• Project involves fabricating and optimization of a new carbon fiber material through a complex natural product.• Performed laboratory tests to characterize the properties of products. Developed approaches to solutions for numerous experimental challenges regarding to the complex nature of raw material. Analyzed results and presented findings utilizing scientific methods and principles.• A variety of techniques were used to characterize the fiber products including tensile strength testing, SEM and other chemical characterizations (NMR, FTIR, DSC, etc.).• Organized meetings with stakeholders from Alberta Innovation, Nexen and Sherbrooke University, prepared and obtained presentations for the review of this project.• Provided training of instrument operation for new users.Outcome - Developed an asphaltene-based carbon fiber using a melt-spinning method. With less than a year of research and investigation, a product was successfully fabricated with competitive performance compared with commercial carbon fibers. It is worth to note that, with the dedicated and efficient work, the project goal was achieved notably earlier than the originally proposed timeline.• Led a research project to improve the efficiency of currently applied methods of bitumen production from oil sands. The supervisor for this project was Professor Zhenghe Xu.Outcome - Researched and conducted experimentations to determine the effects of different additives to the system. Such additives included surfactants, polymers, caustic, etc. • Assisted a research group along with colleagues in the U.K (University of Leeds, Infineum) to plan experiments and draft proposals to a national laboratory (Institut Laue-Langevin, France)Outcome - The proposal was accepted and the experiments provided a unique perspective to understand the role of different micro- and nano-fragments in oil sands mixture.