This year, 23 researchers from the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) have made a name for themselves by ranking in the top 2% of researchers worldwide, and they are garnering attention from all around the world. NUST is now ranked 334 globally, 74 in Asia, and 1 in Pakistan, according to the QS University Rankings 2023. NUST is ranked among the top 200 colleges in the world by THE Impact Ranking 2022. Over the last three years, the number of NUST researchers in the top 2% of the world has steadily increased. Elsevier, a global leader in information and analytics, publishes the data used for ranking.
For example, NUST has just launched the Formula Electric Racing NUST (FERN) initiative, which aims to enhance and make NUST’s racing electric vehicle the world’s first. Many of these people have also been recognised for their career-long influence. Tesla Inc., a multibillion-dollar electric vehicle manufacturer, has joined FERN as a creative partner. Despite the fact that FERN has recruited many other foreign partners, this is by far the program’s most significant success.
Citations, the Hirsch-index, authorship positions, and other indicators are used to rank the researchers. The researchers, who come from seven different NUST institutions, represent twelve different disciplines, including artificial intelligence, signal processing, materials, chemical, mechanical, biomedicine, robotics, cyber security, computer science, design and manufacturing, humanities, and mathematical methods in fluid mechanics.
One of the 23 researchers involved in the latest study is a group of NUST undergraduates who recently constructed Pakistan’s first autonomous drone while representing Pakistan in many international contests and exhibitions. They are impressing the world with their inventiveness and tenacity, and they have won various events all across the world.
The drones were built by Muhammad Hassan Khan, Hafiz Hamza Jalil Qureshi, Ali Shair Muhammad Bhutta, Muhammad Taaha Rana, and many more students. They built these drones in 2016, while they were fourth-year mechanical engineering students at CEME.
They began competing in and winning national technological competitions as soon as their product was completed. They made their debut international appearance in the 2018 IMechE UAS Challenge, which was held in the United Kingdom. Following their triumph in that tournament, they continued to participate in a number of international competitions on a regular basis. Since 2018, the group has won nine international awards, helping to promote Pakistan around the world. The Best Safety Award and the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Challenge 2021 are among them. The judges of the event praised the team’s creativity and common sense.
Zain and Abdullah, two NUST juniors studying software engineering and computer science, have developed an AI-powered picture editor that improves and automatically modifies selfies on mobile devices. During their second year of studies, both students began building apps, and they later created firms that were first encouraged by the Technology Incubation Center, Nust (TIC).
With a simple swipe, the Blur app can blur out the background of your photos in DSLR-style editing. It provides automatic human detection as well as a selection of beauty enhancements to simplify photo editing. The software is presently trending on the Google Play Store, with over 100,000 downloads in a relatively short period of time after its release.
Drs. Noreen Sher Akbar, Meraj Mustafa, Mubasher Jamil, Salman Raza Naqvi, Faisal Shafait, Adeeb Shahzad, Shahid Iqbal, Muhammad Moazam Fraz, Iftikhar Ahmed, Irfan Ahmad Rana, Irfan Hussain Gul, Muhammad Usman Akram, Haider Abbas, Hassan Ali Khattak, Dr. Tay, Dr. Tay, Dr. Ta
Among the distinguished scientists honoured are Dr. Noreen Sher Akbar, Dr. Mubasher Jamil, Dr. Meraj Mustafa, and Dr. Faisal Shafait.
Another notable achievement involves the full functional testing of “NTiny-E,” the country’s first microprocessor designed locally, by experts at the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST).
Dr. Rizwan Riaz, Pro-Rector for Research, Innovation, and Commercialization at NUST, announced this at a news conference on Monday. Dr. Ajmal Khan, Principal SEECS, and Dr. Rehan Ahmed, director of the NTiny design and development team, were present.
It is a noteworthy accomplishment given that Pakistan has previously been unable to fully capitalise on global demand for semiconductor technology. The ability to create microprocessors in-house could be the first step toward capturing a portion of the $595 billion worldwide semiconductor industry predicted in 2021.
