Dr. M. Ozair Ahmad

Professor

Mathematics and Statistics

Biography

Prof Dr. Muhammad Ozair Ahmad is an eminent professor of applied mathematics. He earned his Ph.D. Mathematics degree from the University of Western Ontario, London, Canada. He has been serving the Department of Mathematics & Statistics since 2014 as a professor. He acted as Head of the Department of Mathematics & Statistics till 15 June, 2022. He has supervised more than 100 M. Phil. (Mathematics) students and produced 12 Ph.D. students. Moreover, he has published more that 100 research articles. He is the author of 2 books. His field of research is Numerical Analysis. Before this, he served at University of Engineering and Technology, Taxila and University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore. After his retirement from University of Engineering and Technology as Chairman of the Department, he joined University of Lahore as Professor. Currently, he is working on numerical solutions to fractional differential equations.

Education

SrNo.	Year	Degree	Board/University
1	1997	PhD	The University of Western Ontario, Canada
2	1986	M. Phil	Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
3	1976	M.Sc	Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan

Experience

SrNo.	From	To	Designation	Organization
1	2014	continue	Head of Department, Department of Mathematics & Statistics	University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan
2	2005	2013	Chairman, Department of Mathematics	University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore,
3	2002	2014	Professor	University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore,
4	2000	2002	Associate Professor	University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore,
5	2000	2002	Associate Professor	University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore,
6	1988	2000	Assistant Professor	University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore,
7	1980	1988	Lecturer	University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore,
8	1979	1980	Lecturer	Government College Garhi Dupatta, Azad Kashmir
9	1976	1979	Lecturer	Talimat-e-Alia Girls College, Rawalpindi, Pakitan

