Two researchers have just started their postdoctoral research at the University of Waterloo – both were selected by the AMTD-Waterloo Global Talent Postdoctoral Scholar Program and received support under the Scholarship and Scholars Program.
Anwar Jaber and Milad Nazarahari will each receive a scholarship under the AMTD-Waterloo Global Talent Postdoctoral Scholars Program as AMTD Scholars for two years with an annual research stipend of CAD 75,000. The scholarship was established with a CAD 3 million donation from Dr. Calvin Choi, Chairman of AMTD Group, together with Dr. Feridun Hamdullahpur, Chairman of AMTD International, and Dr. Donna Strickland, Nobel Prize winner, Canadian physicist and professor of physics at the University of Waterloo.
The AMTD Scholars Program provides unparalleled scholarships and career development opportunities for emerging world-class scholars from top universities around the world , whose disruptive research agendas can cultivate globally competitive talents and scientific research results in a diverse ecosystem within this unparalleled world. The establishment of this scholar program aims to attract and support these outstanding scholars, researchers and inventors in the field of scientific research and innovation, research and development can promote global development, and accelerate the advancement of the combined field of talent-research and academic development, thereby improving society and contributing to the progress of human development history.
AMTD Scholar: Anwar Jaber
Anwar Jaber will join the Waterloo School of Architecture, where she will delve into how architecture can play an important role in cities facing political transitions and extreme conditions, such as violent politics and ethnic conflict.
As a scholar focusing on the cultural and sociopolitical aspects of architecture and urbanism, she will examine practices of memory spaces under conflict, focusing on the kinds of museums that narrate national events about war, memory, and violence.
“In my work, I study the additive role that architecture can play in these cities, their urban forms, the conditions they create, and how the built environment can be an active contributor to shaping and absorbing urban conflicts, rather than just reflecting them,” she explains. “Understanding the interplay of politics, power, and architecture is essential to understanding how people live during and after conflict, ultimately with the goal of promoting a peaceful and inclusive world.”
Jaber, who grew up in East Jerusalem as a Palestinian and earned a bachelor’s degree in architectural engineering from Birzeit University in Palestine, said her personal experiences fueled her passion for research.
“My interest in cities plagued by conflict and extreme violence stems from my time growing up, studying and practicing architecture and urban planning in the Middle East, particularly in Jerusalem amid the Palestinian-Israeli conflict,” she said.
She holds an MPhil in Architecture and Urban Studies and a PhD in Architecture from the University of Cambridge, UK, where she was a member of the Centre for Urban Conflict Research at the Department of Architecture.
Jaber said she is grateful and honored to receive the AMTD Scholarship and to work with her mentor, Robert Jan van Pelt, a professor at the School of Architecture and a renowned award-winning architect and historian.
“Becoming an AMTD Scholar is a unique opportunity that will provide a good foundation and stable support for my research,” she said.
Jaber also plans to launch a new research group in the School of Architecture called Conflict and Cities and to build international collaborations between the School and international institutions, supported by her connections in the Middle East, Europe and Canada.
AMTD Scholar: Milad Nazarahari
In September, Nazarahari will become a new member of Professor Arash Arami's laboratory, where he will continue to develop accessible and innovative technologies for stroke patients in Canada.
His research will combine intelligent robotics and biofeedback to provide effective and convenient upper limb therapy after stroke.
"Stroke is the leading cause of brain damage (i.e. disability) in adults and is associated with reduced ability to function in daily life," Nazarahari said.
He explained that while traditional rehabilitation training, such as hand-to-hand exercises under the supervision of a therapist, can effectively improve motor function in stroke patients, extensive long-term face-to-face rehabilitation may not be practical due to high costs and limited number of therapists.
Nazarahari completed his undergraduate and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering at the Iran University of Science and Technology in his native Iran before coming to Canada and earning his PhD in mechanical engineering from the University of Alberta in 2020.
He was most recently a member of the Neuromuscular Control and Biomechanics Laboratory in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Alberta.
As an AMTD Scholar, Nazarahari looks forward to working with world-leading scientists in biomedical engineering and other related fields.
“The University of Waterloo has one of the best engineering programs in Canada, if not the best, and can provide the technical knowledge and tools needed for this research,” he said.
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Note: Applicants for the AMTD-Waterloo Global Talent Postdoctoral Scholar Program must have completed a doctoral degree or met the criteria for obtaining a doctoral degree. There is no tenured position and each person can only apply once. The application process is as follows:
• Contact a University of Waterloo faculty member to serve as a mentor;
• Faculty member submits endorsement form; Administrative staff contacts applicant;
• Applicant contacts recommender to provide recommendation letter;
• Applicant completes and submits application online.
Eligible applicants will be evaluated by a selection committee and shortlisted scholars will be invited for an in-person or remote interview.
