Manzar Abbas

Dr. Manzar Abbas serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Khalifa University, where he leads research in peptide-based nanomaterials and synthetic biology applications.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Material Chemistry from Chinese Academy of Sciences (2017), earned with distinction under fully-funded scholarship
• M.Phil. in Chemistry from Institute of Chemical Sciences, Bahauddin Zakariya University

Research Interests:

His pioneering work centers on Peptide Supramolecular Chemistry, developing novel short peptide derivatives exhibiting liquid-liquid phase separation to create coacervate compartments for protocell research—providing fundamental insights into life's origins. This extends to Colloid and Interfaces studies, Advanced Drug Delivery systems, and evaluating Antibiotics and anticancer activities of biomaterials. His interdisciplinary approach bridges synthetic biology, materials science, and therapeutic development with significant implications for origin-of-life theories and nanomedicine.

Scientific Awards:

• Doctoral degree with distinction (2017)
• Marie Curie Individual Fellowship for PEPREP project

Advising and Grants:

Dr. Abbas mentors PhD student Faisal Rasool and supervises postdoctoral researchers Muhammad Younis and Iliyas Khan. His research is funded through competitive mechanisms including the prestigious Marie Curie Fellowship, which supported his development of coacervate compartment technology at Radboud University. Current projects involve editing special collections for ChemBioChem and Chemistry: A European Journal.

Research Group:

His laboratory focuses on peptide-derived nanomaterials for synthetic cells and drug delivery systems, maintaining active collaborations evidenced by publications in Nature Chemistry and Advanced Materials. The team's work on protocell compartments represents cutting-edge research in prebiotic chemistry and therapeutic encapsulation technologies.