Laiba Bilal, who also goes by Zenvee Pillay, completed her PhD in electrical engineering at Stony Brook University in May after a journey that spanned two decades and multiple continents.
Bilal began her pursuit of a doctoral degree in 2005 after earning her master’s degree from GIK Institute in Pakistan. However, marriage and family commitments led her to put her academic goals on hold. “I made the difficult decision to step back,” she said. “Letting go of something I had worked so hard for wasn’t easy, but at the time it felt like the right choice.”
After an initial attempt to continue her studies locally in Karachi was derailed by accreditation issues, Bilal tried again in 2011 at Pakistan’s National University of Sciences and Technology. Despite completing coursework there, she described facing significant societal pressure as a woman pursuing advanced studies while raising young children. “I was constantly reminded, sometimes directly and sometimes through subtle comments, that a PhD wasn’t meant for women. And especially not for mothers with young children and a home to manage,” she said.
Ultimately, Bilal chose to prioritize her family during those years. She later moved to New York and resumed her academic path when her daughters were older, gaining acceptance into Stony Brook’s PhD program in 2021.
She credited faculty support as critical throughout this period. “I still remember how Thomas Robertazzi (professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering) and the late Matthew Eisaman (assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy) offered their encouragement,” Bilal recalled. “They reminded me that sometimes you don’t just return, you come back stronger.”
In 2022, joining Anibal Boscoboinik’s group at the Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN) at Brookhaven National Laboratory marked a turning point. Boscoboinik is an adjunct professor at Stony Brook. Under his guidance, Bilal said she regained confidence: “While working with him, I came to understand what a true advisor can do; not just guide research, but lift you up, nurture your growth, and help you reconnect with your purpose and passion.”
Boscoboinik praised Bilal’s work: “From the time Laiba joined my research group, she demonstrated not only strong technical capabilities but also a determination to tackle complex scientific challenges... What made her contributions particularly noteworthy was her ability to successfully translate this foundational research into engineered materials that are now a step closer to real-world applications that can directly benefit society.”
Bilal also acknowledged support from Mónica Bugallo, vice provost for faculty and academic staff development at Stony Brook: “Laiba’s journey is truly inspiring,” Bugallo said. “After a 20-year break, she returned to academia with remarkable resilience and made important contributions to nanomaterials research... Beyond her technical achievements, she has shared her work with broader communities and is a passionate advocate for STEM education and women in science.”
Throughout her doctoral studies Bilal received several honors including the Association for Women in Science Career Re-entry Scholarship Award (2022), Clean Energy Technology Transfer Fellowship (2023), People’s Choice Award at the Three-Minute Thesis Competition (2024), recognition as a Center for Inclusive Education Scholar (2024), and the Armstrong Award for Excellence in Research and Highest GPA (2025). She graduated with a GPA of 4.0.
“These were more than awards to me,” Bilal said. “They were a reflection of healing, purpose, and the strength it takes to return after being away.”
Her leadership roles included chairing CFN's Users Executive Committee and mentoring students working on commercializing noble gas trapping technology developed during her PhD research.
Bilal attributed much of her drive to family influences—her parents’ encouragement early on; continued support from siblings; guidance from professors Emre Salman, Leon Shterengas, Sergey Suchalkin and Vera Gorfinkel; as well as motivation from her husband and three daughters.
“It’s never too late to begin again,” she said. “Even the eagle retreats to shed its feathers and regrow its beak... Where there’s a will, there’s always a way.”
Currently serving as a fellow at CFN at Brookhaven National Laboratory where she leads commercialization efforts around nanocage-based materials developed during her doctorate work, Bilal is considering postdoctoral opportunities—including remaining affiliated with Stony Brook University.
“My eldest daughter is joining SBU this fall as an Honors Scholar,” Bilal noted. “And I am aiming to get into the IRACDA Postdoctoral Fellowship in Fall 2025...”