Dr. Shaheen Irfan

Assistant Professor

Physics

Biography

Dr. Shaheen Irfan earned her M. Sc in Theoretical Physics from Karachi University before dedicating six years to teaching O and A Levels students at Defence Authority Public School, DHA Phase VIII, Karachi. In 2008, she completed her M.Phil. in Particle Physics at the Center for High Energy Physics (CHEP), Punjab University.

Following her M.Phil., she joined the COMSATS University of Information Technology, Lahore, as a lecturer in the Dual Degree Program (DDP) / Lancaster Block. She was awarded an HEC Indigenous Scholarship and completed her Ph.D. at CHEP in 2016. Her Ph.D. research was affiliated with Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, USA.

In 2016 and 2017, she contributed to the Department of Physics at the Syed Baber Ali School of Science & Engineering, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), where she also served as the member of Senior (Final year students) Project Committee (FYP).

Since January 2018, Dr. Irfan has been working as an Assistant Professor at The University of Lahore (UOL). Her research interests encompass Particle Physics, Quantum Theory, Density Functional Theory (DFT), and Nanotechnology. She is recognized as an HEC Approved Supervisor.

Education

SrNo.	Year	Degree	Board/University
1	(2011-2016)	PhD (Particle Physics)	University of the Punjab, Lahore
2	(2006-2008)	M-Phil (Particle Physics)	University of the Punjab, Lahore

Experience

SrNo.	From	To	Category	Designation	Organization
1	22/01/2018	Currently working	Professional Experience	Assistant Professor	University of Lahore (UOL)
2	01/01/2016	30/06/2017	Academic Experience	Assistant Professor	Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS).
3	01/01/2010	28/12/2015	Academic Experience	Lecturer (Lancaster Block)	COMSATS Institute of Information & Technology.
4	03/04/2003	30/10/2006	Academic Experience	Teacher (Senior Section)	DA Public School (O & A Level ), Phase-8, Karachi

Publications

SrNo.	Title	Category	Sub Category
1	Technological Evolution of Image Sensing Designed by Nanostructured Materials	Publication	Journal Article
2	Ab initio study of pressure influenced elastic, mechanical and optoelectronic properties of Cd0.25 Zn0.75 Se alloy	Publication	Journal Article
3	Surface Morphology, Roughness, and Structural Characteristics of Al1-x MgxSb (x = 0 and 0.1) Thin Films Deposited by Chemical Bath Deposition Technique”,	Publication	Journal Article
4	Biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles for biomedical applications: A mini review, 145 (2022) .	Publication	Journal Article
5	Surface Morphology, Roughness, and Structural Characteristics of Al1-x MgxSb (x = 0 and 0.1) Thin Films Deposited	Publication	Journal Article
6	“Interactions of Bc Meson in Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collisions”	Publication	Journal Article
7	Interactions of B-c mesons in relativistic heavy-ion collisions	Publication	Journal Article
8	Bc meson Dissociation in Quark Gluon Plasma	Conferences	Conference Paper
9	"Bc dissociation by ? Baryon"	Conferences	Conference Paper
10	Mesonic dissociation of Bc Meson	Conferences	Conference Paper
11	"Hadronic Absorption Cross Sections of Bc"	Publication	Journal Article

Conferences

SrNo.	Year	Level	City	Country	Confence
1	April 2019	International	Lahore	Pakistan	International Workshop on Computation in Particle
2	November 26-27, 2018	National	Islamabad	Pakistan	Symposium on Data Analysis for High Energy Physics
3	October 28-30, 2018	International	Lahore	Pakistan	ICRAMP-18.
4	April 7-9, 2018	International	Lahore	Pakistan	ICRAP-18.
5	March 5-7, 2016	International	Lahore	Pakistan	1st UMT International Conference on Pure and Appl
6	April 1-4, 2015	International	Lahore	Pakistan	7th International Conference on Particles & fields
7	April 11-14, 2014	International	Islamabad	Pakistan	6th International Conference on Particles & Fields
8	March, 2013	International	Lahore	Pakistan	5th International Conference on Particles & Fields
9	July, 2012	International	Islamabad	Pakistan	37th International Nathiagalli Summer College on P

Awards

SrNo.	Year	Awarding Organization	Description
1	2011	HEC	Ph.D Scholarship
2	2023	Pakistan Young Innovative Minds (PYIMS)	Juror in Pakistan Young Physicist Tournament (PYPT) Lahore Region.
3	2023	Pakistan Young Innovative Minds (PYIMS)	Juror in Pakistan Young Physicist Tournament (PYPT) Federal Region.
4	2024	University of Lahore (UOL).	Research Productivity Award
5	2024	Crescent Model Higher Secondary Schools and Colleges.	Panelist at International EdTech Summit 2K24 (Robotmea)

Memberships

Courses Taught

SrNo.	Type	Title	University	Semester
1	Core	Advanced Classical Mechanics	University of Lahore (UOL)	M. Phil (2022, 2023, 2024) Weekend
2	Core	Introduction to Particle Physics	The University of Lahore	BS-8/M.Sc-4 (2018, 2023 & 2024) Weekdays/ Weekend
3	Core	Nuclear Physics	Department of Physics, University of Lahore	BS-7/ M.Sc-4 (Week days/ Weekend)
4	Core	Advanced Electrodynamics (AED)	University of Lahore (UOL)	M. Phil (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 & 2022) Weekend
5	Core	Quantum Electrodynamics (QED)	University of Lahore (UOL)	PhD 2021 Weekend
6	Core	Quantum Mechanics II (QM II)	University of Lahore (UOL)	BS-6, M. Sc -3 ( 2021) Weekdays
7	Core	Electromagnetic Theory II (EMT II)	University of Lahore (UOL)	Bs-7 (Sp, Summer Fall (2019, 2020, 2021 & 2022)
8	Core	Mathematical Methods of Physics-II (MMP II)	University of Lahore (UOL)	BS-6 Fall2021Weekdays
9	Core	Classical Mechanics	Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS).	BS-5
10	Core	Electricity and Magnetism	Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS).	BS-4, EE-4
11	Core	Applied Differential Equations	The University of Lahore	BS-4 (Spring, Summer, Fall 2018 & Spring 2019 )
12	Core	Differential Calculus	The University of Lahore	BS-1 (Fall 2018)
13	Core	Particle Physics	Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS).	BS-8
14	Optional	Particle and Nuclear Physics	Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS).	MS
15	Core	Optics and Special Relativity	Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS).	BS-4
16	Core	Electric and Magnetic Field II	COMSATS Institute of Information and Technology.	BS-6
17	Core	Applied Physics	COMSATS Institute of Information and Technology.	EE-1,CS-1

