Maher Rashwan:
The dentist as inventor: working towards affordable healthcare and a waste-free environment.
Research that led to funding
Rashwan wanted to invent cost-effective ceramic materials used in the dentistry field, so, as a doctor, he can better serve his people, and contribute to a healthier community.
Because his research serves the sustainability and affordability of healthcare systems, and after meeting other qualifying criteria, he was shortlisted and received his Newton Mosharafa PhD scholarship.
After studying at Queen Mary University in London (QMUL), he successfully published his research and received recognition at high profile dentistry-focused conferences in the USA.
Backed by one of the best dental schools in the UK and armed with the ingenuity of his research, he overcame the primary hurdle faced by scientists: funding. In 2020 he received for a GBP 50,000 grant from the Queen Mary Innovation Proof of Concept fund, to bring his invention closer to the production line.
In 2017, dentistry at QUB was ranked 1st in the UK (Guardian University Guide 2017).
Innovation in Unexpected Fields
Rashwan’s curiosity about everything in his field and passion for a cleaner environment led him onto an unexpected path: recycling plastic waste.
Illustration models used in dentistry schools are made of gypsum and other material. By networking with like-minded science enthusiasts and faculty members during his time in the UK, he came up with a new idea.
“From plastic bottles to teaching models” is his project to make illustration models from recycled material. With the help of colleagues, they succeeded in producing 3D printed teaching models using recycled plastic bottles!
UK-Egypt Links
Rashwan wants to transfer learnings to his home university and help rank it among top universities around the world.
In 2019, and through the programme, he connected his home university, Alexandria University with QMUL, who supported one master’s degree project at his department at Alexandria University.
Rashwan says that “Conducting high impact research has always been my dream, and this dream became true, thanks to the Newton-Mosharfa fund''
Newton Moshrafa’s greater goal is to find solutions to the challenges facing Egypt in economic development and social welfare.