Third-year PhD student, Nazmul Hossain, has received several of Canada’s most prestigious federal and provincial scholarships, including the Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS), the Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology (QEII-GSST), and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Doctoral Scholarship (NSERC CGRS-D). NSERC CGRS-D is widely regarded as one of the most competitive and prestigious doctoral scholarships for engineering students in Canada.
The Ontario Government Scholarship and the Queen Elizabeth II Scholarship in Science and Technology (QEII-GSST) are awarded to students with exceptional academic merit.
The NSERC Canada Graduate Research Scholarship recognizes graduate students who are innovating, creative thinkers, researchers, and impeccable knowledge workers in the fields of health, natural sciences, and engineering. This allows researchers like Nazmul to contribute to the Canadian ecosystem and beyond.
Nazmul’s research focuses on advancing next-generation energy harvesting technologies by improving their performance and real-world usability. The goal is to make these systems more practical, scalable, and user-friendly for future applications. Nazmul is conducting this research under the supervision of Dr. Norman Zhou and Dr. Aiping Yu through collaborative interdisciplinary projects in both the Centre of Advanced Materials Joining (CAMJ) and the Applied Carbon Nanotechnology Laboratory.
The research Nazmul is conducting is incredibly important and timely, as the world is rapidly transitioning from conventional oil and gas to cleaner, more sustainable energy solutions. As global energy demand continues to rise, there is an urgent need to develop innovative energy-harvesting technologies that operate efficiently across diverse environmental conditions. Canada aims to become a global leader in the energy sector, making this research highly promising and impactful for the country’s future economy and sustainability goals.
He is also naturally curious and developed an energy-harvesting device using bio-materials (like nut waste), which garnered national media attention on CTV News.
“This recognition is a great honour and motivation for me,” said Nazmul. “Receiving these prestigious scholarships strengthens my confidence to pursue impactful research that can contribute to the future of sustainable energy technologies in Canada and beyond. I am deeply grateful to my supervisors, colleagues, and the University of Waterloo for their continuous support throughout my PhD journey.”
Nazmul added, “I believe innovative energy harvesting technologies can play a transformative role in addressing global energy and sustainability challenges. My goal is to help bridge the gap between advanced laboratory research and practical real-world applications that can benefit society.”
It's always great to see innovative research from our graduate students being recognized and celebrated. Congratulations, Nazmul, on your incredible scholarship wins!