ITS NOT AN EASY ROAD…
Yes, it’s Dr. Kamaluddin Abdur-Rashid, founder president and chief technology officer of Kanata Chemical Technologies Inc., founded in 2004 in Canada.
To his UWI mates, he is better known as Comet, the moniker given him on his arrival at Chancellor Hall (Block D), where he domiciled after coming from Morant Bay High School in 1986.
Kamal was the proverbial ‘country’ boy who moved to ‘town’ to get tertiary education. Born in Clarendon, he grew up in rural St. Thomas in what he described as the typical Jamaican family and was the first of five siblings to attend the UWI. He got bitten by the science and technology bug at UWI, where he declared, “I had the best lecturers, including my Ph.D. supervisor and mentor, Professor Tara Dasgupta, the best environment and opportunities for growth.”
Reminiscing on his early days, he said, “UWI was not what I expected. It was not a lonely road, but rather, a place where I found friends, support and the greatest opportunity to excel.”
Life on Chancellor Hall made his UWI experience very memorable. “I appreciated the friendships made and the support systems that always seemed to be present at the UWI, Mona. They made the challenges of campus life meaningful and worthwhile.” And as for orientation with Chancellor Hall well-known for its rigors, he recalled, “…it was a blast and in great fun and good taste.” He was an active member of the UWI team, trying his legs at athletics and other activities “to play my part on campus.”
At the UWI, Kamal laid the foundation that would later result in a huge discovery in Chemistry, one that was met with much scepticism, but later embraced for its innovation and unconventional nature. “I chose Special Chemistry for two reasons: Chemistry was always my favourite subject and I was not sure what career path I was going to take, but I wanted to ensure that I had good grades,” he shared with us.
After completing his undergraduate degree in Special Chemistry, a number of options opened to him. He was offered admission to complete a Medical degree, and at the same time he was offered a scholarship to undertake Postgraduate studies. It was then that Kamal decided Chemistry was his calling.
At age 19, while on campus, he converted to Islam. He also recognised the deep love he had for Ayesha whom he married in 1991. Family and religion he observed are very important to him and have kept him driven and grounded over the years.
Dr. Abdur-Rashid determined he wanted to do more professionally than he was able to locally and emigrated to Canada in 1997. With his impressive credentials, he expected to land a job and be able to take care of his family – then his wife and three children – Kamar, Zaahirah and Sharifa (his fourth child Kareem was born in Canada) – while furthering his career.
It was not as easy as he envisaged. “It was very challenging coming to Canada, it was like starting life all over again,” Dr. Abdur-Rashid reflected. “It was an eye-opening experience for me. It was difficult to get a job. In fact, I got no job offers during my first six months in Canada. I survived mainly because my wife, Ayesha had such faith in me, the patience to weather the struggles and enough love to keep me and the children happy and confident.”
The next best thing, Kamal decided, was to become a volunteer, in order to gain the North American experience desired by potential employers. He joined a research group in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Toronto (U of T) in 1998. As the postdoctoral fellow of the research group he was able to get a foot into the classroom, which enabled him to start earning an income, at last.
It was while working with the research group that he stumbled upon a discovery that would change his life, shifting his focus somewhat from academics to entrepreneurship.
“The experience was most rewarding. I was quick to learn and my colleagues were willing to share their knowledge. I got involved in a different area of chemistry and transformed the group from concentrating on purely academic research to one focussing on applied catalysis research.”
Undertaking applied research, Kamaluddin realised the potential for grant funding, which would enable him to be hired as a full-time senior research associate at U of T, and also the potential for significant discoveries. He was right, and in his words, “…I stumbled across and developed a new class of catalysts that was very active and very useful for a variety of industrial applications.”
This was a turning point in his life. Hard work eventually paid off…a significant breakthrough in industrial catalysis was realised. This created a new set of challenges as his supervisor who had initially distanced himself from Dr. Abdur-Rashid’s work, wanted to take full credit for his discovery. The situation was soon resolved as his supervisor admitted, in writing, that Dr. Abdur-Rashid was the one who was the originator.
The humble Jamaican fellow, on receiving the written disclaimer, reached a legal settlement with the professor and the University. The end result, Dr. Kamaluddin Abdur-Rashid became the owner of the Intellectual Property Rights for research he conducted at U of T.
Challenging himself in 2004 he started his company, Kanata Chemical Technologies Inc., after securing several additional patents while working at Wilfrid Laurier University from 2002 to 2003. It was now time to get down to business and expand on the technologies he had discovered.
Dr. Kamaluddin Abdur-Rashid (left) and staff of Kanata Chemical Technologies (KCT), with Premier of Ontario, the Hon Dalton McGuity (right), during his recent visit to KCT
Today, his company’s research and the industrial implementation of innovative technologies continue. The current focus is on the development and applications of catalytic processes for the industrial production of the active ingredients in pharmaceuticals, fragrances and flavours. The company is also in the process of commercializing a new chemical hydrogen storage technology, in which hydrogen is stored as a solid and released by a catalyst on demand.
“What I was able to accomplish required resources, but more so lots of dedication and diligence,” said Dr. Abdur-Rashid. “If we find dedicated students and researchers at the UWI, who are willing to commit their time and effort and are highly motivated, then I believe that what I was able to do here in Canada can also happen in Jamaica.”
His advice to current UWI students, “Work hard, take time out for friends and family and be focused, be dedicated and believe in yourselves
