On December 14th in 2021, Shama Sadaf and Naqash Ali, the first two overseas doctoral students in the School of Metallurgical Engineering of Anhui University of Technology(AHUT), completed their doctoral dissertation defense in the Metallurgical Engineering Building, Xiushan Campus.
The defense committee was composed of 7 Ph. D. Supervisor in the field of Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering. The defense meeting was chaired by Professor Zhong Yunbo, vice president of the School of Materials Science and Engineering of Shanghai University, and the other 6 members were : Professor Wang Wanlin, vice president of the School of Metallurgy and Environment of Central South University; Professor Wang Deyong, vice president of Shagang Iron and Steel Institute of Soochow University; Professor Wang Min, deputy director of State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology of Iron, and Steel Metallurgy and Technical Support Base for Prevention and Control of Major Accident in Metal Smelting, University of Science and Technology Beijing; Professor Song Guangsheng from the School of Materials Science and Engineering, AHUT; Professor Konghui, deputy director of the Division of International Cooperation and Exchange (Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs Office), vice president of the School of International Education, AHUT; Professor Yue Qiang, Dean of the Department of Metallurgical Engineering in the School of Metallurgical Engineering, AHUT. The defense secretary was Doctor Zhang Chaojie, a teacher in the School of Metallurgical Engineering. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the defense meeting was held online and offline simultaneously.
Shama Sadaf’ and Naqash Ali’s thesis themes were Effect of Various Additives on the Structure and Properties of Fluorine-free Mold Fluxes and Microstructure Evolution and Formation Mechanism of Internal Defects in Billet During Rheological Process respectively. After the defense committee’s assessment, both thesis were approved by secret ballot and the two Doctoral candidates were proposed to be granted the degree of doctor of Engineering by the university’s Academic Degrees Committee.
Shama Sadaf and Naqash Ali were both from Pakistan and came to AHUT for the doctoral degree in Metallurgical Engineering in September, 2018. During their doctoral study, Shama Sadaf and Naqash Ali participated in a number of national scientific research projects and they both have published several SCI papers in influential journals in the industry, including Materials & Design、Steel Research International、Materials Today Communications, etc..
The School of Metallurgical Engineering of AHUT started the doctoral program in Metallurgical Engineering from 2014, and have guided more than a dozen of doctoral graduate. To positively response to the policy of strengthening personnel training for the countries along the Belt and Road, the school began to admit overseas doctoral students in this subject, and Shama Sadaf and Naqash Ali are the first two to gain the doctoral degrees. The two graduating doctoral students actively participated in various disciplinary competitions in their study and have gained several prizes and honors: Shama Sadaf won the First Prize for the 12th Science and Technology Academic Conference Competition of Anhui University of Technology; Naqash Ali won the Silver Prize in the main track of higher education in Anhui Provincial "Internet plus" College Students Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition and the First Prize for 2020 National SEM Image Competition of Iron and Steel materials.
(written by: Zhang Chaojie, Zhang Liqiang, reviewed by: Xia Yunjin, Zhang Yan, Wang Haichuan)
