PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering
Current position: Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering at COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Pakistan
Research focus: water-energy nexus, waste mitigation, and sustainable development
Naim is working as Fulbright Research Scientist at Arizona State University, United States of America and as Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering at COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Pakistan.
Naim has been the recipient of numerous scholarships and awards throughout his academic career. He received scholarships from the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, the Ministry of Science and Technology, Republic of Korea, Myongji University, and Korea’s Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. He was also selected for a PhD fellowship, Erasmus Mundus (ETECOS3) at UNESCO-IHE, the Netherlands.
2017 Selected as Member of the Global Young Academy
CV as submitted for the Green Talents award (2015):
COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Pakistan
Research focus: producing bio-energy from waste materials and the treatment of waste water through microalgae
Assistant Professor Naim Rashid’s research focuses on Bio-energy production from waste materials and microalgae. He is also aiming to develop technology, such as microbial fuel cell, which can use microalgae for bio-fuels production, wastewater treatment, and electricity generation simultaneously.
After obtaining a PhD degree from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), he has joined the Comsats Institute of Information Technology in Pakistan. As an Assistant Professor, Naim has decided to focus his research on energy production from cheaper sources; since energy is an essential component for sustainable development and economic growth of a country. He also acknowledges the crucial nature of his work for his native country specifically, because, currently, Pakistan’s energy-deficit is about 8000 MW and this deficit has an annual increase of 5.67%. On the other hand, thousands of people die annually due to the use of poor quality water. The lack of waste treatment facilities is causing a serious threat to human health. According to Naim, the issues of the energy crisis and environmental degradation can be addressed by devising a dynamic plan for the efficient use of available resources. Hence, Naim's professional goal is to promote research in Pakistan for sustainable means of energy (bio-energy in particular) production and waste mitigation.
In his research into bio-energy, Naim has used microalgae for bio-hydrogen, biodiesel, bio-ethanol production. He used microalgae in fuel cell for bio-diesel production and electricity generation. The most unique feature of Naim’s research is that it uses spent microalgae instead of the most commonly used oil-enriched biomass. To promote bio-energy research in Pakistan, he used cheap and locally available feed stocks, such as poultry waste, kitchen waste and plant biomasses. He used these feedstocks for biogas production. His research encompasses a wide area including Engineering (Chemical, Biochemical, Industrial, Bioprocess, Environmental, Agriculture and Water Resource), Technology, Science (Chemistry, Biochemistry) Management, and Sustainable Development. Naim articulates the pressing nature of his research, which can contribute to sustainable energy production, water and wastewater treatment around the world.
The jury lauded Naim’s commitment to this important new technology. They are convinced that participation in the Green Talents Forum will provide him with an opportunity to meet renowned scientists, discuss research ideas and seek guidance, as well as collaborate with other researchers. Furthermore, the jury were impressed by Naim’s dedication to the scientific search for sustainable energy systems as a way of helping people around the world.
