Waterloo Engineering alum Dr. Kiyoumars Zarshenas (PhD ’23) won the Science Exposed 2024 Jury Prize from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) for his electron microscope image showcasing the intricate layers of a structured membrane.
Zarshenas' achieved his award-winning image by freezing the membrane with liquid nitrogen, fracturing it and capturing the cross-section using electron microscopy. Inspired by natural forms, he processed the image to emphasize the membrane’s complex structure.
During his postdoctoral research at Waterloo, Zarshenas focused on developing membranes for environmental and energy applications. He previously won the Science Action competition sponsored by NSERC and the Fonds de Recherche du Quebec for a video describing his PhD research on membranes designed for water filtration and mineral recovery.
"Membranes are commonly used to filter out unwanted elements," Zarshenas explained. "In our bodies, our kidneys are like membranes that filter our blood and remove waste; by looking at that example, people can better understand membranes as filters and why they’re important."
The annual Science Exposed contest highlights compelling photographs from Canadian research to foster public interest in the sciences.
"During my time at Waterloo, I was encouraged to develop side skills that could be useful for future employment,” said Zarshenas. “So I developed my presentation skills and artistic side through competitions."
After completing his PhD, Zarshenas worked as a postdoctoral scholar in Dr. Michael Pope’s 2D Materials and Electrochemical Devices Lab in the Department of Chemical Engineering. He is now a scientist in the Laboratory of Advanced Separation at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), working on membrane scale-up for carbon capture and gas separation applications.
Go to Finding the intersection between science and art for the full story.