Dr Muhammad Wakil Shahzad

Professor

School: Engineering, Physics and Mathematics

Professor Muhammad Wakil Shahzad is a globally recognised academic, engineer, and innovator with over 15 years of impactful contributions across academia, industry, and government. He currently serves as Professor and Chair in Advanced Energy and Sustainability at Northumbria University, UK, and is internationally recognised for advancing sustainable solutions in water, cooling and heating, hydrogen, and industrial decarbonisation. He has held prestigious research and academic appointments at leading global institutions, including the National University of Singapore (NUS) and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia, where he contributed to pioneering research in energy and environmental technologies.

At Northumbria University, Professor Shahzad leads major interdisciplinary research programmes focused on sustainable energy systems and industrial decarbonisation, supported by leading funders including UKRI, EPSRC, Royal Society, and Innovate UK. He is a recipient of the prestigious Royal Academy of Engineering Research and Industrial Fellowship, recognising his leadership in translating research into industrial impact. He was also selected for the Royal Society’s Parliament Pairing Scheme, working with policymakers at the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), demonstrating his influence in shaping national energy and sustainability policy.

His research and innovation contributions have been recognised globally and featured in major strategic and policy platforms, including the UK International Education Strategy (2026), UNEP Cool Coalition, Energy Saving Trust reports, and UN stakeholder consultations. He has authored number of peer-reviewed publications, books, book chapters, and patents, and contributed to major international reference works including the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Environmental Science and UNESCO’s Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS). His work has been widely covered by international media, including BBC News, The Guardian, The Independent, Arab News, Yahoo News, Yahoo Finance, and Energy Monitor, highlighting its global impact.

Professor Shahzad has received numerous international honours, including the CIBSE UK National Innovation Award, ASHRAE Innovation Awards, Green World Innovation and Sustainability Awards, IET Excellence and Innovation Award for Social Impact, and IMechE Knowledge Contribution Award. He has been consistently ranked among the World’s Top 2% of Scientists (2021–2025) and was recognised among the Top 0.02% of scholars globally by ScholarGPS. Early in his career, he was awarded two Gold Medals and the Pakistan Engineering Council National Graduate of the Year Award.

As an Innovate UK Entrepreneur Lead, Professor Shahzad founded EcoTechX Ltd, a university spinout commercialising next-generation atmospheric water generation and ultra-efficient cooling technologies. The company has secured significant innovation funding, won multiple international awards, and is deploying its solutions in commercial and industrial applications, demonstrating strong real-world impact.

He is a Chartered Engineer (CEng) and an influential leader within the global engineering community. He chairs the IMechE Tyne & Wear Committee, contributes to professional accreditation and policy activities, and serves as an expert evaluator for major international funding bodies including UKRI, Horizon Europe, the European Research Council, and the British Council. His career is defined by a commitment to translating cutting-edge research into practical solutions that address global sustainability challenges and deliver lasting environmental, economic, and societal impact.

