Functional Biopolymers

Synthetic biopolymers.- Specialty application of functional biopolymers.- Blood compatible polymers.- Cell encapsulation.- Tissue engineering.- Ophthalmic polymers.- Stimuli responsive polymers.- Stimuli responsive membrane.- Hydrogel.- Design of biomedical polymers.- Polymer colloids.- Cell surface engineering.- Polymers from renewable resources.

Dr. Mohammad Abu Jafar Mazumder is an Associate Professor of Chemistry at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Saudi Arabia, who has a wide experience in design, synthesis, modification, and characterization of various organic compounds and ionic and thermo-responsive polymers using various spectroscopic and chromatographic techniques. Dr. Jafar Mazumder earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry) (2009) from McMaster University, Canada, followed by 2 years MITACS Postdoctoral Fellowship in Chemical and Biomedical Engineering at McMaster University, Canada. In 17 years of academic research, Dr. Jafar Mazumder has had the opportunity to work with several international collaborative research groups and has exposed himself to a broad range of research areas, including chemistry, engineering, and material sciences where he developed and engineered synthetic and natural organic and polymeric materials for various applications. Dr. Jafar Mazumder secured 5 US patents, edited 2 books, and published more than 50 peer-reviewed journal articles/invited book chapters. He had an opportunity to present his research in more than 25 international conferences. Dr. Jafar Mazumder has conducted and completed several internally and externally funded research projects from KFUPM, Saudi Aramco, KACST, and NSTIP. Currently, he is actively involved in a number of ongoing university and client-funded research projects in which he is responsible for the synthesis and characterization of various materials including modification of monomers and polymers for their potential use as corrosion inhibitors and for the removal of heavy metal ions and organic contaminants from aqueous samples. Heather Sheardown is a Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering with a cross-appointment to the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine and an adjunct appointment with the School of Optometry at the University of Waterloo. She holds a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Ophthalmic