Islam Zaher is a Ph.D. candidate in mechanical engineering at McMaster University, where he develops advanced thermal management solutions for electric and hybrid aerospace propulsion systems. He holds a M.A.Sc. from McMaster and a B.Sc. in mechanical engineering from Ain Shams University. His research integrates computational fluid dynamics, turbomachinery cooling, and multi-objective optimization to design efficient cooling architectures for high-speed electric machines. Islam has also contributed to low-NOx combustion technologies during his internship with Pratt & Whitney’s combustion team.
Full Profile
Islam’s passion for heat transfer and fluid dynamics began during his undergraduate studies in mechanical engineering at Ain Shams University in Cairo, where he became fascinated by the potential of innovative cooling techniques to enhance machine performance. This interest led him to pursue graduate studies at McMaster University, where he completed his M.A.Sc. in mechanical engineering. His master’s research focused on applying turbomachinery principles and advanced heat-transfer methodologies to computational modelling, ultimately enabling high-intensity cooling in McMaster’s first high-power-density electric propulsion machine.
Building on this foundation, Islam joined the combustion team at Pratt & Whitney as an intern, where he applied computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to address complex combustion and cooling challenges in jet engines. His contributions supported improvements in low-NOx combustion technologies, aligning with his commitment to sustainable, high-performance aerospace propulsion.
Currently, Islam is a Ph.D. candidate at McMaster University, advancing thermal management strategies for electric and hybrid propulsion systems. His research integrates high-fidelity CFD simulations with multi-objective optimization techniques to design efficient and lightweight cooling architectures for high-speed electric machines. Through this multidisciplinary approach, he aims to bridge advanced heat transfer, turbomachinery innovation, and electric machine technologies to support the development of sustainable propulsion solutions.
Islam’s research interests include thermal management in electric machines and drivetrain systems, turbomachinery cooling techniques, computational fluid dynamics, and multi-objective optimization for aerospace propulsion.
