Ghori has led the initiative to transform water supplies into affordable drinking water in South Punjab, Pakistan, as some of the water supply in the area is “not suitable for human consumption”. 

After taking home the award from the Pakistan Science and Technology Awards hosted by the Pakistan Consulate in Manchester last month, Ghori said it’s “humbling that our ongoing work in sustainable materials and water purification has been recognised”. 

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The pharmacist is senior research fellow in the University of Huddersfield’s pharmacy department, and he has received funding for his research through the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) which is managed by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). 

The research has focused on a raw mineral called montmorillonite found in the Koh-e-Suleiman mountain range located in South Punjab, an area largely dependent on agriculture and faces high levels of poverty and unemployment. 

It’s a versatile nanomaterial know for absorption properties, so it has potential to be used in water purification, as well as in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and animal feed. 

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Ghori’s team had created a sustainable process for industrial use of montmorillonite, and it is hoped this can “breathe life into the economy” and local employment opportunities will arise from this. 

The research paper received a Top 100 Chemistry Award from the Nature journal, and Huddersfield head of pharmacy Professor Barbara Conway praised Ghori for “turning scientific research into practical solutions that benefit people”. 

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Ghori is originally from Sahiwal in Punjab and completed a doctor of pharmacy degree at the Bahauddin Zakariya University in the Southern Punjab city of Multan, before taking up his postdoctoral study at the University of Huddersfield in 2010. 

It comes after the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) president was given an award by the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) for her “lasting impact on the international pharmacy community”.