I am a PhD candidate of Nanotechnology Engineering at University of Waterloo.

My supervisor is Prof. Michael K.C. Tam. I am a member of Laboratory for Functional Colloids and Nanomaterials and Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology.

Short Bio

Parinaz was born in Tehran, Iran and graduated with a Pharm.D from the Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran in 2009. She turned to nanotechnology engineering based on her interests in using engineering principles and methods to design novel pharmaceutical delivery systems. Her current study involves modification of nanocrystalline cellulose for drug delivery applications.

Research Interests

• Nanotechnology Based Drug Delivery Systems
• Natural Carbohydrates for Biomedical Applications
• Enhanced Drug Delivery Systems
• Localized Drug Delivery Systems
• Drug Polymers
• Polymeric Delivery Systems

Educations

• 2010-Now, PhD Nanotechnology Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada. (GPA: 94.17/100)
• 2003-2009, Doctorate in Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. (GPA: 90.80/100)
• 2002-2003, College Diploma in Natural Sciences, Mahdavi College, Tehran, Iran.

Honors

• 2006 : Ranked 6th in "National Basic Science Exam in Pharmacy", among more than 500 Pharm.D students, Tehran, Iran.
• 2003 : Ranked top 0.07% among 600,000 participants in the "National Entrance Exam for Entering Universities", Tehran, Iran.
  

Awards and Scholarships

• 2010-Now : Graduate Research Studentship in University of Waterloo.
• 2012 : WIN Nanofellowship
• 2012 : ENG Senate Graduate Scholarship
• 2012 : Moo-Young Biotechnology Scholarship.
• 2012 : IPR Scholarship
• 2012 : University of Waterloo Graduate Scholarship
• 2011 : University of Waterloo Graduate Scholarship for A+ GPA
• 2010 : Provost Doctoral Entrance Award for Women in University of Waterloo
• 2010-2013 : International Doctoral Student Award in University of Waterloo.
• 2009 : National Nanotechnology Scholarship for Graduate Students, Iranian Nanotechnology Initiative Council

Publications and Citations

Patents

• S. P. Akhlaghi, K. C. Tam and R. Berry, “Surface Modified Nanocrystalline Cellulose and Uses Thereof”, US patent 55596984-9USPR.

Published Journal Papers

• S. P. Akhlaghi, B. Peng, Z. Yao, K. C. Tam, "Sustainable Nanomaterials Derived from Polysaccharides and Amphiphilic Compounds", Soft Matter, 9:7905-7918, 2013.
• S. P. Akhlaghi, R. Berry, K. C. Tam, "Surface modification of cellulose nanocrystal with chitosan oligosaccharide for drug delivery applications", Cellulose, 1-18, 2013.
• N. Dhar, S. P. Akhlaghi and K. C. Tam, "Biodegradable and biocompatible polyampholyte microgels derived from chitosan, carboxymethyl cellulose and modified methyl cellulose", Carbohydrate Polymers, 81:101-109, 2012.
• S. Saremi, F. Atyabi, S. P. Akhlaghi, S. N. Ostad and R. Dinarvand, ‘Thiolated chitosan nanoparticles for enhancing oral absorption of docetaxel: preparation, in vitro and ex vivo eval­uation”, Int J Nanomedicine, 6:119-128, 2011.
• S. P. Akhlaghi, S. Saremi, S. N. Ostad, R. Dinarvand and F. Atyabi, ‘Discriminated effects of thiolated chitosan-coated pMMA paclitaxel-loaded nanoparticles on different normal and cancer cell lines”, Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine, 6(5):689-697, 2010.

Book Chapters

• S. P. Akhlaghi, M. Jenabi, Z. Heydari and Z. Kazemi, ‘Selected Materials for National Basic Science Exam in Pharmacy”, in Persian, Teimourzadeh Pub., 2006.

Poster Presentations

• Nano Ontario Conference, Poster title: “Nanocrystalline Cellulose Grafted Chitosan Oligosaccharide: A Novel Green Antioxidant for Vitamin C Delivery”. October 11 & 12, 2012, Waterloo, Canada.
• ArboraNano Semi-Annual Meeting, January 18-19, 2012, Montreal, Canada. Poster title: “Modification and Application of Nanocrystalline Cellulose in Personal Home Care, Coating and Biomedical Systems”.
• WIN-Soochow Nanotechnology Workshop, July 19-27, 2011, Waterloo, Canada. Poster title: “Surface Modification and Characterization of Nanocrystalline Cellulose for Drug Delivery Applications”.
• IPR Annual Symposium, May 10, 2011, Waterloo, Canada. Poster title: “Studying the Surface Modification of Nanocrystalline Cellulose with Chitosan”.

Citation Summary*

• Total Number of Citations: 55
• h-index: 3
• i10-index: 2

* According to Google Scholar, Aug 2013.

Teaching Assistanships

• Chemistry for Engineers (ChE 102), University of Waterloo, (Spring 2013)
• Macromolecular Science 2 (NE 335), University of Waterloo, (Fall 2011, Fall 2012)
• Introduction to Nanosystems Design (NE 307), University of Waterloo, (Winter 2010)

Certifications

• Fundamentals of University Teaching, Centre For Teaching Excellence, May 2013.

Volunteer Experience

• VP Internal CEGSA, University of Waterloo, June 2012 – May 2013.
• Teaching Assistant Mentor, University of Waterloo, September 2012.
• Graduate Student Research Conference Session Chair, University of Waterloo, April 2012.

Skills & Expertise

• Nanotechnology, Characterization, Nanomaterials, Drug Delivery, Nanomedicine, Nanoparticles, SEM, UV/Vis, Chemistry, DLS, Formulation, HPLC, Materials Science, FTIR, AFM, TGA, NMR, …

Languages

• Persian (Native)
• English (Fluent)
• French (Intermediate)

General Interests

• Innovation, Teaching, Chemistry, Poetry, Traveling, Languages, Psychology, Cooking, Yoga, ...