Dr Shwan Abdullah Hamad obtained an upper second class B.Sc. degree in Chemistry with Forensic Science and Toxicology from the University of Hull in the UK in 2008, followed by a PhD degree in 2012 on ‘Novel techniques for microencapsulation of probiotic bacteria’ supervised by both Prof. Vesselin Paunov (University of Hull) and Prof. Simeon Stoyanov (Unilever-Netherlands). He was then accepted on a 15-month postdoctoral fellowship funded by the University of Hull and pharmaceutical company Smith and Nephew, where he worked with Prof. Paul D.I. Fletcher and Prof. Stephen M. Kelly on ‘Next generation cavity wound care products using responsive materials’.
Besides scientific endeavours, Dr Hamad undertook a full year postgraduate program in Leeds Trinity University in the UK, focusing on secondary science education. This resulted in obtaining a postgraduate certificate in education, specialising in teaching science with Chemistry to students aged 11 to 18.
Dr Hamad has been teaching at the university and high school levels since his PhD and currently holds the post of lecturer in KUST.