Student Profile: Usman Kamran

Faculty of Science grad credits outside-the-box thinking and relentless fascination for science to his successes

Usman Kamran wants to change the world and according to him, nanotechnologies and multi-disciplinary scientific approaches may hold the keys to many of of the problems we’re trying to solve.

“Nano materials have a somewhat magical way of working that goes beyond our traditional understanding and appreciation of standard materials,” he explains. “I’m convinced that by leveraging nanoscience and relying on a cross-disciplinary scientific approach, we can uncover many novel solutions.”

Born in Pakistan, Kamran lived all over the Middle East and eventually found his way to Fort McMurray for his father’s work in the energy sector.

“Being from the Middle East has certainly made me appreciate all the opportunities I’ve been given here in North America,” he says. “That realization has served as a constant reminder and motivator for me to do well in all I do.”

And Kamran has not disappointed.

Unique way of looking at things has fuelled Kamran's design creativity

Starting off his undergraduate studies in the Bachelor of Health Sciences, Kamran developed a collection of biomedical devices including a mobile app that facilitates safer surgeries. Three years into that program, he switched to the Faculty of Science’s Natural Sciences program with a dual concentration in energy science and biological sciences and a minor in nanoscience. There, he’s designed a novel method of generating electricity from sound — a project that holds potential as a commercially viable alternative green energy source.

“In all of those projects, what’s fuelled me has been my unique way of looking at things and my relentless fascination for science,” he says. “Because of my ability to think outside the box, I’ve been able to leverage multiple disciplines to find optimal solutions to hard problems.”

In addition to his thriving classwork, Kamran launched the university’s first Rare Genomics Institute Club to support children with very rare genetic diseases. Under his leadership, the 50-member advocacy and education club raised more than $10,000 in genetic sequencing projects for Alberta families.

Desire to pursue research, innovation are driven by undergrad successes

“Despite the fact that nearly three million Canadians suffer from rare diseases, the rare disease community is often overlooked,” explains Kamran. “Because each individual disease affects such a small proportion of the population, this community often receives little attention from large pharmaceutical companies looking to make a profit. As such, it was important for me, when given the opportunity, to be part of the solution and do my part for the cause.”

For his visionary innovations and community impact, Kamran was named a Top 20 under 20 in 2014 by Youth in Motion and was featured in Maclean's magazine as a Baby Einstein, winning second place internationally in the Next Einstein competition. 

“All of those awards gave me a lot of confidence, opened wonderful doors to new experiences, and motivated me to keep going,” he says.

Kamran is intent on building on his outstanding undergraduate successes to set his sights on the challenges that will lie beyond graduation. He plans to pursue a master's degree in biomedical engineering.

“I’d love to keep going in the sphere of research — may it be in academia or industry. Right now, I’m keeping all options open,” he says.