Project Supervisor

SrNo.	Title	From - To	Organization	Type
1	Theoretical approach to understand Dark Matter via Quark-Gluon Plasma	15-02-2024 - 30-05-2024	University of Lahore (UOL).	Core
2	The study of charmonium interaction with strange mesons	20-09-2023 - 10-01-24	University of Lahore (UOL).	Core
3	The study of Bc meson dissociation in relativistic heavy ion collision	20-09-2018 - 20-11-2020	Department of Physics, University of Lahore (UOL).	M. Phil Thesis
4	Neutrino Mass Generation Mechanisms: A Comparative Study	30/04/2020 - 25/07/2022	Department of Physics, University of Lahore (UOL).	M. Phil Thesis
5	The influence of Form Factor Variation on Hadronic Absorption Cross Section of Bc.	09/09/2019 - 05/08/2020	Department of Physics, University of Lahore (UOL).	M. Phil Thesis
6	Effect of form factor on Absorption cross section of Bc	09/10/2020 - 09/15/2021	Department of Physics, University of Lahore (UOL).	M. Phil Thesis
7	Energy Eigen value and Wave function of Quartic Potential	07/02/022 - 20/06/2022	Department of Physics, University of Lahore (UOL).	M.Sc-4 Final Year Project Spring 2022
8	Review of Photocatalytic Application on Graphene	07/02/2022 - 24/06/2022	Department of Physics, University of Lahore (UOL).	M.Sc-4 Final Year Project Spring 2022
9	Mechanical Properties of Half Heusler CoVAS with WIEN2k Package	07/02/2021 - 24/06/2021	Department of Physics, University of Lahore (UOL).	M.Sc-4 Final Year Project Spring 2021
10	Simulation Study of Laplace’s Equation in Two-Dimensions	10/9/2020 - 25/01/2021	Department of Physics, University of Lahore (UOL).	M.Sc. Final Year Project Fall 2020

Services

SrNo.	From - To	Organization	Job Description
1	25-06-2024 - 08/06/2025	University of Lahore (UOL).	Convener of Examination Committee
2	02/02/2021 - 02/02/2022	Dept. of Physics, University of Lahore (UOL)	Convener of Admission Committee
3	05/30/2022 - 04/01/2023	Department of Physics, University of Lahore (UOL).	Convener of PhD Synopsis Defence Committee.
4	12/27/2022 - 06/10/2025	Department of Physics, University of Lahore (UOL)	Member of Departmental Research Committee (DRC)
5	01/02/2018 - 04/02/2023	Dept. of Physics, University of Lahore (UOL)	Member of Discipline Committee
6	09/30/2020 - 02/16/2023	Department of Physics, University of Lahore (UOL).	Member of BOS
7	02/02/2021 - 02/02/2022	Dept. of Physics, University of Lahore (UOL)	Corresponding person for Journal Launch
8	02/02/2020 - 10/01/2023	Dept. of Physics, University of Lahore (UOL)	Convener of Final Year Project Committee (FYP)
9	09/25/2020 - 01/02/2023	Dept. of Physics, University of Lahore (UOL)	Member of M. Phil synopsis Committee
10	06/06/2021 - 04/01/2023	Department of Physics, University of Lahore (UOL).	Member of Syllabus and Curriculum Committee.
11	01/30/2021 - 02/16/2023	Department of Physics, University of Lahore (UOL).	Member of M.Phil. Internal Defence Committee.
12	07/01/2018 - 07/01/2019	Dept. of Physics, University of Lahore (UOL)	Patron of the Physics Forum
13	08/09/2021 - 06/10/2025	University of Lahore (UOL).	Member of Departmental Research Committee (DRC)
14	05/25/2019 - 05/25/2019	Department of Physics, University of Lahore (UOL).	Organized Project Exhibition
15	04/18/2019 - 04/19/2019	Department of Physics, University of Lahore (UOL).	Speaker & Organizer, Int Workshop (IWCPP)
16	01/06/2019 - 01/06/2019	Department of Physics, University of Lahore (UOL).	Organized Quiz Competition
17	12/24/2018 - 12/24/2018	Department of Physics, University of Lahore (UOL).	Organized Project Exhibition
18	04/07/2018 - 04/09/2018	Department of Physics, University of Lahore (UOL).	Speaker & organizer, International Conf. (ICRAP)
19	10/28/2018 - 10/30/2018	Department of Physics, University of Lahore (UOL).	Organizer & host, International Conf. (ICRAMP)
20	01/01/2016 - 06/06/2017	Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS)	Member of Final Year Project Committee

Books

Research Fundings

Extracurricular Activities

SrNo.	Hobbies	Interests

Languages and Skills

SrNo.	Langues	Skills
1	English	Excellent
2	Chinese	Basic

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. Shaheen Irfan

Assistant Professor

Physics

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