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President

Md Shaheen

Md Shaheen is currently working as a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ. He is working on developing biosensors targeting different biomolecules for clinical diagnostic use. He is trained as a microbiologist (B.Sc. in Microbiology) and obtained an M.Sc. degree in Microbiology and Biotechnology from the Department of Biological Sciences, ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ and a Ph.D. in Public Health with a specialization in Environmental Health Sciences from the School of Public Health, ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ.

In addition to his academic pursuits, he has been actively involved in different student organizations and advocacy initiatives. During his graduate studies, he served as president of the Michener Park Residents Association and the Bangladeshi Students Association at the U of A. His dedication to serving the community is also exemplified by his previous role as a resident assistant, where he actively contributed to fostering a safe and inclusive living environment for international student families. He helped facilitate their smooth transition in Canada through educational initiatives and community engagement programs.

VP Internal

Michael Baggaley

Michael Baggaley is a new postdoc in the Department of Mechanical Engineering working with Dan Romanyk. His work is focused on understanding the mechanobiological processes that modulate how biological tissues grow and adapt to match the constraints of their environment. He completed his PhD in Biomechanics at the University of Calgary in 2022 and worked as a postdoc at the U of C for two years before moving to Edmonton. He is interested in improving the well-being and recognition of postdocs at the ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ. He is particularly passionate about the strengths of unions to enact change, and is excited to be a part of the process in working on a new collective bargaining agreement with the university.

VP External

Alsayed Mostafa

Alsayed Mostafa is a postdoctoral fellow (PDF) in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department. His current work focuses on combining the principles of environmental biotechnology and bioelectrochemistry to develop bioenergy and resource recovery from waste and wastewater. Alsayed completed his Ph.D. in Smart-City Engineering at Inha University, South Korea. Before joining the U of A, Alsayed worked as a postdoc in the Department of Environmental Resources Engineering at the College of Environmental Science and Forestry, State University of New York, USA. He has gained large professional experience from his career working in multiple countries: the USA, South Korea, India, and Egypt. Alsayed has been a member of many student organizations during his student life. Outside of the university, he worked and volunteered with many organizations related to human rights, social initiatives, charity, and political campaigns in Egypt, South Korea, and the USA. Based on his social activity, Alsayed was selected by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation to participate in a program supporting the development of youth capacities, which lasted for 18 months.

VP Communications

Ramana Vaka

Ramana Vaka is a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Jason Dyck in Pediatrics at the ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ. His research focuses on studying molecular pathways involved in cardiac energy metabolism regulation to improve heart function in patients living with heart failure.

Ramana has a PhD in Experimental Therapeutics and Pharmacology and has previously completed industry and academic postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Southern California-Allergan, and the University of Ottawa Heart Institute respectively.

Ramana has a strong passion for academic service, and he was fortunate for the opportunities to serve on several institutional and national student/trainee associations during his training. Currently, as a member of the PDFA, he is very excited to contribute towards PDFA's efforts on fostering enriched postdoctoral experience at the ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ.

VP Finance

Simran Kaur Dhillon

Simran Kaur Dhillon is a postdoctoral fellow in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ. She is currently developing biosensors for environmental remediation and real-time monitoring. Her research endeavours primarily revolved around developing alternatives to address the world's most pressing challenges in water-energy-food security, emphasizing creating eco-friendly and sustainable solutions accessible to all. Her expertise lies at the interface of material science, electrochemistry, microbiology, and biotechnology for developing sustainable and emission-free bioenergy, bioremediation and real-time monitoring systems based on Microbial Electrochemical Technologies (METs) and their evaluation using electrochemical techniques. 

Having recently completed her Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, India, following a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Bath, UK, in Chemical Engineering, she is eager to transition into the next phase of her academic and research career. She has demonstrated leadership by taking on roles such as student representative in the Institutional council during my Ph.D. These experiences have honed her organizational skills, time management, and ability to coordinate and lead projects effectively. Over the course of her academic journey and research endeavours, she has developed a diverse set of skills and experiences that she believes can be put to excellent use as a member of the PDFA executive.

VP Operations

Razieh Firouzihaji

Razieh is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Physics at the ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ. Her research focuses on the preparation of graphene quantum dots and the evaluation of the microstructural and optical properties of graphene and other carbon-based quantum materials. Razieh is passionate about exploring the potential of these materials to revolutionize the field of electronics and energy storage. She is originally from Iran and has a background in organic chemistry. Razieh is very enthusiastic about participating in PDFA and contributing to the scientific community.

Member-at-Large

Henry Prown

Henry Prown is in his third year as the Temerty Postdoctoral Fellow in Holodomor Studies with the Holodomor Research and Education Consortium here at the ºÚÁϲ»´òìÈ. He is also an ATS in the History, Religion, and Classics department teaching topics related to modern world history. Henry's PhD is in American Studies from William & Mary in the USA, which he received in 2022. His research focuses on Soviet-American media in the early 20th century. As a founding member of that university's graduate union and former acting VP Communications for this university's postdoctoral union, he is very grateful to have the chance to serve his third consecutive term on the PDFA executive board.