Publications

SrNo.	Title	Category	Sub Category
1	Eccentricity Based Topological Indices of some Benzenoid Structures	Publication	Journal Article
2	A control of glucose level in insulin therapies for the development of artificial pancreas by Atangana Baleamu derivative	Publication	Journal Article
3	A Caputo Fabrizio Fractional Ordr Model for control of glucose insulin therapies for diabts	Publication	Journal Article
4	Dynamical Behavior Hepatitis B Fractional-Order Model with Modeling and Simulation	Publication	Journal Article
5	Positivity Preserving Operator Splitting Non-Standard Finite Difference Methods for SEIR Reaction Diffusion Model	Publication	Journal Article
6	On ABC4 and GA5 Index of Subdivided and Line Graph of Subdivided Ducth Windmill Graph	Publication	Journal Article
7	Computing Topological Descriptors for the Molecular Structure of Anticancer Drug	Publication	Journal Article
8	Nonstandard Finite Difference Scheme for Control of Measles epidemiology	Publication	Journal Article
9	Stability and Convergence Analysis of Smoking lmpact in Society with Algoritm Aspects	Publication	Journal Article
10	Fractional Order Derivative Glucose Model to Control the Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus	Publication	Journal Article
11	Numerical Analysis of a Modified SIR Epidemic Model with the Effect of Time Delay	Publication	Journal Article
12	Numerical Analysis of a Delayed SIR Epidemic Model with Constant Vaccination Effect	Publication	Journal Article
13	"Numerical analysis of a Modified SIR Epidemic Model with the effect of Time Delay"	Publication	Journal Article
14	"Dynamical Behavior of Fractional Order SVIR Epidemic Model"	Publication	Journal Article
15	"Stability and Convergence Analysis of Smoking Impact in Society With Algorithm Aspects"	Publication	Journal Article
16	"Nonstandard finite difference scheme for control of measles epidemiology "	Publication	Journal Article
17	"Computing topological descriptors for the molecular structure of anticancer drug"	Publication	Journal Article
18	"A Linear control of composite model for glucose insulin glucagon pump"	Publication	Journal Article
19	"Dynamical Behavior of Hepatitis B Fractional-order Model with Modeling and Simulation"	Publication	Journal Article
20	On topological indices of subdivided and line graph of subdivided friendship graph	Publication	Journal Article
21	On ABC4 and GA5 Index of Subdivided and Line Graph of Subdivided Dutch Windmill Graph	Publication	Journal Article
22	"On Topological Indices of the Line Graph of Uniformly Subdivided Graph"	Publication	Journal Article
23	"Numerical treatment of non-local boundary value problem by using non-standard finite difference technique"	Publication	Journal Article
24	Dynamical transmission and effect of smoking in society	Publication	Journal Article
25	Dynamical behavior of HIV immunology model with non-integer time fractional derivatives	Publication	Journal Article
26	Numerical Modeling of SEIQV Epidemic Model with Saturated Incidence Rate	Publication	Journal Article
27	Dynamics behavior of SIR epidemic model with non-integer time fractional derivatives: A mathematical analysis	Publication	Journal Article
28	Exact optical solitons in (n+1)-dimensions under anti-cubic law of nonlinearity	Publication	Journal Article
29	Dipole and combo solitons in DWDM systems	Publication	Journal Article
30	Rogue wave solutions in nonlinear optics with coupled Schrodinger equations	Publication	Journal Article
31	Stability analysis and control of the glucose insuline glucagon system in humans	Publication	Journal Article
32	Chiped optical solitons in nanofibers	Publication	Journal Article
33	Approximate Solution and Analysis of Smoking Epidemic Model with Caputo Fractional Derivatives	Publication	Journal Article
34	Dynamical Transmission and Mathematical Analysis of Sir Measles Epidemiological Model	Publication	Journal Article
35	Dynamical Behavior of Fractional Order Svir Epidemic Model	Publication	Journal Article
36	Numerical Modeling of SEIR Measles Dynamics with Diffusion	Publication	Journal Article
37	Numerical Modeling of SEIQV Epidemic Model with Saturated Incidence Rate	Publication	Journal Article
38	Chirped optical solitons in nanofibers	Publication	Journal Article
39	Controllability and Observability of Glucose Insulin Glucagon system in Human	Publication	Journal Article
40	Analysis and Numerical Solution of SIR Epidemic Model of Measles with Non-Integer Time Fractional Derivatives by Using Laplace Adomian Decomposition Method	Publication	Journal Article
41	Stability Analysis and Control of Glucose Insulin Glucagon System in Humans	Publication	Journal Article
42	Dynamical behavior of HIV immunology model with non-integer time fractional derivatives	Publication	Journal Article
43	Dynamical behavior of SIR epidemic model with non-integer time fractional derivatives: A mathematical analysis	Publication	Journal Article
44	An Approach for Artificial Pancreas to Control the Type-1 Diabetes Mellitus	Publication	Journal Article
45	A Constraint System of Generalized Sylvester Quaternion Matrix Equations	Publication	Journal Article
46	Dipole and Gausson Soliton for Ultashort Laser Pulse with High Order Dispersion	Publication	Journal Article
47	(n; k)-Multiple Factorials with Applications	Publication	Journal Article
48	Exact Solution of (2+1)-dimensional fractional Schrodinger equation	Publication	Journal Article
49	Compact Finite Difference Schematic Approach for Linear Second Order Boundary Value Problems.	Publication	Journal Article
50	Deficiency of forests	Publication	Journal Article
51	An approah for artificial pancreas to control the type-1 diabetes mellitus	Publication	Journal Article
52	Exact soliton of (2+1)-dimensional fractional schrodinger Equation	Publication	Journal Article
53	(n,k)-Multiple Fractorials with Applications	Publication	Journal Article
54	A Constraint System of Generalized Sylvester Quaternion Matrix Equaitons	Publication	Journal Article
