Chemical engineering alumnus, Reza Eslami, is recognized for ground-breaking health-monitoring research.
Reza Eslami receiving the Governor General Gold Medal from Dr. Mohamed Lachemi, President and Vice-Chancellor of Toronto Metropolitan University)
When Reza Eslami brought up the idea of developing a prototype as part of his doctoral thesis defense, his advisors, while optimistic, cautioned him. Developing a first-of-its-kind self-powered textile wearable was difficult enough. Achieving this milestone in just a few short years with your thesis on the line was downright daunting.
A lifelong believer in “seeing ideas all the way through,” Eslami has often found himself in pursuit of goals deemed out of reach by others. After completing his master’s degree in polymer engineering and working at nanotechnology-based companies in Iran, he decided to move to Canada to advance his research. Going abroad was full of uncertainty, but Eslami was determined to find a research community to support his work. He recalls, “When I came to Canada in 2019, everything was completely new. I didn’t even know what research grants were available in Canada, so I quickly got involved in the research communities.” Eslami soon found the community he was looking for at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) and embarked on a PhD in chemical engineering, championed by his supervisors and professors, Dr. Hadis Zarrin and Dr. Mehrab Mehrvar. With their dedicated support, and a network of experts, funding partners, and laboratories at his fingertips, Eslami was ready to evolve his research and take on a new challenge – increasing the quality of care for those with, or at risk of, diabetes.
Seeing people “struggling with painful self-checking procedures,” Eslami asked himself, “How can I help contribute a solution to this problem?” The answer, he believed, could be found in electrochemistry. Eslami saw the potential of using polymer and nanomaterial science to introduce non-invasive health monitoring solutions. Working alongside Zarrin and the Nanoengineering Laboratory for Energy and Environmental Technologies (NLEET) lab, of which she is the principal investigator, they developed a revolutionary Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) system that could detect glucose levels from bodily fluids, like sweat. Accompanied by other health monitoring systems such as body-motion monitoring sensors, this idea evolved into a comprehensive health monitoring platform.
Drawing inspiration from smart wearables, non-invasive sensors were seamlessly integrated into the textile design. This innovation enables individuals with conditions like diabetes or joint problems to access real-time insights into their health. To ensure uninterrupted connectivity 24/7, they ingeniously designed the wearable to be self-powered. This involves harnessing the user's body movements to generate electricity, which is then stored within the wearable itself.
Building on this momentum in his first year of Ph.D. study, Eslami founded Sensofine Inc., a start-up dedicated to designing health-monitoring wearables that can prevent and manage diabetes. New to the world of commercialization, Eslami again turned to his ever-evolving research community for support. He received funding through the highly acclaimed Mitacs Accelerate Entrepreneur (external link) initiative and learned how to navigate product development and market planning through TMU’s Innovation Boost Zone (external link) . Inspired by the wealth of knowledge acquired throughout his journey, Eslami was poised to transform his wearable concept into a practical solution for the real world.
Eslami demonstrating the wrist-brace prototype as part of his thesis defense
Eslami would lead the development of the prototype’s three core components: sensors, energy harvesting, and storage. However, he recognized that “this was a huge research project and input from others would be needed to tackle it.” Tapping into the power of interdisciplinary collaboration, he coordinated numerous partnerships. OCAD University designers informed the textile design. Researchers from Centennial College, York University, and Mitacs provided valuable insights to Eslami on wearables and flexible electrical challenges. Professors Zarrin and Mehrvar, along with the NLEET lab team, shared advice and soundboarded ideas. Eslami proudly notes, “Along these four years, we generated a lot of collaborative and interdisciplinary research.”
After four years of intensive work, it was time for Eslami’s thesis defense. Eslami demonstrated the prototype’s ability to both self-power itself and assess joint movements – all through a wrist-brace with no clunky batteries or invasive techniques. Amazed by the achievement, one of the thesis committee members said to Eslami’s professors, “There was no way this project could be done in four years.” Reflecting on the experience, Eslami humbly says, “I’m proud to say that I did do this, and it was an excellent accomplishment for me in the end.”
In Eslami’s pursuit to contribute meaningful research and solutions to real-world problems came well-deserved accolades. At his 2023 Fall convocation, Eslami received the Governor General Gold Medal, TMU’s most prestigious academic award, presented annually to the graduate student who achieves the highest academic standing in a graduate degree program. Following this, he was presented with the prestigious 2023 Mitacs Award for Outstanding Innovation — PhD (external link) in recognition of his groundbreaking Mitacs-funded research and innovation among thousands of brilliant researchers. While one might assume Eslami would look to catch his breath after these achievements, he’s only been motivated to tackle new and bigger challenges.
Reza Eslami (centre) at the 13th Mitacs Awards with Steven N. Liss, TMU’s Vice-President, of Research and Innovation (left), and fellow TMU PhD alumnus and host of The Nature of Things, Anthony Morgan (right). Eslami won the 2023 Mitacs Award for Outstanding Innovation — PhD.
A few months after his thesis defense, Eslami began a postdoctoral fellowship at McMaster University. He joined McMaster to apply his energy harvesting and storage expertise to solutions that can combat the effects of climate change. “I always look to grow myself personally, apart from the science, to inform my own journey,” he says. “It’s important to me to bridge lab research and real-world challenges to strengthen myself and do my best to create practical solutions for society.”
Additional Resources