Post-Doctoral Fellow Ahmad Qamar's Next Challenge
Dr. Ahmad Qamar will be joining the University of Central Arkansas as a Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Analytical Chemistry in August 2020. He hopes to continue his work developing microfluidic and wearable devices using low cost tools.
"My experience at the Center for Bioelectrics has been that it is a great platform for doing Ph.D. and Post-Doctoral research as I have been able to work with a top-notch team of researchers with state-of-the-art facilities." Dr. Qamar said. He is currently a post-doctoral fellow in the Bioelectronics Laboratory under the supervision of Dr. Gymama Slaughter, Executive Director of the Center for Bioelectrics. "At the Center for Bioelectrics, we connect with our students and post-doctoral trainees beyond academics and advising to develop the next generation of scientists and engineers, mentor our trainees, and teach them what it means to be an academic," Dr. Slaughter said.
Dr. Qamar has been working in this field since 2015. His research area focuses mainly on wax and inkjet printing of functional materials on various flexible materials for the development of microfluidic and wearable sensors as well as ink formulation for inkjet printers. He says that the most exciting part of his research is making the wearable sensors with simple techniques that are available in the lab, but his biggest challenge is to develop new functional and printable ink formulation for inkjet printing.
He has designed and printed an electrochemical sensor using silver nanoparticle ink on bacterial nanocellulose using a desktop inkjet printer called Fuji Dimatix. The sensor can be easily attached to the skin for continuous monitoring of human sweat metabolites, such as lactate and glucose. Bacterial nanocellulose can stick to the skin and wick sweat, a fluid excreted by sweat glands in the body. This type of sensor can be used for preclinical diagnostics and continuous monitoring of patient's health.
While fabricating low cost diagnostic devices, he hopes to discover alternative ways to develop cheap flexible sensor prototypes and make them available all around the world, especially in extremely resource deprived areas. "Wonders happen in science because of good teamwork and collaboration. We always learn from each other and contribute together." Dr. Qamar said. He plans to continue to make significant contribution to the development of non-invasive diagnostic tools since the human body is complex and afflicted by many diseases. A flexible wearable sensor for at home pre-clinical health diagnostics can reduce visits to the hospital.
In his new role, he will teach chemistry, establish an independent research career, and mentor students. Before joining the Center as a Post Doc, Dr. Qamar obtained his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. He joined the Center to expand his knowledge in the field of biosensors and bioelectronics and collaboration circle.