NRT Project Assistant Muhammad Shahbaz Rafique Awarded Prestigious USF Signature Doctoral Research Fellowship

NRT Project Assistant, Muhammad Shahbaz Rafique, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, has been awarded the USF Signature Research Doctoral Fellowship by the University of South Florida Office of Graduate Studies for the 2026–2028 academic year. This highly competitive fellowship recognizes Shahbaz’s exceptional academic record and outstanding research potential.

Under the supervision of Dr. Ashok Kumar, Shahbaz serves as a Project Assistant for the NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) STEP-UP program, which is a $3 million initiative dedicated to advancing graduate education in semiconductor design and manufacturing. Additionally, he shares his expertise as a Teaching Assistant for the Microelectronics Fabrication Lab.

His innovative research explores controlled drug delivery systems utilizing carbon-based nanomaterials, as well as CVD-grown diamond and graphene coatings for thermal management and quantum sensing applications. "I am deeply grateful to the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, the Graduate Office, and my mentors, Dr. Ashok Kumar, Dr. Ali Ashraf, and Dr. Manas Biswal for their unwavering support and guidance," said Shahbaz.