55	Application of Bernstein Polynomials for Solving Linear Volterra Integro-Differential Equations with Convolution Kernels	Publication	Journal Article
56	Control of an artificial human pancreas	Publication	Journal Article
57	An Approach for Artificial Pancreas to Control the Type-1 Diabetes Mellitus,	Publication	Journal Article
58	Dynamical transmition and effect of smoking in society	Publication	Journal Article
59	Development of Numerical technique by Galerkin Approach of Spectral Element Method for Hybrid Beam	Publication	Journal Article
60	Error Estimation of Numerical Integration Methods	Publication	Journal Article
61	Novel Concepts of Soft Sets with Applications	Publication	Journal Article
62	Fourth Order Compact method for One Dimensional Inhomogeneous Telegraph Equation of	Publication	Journal Article
63	Fourth Order Compact Method for One Dimensional Inhomogeneous Heat Equation	Publication	Journal Article
64	Non-Standard Finite Difference Modeling for Transmission Dynamics of Dengue Fever	Publication	Journal Article
65	Exploring Mathematical Models for the Treatment of Type-1 Diabetes	Publication	Journal Article
66	Numerical Modeling of Internal Transmission Dynamics of Dengue virus	Conferences	Conference Paper
67	Non Standard Finite Difference Method for Quadratic Riccati Differential Equation	Publication	Journal Article
68	Finite Element Model for Linear Second Order One Dimensional Inhomogeneous Wave Equation	Publication	Journal Article
69	Numerical Modeling Of Dengue Disease with Incubation Period of Virus	Publication	Journal Article
70	Review of Numerical Schemes for Two Point Second Order Non-Linear Boundary Value Problems	Publication	Journal Article
71	POLYNOMIAL CUBIC SPLINE METHOD FOR SOLVING FOURTH-ORDER PARABOLIC TWO POINT BOUNDARY VALUE PROBLEMS	Publication	Journal Article
72	Mathematical Modeling of Reaction-Diffusion Mechanism of PHA DIOL Expoxides in a Cell	Publication	Journal Article
73	Application of Laplace Decomposition Method for Solving Sine-Gordon Equation	Publication	Journal Article
74	Solution of a Vaccination Based SIR Epidemic Model by Homotopy Analysis Method	Publication	Journal Article
75	Finite Difference Schemes for the Determination of Thermal Coefficient and Analysis of its Variation with Time	Publication	Journal Article
76	A Non-Polynomial Spline Method for Solving Linear Twelfth Order B oundary Value Problem	Publication	Journal Article
77	Fourth Order Compact method for One Dimensional Inhomogeneous Telegraph Equation of ”.	Publication	Journal Article
78	GENERALIZED EXACT TRAVELLING WAVE SOLUTIONS OF mCH AND mDP EQUATIONS	Publication	Journal Article
79	ZZ Fourth Order Compact BVM for One Dimensional Advection Diffusion Equation	Publication	Journal Article
80	Finite Element Model For Linear Second Order One Dimensional Homogeneous Telegraph Equation	Publication	Journal Article
81	Solution of Burger’s Equation With The Help Of Laplace Decomposition Method	Publication	Journal Article
82	A New Fourth Order Compact Difference Scheme For One Dimensional Advection Diffusion Equation	Publication	Journal Article
83	International Journal of Computational Methods(Impact Factor Journal) Vol. 9, No. 4	Publication	Journal Article
84	ZZ Fourth Order Compact BVM for the Equation of Lateral Heat Loss	Publication	Journal Article
85	Fourth Order Compact Method For One Dimensional HomogeneousTelegraph Equation	Publication	Journal Article
86	Fourth Order Compact Method For One Dimensional Homogeneous Damped Wave Equation	Publication	Journal Article
87	Finite Element Solution For Two dimensional Laplace Equation with Dirichlet Boundary Value Problem	Publication	Journal Article
88	Some Finite Difference Methods for One Dimensional Burger’s Equation for Irrotational Incompressible Flow Problem	Publication	Journal Article
89	A highly Effective Finite Difference Technique for Temperature Distributions Of Transient Fluid Flow In a Nuclear Heat Exchanger Of Counter Current Flow Type	Publication	Journal Article
90	Compact Method For Special Linear Second Order Boundary Value Problems	Publication	Journal Article
91	An Estimate For Jensen ‘s Inequality with Application	Publication	Journal Article
92	Constraint Handling In Genetic Algorithms By A 2 – Parameter – Exponential Penalty Function Approach	Publication	Journal Article
93	Analysis of Transiet Flow and Heat Transfer in a Vertical Inverted U – Tube Steam Generator	Publication	Journal Article
94	Finite Difference Methods For The Solution of Korteweg De-Vries Equation	Publication	Journal Article
95	Numerical Solution of Heat Transfer in a Vertical Inverted U – Tube Steam Generator	Publication	Journal Article
96	Finite Element Solution For One dimensional General Linear Second Order Boundary Value Problem	Publication	Journal Article
97	Analysis of The Mathematical Model Of A U-Tube Steam Generator Under Steady State Conditions	Publication	Journal Article
98	Potential Applications of Genetic Algorithms in Engineering Optimization : An Overview	Publication	Journal Article
99	A Compact Method for the heat Equations.	Publication	Journal Article
100	Moving Mesh Methods.	Publication	Journal Article
101	Modified Equations for A Partial Differential Equation	Publication	Journal Article
102	Numerical Procedures for the Gas Dynamics Equation.	Publication	Journal Article
103	Moving Mesh Methods for Partial Differential Equations.	Publication	Journal Article
104	Study of Contractive Methods.	Publication	Journal Article
105	Compact Methods for PDEs.	Publication	Journal Article
106	Modified Equations for Ordinary Differential Equations.	Publication	Journal Article
107	Numerical Solution of the Kuramoto-Sivashinsky Equations.	Publication	Journal Article
108	Determination of G-Matrix for G-Stable Methods.	Publication	Journal Article
109	The Method of Modified Equations in Maple.	Publication	Journal Article
110	Study of Multi-step and One Leg Methods.	Publication	Journal Article
111	G-Stability of Multi-step One Leg Methods	Publication	Journal Article

