Fatima Mujib Bilqees () was a

Pakistani Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...

scientist A scientist is a person who Scientific method, researches to advance knowledge in an Branches of science, area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engag ...

, specialised in

parasitology Parasitology is the study of parasites, their host (biology), hosts, and the relationship between them. As a List of biology disciplines, biological discipline, the scope of parasitology is not determined by the organism or environment in questio ...

, particularly

helminthology Helminthology is the study of parasitic worms (helminths). The field studies the taxonomy of helminths and their effects on their hosts. The origin of the first compound of the word is the Greek '' ἕλμινς'' - helmins, meaning "worm". In ...

Early life

Bilqees was born on February 10, 1936. She did her

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 ...

in Parasitology from

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

in 1966. She did her

higher doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

(Sc.D) from

States State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

and D.Sc from

University of Karachi The University of Karachi (; informally Karachi University, KU, or UoK) is a public research university located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Established in June 1951 by an act of Parliament and as a successor to the University of Sindh (which is ...

in 1979. She was also a diploma holder of

World Cultural Council The World Cultural Council is an international organization whose goals are to promote cultural values, goodwill and philanthropy among individuals. The organization founded in 1982 and based in Mexico, has held a yearly award ceremony since 198 ...

, Germany.

Career

Bilqees began her career as a scientist by publishing scientific articles in

Urdu language Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

, She published more than 75 scientific articles in this language. She also published more than 500 research papers in the

English language English is a West Germanic language that developed in early medieval England and has since become a English as a lingua franca, global lingua franca. The namesake of the language is the Angles (tribe), Angles, one of the Germanic peoples th ...

as well as multiple books. She initiated the ''Pakistan Journal of Parasitology'' in 1985, which publishes international research work in the field. This journal is published twice a year covering research papers, review articles and bibliographies on all aspects of parasitic groups. She was also a member of various academic societies such as Helminthological Society of Washington and

Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World The Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) is an International organization, international organisation that provides research training, career development and networking opportunities for women scientists throughout t ...

. She also served as 'Vice-President (South)' in Zoological society of Pakistan.

Personal life

Bilqees had two daughters. She died on February 7, 2016, at the age of 79.

Legacy

Almost 1000 worms have been discovered by her and 40 new species have been named after her. She also has a place on wall of doctoral faculty in many universities because she supervised doctoral research programs in many including University of Baluchistan,

Jinnah University for Women The Jinnah University for Women (JUW) () is a private research university in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. It is an all-woman university and is the first women's university in the country. Established as a post-graduate college, its status as full ...

Federal Urdu University The Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology (); alternatively known as FUUAST) is a public university primarily located at Islamabad, Pakistan. The university has two satellite campuses; the central campus is located in Islamaba ...

and

Sindh University The University of Sindh (; ; informally known as Sindh University) is a public research university in Pakistan located in the city of Jamshoro in the Sindh province. It is one of the oldest universities in Pakistan and was certified by ISO in 2 ...

Awards

Bilqees won the following major awards for her academic work: * Life Time Achievement Award by Zoological Society of Pakistan in recognition of ''her life long research contributions in the field of Parasitology'' * Shield for Scientific Contribution in Plant Nematology by

Karachi University The University of Karachi (; informally Karachi University, KU, or UoK) is a public research university located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Established in June 1951 by an act of Parliament and as a successor to the University of Sindh (which is ...

* Nishan-e-Azmat-e-Ilm by Karachi University * Gold medal from 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 ...

in recognition of ''her research contributions in Zoology'' * Women scientist award from the President of Pakistan.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bilqees, Fatima Mujib Pakistani scientists 1936 births 2016 deaths Women parasitologists Parasitologists Helminthologists Pakistani women scientists