Nazir Ahmed (physicist)


Nazir Ahmed, OBE was a Pakistani experimental physicist and the first chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission from 1956 to 1960.

Life

Nazir Ahmed obtained his B.Sc. in physics from Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College, Aligarh, India 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, Nazir 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 until 1960.
Nazir 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 administration of President Ayub Khan.

Fellowships