Four distinguished professors of COMSATS University, Islamabad have been honored with prestigious civilian awards at a ceremony held in Pakistan for their outstanding contributions.
Asif Ali Zardari, President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, recognized the achievements of the recipients in their respective fields at the national and international levels.
Farrah Mahmood Rana, Associate Professor of Art and Design, was honored in the field of art at a ceremony held at the Presidential Palace in Islamabad. Farrah graduated from the National College of Arts, Lahore, specializing in Asian miniature painting. In addition to 4 solo exhibitions, Farrah participated in more than 160 national and international group exhibitions in the United States, Canada, England, Austria, France, Hong Kong, China, Azerbaijan, Tehran, Jeddah, India, Bangladesh, the United States, and Bahrain. and Greece. Awarded the prestigious Charles Wallace Visiting Fellowship Award (UK) for excellence in traditional miniature art. The Art House (Wakefield, England) awarded him Artist in Residence in 2009, Federal Chancellor of Austria in 2006, and CAMAC (France) in 2014. Head of the Art and Design Department, COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI), City.
The ceremony held at Lahore Governorate was presided over by Punjab Governor Muhammad Balighur Rehman and on behalf of the President of Pakistan, he presented civic awards to three COMSATS University professors.
Now, Professor Dr Jamshed Iqbal, Director, the Center for Advanced Drug Research, CUI Abbottabad Campus, has been awarded the Sitara-i-Imtiaz Award in Science. Dr Iqbal has over 400 international publications with a cumulative impact factor of 1500+. To date, it has completed more than 200 million research projects and received 3 international and 3 national patents. He pioneered the modern approach to developing drugs to treat cardiovascular disease and diabetes as a disease. Pakistan Academy of Sciences Gold Medalist in Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, HEC National Distinguished Research Award-2022, and Fellow of Pakistan Academy of Sciences.
Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Dr. Hammad Omar received the prestigious Tamgha-e-Imtiaz for his contribution in the field of Engineering. Dr Omer’s academic journey includes a PhD in 2012 from the Department of Bio-Engineering, Imperial College London. Since joining COMSATS University, Islamabad in March 2013, he has established the Medical Image Processing Research Group, focusing on effective research to address national and global challenges in MRI. His scientific work is internationally recognized and includes numerous publications and patents from the United States Patent Office. He is also the recipient of the Pakistan Engineering Council Excellence Award 2024 for his outstanding services in the field of Engineering.
At the same event, Dr Muhammad Ararar, Associate Professor of Advanced Biomedical Materials, CUI-Lahore Campus, received the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz for his outstanding work in the field of Biomedical Engineering. Dr. Rarar works as Cluster Head of Skin Tissue Engineering Group at IRCBM. He has published more than 108 articles and more than 4000 national and international patents. His innovative work on D-sugar scaffolds to enhance angiogenesis for faster wound healing has been featured in several international media. Dr. Rarar and his team have developed two advanced wound healing products that are clinically used to treat injured patients and immediately stop bleeding in Pakistan. Received/completed more than 100 million rupees of research grants from national and international funding agencies and sectors.
Prof. Dr. Sajid Qamar, Vice Chancellor, COMSATS University, Islamabad, recognized the hard work of this faculty member and said that this award reinforces COMSATS University’s commitment to academic excellence, research and innovation, further enhancing its position as a leading institution. Higher education in Pakistan. He said the recognition of his faculty on a national platform reflects the university’s efforts to promote intellectual development and community development.
