Young Scientist Award for Ilyas

The opportunity to synthesize expertise in electrical engineering research with bone regeneration studies leads to three awards in only a year and a half — and a faculty position in the works.
June 15th, 2016
Dr. Azhar Ilyas

Dr. Azhar Ilyas

Accepting the position as a postdoctoral research associate in the lab of Dr. Venu Varanasi, assistant professor in biomedical sciences at Texas A&M University College of Dentistry, has proven a fruitful venture for Dr. Azhar Ilyas.

In late May, Ilyas, who has worked at the dental school since 2015, won second place in the Young Scientist Lecture Competition during the 3rd U.S. International Conference on Surfaces, Coatings and Nanostructured Materials at the University of Texas at Arlington. It wasn’t the first time his work fabricating nanoscale films as coatings for implants has gleaned attention.

Ilyas also received the Texas A&M Health Science Center Postdoctoral Association merit-based travel award in late 2015 for his work in rapid bone fracture healing. Earlier that year, his findings landed him third place in the Research Scholars Competition at the dental school.

Come fall 2016, Ilyas, one of 15 postdoctoral researchers at the dental school for the 2015-2016 academic year, will transition to a new role, this time as a faculty member in the electrical and computer engineering department at the New York Institute of Technology.

— Jennifer Fuentes