Maria Waqar completed her Master’s in Materials Science and Engineering from Pakistan in 2023. Where she devotedly conducted research on “Magnetic drug targeting with magnetic nanoparticles in cancer treatment by enhancer-modifier natural herb & loaded drug”. This work aimed to develop bio-compatible Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) with Moringa (herb) and Epilim (drug) for effective cancer treatment. This valuable study assisted in learning various characterization techniques such as FESEM, XRD, VSM, FTIR, UV-Vis, BET, Anti-Bacterial studies, and Cell Proliferation.

In August 2020, she completed a bachelor’s in physics from Pakistan. The title of the BS thesis was “Design and Construction of Helmholtz Coils for biomedical applications”. She also worked as an intern at Ibn-e-Sina Institute of Technology, Islamabad, where she learned the use of functional materials in practical applications. Currently, she is continuing her career as a Ph.D. student at the Centre for Functional and Surface Functionalized Glass (FunGlass) in Trencin, Slovakia.

Dissertation topic: Upcycling of industrial waste glass into valuable components for water treatment applications

Supervisor: Dr. Akansha Mehta

Co-supervisor:  Prof. Enrico Bernado ( University of Padova,Italy) and Dr. Jozef Kraxner (FunGlass)

Department: Department of Glass Processing

Beginning of study: 13-November-2023

Date of dissertation exam: August 2027