Nazir Ahmed | |
---|---|
Born |
Lahore, Punjab, British India (now in Punjab, Pakistan) |
1 May 1898
Died | 30 September 1973 Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan |
(aged 75)
Nationality | Pakistani |
Fields | Experimental Physics |
Institutions |
Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), Technological Laboratory, India Federal Bureau of Statistics |
Alma mater |
Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College, British India University of Cambridge, UK |
Doctoral advisor | Ernest Rutherford |
Known for | Nuclear power generation programme |
Influences | Ernest Rutherford |
Notable awards | Gold Medal From Pakistan Academy of Sciences. |
Nazir Ahmed (or Nazir Ahmad), OBE (1 May 1898, Lahore – 30 September 1973, Karachi) was a Pakistani experimental physicist and a chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) from 1956 to 1960.
Nazir Ahmed obtained his B.Sc. in physics from Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College, Aligarh in 1919. He attended the University of Cambridge, UK, under the supervision of Ernest Rutherford. There he received his M.Sc. in 1923, and PhD in experimental physics in 1925. 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. In 1945, he was appointed member of the Indian Tariff Board. After the partition of India, Ahmed migrated to Pakistan, 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 chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) until 1960.
Ahmed was involved in efforts to build a heavy water plant at Multan, but the Pakistan Industrial Development Corporation turned down his request. In 1960, he was transferred to Ministry of Science and Technology under the administeration of President Ayub Khan.