“I did not know that Pakistan has huge potential in the membrane field.” This was the response of two of the most prominent personalities in the field of membrane sciences, Dr Richard Baker and Prof. Haiqing Lin, after attending the first International Conference on Membrane Separations (ICMS) on February 27th and 28th, 2023.
Organized by the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and the Laboratory of Advanced Membranes and Separations at LUMS, this one-of-its-kind conference in Pakistan brought leading membrane scientists in academia and industry from across Pakistan to exchange ideas with global membrane experts. More than 200 participants from around the world attended ICMS 2023.
With five plenary speakers and sixteen keynote speakers, the two-day conference became a synergy of ideas spanning both theoretical and practical applications of membrane technology.
Prof. Klaus-Viktor immensely enjoyed the mix of speakers, but he was genuinely fascinated by interacting with an engaging audience. “What impressed me was the number of questions from the audience and the lively discussion that took place. This is quite unusual. Most conferences I have attended only have a few or no questions from the auditorium,” remarked Prof. Klaus-Viktor.
Students actively participated in the conference discussions and showcased their research through poster presentations. Fifty students from within and outside Pakistan presented their posters. Muhammad Hafi Wadgama from LUMS, Victor Manuel, PhD candidate from the University of Cantabria in Spain and Ayesha Bilal from COMSATS Lahore won the first, second and third prizes, respectively.
