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.
