Principal Investigator
Muhammad Khalid
PhD, P.Eng
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Assistant Professor & Founding Director (NIERL), Department of Mechanical Engineering, Lakehead University
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Dr. Khalid also holds the appointment of an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Alberta, Canada
Education
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Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering — May 2016, NUST, Pakistan
Dissertation: Numerical Simulations, Nonlinear Analysis, and Control of Bio-inspired Flows: A Step towards Autonomous Vehicles
Advisor: Prof. Imran Akhtar
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Visiting Doctoral Researcher — Oct 2014 – Mar 2015, University of Virginia, USA
Area of Study: Nonlinear Mechanics of Bio-inspired Swimming and Flight
Advisor: Prof. Haibo Dong
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M.Sc., Mechanical Engineering — Aug 2009, NUST, Pakistan
Thesis: CFD-Based Analysis of Supersonic Flows
Research Area: Computational Fluid Dynamics and Compressible Flows
Advisor: Prof. Muhammad Afzaal Malik
Academic/ Research Appointments
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Lakehead University, Canada
Assistant Professor (Tenure-Track), Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering Founding Director of Nature-Inspired Engineering Research Lab (NIERL)
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University of Alberta, Canada
Adjunct Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering
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National University of Sciences & Technology, Pakistan
Associate Teaching Professor
Awards and Honours
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IOP Publishing, Bioinspiration & Biomimetics
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Outstanding Reviewer – 03/2025
Status in recognition of an exceptionally high level of peer review competency
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Lakehead University Office of Research Services
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Best Poster Award – 02/2025
Rita Nicholas Undergraduate Student Conference
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IOP Publishing, Bioinspiration & Biomimetics
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Outstanding Reviewer – 03/2024
Status in recognition of an exceptionally high level of peer review competency
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IOP Publishing, Bioinspiration & Biomimetics
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Trusted Reviewer – 12/2023
Status in recognition of an exceptionally high level of peer review competency
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IOP Publishing, Bioinspiration & Biomimetics
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Outstanding Reviewer Award for Year 2021 – 04/2022
Recognition for quality, quantity, and timeliness of peer review activities
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National Natural Science Foundation, China
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International Exchange Research Fellowship – 12/2018
Project: Hydrodynamics and hydro-acoustics of fish swimming
Funding Amount: ∼ $116,000
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Higher Education Commission, Pakistan
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HEC Approved PhD Supervisor – 04/2017
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Visiting Doctoral Research Fellowship – 09/2014
International Research Support Initiative Program
Funding Amount: ∼ $16,500
To conduct partial doctoral research at University of Virginia, USA
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Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Technology, Pakistan
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Supervisor for the Runner-up Team – 04/2017
Design, Build & Fly Contest by AIAA Chapter
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Runner-up Prize – 04/2007
Pro-Engineer Design Exhibition, 1st All Pakistan Mechanical Engineering Competition
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National University of Sciences & Technology, Pakistan
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Mega S&T Graduate Scholarship – 09/2007
Funding Amount: ∼ $12,000
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Academic Merit Scholarship – 07/2005
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Academic Merit Scholarship – 02/2005
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Research Grants
(G24) Principal Investigator: Computational Investigations for the Design of a High-Efficiency Modular Wind Energy Conversion System.
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MITACS Accelerate (co-funded by APEX Wind Energy Substitutes, Canada).
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Duration: 08/2025 – 08/2026. Funding Amount: ∼ $52,500 (Share: 100%).
(G23) Principal Investigator: Computational Design of a Bio-Inspired Combined Underwater Propulsive-Energy Harvesting System for Sustainable Locomotion.
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NSERC International Alliance (Catalyst) Grant.
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Duration: 05/2025 – 05/2026. Funding Amount: ∼ $25,000 (Share: 100%).
(G22) Recipient: Lakehead University Senate Research Committee (SRC) Conference Travel Grant.
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Participation in the Canadian Society of Mechanical Engineers (CSME) Congress, Montreal, Canada (05/2025).
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Funding Amount: ∼ $1,500 (Share: 100%).
(G21) Principal Investigator: Design of Novel Nature-Inspired Propulsive Mechanism for Marine Vessels.
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Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (Workforce Development Program).
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Duration: 03/2025 – 05/2026. Funding Amount: ∼ $35,000 (Share: 100%).
(G20) Co-Principal Investigator: Multiscale Wind Tunnel Facility for Testing Sustainable and Resilient Canadian Built-Environment.
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CFI John R. Evans Leaders Fund.
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Duration: 03/2025. Funding Amount: ∼ $440,000 (Share: 50%).
(G19) Principal Investigator: Design of an Adjustable Seedpod Dispersal System for Drone-Assisted Reforestation.
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MITACS Accelerate (co-funded by Tree Track Inc., Canada).
