Forhad Akhter is a Graduate Research Assistant at the Mechanical Engineering Department of the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). He earned a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from UTSA in December 2021. He completed his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering in August 2020 from UTSA, and B.S. in Mechanical Engineering in October 2009 from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Tech (BUET), Bangladesh. He worked at Unilever, Bangladesh for six years as a Manufacturing Engineer. His research focused on design and development of innovative medical devices and treatment methods. He worked on characterizing a portable suction device for combat medics, and published peer reviewed articles. His current research focuses on implementing Plasmonic Photothermal Therapy (PPTT) using gold nanoparticles and near infrared lasers for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. He is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), American Society of Lasers in Surgery and Medicine, and Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES).