Two Biomedical Engineering students at McMaster University are being recognized with prestigious graduate awards. Akansha Prasad has been named a 2024 Vanier Scholar, and Shadman Khan has received the Banting Fellowship Award.
Prasad’s Vanier research focuses on developing smart food packaging capable of dynamic food spoilage detection and individualized product monitoring. Her proposed platform is designed to be intuitive and consumer-friendly, using an observable colour-changing sensor to inform users about the status of their food products.
Khan, who began as an undergraduate researcher in the Didar Lab at McMaster, will start his postdoctoral research at the California Institute of Technology in the fall. In 2021, Khan was also recognized as a Vanier Scholar.
Both Prasad and Khan were supervised by associate professor and entrepreneur Tohid Didar, conducting research on food waste through the development of smart packaging that detects salmonella. In the fall of 2023, the graduate student duo was named Food Scientists of the Year at the Apples Award by New Food. Prasad is also co-supervised by Chemical Engineering professor and department chair Carlos Filipe.
Recognition of this scale is a testament to the quality of our researchers and the tremendous perseverance and dedication shown by Akansha and Shadman. The leadership of Tohid and Carlos has helped elevate these talented students and challenged them to approach their research with an entrepreneurial lens.
The Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship, launched in 2008, is open to students from Canada and abroad, aiming to attract top-tier graduate researchers from around the globe. Award recipients receive $50,000 annually for up to three years. The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships Program awarded to top-tier postdoctoral researchers in Canada and across the globe. Award recipients receive $70,000 annually for up to two years.
Learn more about Vanier Scholarship recipient Akansha Prasad in this Q&A.
