Nazir Ahmed (physicist)

Nazir Ahmed (or Nazir Ahmad) (1 May 1898 – 30 September 1973) was an experimental physicist and the first chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) from 1956 to 1960.

Ahmed was the first vice president of Pakistan central Cotton Committee from 1948 to 1956.

Life
Ahmed attended the University of Cambridge, UK, receiving PhD in experimental physics working with Ernest Rutherford in 1925 from Cambridge University; his PhD thesis title was "Absorption and scattering of γ-rays".

In 1926 Ahmed joined Arthur Holly Compton's expedition to Kashmir to study the effects of altitude and latitude on cosmic rays.

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. While living in Bombay, he married Razia, a member of the Khader Nawaz Khan family of Madras and the Carnatic Sultanate; her sister Rafia married Ahmed's friend, the naval officer HMS Choudri.

On 9 June 1938, George VI appointed Ahmed an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.

In 1945, Ahmed was appointed member of the Indian Tariff Board.

After the partition of India, Ahmed migrated to Karachi in 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), a post he held 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 administration of President Ayub Khan.

Fellowships

 * A fellow of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences (1953-1970).

Award named after Ahmad

 * To honor his services, Dr. Nazir Ahmad Award was named after him by the Pakistan Academy of Sciences.

Research papers

 * Tubewell Theory and Practice, published by Pakistan Academy of Sciences - (Nazir Ahmed) (1979).
 * Survey of Fuels & Electric Power Resources in Pakistan, published by Pakistan Academy Of Sciences - (Nazir Ahmed) (1972).