Hi, welcome to my website. I am Turash Haque Pial, currently a postdoctoral scholar at Northwestern University. I am passionate about people, science, engineering, and art. 

Looking back on my life, I realize my true calling is an explorer. I have always had a curious and problem-solving mindset, and I am enthusiastic about using engineering and science to improve human life, as evidenced by all of my research work. However, what fuels my passion is discovering people's potential to tackle complex tasks, which I thoroughly enjoyed in various leadership roles. Additionally, I am deeply passionate about exploring the wonders of nature and the arts and find great joy in doing so. You may find me hiking a mountain on a long weekend.

I am originally from Bangladesh and got my bachelor's in mechanical engineering from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology. It was a fun time; we made a fully functioning, fuel-efficient car (brag alert: I was the team leader for the seemingly impossible adventure!). In my junior year, I developed an interest in research and used finite element analysis and molecular simulation to understand materials' fracture mechanics. My undergraduate thesis was selected as a Highly Commended Entrant in Physics and Mathematics at The Global Undergraduate Award (top 10%).

I obtained my PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Maryland (that too in only 3 and half years). My research was focused on analyzing polyelectrolytes and liquid flow near polyelectrolytes in the lab of Dr. Siddhartha Das. It was a productive and satisfactory time; I published 13 journal articles combining sophisticated molecular dynamics simulations, data analysis, and machine-learning techniques. Guiding other graduate students as an expert(ohh, okay there !) and interacting with undergraduate students as their teaching assistants helped me polish my people-managing skills. 

Currently, I am working with Dr. Monica Olvera de-la Cruz on a highly collaborative project at Northwestern University. I am leading the computational effort to understand our collaborators' (John Hopkins University, University of Chicago, Bristol Myers Squibb) experimental results on self-assembly-driven protein purification. 

I have had the opportunity to work on some truly impactful projects and organizations. For instance, I served as the academic coordinator for the Bangladesh Mathematical Olympiad Committee for two years. During that time, I was responsible for preparing Olympiad exams, organizing math camps, and creating educational materials. I led a team of over 30 academic volunteers and our efforts paid off in a big way: over 40,000 attendees benefited from our work. After my time with the Olympiad Committee, I continued on as a junior consultant on a government project in Bangladesh. My contributions to the project's initial planning, teaching material preparation, and workshop design were instrumental in its further success.

I hope you enjoy browsing this website and discovering more about my interests and work. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or comments.

Stay happy!