Nazir Ahmed (physicist)

For other people with the same name, see Nazir Ahmed.

Nazir Ahmed
Ahmed (right) with Queen Elizabeth II
Born(1898-05-01)1 May 1898
Lahore, Punjab, British India
(now in Punjab, Pakistan)
Died30 September 1973(1973-09-30) (aged 75)
Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
NationalityPakistani
Alma materMuhammadan Anglo-Oriental College, British India
University of Cambridge, UK
Known forNuclear power generation programme
AwardsGold Medal from Pakistan Academy of Sciences
Scientific career
FieldsExperimental Physics
InstitutionsPakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC),
Technological Laboratory, India
Federal Bureau of Statistics
Doctoral advisorErnest Rutherford[1][2]

Nazir Ahmed (or Nazir Ahmad) OBE (1 May 1898 – 30 September 1973) was an experimental physicist and the first chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) from 1956 to 1960.[3]

Ahmed was the first vice president of Pakistan central Cotton Committee from 1948 to 1956.

Life

Ahmed attended the University of Cambridge, UK, receiving PhD in experimental physics working with Ernest Rutherford[1] in 1925[4] from Cambridge University; his PhD thesis title was "Absorption and scattering of γ-rays".[5]

In 1926 Ahmed joined Arthur Holly Compton's expedition to Kashmir to study the effects of altitude and latitude on cosmic rays.[1]

In 1930, Ahmed came back to India, where he was appointed assistant director at the Technological Laboratory, Central Cotton Committee of India, and became its director after one year.[4] While living in Bombay, he married Razia, a member of the Khader Nawaz Khan family of Madras and the Carnatic Sultanate; her sister Rafia married Ahmed's friend, the naval officer HMS Choudri.

On 9 June 1938, George VI appointed Ahmed an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.

In 1945, Ahmed was appointed member of the Indian Tariff Board.[4]

After the partition of India, Ahmed migrated to Karachi in Pakistan, where he held various positions, such as joint secretary of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Pakistan Development Board.[4] In 1956, he became the first chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), a post he held until 1960.[4][6]

Ahmed was involved in efforts to build a heavy water plant at Multan, but the Pakistan Industrial Development Corporation turned down his request.[7] In 1960, he was transferred to Ministry of Science and Technology under the administration of President Ayub Khan.

Fellowships

Award named after Ahmad

Research papers

  • Tubewell Theory and Practice, published by Pakistan Academy of Sciences – (Nazir Ahmed) (1979).[9]
  • Survey of Fuels & Electric Power Resources in Pakistan, published by Pakistan Academy of Sciences – (Nazir Ahmed) (1972).[9]

References

  1. ^ a b c "University of the Punjab – Science". University of the Punjab. Retrieved 15 September 2023. The expedition included Professor James Martin Benade (Professor of Physics at Forman Christian College Lahore) and Dr. Nazir Ahmad (a PhD student of Ernest Rutherford at Cambridge who later on became the First Chairman of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission in 1956).
  2. ^ Qureshi, I.H. (13 October 2005). "Recollections from the early days of the PAEC". The Nucleus. 42 (1–2): 7–11.
  3. ^ Adeel Khan (7 June 2001). "History of Pakistan's Nuclear Power Industry". Ryerson University website. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e I.H. Qureshi (2005). "Recollection from the early days of the PAEC (Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission)" (PDF). The Nucleus. 42 (1–2): 7–11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 February 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  5. ^ "Cambridge University Library Catalogue iDiscovery site entry for Nazir. Ahmad". idiscover.lib.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  6. ^ A. Gill (2006). "Pakistani Nuclear Program 1-5". Owl's Tree website. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  7. ^ "Pakistan: Nuclear Chronology (1953-1970): March 1958". Nuclear Threat Initiative website. 2005. Archived from the original on 8 October 2008. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  8. ^ 'Deceased Fellows List' of the Pakistan Academy Of Sciences Pakistan Academy of Sciences website, Retrieved 6 May 2020
  9. ^ a b Ahmed's research paper publications from 1972 and 1979 on Pakistan Academy Of Sciences website Retrieved 6 May 2020