow students. Moving forward, Huma is keeping her options open between joining the industry or academia.