Dr. Prof. Ishfaq Ahmad, Minister of State, Sitara-i-Imtiaz, Hilal-i-Imtiaz, Nishan-i-Imitiaz, is a Pakistani nuclear physicist and well-known educationist of Pakistan. He is currently advisor to the Prime Minister of Pakistan on strategic and scientific programs, with the status of Federal Minister, and was the chairman of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission from 1991-2001.
Education
With his master's degree, he obtained Honours diploma and secured a gold medallion for the recognition of his work in physics. He taught undergraduate physics laboratory courses at the Government College University while working on fundamental concepts in nuclear physics with his university mentor.In 1954, he won the scholarship under the Columbo Plan fellowship program to and went went to Quebec, Canada for his doctorate studies. Ahmad attended the doctorate school at the Université de Montréal and did a two-year long course in Particle physics and engaged his research on theoretical physics. In 1959, Ahmad obtained D.Sc. in Nuclear physics after submitting his doctoral work in physics.His thesis were written on fluent French and English language, and reluctantly returned to Pakistan under the terms of Colombo Plan contract.
Career
Prof. Ahmad has been a member of many Boards of Governors of various scientific and academic bodies in Pakistan, including the Pakistan Council of Science and Technology and the Executive Committee of the National Commission for Science and Technology. He was elected as a Fellow of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences (1983) and a Fellow of the International Nuclear Energy Academy (2000). He was elected President of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences in 2007. Since 2001, Prof. Ahmad has been instrumental for the establishment of the National Centre for Physics (NCP) in Islamabad and has served as chair of its board of governors.He was elected as a Fellow of the IAS in 2000.
Ishfaq Ahmed played an important role in Pakistan's nuclear programm, and considered one of the pioneers of Pakistan's both civilian side and military nuclear program.He specializes in theoretical physics, CERN's particle accelerators, high energy physics and nuclear reactor technology. Ishfaq Ahmad is considered one of the top nuclear physicist in Pakistan.
