Nazir Ahmed (or Nazir Ahmad) (1 May 1898 – 30 September 1973) was an

experimental physicist Experimental physics is the category of disciplines and sub-disciplines in the field of physics that are concerned with the observation of physical phenomena and experiments. Methods vary from discipline to discipline, from simple experiments and o ...

and the first

chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

of the

Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) () is a federally funded independent governmental agency, concerned with research and development of nuclear power, promotion of nuclear science, energy conservation and the peaceful use of nuclear techn ...

(PAEC) from 1956 to 1960. Ahmed was the first vice president of Pakistan central Cotton Committee from 1948 to 1956.

Life

Ahmed attended the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

, UK, receiving

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

experimental physics Experimental physics is the category of disciplines and sub-disciplines in the field of physics that are concerned with the observation of physical phenomena and experiments. Methods vary from discipline to discipline, from simple experiments and o ...

working with

Ernest Rutherford Ernest Rutherford, 1st Baron Rutherford of Nelson (30 August 1871 – 19 October 1937) was a New Zealand physicist who was a pioneering researcher in both Atomic physics, atomic and nuclear physics. He has been described as "the father of nu ...

in 1925 from Cambridge University; his PhD thesis title was "Absorption and scattering of γ-rays". In 1926 Ahmed joined

Arthur Holly Compton Arthur Holly Compton (September 10, 1892 – March 15, 1962) was an American particle physicist who won the 1927 Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery of the Compton effect, which demonstrated the particle nature of electromagnetic radiation ...

's expedition to Kashmir to study the effects of altitude and latitude on

cosmic rays Cosmic rays or astroparticles are high-energy particles or clusters of particles (primarily represented by protons or atomic nuclei) that move through space at nearly the speed of light. They originate from the Sun, from outside of the Solar ...

. In 1930, Ahmed came back to

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, where he was appointed

assistant director The role of an assistant director (AD) on a film includes tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, and maintaining order on the set. They also have ...

at the Technological Laboratory, Central Cotton Committee of India, and became its director after one year. While living in

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

, he married Razia, a member of the Khader Nawaz Khan family of

Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...

and the

Carnatic Sultanate The Carnatic Sultanate (Persian: ; Tamil: ; Urdu: ) also known as Carnatic State or Arcot State was a kingdom in southern India between about 1690 and 1855, ruled by a Muslim nawab under the legal purview of the Nizam of Hyderabad, until their ...

; her sister Rafia married Ahmed's friend, the naval officer

HMS Choudri Haji Mohammad Siddiq Choudri MBE (Urdu: ; b. 1912—27 February 2004), popularly known as HMS Choudhri, was a Pakistan Navy admiral who was the first native Commander in Chief of Pakistan Navy. In 1953, he was appointed as second Commander ...

. On 9 June 1938,

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952 ...

appointed Ahmed an

Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

. In 1945, Ahmed was appointed member of the Indian Tariff Board. After the

partition of India The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Dominion of India, Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Paki ...

, Ahmed migrated to

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

, where he held various positions, such as joint secretary of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Pakistan Development Board. In 1956, he became the first

of the

(PAEC), a post he held until 1960. Ahmed was involved in efforts to build a heavy water plant at

Multan Multan is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, fifth-most populous city in the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province of Pakistan. Located along the eastern bank of the Chenab River, it is the List of cities in Pakistan by populatio ...

, but the Pakistan Industrial Development Corporation turned down his request. In 1960, he was transferred to Ministry of Science and Technology under the administration of

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Ayub Khan Mohammad Ayub Khan (14 May 1907 – 19 April 1974) was a Pakistani military dictator who served as the second president of Pakistan from 1958 until his resignation on 1969. He was the first native commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Army, se ...

Fellowships

* A fellow of the

Pakistan Academy of Sciences The Pakistan Academy of Sciences () (Abbreviations and Acronyms, abbreviated as: PAS), is a learned society of sciences, which described itself as "a repository of the highest scientific talent available in the country." Established in 1953 in ...

(1953–1970).'Deceased Fellows List' of the Pakistan Academy Of Sciences
Pakistan Academy of Sciences website, Retrieved 6 May 2020

Award named after Ahmad

*To honor his services, ''Dr. Nazir Ahmad Award'' was named after him by the

Research papers

* Tubewell Theory and Practice, published by

– (Nazir Ahmed) (1979). * Survey of Fuels & Electric Power Resources in Pakistan, published by Pakistan Academy of Sciences – (Nazir Ahmed) (1972).Ahmed's research paper publications from 1972 and 1979 on Pakistan Academy Of Sciences website
Retrieved 6 May 2020

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ahmed, Nazir 1898 births 1973 deaths Pashtun scientists Pakistani physicists Alumni of the Victoria University of Manchester Nazir, Ahmed Fellows of Pakistan Academy of Sciences Chairpersons of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission Presidents of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences