Team Member

Biography

Nawaz is currently a Ph.D. student at the University of Waterloo, School of Pharmacy under the supervision of Dr. Paul Spagnuolo. He holds a B.Sc. in Health Studies and Biostatistics as well as an M.Sc. in Pharmacy from the University of Waterloo. Nawaz’s undergraduate and graduate training was in neuropsychopharmacology focusing on G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) and drug discovery for neurological disorders. Nawaz gained extensive experience working in the field of acute ischemic stroke, demonstrating that a certain serotonin binding GPCR uniquely signals growth factor receptors to mitigate ischemic damage in neurons.

Nawaz’s current Ph.D. project stems directly from on-going groundbreaking research on avocado derived lipids in Dr. Spagnuolo’s laboratory. In direct collaboration with an industry partner, Advanced Orthomolecular Research, Nawaz will lead the pre-clinical, clinical, and commercial development of an avocado derived nutraceutical.