Conferences

Awards

SrNo.	Year	Awarding Organization	Description
1	1974-1976	Quaid-e-Azam University	Second Position in M.Sc. (Mathematics)
2	1974-1976	Quaid-e-Azam university	Admission Scholarship
3	1992-1997	Canadian Commonwealth	Scholarship
4	1996-1997	University of Western Ontario-Canada	Nomination for Teaching Assistant Excellence Award:
5	2011	HEC	HEC Best University Teacher Award For The Year 2011
6	1992-1997	University of Western Ontario-Canada	Admission Scholarship

Memberships

Courses Taught

Project Supervisor

SrNo.	Title	From - To	Organization	Type
1	Development of Numerical Tool for Nonlinear Analys	2012 - 2017	University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore,	PhD Thesis
2	Numerical Modeling of Infectious Disease Dynamics	2012 - 2017	University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore,	PhD Thesis
3	Numerical Solution of Boundary and Initial Boundar	2011 - 2016	University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore,	PhD Thesis
4	Compact Moving Mesh Method for Gas Dynamics	2007 - 2012	University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore,	PhD Thesis
5	Optimization Using Mathematical Programming of Sci	2008 - 2011	University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore,	PhD Thesis
6	Development of Simulation Techniques Applicable to	2007 - 2011	University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore,	PhD Thesis
7	Comparison of New Fourth Order Compact Difference	2015 - 2017	University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan	M. Phil Thesis
8	Comparative Study of Stochastic Algorithms in Engi	2015 - 2017	University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan	M. Phil Thesis
9	Comparison Between Shooting Method and Fourth Orde	2015 - 2017	University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan	M. Phil Thesis
10	Variational Iteration Technique and Polynomiograph	2015 - 2017	University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan	M. Phil Thesis
11	Dynamics of Some Iterative Methods	2015 - 2017	University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan	M. Phil Thesis
12	Fourth Order compact Method for the Equation of La	2015 - 2017	University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan	M. Phil Thesis
13	Iterative methods for solving nonlinear equations	2014 - 2016	University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan	M. Phil Thesis
14	Properties of peircvic type functional	2014 - 2016	University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan	M. Phil Thesis
15	Numerical Solution of partial differential equatio	2014 - 2016	University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan	M. Phil Thesis
16	Solution of Sine-Gordon equation by modified varia	2014 - 2016	University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan	M. Phil Thesis
17	Modified laplace method	2014 - 2015	University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan	M. Phil Thesis

Services

Books

Research Fundings

Extracurricular Activities

SrNo.	Hobbies	Interests
1	Reading

Languages and Skills

SrNo.	Langues	Skills
1	English
2	Urdu
3	Punjabi

Active Collabrations

Consulting Experience

Achievements / Rewards

Dr Akhtar represents Pakistan, explores collaboration with Germany on global issues

Description

In a substantial ambassadorial effort, Prof Dr Rabia Akhtar (Director of the Center for Security, Strategy, and Policy Research (CSSPR)) represented Pakistan as a thought leader in a delegation of five eminent scholars from Asia. This delegation, constituted by the Asia chapter of Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), visited Berlin, Germany, to engage in dialogues and meetings aimed at understanding Germany’s viewpoints on key global issues, from June 13-15, 2023.

The FES Strategic Foresight Group, comprising scholars from Pakistan, Thailand, India, South Korea, and Indonesia, sought to gain insights into Germany’s perception of the world, the interconnectedness of geopolitics and geoeconomics, and the overall security and stability of different regions. By interacting with parliamentarians, scholars, and think tank experts, the group aimed to identify Germany’s foreign policy direction amidst intensifying great power competition, technological advancements, and the Russo-Ukrainian war.

Dr Akhtar articulated Pakistan’s aspirations to become a regional and global connector, and expressed her belief that the country could serve as Germany’s partner in promoting peace. She said academic collaboration between the two countries must lay the groundwork for better ties. In that regard, she hoped that the University of Lahore (UOL) and CSSPR will like to establish linkages, to work on security and strategic issues with policymakers, universities, and think tankers in Germany.

