VCU student is first in America to graduate with new Ph.D
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Nadia Tasnim Ahmed, a student at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond, will soon become the first person in America to have a Ph.D in pharmaceutical engineering. According to the university, VCU launched the nation's first pharmaceutical engineering Ph.D program in 2020 -- and Ahmed became its first student. Her interest in medicine began in her home country of Bangladesh, where she earned her master's degree in pharmaceutical chemistry at the University of Dhaka. She then earned a second master's degree in pharmaceutical nanotechnology at the University of South Florida, after moving to the United States. In 2020, as VCU launched its new program, Ahmed expressed interest in a Ph.D in pharmaceutical sciences at the Richmond university. Then, a tap on the shoulder by a VCU director changed everything. Which famous rock band stayed at a Prince Edward motel? “I was contacted by Dr. Sandro Da Rocha about an opportunity to join the program’s inaugural class," Ahmed told VCU News. "When I found out that this was the first and only program of its kind in the country, I knew that I wanted to be a part of it. This meant that, while I was developing my skills as a researcher, I also got to witness the program’s own growth over the years. It has been a wonderful experience overall.” Nadia Tasnim Ahmed, a VCU graduate who is the first to earn a Ph.D in pharmaceutical engineering in America. (Photo: VCU News) Ahmed said that, after graduating in December, she wishes to work as an analytical scientist in the pharmaceutical industry. She is already working full-time as an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) fellow with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “Nadia embodies everything you hope to see in a graduate student: curiosity, persistence, independence and fearlessness,” said Adam Hawkridge, Ahmed’s advisor and an associate professor in the VCU School of Pharmacy’s department of pharmaceutics, in VCU News' report. ”I feel very fortunate to have served as Nadia’s advisor; she was outstanding.” You can learn more about Ahmed, the program and her journey here.
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RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Nadia Tasnim Ahmed, a student at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond, will soon become the first person in America to have a Ph.D in pharmaceutical engineering.
According to the university, VCU launched the nation's first pharmaceutical engineering Ph.D program in 2020 -- and Ahmed became its first student.
Her interest in medicine began in her home country of Bangladesh, where she earned her master's degree in pharmaceutical chemistry at the University of Dhaka. She then earned a second master's degree in pharmaceutical nanotechnology at the University of South Florida, after moving to the United States.
In 2020, as VCU launched its new program, Ahmed expressed interest in a Ph.D in pharmaceutical sciences at the Richmond university. Then, a tap on the shoulder by a VCU director changed everything.
Which famous rock band stayed at a Prince Edward motel?
“I was contacted by Dr. Sandro Da Rocha about an opportunity to join the program’s inaugural class," Ahmed told VCU News. "When I found out that this was the first and only program of its kind in the country, I knew that I wanted to be a part of it. This meant that, while I was developing my skills as a researcher, I also got to witness the program’s own growth over the years. It has been a wonderful experience overall.”
Nadia Tasnim Ahmed, a VCU graduate who is the first to earn a Ph.D in pharmaceutical engineering in America. (Photo: VCU News)
Ahmed said that, after graduating in December, she wishes to work as an analytical scientist in the pharmaceutical industry. She is already working full-time as an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) fellow with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
“Nadia embodies everything you hope to see in a graduate student: curiosity, persistence, independence and fearlessness,” said Adam Hawkridge, Ahmed’s advisor and an associate professor in the VCU School of Pharmacy’s department of pharmaceutics, in VCU News' report. ”I feel very fortunate to have served as Nadia’s advisor; she was outstanding.”
You can learn more about Ahmed, the program and her journey here.
