Fahad Hossain (MS '10, PhD '14)
An Incredible Journey
For KAUST alumnus Fahad Hossain, the last decade has been an incredible journey. Rewind to 2009 before arriving at KAUST, and Fahad admits that back then (as an undergraduate student at the University of Nottingham) he had no idea what research was, or what it took to be a researcher. His first real introduction came through the early conversations he had with Professor Muhammad Hussain who later became Fahad’s PhD supervisor at KAUST.
After completing his MS as a (Founding Class student) in 2010, followed by his PhD in 2014, Fahad moved to the US to take up a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, Berkeley. Although he arrived at Berkeley to pursue a career in academia, with Silicon Valley a lure for so many of his colleagues, other opportunities arose. Fahad founded the start-up Serinus Labs Inc, the world`s first manufacturer of integrated silicon gas sensors. The company develops mobile integrated gas sensing solutions for consumer and industrial applications for air quality monitoring, safety and preventive healthcare.
Making an Impact
Fahad always wanted to make an impact, and for him this meant moving away from academia to focus on industry. His breakthrough came in 2016 when he obtained funding from the US National Science Foundation. “They have an industry and university research collaboration program where their goal is to translate technology from the lab into the real world within as short a time span as possible. We were one of their test cases.” He used the funding from Federal Government to develop sensors that not only use very little power, but are also economical for monitoring air quality. “It was a big hit, and because it got picked up in the media we got a lot of traction.”
“In 2017, after a lot of consideration and despite an uncertain future, we took the decision to incorporate with no funding,” said Fahad, “and fortunately the US has great funding for small businesses in deep technology.” Serinus Labs Inc. is part of the Berkeley Sensor & Actuator Center (BSAC). In 2018 they were contracted by NASA to develop multi-gas sensors for the next generation of space suits. These sensors measure the air quality for the astronauts when they are recirculating air in their spacesuits. NASA then, was Fahad’s first customer.
Building an Empire
We asked pre-COVID-19 what was in store for Fahad over the next ten years? “Building empires in industry,” he replied with a laugh. Jokes aside and in the present, Serinus Labs Inc. plans to look at the use of sensors in post-harvest produce management, since produce in transit spoils quickly. Another application for the sensors also in the pipeline is as an early warning for battery safety in electric vehicles. It’s no wonder then that Fahad sees himself as an entrepreneur first and foremost, although he is quick to clarify, “but I will always be an engineer.”
Fahad’s journey has not only been about work. In his spare time, he is a great automobile enthusiast. “I would love to work with cars – I’m a petrol head!” With this in mind, Fahad loves to visit automobile shows and makes a point of staying up to date with everything to do with cars; it’s no surprise then that Fahad also loves to be behind the wheel of a car. Let’s see then, where the next road takes him.
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