Abdullah Fawzy

Abdullah is a third-year student in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, studying Engineering Science with a major in Engineering Physics. Abdullah participated in the Engineering Science Research Opportunity Program (ESROP), a program that provides support for Year 1 and 2 EngSci students to conduct research with U of T faculty members and researchers during the summer. For his ESROP, Abdullah worked in the Helmy Lab on a project focused on photonics and non-linear optics research.

Abdullah helped to assemble, regulate and improve a novel frequency‑modulated continuous‑wave (FMCW) LiDAR system that utilised nonlinear optical frequency conversion techniques, for applications in long-term ranging at high precision. He was also responsible for designing and validating an RF electronic circuit board intended for use within an active phase-locking loop of a separate novel optoelectronic ranging setup. These main applications for these techniques is in electric vehicles, metrology and telecommunications.

For Abdullah, what stood out to him throughout this process was the “iterative and cyclical nature of research.” As he explained, “One needs to have the intrinsic ability to recognize when subtle features have been optimized enough, as well as having the patience and immense troubleshooting skills to perfect these features when they haven’t been optimized enough.” Moreover, he came to understand the importance of an interdisciplinary approach and the way that using multiple approaches to solve a problem can yield robust results.

Currently, Abdullah is taking courses to further supplement the research he undertook through ESROP. After finishing his undergraduate degree, Abdullah intends to pursue graduate studies where he hopes to combine “the knowledge and experience of both research and industry.”

Research Type(s): Research Skills Training, Summer Research Programs