Moreover, during the meetings with German officials and academicians, including Dr.Martin Thummel (Deputy Head for East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific, Federal Foreign Office), Dr Akhtar along with the delegation underlined the importance of collaboration between nations in an increasingly interconnected world. It was argued that Europe and Asia should not be considered separate arenas, as common threats and opportunities necessitate a collective approach.

The participants engaged in thought-provoking discussions on how Germany’s foreign policy has evolved amid geopolitical tensions and how the country aims to strike a balance between values-based and interests-based approaches, particularly in the face of the evolving Sino-U.S. rivalry. Central to these discussions was Germany’s embrace of Zeitenwende, signifying a transformative shift in its foreign and defence policies following the war in Ukraine. German officials highlighted that this philosophy would enable their country to contribute positively to regional and global stability.

Furthermore, the delegation stressed the importance of inter-regional dialogues, trade, and economic cooperation between Germany and Asian countries during their meetings with parliamentarians. Geoeconomics emerged as a key theme, with experts acknowledging its potential to promote interdependence, peace, and stability. However, they also expressed caution, and were mindful of the geopolitical complexities that could hinder its effectiveness.

Dr Ashraf becomes Pakistan’s top and world’s 12th most cited Plant Science researcher

Description

What traits set exceptional academic leaders apart? One is their ongoing commitment to academic excellence. Prof Dr Muhammed Ashraf (Rector, UOL), in an interview with the Press and Publications Cell (PPC) of the University of Lahore (UOL), shared how his commitment to academics and research led him to stand amongst the top-cited Plant Science researchers in the world.

The second edition of Research.com rankings of the best researchers was released recently. According to these rankings, Dr Ashraf stood 12th in the list of top-cited researchers with a massive number of 72,461 citations and 1,169 publications in the field of Plant Science.

While sharing his sentiments with the PPC team, he said, “It is a great honour and privilege for me to be among the world’s top-cited Plant Science researchers. Barely people from third-world countries like Pakistan get such immense acknowledgement for research, but I, hailing from a developing country, take pride in the fact that I was able to garner the limelight along with researchers from advanced countries like America, Germany, etc.”

Motivation for Plant Science Research

For most of his academic life, Dr Ashraf has been conducting research anchored on Plant Science, his field of specialisation for which he has recently been recognised globally. Revealing his motivation behind his research drive, he mentioned that “Research is the key element for institutions and even for academicians to leave an unprecedented imprint on the global academic spectrum. The only sound way to project novel ideas pertaining to your field is through research, and that is what keeps me right on track with research. To make significant contributions to the field of Plant Science, I try to continually explore and conduct impactful research.”

Global Acclamation

In continuing the discussion of his research motivation, on a lighter note, he shared that he received a congratulatory email from Mr Rattan Laal (The Ohio State University, the United States). “To my surprise, Mr Laal, the world’s most cited researcher, shared his congratulatory remarks with me. I am humbled to the core by this global acclamation that I have received so far,” he said.

Catering to Contemporary Plant Science Issues

In every field of study, researchers try to address and explore solutions for the most pressing issues. In Plant Science and Agronomy, the focal point of researchers nowadays is the impact of climate change on plants and, broadly, on the agriculture sector. Upon being asked about the impact of his research, the UOL Rector stated that “Climate change, undoubtedly, has adversely affected the lives of plants, animals, and even humans. My focus is particularly on plants and agriculture. Through my research, I have always tried to address and highlight the pressing issues that are being faced mainly by Asian and African countries, and this is also one of the reasons that my research is getting global acknowledgement because it caters to global issues. Majorly, my work is based on different plant stresses such as drought, salinity, waterlogging, temperature extremes etc.”

Fundamentals of Research, Publications, and Rankings

Not many people are familiar with the Research.com rankings, and in fact, they lack even the most basic knowledge of research rankings. During his interview with PPC, Dr Ashraf summarised the entire research ranking process by saying that “A researcher gets ranked based on his number of publications and citations. Researchers should try to publish their work in international journals, which will increase their chances of maximum citations. The more publications and citations, the higher the H-index, and ultimately, the better the chances of getting ranked at the top.”

Tips for soon-to-be Early-career Researchers

There is no short cut to conduct profoundly organic research, and that is what Dr Ashraf said. “Dedication and hard work are the keys to achieve research goals. Nevertheless, to stand out in the pool of researchers, it is pertinent, especially for Plant Science research aspirants, to focus on technological and digital advancements, keeping oneself up-to-date with international contemporary research trends, and fuelling the urge of discovery by gaining more and more knowledge,” he advised the students.

