Haider Mohamad Razak (BScEE’09, MScEE’12) was named one of the Maritimes’ top 25 immigrants for his vision and leadership in the community.
A PhD candidate and stipend instructor in electrical and computer engineering at UNB, Razak conducts innovative research that has already had a major impact in New Brunswick by integrating renewable energy sources into the existing power grid. He has worked with various projects across the Maritimes such as the Wind Energy Strategic Network (WESNet) Wind Turbine in North Cape, PEI, and is currently working as research assistant at the Emera and NB Power Research Center for Smart Grid Technologies.
As an up-and-coming expert in renewable energy—a field that is growing rapidly worldwide—Razak stands to achieve a great deal more and on an even wider scale throughout the course of his career.
“It was such an honour for me to receive this award. It was also a great motivation for me since I never imagined or even dreamed of being nominated for such a prestigious award. Receiving this award has inspired me to keep working hard and continue being active in my community and take initiative in creating more projects.”
But Razak did not come by his achievements easily. During his youth, he and his family moved from their native Iraq to a number of locations before being accepted for immigration to Canada in 2007.
Once he arrived in Fredericton, Razak once again faced the challenges of becoming part of a new community.
“Communication skills, fitting in in the community, the culture difference are just a few obstacles I personally experienced,” states Razak. “I often had to sit by myself during my breaks at school and I would return to my house right after finishing my classes.”
It was sports that first helped Razak begin to overcome these obstacles. As his self-confidence and fluency in English grew, so did his sense of connection to both the UNB and Fredericton communities.
Because of his perseverance as a student and as an immigrant, Razak has received life-changing opportunities.
“At UNB, I was very fortunate to be mentored by Dr. Liuchen Chang and Dr. S.A. Saleh, world research leaders in renewable energy systems. I also had the chance to work with Dr. Julian Meng, the chair of the ECE department, who supported and helped me a lot in developing my teaching skills.”
When asked how he would encourage others facing difficulties in life, Razak states, “I believe that we all have great potential inside of us and that we are capable of accomplishing anything. We often think that our past experiences are what define who we are, but we forget that this is only part of our personal story and the rest is still being written.”
