Mahbub ul Haq Research Centre at LUMS

Expertise: Dr. Basit Yameen is a renowned expert in polymers with more than 20 years of experience related to polymers. Exploring the exciting opportunities offered by the wonderful world of materials chemistry, his research activities encompass a range of fundamental and applied endeavors centered around developing functional polymers, hybrid smart materials, and interfaces. He is generally interested in creating new organic macromolecules and their covalent and physical hybrids with other molecular or nanoscale species, followed by studying the chemical and physical properties of the developed materials and assessing them for their suitability in a variety of applications. In addition, he also develops and applies a variety of surface chemistry tools to achieve his target materials. His research team is currently working on the development of polymers and nanomaterials based smart materials for biomedical applications (nanomedicine and structural biology; for instance hooking the drug molecules to the drug delivery platform or immobilizing recognition elements to the contrast or therapeutic agents), bio and chemical sensing (biomarkers and environmental contaminants, for instance his team has developed a new molecular system  for recognizing carbohydrates based biomarkers), light harvesting technologies (photovoltaics, photocatalysis, microbial biophotovoltaics; he enjoys developing materials where one can control their electronic communications for efficient photocurrent generation and for catalyzing redox processes), transformation and separation technologies (see his work on surface chemistry in confined environments of porous materials), environmental remediation, and antiviral and antibacterial surfaces. He also works in close collaboration with industry, government, and not-for-profit organizations for contributing to the realization of a sustainable future. He has developed upcycling technologies to counter plastic pollution that are being deployed at the commercial scale. He has also developed ecofriendly Biobricks from biomass ash residues, which are being produced and deployed at mass scale.  Dr. Yameen has won several national and international research grants. He has authored more than 75 research articles, review articles, and book chapters published at the peer reviewed venues of high international standing. Dr. Yameen has won several national and international research grants including Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) Young Investigator Award. 

Background: Supporting his father, Dr. Yameen sold shoes in a small shop at the corner of the street where he and his family used to live, he still had not completed his 10^th grade at that time. In the years following, he also worked in a plastic recycling factory as a laborer, beside continuing his academic journey. He received his M.Sc. degree (2000) in Chemistry (with distinction) from Government College University, Lahore. He received his M.Phil. degree (2003) in Organic Chemistry from Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad, and Ph.D. degree (2008) in Chemistry from University of Mainz, Germany as DAAD/HEC PhD fellow. Dr. Yameen carried out his Ph.D. research work under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Knoll at Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Mainz, Germany, which is among the premium research institutes in the world for research in polymer science. Before joining LUMS in 2010, Dr. Yameen served as an assistant professor in the Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering at GIK Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology. He is a recipient of Alexander von Humboldt (AvH) Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (2012-2013). His AvH postdoctoral research stay in Germany was hosted by Prof. Christopher Barner-Kowollik at the Institute for Chemical Technology and Polymer Chemistry (ICTP), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany. Prof. Barner-Kowollik is one of the leading scientists in the field of macromolecular design and engineering with a particular focus on the (photo)click ligations, radical polymerization techniques, and surface chemistry. Prof. Barner-Kowollik is currently affiliated with Queensland University of Technology (QUT) as Research Vice Chancellor. Dr. Yameen has worked (2013-2016) at the Harvard Medical School (Boston, Massachusetts), initially as a postdoctoral research fellow and then as a junior faculty (Instructor) in the research group of Prof. Omid Farokhzad. During his stay at the Harvard Medical School, he was also affiliated with the research group of Prof. Robert Langer at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Recognitions: Dr. Yameen has been award Dr. Atta ur Rahman Gold Medal (2012) in Chemistry by Pakistan Academy of Sciences. He has also been recognized by the Polymer Chemistry journal of Royal Society of Chemistry as an Emerging Investigator (2014-2015) whose work has been recommended by the editorial board as having the potential to influence future directions in polymer science.

Contributions

The RISE Program: Having experienced the bottom of the pyramid firsthand, Dr. Yameen has a natural tendency of supporting under-represented groups especially students and researchers from low socioeconomic background. He developed a Research Internships in Science and Engineering (RISE) program, primarily focused on inspiring students in 8-12^th grade for low socioeconomic background for STEM education by giving them an opportunity to participate in research in diverse areas of sciences and engineering at LUMS. With the support from the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, he has recently launched a revised edition of the RISE Program. The re-launch is an evolution of the original RISE program with renewed objectives. This revised edition of RISE Initiative has two purposes: 1) Creating research and training opportunities for 8^th to 12^th grade students, which is non-existent in Pakistan. 2) Help in creating enthusiasm towards STEM education.

Inductively Coupled Plasma – Optical Emission Spectroscopy Lab: Dr. Yameen developed the Inductively Coupled Plasma – Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) laboratory for qualitative and quantitative determination of metal contents in a variety of samples (e.g., water, food, soil etc.). The ICP-OES facility was co-sponsored by HEC, Bulleh Shah Packaging Pvt. Ltd. and LUMS. This facility is a  part of the central lab facilities and is available to internal and external users. https://centrallab.lums.edu.pk/inductively-coupled-plasma-optical-emission-spectroscopy-icp-oes