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Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Advanced Cellulose-Based Gels for Wearable Physiological Monitoring: From Fiber Modification to Application Optimization, Wang, Z., Jiang, J., Wei, K., Zhou, X., Shahzad, M., Li, Y., Zhang, X., Xu, B., Ge, S. 5 Jan 2026, In: Advanced Functional Materials
Comprehensive review of desalination: Techniques, renewable energy integration, and the role of artificial intelligence, Jamil, S., Ahmad Jamil, M., Mustafa, J., Shahzad, M. 10 Feb 2026, In: International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer
Experiments and CFD based design and analysis of a novel indirect evaporative cooler for future sustainability, Ahmad Jamil, M., Ikhlaq, M., Mehroz, M., Yaqoob, H., Worek, W., Shahzad, M. 7 Feb 2026, In: Applied Thermal Engineering
Levelized cost analysis of indirect evaporative cooling in a data centre, Jing, Q., Ahmad Jamil, M., Jia, C., Ng, C., Wang, W., Zhu, L., Shahzad, M., Xu, B. 1 Jan 2026, In: RSC Sustainability
Multifunctional Bamboo based Materials Empowered by Multiscale Hierarchical Structures – A Critical Review, Huang, Y., Hu, J., Zhang, Y., Yu, Y., Zhang, D., Jing, Q., Shahzad, M., Donkor, S., Chen, C., Zhang, C., He, X., Xu, B., Ge, S., Yu, W. 8 Jan 2026, In: Advanced Materials
Performance optimization of a multi-effect freezing desalination system driven by LNG cold energy, Zhang, L., Wang, X., Shazad, M., Ng, K., Chen, Q. 15 Feb 2026, In: Energy Conversion and Management
Recent advancements in WO3-based polymeric nanocomposites for photocatalytic applications: a comprehensive review, Abbas, H., Khaliq, Z., Nadeem, N., Qadir, M., Ubaid-Ur-Rehman, M., Umer, D., Jilani, Z., Shahzad, M. 30 Jan 2026, In: Chemical Papers
Side reactions at the Zn anode: what we know and how we deal with them, Weng, G., Chen, S., Xiang, Y., Xia, Y., Luo, Z., Zhang, X., Shahzad, M., Zhu, L., Bin Xu, B., Yan, M., Pan, H., Jiang, Y. 22 Jan 2026, In: Chemical Society Reviews
A Hierarchical Multimetal Oxides@Graphene Fabric Electrode with High Energy Density and Robust Cycling Performance for Flexible Supercapacitors, Liu, Y., Zhang, Y., Yang, C., Shahzad, M., Yan, Y., Dai, L., Lu, W., Chen, W., He, X., Xu, B., Wu, G. 19 Mar 2025, In: Nano Letters
A machine learning approach to wastewater treatment: Gaussian process regression and Monte Carlo analysis †, Nadeem, N., Khaliq, Z., Bentalib, A., Qadir, M., Ahmad, F., Shahzad, M., Jumah, A. 10 Jul 2025, In: Nanoscale Advances

Current and Recent Projects

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Functionalised composite adsorbent for industrial applications, Shahzad, M. (Principal Investigator), The Royal Academy of Engineering, 01/10/23 - 30/09/24, £40,727.00
Team Mid-I-15 - OptimumAirCon - Second Phase, Shahzad, M. (Principal Investigator), University of Warwick, 06/02/23 - 21/04/23, £18,987.00
Team Mid-I-15 - OptimumAirCon – A Sustainable Cooling Solution for Future Applications, Shahzad, M. (Principal Investigator), University of Warwick, 03/11/22 - 27/01/23, £30,156.00

Professional Activity

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Invited talk: Organizing Committee and session chair_ Composite material for solar thermal energy storage 2023
Invited talk: Committee member and session chair: The 7th International Conference on Polygeneration 2023
Invited talk: Chair and organizing committee: Solar to Alternative Fuel Economy (SAFECONOMY) conference 2022
Membership of board: The Royal Academy of Engineering (External organisation) 2022
Membership of council: The Royal Academy of Engineering (External organisation) 2022
Invited talk: 2nd Global Conference and Experts Meet on Applied Science, Engineering and Technology 2022
Invited talk: Technical committee member and session chair: International Desalination Association World Congress (IDAWC) 2022
Invited talk: 2nd Seminar on Nanomaterials and Energy Storage 2022
Invited talk: The 19th International Conference on Sustainable Energy Technologies (SET) 2022
Organising a conference, workshop, ...: The International Conference on Sustainable Energy Technologies 2022

PGR Supervision

Charlie Beighton Sustainable Wastewater Treatment: Bridging Technology Development, Environmental Impact, and Policy Frameworks Start Date: 01/10/2025 End Date: 17/10/2025
Abdul Younis Development of a Two-Parameter Control Strategy for Cooling Systems Start Date: 01/10/2025 End Date: 17/10/2025
Charlie Beighton Sustainable Wastewater Treatment: Bridging Technology Development, Environmental Impact, and Policy Frameworks Start Date: 01/10/2025
Abdul Younis Development of a Two-Parameter Control Strategy for Cooling Systems Start Date: 01/10/2025