Dr. Muhammad Wakil Shahzad

Dr. Muhammad Wakil Shahzad is an Associate Professor and Head of Subject in the Mechanical and Construction Engineering Department at Northumbria University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK.

He is a globally recognized expert in water generation and circular economy, holding endorsements from the UK Royal Academy of Engineering under the Global Talent program.

Dr. Shahzad obtained his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the National University Singapore in 2014, where his pioneering research on innovative seawater desalination technology was nominated for a best research thesis award, launching his distinguished research career. He also led the formation of his first spinout, MEDAD Technology, which subsequently secured a project exceeding $50 million in Saudi Arabia.

He is recognized among the top 2% of researchers worldwide and has secured over £2 million in research funding from various sources, including UKR I, FCDO, British Council, Royal Society,

and EPSRC. His expertise in transforming theoretical concepts into practical solutions has been

pivotal in advancing innovations in water generation, water treatment, and heating/cooling

technologies. Notably, his work on the Solar2Water and Optimum Aircon projects led to the

establishment of his second spinout, EcoTechX Limited, which has garnered over £500K in PoC and seed funding from Innovate UK. EcoTechX is featured on TechBlast North East & Tees Valley Startups 2.0 and also recognised as the region’s under-the-radar early stage technology startups.

Additionally, he completed Innovate UK and Northern Accelerator Entrepreneur leadership training, equipping him to lead spinouts and commercialize these groundbreaking projects.

Dr. Shahzad’s innovations have been recognized with several prestigious awards, including the

Nomination for Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) James Clayton Award 2024, The

Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Excellence and Innovation Award 2023 (Social Impact category), The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Innovation Award 2024 & 2023 (Equipment category), World Society of Sustainable Energy Technologies (WSSET) Innovation Award 2023, Northumbria University Shine Award 2023 (Innovation category), National Energy Globe Award Saudi Arabia 2021, Sustainability Medal 2020, Global Innovation Award in Water 2020, National Energy Globe Award Saudi Arabia 2020 and 2019, Excellence and Leadership Award 2019, IDA Environmental & Sustainability Award 2019 and GEARAMCO innovation award 2015. His research is also highlighted at The Guardians, Yahoo business, Nature Middle East, Arab News and many other national and international platforms.

He also leads the SAFECONOMY project, which provides an online platform for training early-career researchers in engineering entrepreneurship. Dr. Shahzad holds 11 international patents and has published 4 books, 22 book chapters, over 150 peer-reviewed journal articles, and more than 110 conference papers. His pioneering work in water treatment has been officially included in the UNESCO and Oxford encyclopaedia libraries, further recognizing the global impact of his

contributions to sustainable solutions. He has received three best paper awards at international

conferences and serves on the editorial boards of prominent Elsevier and NATURE journals. A

Chartered Engineer (UK), Dr. Shahzad is the Chair of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE UK) regional committee and chair the IMechE Chartered Engineer panels. He is also a STEM ambassador, CyberFirst ambassador, and mentor to early-career researchers through various professional platforms, further cementing his leadership in global sustainability efforts.