Department Chair: From January 2017 – December 2019, he served the department of chemistry and chemical engineering as Department Chair. Beside his regular service responsibilities as department chair, with the support from several colleagues, he led the major expansion of the department from Department of Chemistry to the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. This expansion helped launch of the only science based Chemical Engineering Program in the country. The key aspects of the launch of this new program where he led and contributed include working with the school and university level stakeholders for the development and approval of the BS Chemical Engineering Curriculum, preparation of the financial requirements for the launch of this new programme as a project, led the fund raising efforts, managed the funds allocation, led the design and construction of the physical space of the department (from 1325 m² to 2700 m²), hiring of new faculty members, hiring of new staff members for assistance in teaching laboratory courses, led the design and fabrication of new teaching laboratories, selection, purchase and installation of the equipment that were required for teaching Chemical Engineering laboratory courses, and secured approval for the launch of new BS chemical engineering program from the national engineering programs accreditation body, Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC), which is an external stakeholder. This led to the evolution of the Department of Chemistry into the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, which is such an impactful transition, bringing scientists and engineers under one roof and breaking the disciplinary borders for the impactful collaborations between science and engineering disciplines. Creating spaces for such collaborations is essential for addressing the complex emerging challenges that human race is facing and benefiting from the new opportunities that lie at the interface of disciplines. Perfectly aligned with the institutional vision of breaking disciplinary silos and borders. The department now runs a fully operational chemical engineering program and new faculty colleagues who joined us are contributing to the progress of LUMS at different levels. Just like our BS Chemistry graduates, the BS Chemical Engineering graduates are also securing fully funded PhD positions in the university in the USA. The striking fact here is that our Chemical Engineering graduates are also highly sought after by the local industry, we already have placements the top industries in Pakistan including Shell, Unilever, P&G, Coca Cola, and Engro. Considering the nature of local industry, this was precisely what the program planning team envisioned. Quality Chemical Engineers are highly demanded by Industry in Pakistan and our Chemical Engineering Program is rightly designed to fulfilling this demand and have already earned a great reputation. The new faculty colleagues that we were able to attract for the Chemical Engineering Program are now contributing immensely in the growth of the Department, School, and University at large. 

Formalized Academia Industry Meet up: Dr. Yameen initiated a formal Academia Industry Meet up, which became a yearly event, until COVID hit, where the department invited experts from the leading industry in Pakistan. These meet ups helped in exposing our students to the career opportunities available in industry, learning about the skills that an industry seeks in its potential employees that helped in evolving teaching and research practices in a way that can better train our graduates for industrial roles, understanding and eventually initiating short- and long-term research projects of industrial relevance, and while doing all this establishing an effective Academia-Industry relationship. These events have helped department in building networks, securing student internships, and initiating research projects of industrial relevance.

10 Years strategic review and planning of SBASSE: Along with other members of an ad-hoc committee constituted by the Dean SBASSE, Dr. Yameen convened a detailed first ever 10 years strategic review and planning of SBASSE. This activity included collection of feedback from the Members of the Management Committee of LUMS, SBASSE faculty, SBASSE staff, SBASSE students and alumni. The extensive reported that resulted from this activity included a strategically oriented SWAT analysis. The report was shared with all the stakeholders and served as a foundational work for making strategic decisions at the School and University levels.   

Service to the Professional Community: Dr. Yameen is a reviewer of articles for leading journals of. He regularly reviews funding applications for both national and international funding bodies. He was one of the three co-organizers of an international (18-19 March, 2019. Venue: Glasgow UK) conference/meeting on “Bioinspired Nanomaterials” (https://bio-nanomaterials-glasgow-2019.org.uk/). The organizing team included Dr. Lau from University of Strathclyde and Dr. Carsten Mim from KTH Sweden. This event was supported by RSC Chemical Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Interest Group. https://www.rsc.org/events/detail/37875/bioinspired-nanomaterials-rsc-chemical-nanoscience-and-nanotechnology-interest-group-ecr-meeting. This event highlighted and encouraged research in the area of bioinspired nanomaterials, brought together researchers in biological structure characterization as well as bioinspired soft matter and bionanotechnology, and involved industry interested in advanced materials. Dr. Yameen was a member of the organizing committee for the 2^nd International Conference on Nanosceionce and Nanotechnology (ICONN) https://iconn2019.lums.edu.pk/index.php/organizing-committee/, had the responsibility of “Sponsorships and Fundraising”. The conference was held at LUMS on November 1-2, 2019 with a healthy participation of international students and faculty. https://iconn2019.lums.edu.pk/index.php/keynote-invited-speakers/. 

Invited Lectures: Beside leading and participating in conference organization, Dr. Yameen has delivered lectures at several reputed forums. 

Expert on Polymers: Dr. Yameen is also a member the technical expert committee that is helping stakeholders (Government, and Industry) in streamlining policies and regulation for plastic production and mitigating the plastic related pollution challenges. He is regularly invited to take part in the round tables and stakeholder discussions on technologies and policies that are needed to achieve a sustainable future. 

Founding Co-Lead for Forum of Alumni of German Institutions: As a Founding Regional Co-Lead for the Forum of Alumni of German Institutions, Dr. Yameen is helping German Embassy and Alumni in developing a network of alumni who are connected and organized. Germany has contributed immensely to the socioeconomic wellbeing of Pakistan, primarily through people-oriented results-focused collaborations and cooperation for human and institutional capacity building. The impact of Pakistan-Germany cooperation transcends the domains of strengthening the capabilities of universities and research institutions and reaches to the realms of industry and business. Alumni of German Institutions are playing their roles in their respective capacities in manners that are commendable. Dr. Yameen is helping in organizing this forum fostering collaboration for the larger good of two nations. His vision is to make this forum a source of technology and policy level contributions.