Dr Elijah Nazarzadeh

Dr Elijah Nazarzadeh is an Iranian-heritage physicist, engineer, and entrepreneur whose research at the University of Glasgow laid the scientific foundations for an entirely new approach to respiratory drug delivery. His doctoral and post-doctoral work focused on the application of surface acoustic wave physics to the control of liquid atomisation — a highly specialised field with profound implications for how inhaled medicines reach patients' lungs.

Recognising the commercial and clinical potential of his research, Elijah pursued commercialisation with a tenacity that earned him a series of prestigious accolades, including selection for the BioCity Accelerator, the Royal Society of Edinburgh's Unlocking Ambition Fellowship (a flagship Scottish Government programme supporting the top 20 entrepreneurs in Scotland), and both EPSRC and MRC grant awards. He also reached the top eight of the Converge Challenge in 2019, the UK's leading university spinout competition.

In April 2019, Elijah co-founded Nebu-Flow as a University of Glasgow spinout, alongside Professor Jonathan Cooper. As CEO, he has guided the company through multiple funding rounds, a prestigious Scottish Edge Higgs Prize, the Institute of Physics Lee Lucas Business Start-Up Award, and a £1 million Innovate UK grant. Nebu-Flow's surface acoustic wave nebuliser technology improves the inhalable fraction of drugs by up to 60% compared to conventional devices, and — critically — can deliver biologics, RNA medicines, and nanomedicines that existing nebulisers simply cannot handle.

In 2024, Nebu-Flow raised £3.7 million in a round backed by the Scottish Venture Fund, Ascension, British Business Bank Investments, and other specialist investors, accelerating development towards inhaled delivery of RNA-based formulations for diseases including asthma, COPD, and cystic fibrosis. Elijah's work has been recognised internationally, including at the Respiratory Drug Delivery Conference in Tucson, Arizona.