Rashid Ahmed Rifat, a B.Sc. graduate from the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) at Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB), began his fully-funded PhD program at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Belgium, in Spring 2024. The scholarship is funded by the Horizon Europe projects, an initiative of the European Union.

Rashid is currently engaged as a PhD researcher at the Battery Innovation Centre within the MOBI Electromobility Research Centre, one of Europe’s leading hubs for electromobility research. His doctoral research focuses on advancing new battery technologies as part of various EU-funded projects. Specifically, Rashid’s research delves into the degradation models of Lithium-ion battery systems, reflecting his expertise and passion for energy storage technologies.

Rashid started at IUB with a 100% merit scholarship and was placed on the Vice Chancellor’s Honor List multiple times. He graduated Cum Laude, completing B.Sc. in 2019 at IUB with a major in EEE. He completed his final year project in 2019 at the IUB Photonics Simulation Laboratory (IUBPSL) under the supervision of Dr. Mustafa Habib Chowdhury, Associate Professor and Head of the EEE Department.

His bachelor’s thesis, titled “The Use of Plasmonic Metal Nanoparticles to Enhance the Efficiency of Thin-Film Silicon (Si) and Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) Solar Cells – A Comparative Study,” involved simulations using ANSYS-Lumerical software and led to multiple international publications.

After completing his B.Sc., Rashid expanded his professional expertise by working for a leading multinational company, BanglaCAT (Caterpillar Inc. USA), as an Engineer in Bangladesh.

In 2021, his academic excellence and dedication earned him the prestigious and highly competitive Erasmus Mundus Joint International Master’s Scholarship, fully funded by the EU. This opportunity allowed him to study at three leading universities in Finland, Norway, and Hungary, where he further honed his research skills and completed his M.Sc. in 2023. Before starting his PhD, he also worked briefly as a researcher at a Norwegian company.

During his time at IUB, Rashid actively participated in national and international competitions and co-curricular activities, representing the university and securing numerous awards. He worked as a research assistant at IUBPSL for over two years, gaining valuable research experience.

Rashid said, “My transition from IUB to VUB was exhilarating. While a lot has changed along the way, my passion for knowledge has remained constant. I strongly believe that the research experiences and publications I had at IUBPSL during my bachelor’s were pivotal in securing both my master’s and PhD scholarships. A strong research foundation can take you a long way. I encourage future students to give their best effort in research and in the pursuit of knowledge.”

Looking ahead, Rashid aims to contribute to global research and development in energy technology, with a particular focus on battery innovations.

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