Prof. Ishfaq Ahmad

Prof. Ishfaq Ahmad was born in Gurdaspur (India) on 3 November 1930. He is a former Chairman, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission. Prof. Ahmad was awarded his MSc (Physics), from the University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan, in 1951. In 1958, he was awarded a DSc (Physics), from the University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada. He was a senior member, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), 1988-1991, after serving for thirteen years as member (technical) of the same commission. He has also been chief scientist at the PAEC since 1976.

Dr Ishfaq Ahmad served as director, Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (PINSTECH), Islamabad, Pakistan, 1971-1976; director, Atomic Energy Center (AEC), Lahore, 1969-1971; secretary, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), 1967-1969; senior scientific officer, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), 1960-1966; and lecturer, Government College, Lahore, 1952-1960. He was a post-doctoral Fellow at both the Sorbonne, Paris (France), in 1969; and at the Niels Bohr Institute of Theoretical Physics, Copenhagen (1961-1962).

Prior to that (1963-1964), Dr Ahmad was a post-doctoral Fellow at both the University of Montreal, and the University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada. Prof. Ishfaq was awarded the honorary degree of Doctorate by the Punjab University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore (2000). In the same year, he was elected a Fellow of the International Nuclear Energy Academy. He is the recipient of the three highest official awards in Pakistan namely Sitara-I-Imtiaz, the Hilal-I-Imtiaz and the Nishan-I-Imitiaz, the last of which was awarded to him in 1998.

Ishfaq Ahmad is a member of many boards of governors of various official agencies in Pakistan including the Pakistan Council of Science and Technology (1991-todate), as well as the Executive Committee of the National Commission for Science and Technology (1991-todate).

Dr Ishfaq Ahmad has played a significant role in the following domains, in Pakistan: manpower training; establishment of R&D facilities; indigenous production of nuclear materials; indignation of nuclear reactor technology; nuclear power; peaceful uses of nuclear technology; establishment of non-nuclear R&D facilities; nuclear safety; development of science and education.

Prof. has over 50 major publications to his credit including a series of Pugwash conference proceedings.

The main research interest of Prof. Ahmad is in particle detectors, nuclear and high-energy physics as well as nuclear technology. He became a Fellow of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences in 1983, and was elected a Fellow of the Islamic Academy of Sciences in 2000.

Currently, Prof. Ahmad is Advisor to the Prime Minister of Pakistan on Strategic Affairs, with the rank of a federal minister.