Agha Hasan has dark facial hair and is wearing a navy suit and grey tie.
Agha Hasan has dark facial hair and is wearing a navy suit and grey tie.

UWL PhD student wins best paper at Doctoral Conference and is nominated in FindAUniversity awards

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Agha Usama Hasan, who recently completed his PhD at the University of West London’s School of Computing and Engineering, won best paper at UWL’s recent Doctoral Conference.

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Supported by UWL Professor of Civil Engineering Ali Bahadori-Jahromi, Agha’s PhD involved working with German supermarket retailer Lidl on making its UK supermarket buildings more carbon neutral. Lidl aims to have carbon-free or carbon neutral stores in the UK by 2050.

Agha’s achievements don’t end there however, as he has been shortlisted for a Postgrad Award in the PhD Student category at the same time. The awards are designed to celebrate the achievements of postgraduate Masters and PhD students and their supervisors. An expert judging panel now has the task of selecting the winners, who will be announced in September.

Agha, who regularly mentored other students during his three years at UWL, was nominated by one of his mentees, Umer Fayyaz. Explaining the nomination, Umer said:

I nominated Agha because of the profound impact he had on my academic journey and personal growth during my time studying for an MSc in Cyber Security. His guidance and mentorship were instrumental in shaping my understanding of the subject matter and igniting a passion for research in the field."

He fostered a sense of community and collaboration which greatly enhanced my learning experience and his dedication to his own PhD in the field of the Built Environment was truly inspiring. His passion and commitment to advancing knowledge in his domain motivated me to want to pursue further studies and contribute to the field of cyber security in a meaningful way.”

For the moment, Agha is working as a chief of staff for Birmingham MP Khalid Mahmood while he considers whether he wants to pursue an academic career or work in industry.

Building performance and climate change research projects

Explore this section, which showcases a selection of our projects, to gain a deeper understanding of the breadth and depth of our research activities.

Five solar panels attached to a rooftop pictured on a sunny day
Agha Hasan

I am surprised and delighted to be nominated for this award and to make the shortlist. I felt well supported during my own studies and mentoring others – particularly international students like Umer who might initially face more challenges – was my way of paying forward the support I myself received.”

Agha said.

Professor Ali Bahadori-Jahromi commented:

Agha is a very deserving nominee for this award, which highlights his significant contributions to life at UWL. Not only was his research work exemplary, but he also demonstrated an ability to support and inspire others. I am eager to see what he accomplishes next."

Good luck Agha!

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