We're pleased to announce that one of our very own PhD candidates, Shadab Sarmast has been awarded the prestigious CWB Welding Foundation Graduate Scholarship for Women. This scholarship is awarded to women who have demonstrated interest and research in pursuing a career in materials joining and the applied technology services industry. She is supervised by Dr. Norman Zhou and Dr. Michael Benoit in the Centre for Advanced Materials Joining (CAMJ). We caught up with Shadab to learn more about her journey, research interests, and what this award means to her.
Shadab is a natural-born leader and has taken on leadership roles with CWB, spearheading a project in the weld-brazing of lightweight automotive structures in collaboration with the International Zinc Association (IZA) and Lincoln Electric. Plus, she has even been working with Ford Motor Company on research projects to investigate the weld quality of aluminum alloys, just to name a few of her accomplishments. Currently, her PhD research is focused on the fundamental knowledge of materials joining to address challenges in the welding and joining industries.
Going forward in her career, Shadab is enthusiastic about projects that aim to improve environmental sustainability and make a positive impact on people's lives. Especially in recent years, when there has been a growing focus globally on the environmental effects of transportation, and using welding and joining techniques with lightweight materials can aid in a solution for this.
After her Ph.D., she hopes to become a professor at a prestigious university and collaborate on projects with esteemed Canadian and U.S. companies in materials joining, specifically in the automotive industry.
Shadab is very appreciative of being awarded this scholarship, as it is a testament to all of her hard work. She goes on to say, "By receiving this scholarship, I am motivated to pursue my career goal of becoming a successful female researcher in welding technologies. Thereby inspiring other women to pursue their studies in this field."
Congratulations, Shadab, on this incredible achievement!