Education

Biography

Dr. Mazen L. Hamad received his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Washington in 2003.  He spent 1 year as a joint postdoc focused on analytical technology development with the Center for Process Analytical Chemistry (CPAC) and ICI.  Mazen went on to work as a research chemist for four years at the US Food and Drug Administration where he focused on manufacturing science, process analytical technology, molecular spectroscopy, and pharmaceutical product quality.  Dr. Hamad is currently an associate professor in chemistry at UH Hilo where his focus is on teaching the analytical chemistry and instrumental analysis courses.  When not in the classroom, Mazen enjoys working with various university governance committees, supporting science education at local K-12 schools, mentoring students in undergraduate research, updating chemistry curricula, reviewing articles for scientific journals, and contributing to community science events.

Research Interest

• Process analytical technology
• Molecular and atomic spectroscopy
• Chromatography
• Chemometrics and
• Food, agriculture and pharmaceutical analysis.

Scientific Activities

Awards And Honors

• 2016 University of Hawaii Board of Regents Excellence in Teaching Award for innovation and excellence in teaching chemistry.
• 2008 FDA Scientific Achievement Award for Excellence in Analytical Science
• 2007 Center for Drug Evaluation and Research’s Team Excellence Award, Split Tablet Stability Research Team, "For outstanding efforts in identifying the impact of tablet-splitting on product stability."
• Sigma Xi Outstanding Poster Winner, Centennial FDA Science Forum, Washington, D.C., April 18-20, 2006; awarded for poster: Mazen L. Hamad, Christopher D. Ellison, Alan S. Carlin, Everett H. Jefferson, Mansoor A. Khan, and Robbe C. Lyon; “Imaging-Based Algorithms for Determining the Uniformity of Drug Products and Blends”
• 2006 CDER Scientific Achievement Award, “Excellence in Analytical Science,” Presented to Research Team for Development of Chemometric, Spectroscopic and Imaging Tools to Assess Pharmaceutical Quality
• 1996 ACS Undergraduate Award in Analytical Chemistry
• “Silver Test Tube Award”, Humboldt State University
• Presidential Scholar, Humboldt State University

Memberships

• 'Imiloa Astronomy Center (Patron Member, 2010– 2016)
• American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS, 2009 – 2012)
• Society for Applied Spectroscopy (SAS, 2006 – 2008)
• Secretary (2006 - 2008), Baltimore-Washington section of the SAS
• Coblentz Society (2006 – 2008)

Publications

1. Mazen Lee Hamad,William Engen, Kenneth R. Morris, "Impact of hydration state and molecular oxygen on the chemical stability of levothyroxine sodium", Pharmaceutical Development and Technology, May 2015, 20:3, 314-319.
   
2. Mazen L. Hamad, "Measuring Tablet Dissolution: an Experiment for Teaching Quantitative Ultraviolet Absorption Spectroscopy", The Journal of Chemical Education, 2013, 90:12, 1662-1164.
   
3. Amber Laird, Alan Laird, Mahavir Chougule, Mazen Hamad, Kenneth R Morris, "Thermodynamics Associated with Monitoring Pre-nucleation Aggregation at High Supersaturation", International Journal Pharmaceutical Sciences Review and Research, Jan-Feb 2013, 18:1, 6-12.
   
4. Daniel Hu, Rahul V. Haware, Mazen L. Hamad, Kenneth R. Morris, "Characterization of critical physical and mechanical properties of freeze-dried grape powder for development of a clinical patient delivery system",Pharmaceutical Development and Technology, FEB2013, 18:1, 146-155. 
   
5. Mazen Lee Hamad, "Freezing Point Depression of a Sweet Aqueous Solution",
   General Chemistry Lab 162L: Second Custom Edition of University of Hawai'i at Manoa,ISBN 13: 978-1-256-78576-7, 2012, 15-26.
   
