A story of becoming: From student to computational physicist

A story of becoming: From student to computational physicist

As he took his first steps on the American University of Sharjah (AUS) campus, 18-year-old Pierre Kawak did not imagine that, within a few years, he would become a computational polymer physicist and an active mentor, helping scientific communities in the United States.

All the chemical engineering alumnus knew back then was that he was “curious, ambitious and not always fully prepared for how demanding AUS would be.”

“AUS was hard,” Kawak said. “I say that with gratitude now, although I probably would not have said it back then.”

Kawak describes his AUS journey as a “story of empowerment and transformation.”

“The curriculum challenged me, and there were moments of self-doubt, but that difficulty shaped me,” he said. “AUS taught me to work through uncertainty, ask better questions and stay with problems long enough to understand them. These lessons mattered as much as any equation or laboratory technique.”

AUS provided a foundation that “challenged, humbled, encouraged and prepared me for a life in science.”

“I am proud of the journey that began there, and I hope my story reflects what AUS does at its best: helping students become more capable, curious and confident than when they arrived,” he said.

Since leaving AUS where he earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees in chemical engineering, his path has taken him through a PhD in Chemical Engineering at Brigham Young University and into postdoctoral research in the United States.

Today, Kawak’s work focuses on polymer science and computational modeling, using physics-based simulations to understand materials at the molecular level. He studies how molecular structure, interfaces between materials and molecular motion determine material behavior, including rubber-like materials, rigid plastics and engineered polymer blends used in advanced applications. Using computer simulations and theoretical models, he works to explain why materials deform, fail or respond the way they do—and how this understanding can guide the design of stronger, lighter and more efficient materials.

Alongside his research, he has built a strong commitment to mentoring and strengthening scientific communities. He has organized events for early-career researchers in polymer physics, supported postdoctoral scholars through leadership and advocacy and mentored students in molecular simulations and computational science, helping them navigate both technical challenges and broader professional development.

“That commitment traces back to AUS. I benefited from people who took the time to mentor me, and I now see it as my responsibility to do the same for others,” he said. “The mentors I encountered at AUS were central to my journey, including Dr. Ghaleb Husseini, Dr. Naif Darwish, Dr. Rachid Chebbi, Dr. Hussain Ahmed, Dr. Taleb Ibrahim, and many others across mathematics, physics, economics, and philosophy. They modeled what it means to take ideas seriously, to care about students, and to believe that engineering can be both rigorous and creative.”

Becoming an interdisciplinary thinker, Kawak said, is one of the most important gifts AUS gave him.

“I majored in chemical engineering, pursued a minor in economics and took courses that broadened how I think about science, society and human behavior. That combination of technical rigor and intellectual breadth helped shape a way of thinking that I still rely on today—analytical, questioning, curious and open to connections across different fields,” he said.

Kawak’s first real research experiences also came at AUS, where he worked on projects ranging from enhanced oil recovery and microbial wastewater treatment to targeted drug delivery systems for cancer treatment.

“These projects taught me an early but lasting lesson: research is rarely a straight path. It requires patience, creativity, and persistence, along with the willingness to troubleshoot, fail and revise your assumptions when results do not go as expected. That mindset became central to my PhD journey at Brigham Young University and continued to shape my postdoctoral work at the University of South Florida and the University of Wisconsin–Madison,” he explained.

Beyond academics, Kawak’s memories of AUS remain deeply personal.

“Of course, my AUS memories are not only academic,” he said. “I remember the campus, the library, the engineering buildings, the labs, student life, multicultural friendships, cafeterias, tea shops and the small daily rituals that made AUS feel alive. Those memories matter because they remind me that education is not just a sequence of courses. It is an environment, a community and a period of becoming.”

About

Pierre Kawak is a Chemical Engineering alumnus of AUS and a computational polymer physicist. He earned his Bachelor of Science and Master’s of Science in Chemical Engineering at AUS, completed his PhD in Chemical Engineering at Brigham Young University and pursued postdoctoral research at the University of South Florida. He is currently a Research Associate at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he studies polymer materials using molecular simulations and statistical mechanics. Beyond his research, Kawak is actively engaged in mentoring, postdoctoral advocacy, and organizing professional development initiatives for early-career researchers in polymer physics