Meet Dr. Faisal Zeeshan ‑ new Postdoc at STC

Can you tell us a little about your background?

During my academic endeavors, I worked to acquire various and complementary skills in different fields as evidenced by opting for Physics and Mathematics for Bachelor degree from the University of the Punjab, Pakistan to be able to understand the basic sciences. For my Master studies, I have chosen Lund University, Sweden because it is one of northern Europe’s oldest universities and is consistently ranked among the world's top 100 universities.

For my Master thesis, I made an Erasmus exchange student and went to Basel University, Switzerland. My Master thesis was titled as “Test of a low noise/ low power preamplifer for the PANDA Electromagnetic Calorimeter”. For my doctorate studies, I received funding from the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and completed my doctorate from the University of Fribourg, Switzerland. My doctorate thesis was based on three different projects which belong to the domain of inner-shell atomic physics and high energy resolution X-ray spectroscopy.

Besides that, I have also participated to several other experiments performed at the Swiss Light Source (SLS) of the Paul, Scherrer Institute (PSI), Villigen, Switzerland, and at the Synchrotron Radiation Facility MAX III in Lund, Sweden.

What is your area of interest?

My areas of interest include X-ray spectroscopic techniques such as Extended X-Ray Absorption Fine Structure Spectroscopy (EXRAFS), high-resolution X-Ray Emission Spectroscopy (XES) and X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF). My doctoral thesis has delivered significant work. The first project consisted in the development of a new setup based on an existing x-ray crystal spectrometer for in-house XAS measurements. The second one was devoted to the detailed investigation of the double K-shell ionization of several 3d transition elements induced by electron impact, whereas in the third project I has analyzed and interpreted the data of an experiment performed at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL), in Mento park, USA, to clarify the chemical sensitivity of photoinduced Kβ hypersatellite transition in metallic Chromium and several Chromium compounds.

What is it that you are going to investigate here at STC?

I will be a part of Mid Sweden Univerfsity's Next Generation Measurement Systems (XGeMS) where there is a focus on environmental measurement technology based on Internet of Things (IoT), in addition to performing measurements using a data network of sensors. I will also be working in the MiLo project with the development of an in-house setup for the XRF K-edge measurements of the inorganic substances within the fiber bank. I also plan to develop measurement methods for seawater contents of inorganic environment pollutants.

Why did you choose Mid Sweden University?

Mid Sweden University has a strong collaboration with the industry and the Institutionen för elektronikkonstruktion (EKS) is one of the strongest departments at Mid Sweden University. THe university is well established in the field of X-ray technology. Via CERN and the Medipix collaboration, and has access to an advanced readout chip (Medipix/ Timepix) that provides good opportunity to develop sensitive X-Ray analysis equipment.

How do you like it here so far? 

Sweden has always inspired me because of its very friendly environment and social norms. No difficulty to communicate with locals as every one can speak in English and they are always willing to teach you Swedish. So, I am having a really great time.

What do you do in your spare time?

I live here in Sundsvall and I really enjoy the snow and the nature that surrounds the city. I found some wonderful tracks for hiking around the city. I also like to go to the fitness center and spend spare time with friends. I am also learning Swedish language and was amazed by knowing that the university offers free courses. I like to cook Pakistani food sometimes.