6. Rahul V. Haware, Patrick R. Wright, Kenneth R. Morris, Mazen L. Hamad,  "Data fusion of Fourier transform infrared spectra and powder X-ray diffraction patterns for pharmaceutical mixtures",Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis, 2011, 56:5, 944 – 949.
   
7. Hamad ML, Bowman KJ, Smith NJ, Sheng X, Morris KR.  "Multi-Scale Pharmaceutical Process Understanding: from Particle to Powder to Dosage Form," Chemical Engineering Science, 2010, 65:21, 5625 – 5638.
   
8. Pezzuto JM, Venkatasubramanian V, Hamad ML, Morris KR.  "Unraveling the relationship between grapes and health," The Journal of Nutrition, 2009, 139: 1783S-1787S.
9. Gupta A, Hamad ML, Tawakkul M, Sayeed VA, Khan MA. "Difference in the lubrication efficiency of bovine and vegetable derived magnesium stearate during tableting," AAPS PharmSciTech, 2009, 10: 500-504.
   
10. Yang Y, Carlin AS, Faustino PJ, Motta MIP, Hamad ML, He R, Watanuki Y, Pinnow EE, Khan MA. "Participation of women in clinical trials for new drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2000–2002," 
    J. Women’s Health, March 12, 2009, 18: 303-310.
    
11. Xiang, D., Berry. J., Buntz, B., Gargiulo, P., Cheney, J., Joshi, Y., Wabuyele, B., Wu, H., Hamad, M.L., Hussain, A.S., Khan, M.A.  "Robust calibration design in pharmaceutical quantitative measurements with near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy: Avoiding the chemometric pitfalls," J. Pharm. Sci.2009, 98:  1155-1166.
    
12. Ellison, C.D., Ennis, B.J., Hamad, M.L, Lyon, R.C. Measuring the distribution of density and tabletting force in pharmaceutical tablets by chemical imaging. J. Pharm. Biomed. Anal.(Sept) 2008, 48:1, 1-7.
    
13. Mazen L. Hamad, Abhay Gupta, Rakhi B. Shah, Robbe C. Lyon, Vilayat A. Sayeed, Mansoor A. Khan, “Functionality of magnesium stearate derived from bovine and vegetable sources: Dry granulated tablets,” J. Pharm. Sci.(Dec) 2008, 97: 5328-5340.
    
14. Hamad, M.L., Ellison, C.D., Khan, M. A., Lyon, R.C. "Drug product characterization by Macropixel Analysis of chemical images," J. Pharm. Sci.2007, 96: 3390-3401.
15. Hamad, M. L.; Kailasam, S.; Brodsky, A. M.; Han, R.; Higgins, J. P.; Thomas, D.; Reed, R. A.; Burgess, L. W. "Monitoring of a pharmaceutical nanomilling process using grating light reflection spectroscopy." Applied Spectroscopy2005, 59, 16-25.
    
16. Lenghor, N.; Staggemeier, B. A.; Hamad, M. L.; Udnan, Y.; Tanikkul, S.; Jakmunee, J.; Grudpan, K.; Prazen, B. J.; Synovec, R. E.   “A dynamic liquid–liquid interfacial pressure detector for the rapid analysis of surfactants in a flowing organic liquid.”  Talanta2005, 65, 722-29.
17. Greenwood, M.S.; Brodsky, A.M.; Burgess, L.W.; Hamad, M.L.; Bond, L.J. “Observing Effects of Particle Size for a Slurry Using Ultrasonic Diffraction Grating Spectroscopy.” AIP Conf. Proc.2005, 760, 1729.
18. Koch, M.V.;Hamad, M.L. "Evolving and Improving Process Analytical Technology," European Pharmaceutical Review2004, 3, 46-48.
19. Greenwood, M.S.; Brodsky, A.M.; Burgess, L.W.; Bond, L.J.; Hamad, M.L. “Ultrasonic diffraction grating spectroscopy and characterization of fluids and slurries,” Ultrasonics 2004, 42, 531-536.