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Duration: 05/2024 – 05/2025. Funding Amount: ∼ $52,500 (Share: 100%).
(G18) Recipient: Lakehead University Senate Research Committee (SRC) Conference Travel Grant.
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Participation in the 13th International Symposium on Turbulence and Shear Flow Phenomena (TSFP13), Montreal, Canada.
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Duration: 06/2024. Funding Amount: ∼ $1,400 (Share: 100%).
(G17) Principal Investigator & Supervisor: Computational Modeling of Fluid-Structure-Chemical Interactions in Fish Swimming.
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MITACS Graduate Research Award.
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Duration: 07/2024 – 07/2025. Funding Amount: ∼ $5,000 (Share: 100%).
(G16) Principal Investigator & Supervisor: Bio-Inspired Techniques for Improving Vertical-Axis Wind Turbines.
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MITACS Graduate Research Award.
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Duration: 08/2024 – 12/2024. Funding Amount: ∼ $5,000 (Share: 100%).
(G15) Principal Investigator & Supervisor: Simulation-Assisted Design of Bio-Inspired Energy Harvesting Mechanisms.
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MITACS Graduate Research Award.
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Duration: 05/2024 – 10/2024. Funding Amount: ∼ $5,000 (Share: 100%).
(G14) Principal Investigator & Supervisor: Computational Modeling of a Bio-Inspired Vertical-Axis Wind Turbine.
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MITACS Globalink Research Internship Award. Duration: 05/2024 – 08/2024.
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Funding Amount: ∼ $8,815 (Share: 100%).
(G13) Principal Investigator & Supervisor: Mechanical Design of a Bio-Inspired Swimming Robot.
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MITACS Globalink Research Internship Award.
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Duration: 05/2024 – 08/2024. Funding Amount: ∼ $8,775 (Share: 100%).
(G12) Principal Investigator: Faculty Exchange with Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Norway.
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North2North (n2n) Mobility Grant – UArctic.
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Duration: 11/2023 – 05/2024. Funding Amount: ∼ $2,200 (Share: 100%).
(G11) Principal Investigator: Odor-Guided Underwater Propulsion: Towards Bio-Inspired Mechanisms for Sensing, Detection, and Navigation.
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NSERC International Alliance (Catalyst) Grant.
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Duration: 08/2023 – 08/2024. Funding Amount: ∼ $25,000 (Share: 100%).
(G10) Principal Investigator: Computational Modeling of Nature-Inspired Energy Harvesting Systems.
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Start-up Research Fund, Lakehead University.
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Duration: 01/2023 – 01/2025. Funding Amount: ∼ $15,000 (Share: 100%).
(G9) Principal Investigator: Flow Physics and Vortex-Induced Acoustics in Bio-Inspired Collective Locomotion.
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NSERC Discovery Grant.
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Duration: 04/2022 – 03/2027. Funding Amount: ∼ $125,000 (Share: 100%).
(G8) Principal Investigator: Flow Physics and Vortex-Induced Acoustics in Bio-Inspired Collective Locomotion.
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NSERC Discovery Grant – Early Career Supplement.
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Duration: 04/2022 – 03/2027. Funding Amount: ∼ $12,500 (Share: 100%).
(G7) Principal Investigator: CFD-Based Design of an Underwater Vehicle.
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General Public Organization, Pakistan.
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Duration: 09/2016 – 07/2017. Funding Amount: ∼ $1,400 (Share: 100%).
(G6) University Conference Travel Grant.
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National University of Sciences & Technology, Pakistan.
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Duration: 11/2016. Funding Amount: ∼ $4,000 (Share: 100%).
(G5) University Conference Travel Grant.
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National University of Sciences & Technology, Pakistan.
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Duration: 06/2015. Funding Amount: ∼ $4,000 (Share: 100%).
(G4) Principal Investigator: CFD-Based Design and Development of a Solar Powered Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.
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General Public Organization, Pakistan.
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Duration: 05/2013 – 03/2014. Funding Amount: ∼ $7,500 (Share: 100%).
(G3) Principal Investigator: Development of a Remote-Controlled UAV for the 2013 International Competition on Future Flight Design, Istanbul, Turkey.
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National University of Sciences & Technology, Pakistan.
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Duration: 01/2013 – 05/2013. Funding Amount: ∼ $8,000 (Share: 100%).
(G2) Recipient: University Conference Travel Grant.
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National University of Sciences & Technology, Pakistan.
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Duration: 11/2012. Funding Amount: ∼ $4,000 (Share: 100%).
(G1) Principal Investigator: Design and Development of a Remote-Controlled UAV for the Design, Build & Fly Contest at Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Technology, Pakistan.
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National University of Sciences & Technology, Pakistan.
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Duration: 08/2010 – 04/2011. Funding Amount: ∼ $1,000 (Share: 100%).