Prof. Ir. Dr. Amir Azam Khan
PhD (France), PEng (Pak), CEng (UK), FIMMM (UK), EUR ING (Brussels)
Professor Ir. Dr. Amir Azam Khan is presently working as Provost at UMT. He has conducted extensive research on Surface Engineering of Materials and Advanced Ceramics during his last 35 years of professional and academic career. He completed his PhD from the University of Limoges, France, where his research was mainly concentrated on the development and production of X-ray targets, sintering of nitride ceramics, and ceramic-based composites in the AlN/Mo system.
This research was financed by General Electric Medical Systems (GEMS), USA, for producing High Energy X-Ray tube anodes for continuous imaging in their CT Scanners. Prototypes of coated Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMCs) were produced according to their design and patented by GEMS, USA. In addition to this application, these composites show excellent tribological properties and are considered for their possible use under self-lubricating conditions.
Later, he worked under a project with SPCTS to produce and study glass/metal composite films deposited over porcelain substrates, with an objective to use these films for the induction heating of porcelain utensils. The work was carried out with the financial support of French porcelain manufacturer APILCO.
Prof. Khan has held several important scientific and administrative posts in the past at other universities, notably at NUST Islamabad and UNIMAS Malaysia. In Pakistan, he provided consultancy and technology transfer services to ICI Polyester Fiber, Sheikhupura, and several other defense-related industries. In Malaysia, while working at University Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), he also provided consultancy to Sarawak Energy, the largest power-producing and distribution company in Sarawak, Malaysia.
Prof. Khan is on the reviewer panel of Journal of Alloys and Compounds, Ceramics International, Materials Chemistry, Tribology, Biomedical Engineering, and Surface Engineering, among others. He worked as Editor-in-Chief of NUST Journal of Engineering Sciences (NJES) from 2020 to 2024. He was also Editor of the Proceedings of International Engineering Conference (ENCON 2013 and 2017) and Editor of FENG Research Bulletin for four years (2016 to 2019), a research news publication of the Faculty of Engineering, UNIMAS.
He has supervised more than 30 Master's and PhD students during his professional career. Because of his services at UNIMAS, he was awarded the Academic Excellence Award (Anugerah Perkhidmatan Cemerlang APC). He has published three books and over 60 research articles in international journals and conferences. His work has been frequently cited in top Q1 journals.
Prof. Khan, who is a Professional Engineer with Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC), has an illustrious professional career. He was awarded the Best Young Scientist Award by the Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), Rabat, Morocco, in 2001, and was given the prestigious title of Chevalier dans l’ordre des Palmes Académiques by the French Ministry of Education in the same year, for his invaluable services to the cause of research and education.
He also stayed for scientific research at the Max Planck Institute, Stuttgart, Germany, in 2001 and 2003. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (FIMMM), a Chartered Engineer (CEng), and among the very few engineers in the world who have been recognized with the coveted certification of European Engineer (EUR ING) by the European Federation of National Engineering Associations (Fédération Européenne d'Associations Nationales d'Ingénieurs, FEANI), Brussels, Belgium.