Dr Tahir explores the role of financial risk-taking attitude in consumer satisfaction

Description

A consumer’s attitude of financial risk tolerance (FRT) plays an important role in his/her financial decisions, thereby determining his well-being. FRT is a consumer’s preference for the amount of risk he undertakes while making investments. Recently, a lot of research studies have been conducted on consumer well-being and FRT. Being motivated by this trend in financial research, Dr Muhammad Tahir (Assistant Professor, Lahore Business School, the University of Lahore (UOL)) and fellow researchers explored the relationship amongst financial literacy, propensity to plan (PTP), FRT, financial satisfaction, and life satisfaction.

Though scholarly acumen for consumer well-being is rapidly developing, not much is known regarding the collective roles of financial literacy, PTP, and FRT. Dr Tahir’s study addressed this gap by showing that financial literacy, risk-taking attitudes, and planning propensities are all interconnected and necessary ingredients to improve financial and life satisfaction.

Dr Tahir’s analytical study titled “Role of financial risk-taking attitude in personal finances and consumer satisfaction: evidence from Australia” revealed a strong partial mediation of FRT between financial literacy and financial satisfaction. Moreover, the analysis showed that a high PTP combined with a high FRT results in high financial satisfaction.

For achieving the main objective of the research, the Household, Income, and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey was taken into consideration. Furthermore, Dr Tahir used the variance-based partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM), also known as the PLS path modelling approach, to test the proposed hypotheses of the study empirically.

The findings of Dr Tahir’s research study showed the importance of creating financial plans in accordance with risk tolerance. Considering the relevance of increasing financial literacy, Dr Tahir suggested that the use of tools that could help consumers plan and spent in risky investments might lead them to have a more financial and life satisfaction.

UOL chemist explores an eco-friendly alternative thickening agent for textile printing

Description

Textile printing is the most versatile and vital methodology for introducing colour and design to textile fabrics. Different types of thickeners (chemical compounds) are used for printing, such as polysaccharide thickener, synthetic thickener, and emulsion thickener. Synthetic thickeners are highly criticised for endangering the environment at the manufacturing stages.

Dr Dure Najaf Iqbal (Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, The University of Lahore) and her team of researchers explored an eco-friendly alternative for synthetic thickeners that is effective in the textile printing process. The team revealed that guar gum could serve as an outstanding natural thickener, stabiliser, and gelling agent and could as well be used in various industrial units, including food, cosmetics, textiles, oil fracturing, and mining. Guar gum is one of the most important naturally occurring non-ionic high molecular weight polysaccharides and consists of galactomannan, which has vast applications in various fields.

Dr Iqbal and her team synthesised carboxymethyl guar gum (CMG) via monochloroacetic acid under alkaline conditions. The carboxymethylation of guar gum was accomplished by the Willianson ether technique and the reaction conditions were optimised during the course of the experiment. Guar derivatives with variable degrees of substitution (DS) were prepared and confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The DS was determined quantitatively by the titration method for each derivative.

For this research study, native guar gum was purchased from National Guar Industries, Karachi, with a molecular weight of 1.043 106 g/mol. Whereas, all the chemicals and reagents used were of analytical grade and were purchased from Merck, Germany.

The result proved that the substituted guar gum is an eco-friendly, non-hazardous thickener as compared to synthetic thickeners. Furthermore, the penetration properties, fixation ability, and colour fastness of guar gum were compared with those of commercial alginate thickeners. The printing trial of the thickener CMG also showed that carboxymethyl guar gum could easily replace conventional thickeners without any compromise on printing results and could prevent fabric stiffness. The tested water-holding capacity (a central aspect that determines commercial applications of gums) of guar gum made it ideal for improving the texture of end products in diverse industrial formulations.

Also, it was revealed that the implementation of carboxymethyl guar gum in textile printing can reduce the economic burden associated with exporting alginate and other synthetic thickeners. This, in turn, could enable exporters to offer competitive pricing without compromising on quality.

Faculty / Staff Profiles

Dr. M. Ozair Ahmad

Professor

Mathematics and Statistics

Biography

Education

Experience

Publications

Conferences

Awards

Courses Taught

Project Supervisor

Services

Books

Research Fundings

Extracurricular Activities

Languages and Skills

Active Collabrations

Consulting Experience

Dr Akhtar represents Pakistan, explores collaboration with Germany on global issues

Dr Ashraf becomes Pakistan’s top and world’s 12th most cited Plant Science researcher

Dr Tahir explores the role of financial risk-taking attitude in consumer satisfaction

UOL chemist explores an eco-friendly alternative thickening agent for textile printing