A personal touch of Ali Paknahad

My name is Ali Paknahad, Iranian, PhD candidate, Department of Biomaterials, theme Reconstructive and regenerative medicine.

When you were a kid what did you want to be when you grew up? Can you tell us something about your child years. 

I was born in the mountains of Ilam located in the southwest of lovely Iran. Due to its great natural beauty, Ilam province is called “the bride of the Zagros”.
Since I was a child, I always wanted to be an engineer and a medical doctor at the same time!
I enjoyed doing mechanical things like working on cars, simple robots and building things. Also I was always curious about the human nature, human biology and the mechanical aspect of human motion. So I decided to be a biomechanical engineer. My teenager wish was to create a humanoid robot like a cyborg T-800, model-101 in Terminator 2: Judgment Day!
My younger brother was always my partner in crime. We wrecked a lot of stuff together. He wanted to be an electrical engineer and finally he got his PhD from the University of British Columbia.  Now it is my turn!
However, the motivation to become an engineer in the field of biotechnology is probably attributed to the fact that my lovely mom is a biology teacher and my lovely dad is a math teacher and they raised me and my brother to appreciate the beauty of mathematics and nature.

What was your previous academic training, where did you study and why that study? 

I did my B.Sc. in mechanical engineering at Razi University and my M.Sc. in applied mechanics at Babol Noshirvani University of Technology. Those years were a true scientific adventure with a lot of amazing opportunities to make memories with my amazing colleagues and friends. Time flies when you are having fun. I miss those days.. .

The RIMLS motto is: ‘Today’s molecules for tomorrow’s medicine’. What does this mean for you? 

From the engineering point of view a multiscale model is a composition of two or more “single” scale models that should be studied simultaneously to describe a system. In case of a biological system we need to investigate the interfacial reactions in the lowest scale, the molecular scale, to predict the system response in the macro level.

Who is your great example as scientists? And please give a motivation why.

Avicenna (Ali Ibn Sina) is my role model in the world of science. Not only because we both have same names (Ali!), but also because he was one of the most significant Persian (Iranian) polymath. He has been described as “the father of early modern medicine”. He is one of the most greatest scientist that ever born on earth. A physicians, astronomers, biologist, thinkers, philosopher and poet. Of the 450 works he is known to have written, around 240 have survived, including 150 on philosophy and 40 on medicine. Some of his works remained as a medical authority for centuries.

Which research discovery that you have made has made you most proud? 

Currently, I am working on fiber-reinforced calcium phosphate cements (FRCPCs). The aim of this project is to computationally and experimentally model the failure behaviour of FRCPCs and try to improve their mechanical properties. It means one day we can use the FRCPCs in the load bearing sites in human body and I am glad and proud to make my contribution to this ambitious project.

Given unlimited finance what experiment would you perform?

I will try to see the world beyond the black holes, solve the death dilemma and build a time machine!

What does your working area (desk, office) look like and what does it say about you (or your research)? 

I have this unique chance to work in two universities during my PhD: Radboudumc and TU Delft. But most of the time I work in my office in Delft. I work next to a big window with my Cacti and books around me and an endless cup of tea on my desk. I always try to keep my office desk tidy, but sometimes pieces of scientific papers or artwork start to pile up around me.  

Nominate a colleague to be in the spotlight and what would you like to ask him or her?

I would like to nominate Nathan Kucko. And please ask him how does he cook the perfect turkey?!

What type of person are you, quick insights: