Congratulations to Dr. Malik Hassan, who on March 31, 2026, successfully defended his PhD thesis titled “Additive Manufacturing of Sustainable Thermoplastic Polymers, their Blends and Composites: Processing–Structure–Property Relationships and Applications”. 

Hassan’s research investigated developing sustainable, high-performance materials for additive manufacturing by integrating recycled and biodegradable polymers with optimized processing and structural design. To successfully create these thermoplastic polymers, Hassan used biomass-derived biocarbon, controlled printing parameters, and auxetic geometries to enhance several factors associated with performance and manufacturing: printability, interlayer bonding, mechanical performance, and energy absorption.  

This work provides a practical pathway for advancing sustainable additive manufacturing systems while supporting circular economy strategies and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. 

Hassan has received several awards and recognitions during his PhD journey, including the Irv Poston Detroit Section Scholarship, SPE Automotive & Composites Conference & Exhibition (ACCE) Scholarship, and SPE Foundation Scholarship (TPO Division) from the Society of Plastics Engineers. Additionally, Hassan won 3rd Place in the 3-Minute Pitch Presentation Competition at the Canadian Conference of Chemical Engineering 2024. 

The BDDC commends Dr. Hassan’s hard work and wishes him luck in future endeavors.