Pervez Amirali Hoodbhoy

Posted on Posted in Education and Science

Dr. Prof. Pervez Amirali Hoodbhoy (Urdu: پرویز ہودبھائی; born 11 July 1950), is a Pakistani nuclear physicist, essayist and political-defence analyst. He is the professor of nuclear and high-energy physics, and the head of the Physics Department at the Quaid-e-Azam University (QAU). He graduated and also received PhD from MIT and continues to do research in Particle physics. He received the Baker Award for Electronics in 1968, and the Abdus Salam Prize for Mathematics in 1984. He has authored various scientific research papers in peer-reviewed journals.

Hoodbhoy is also a prominent environmental and social activist and regularly writes on a wide range of social, cultural and environmental issues. He is the chairman of Mashal, a non-profit organization which publishes Urdu books on feminism, education, environmental issues,philosophy, and modern thought. Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy is a strong and avid supporter for peaceful use of nuclear technology in Pakistan, nuclear non-proliferation, and nuclear disarmament; and criticizing the United States, Israel, Pakistan’s and India’s nuclear program in many national and international forums.

Hoodbhoy did O and A-Level from Karachi, Sindh. While in Pakistan during his college studies, Hoodbhoy was tutored by Nobel Laureate in Physics Professor Abdus Salam in Mathematics and Physics. Hoodbhoy showed great interest in Electronics and Mathematics, and his love for science led him to travel to United States to pursue his education. In United States, Hoodbhoy studied for his double major and gained his double Bachelor of Sciences in Mathematics and Electrical engineering, followed by M.S. in Solid-State Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1973. He went on to obtain a D.Phil. in Nuclear Physics in 1978 from the same institution.

His honours and awards incude:

  • An Executive member of the board of Riazuddin National Center for Physics.
  • Member of the Board of Sponsors of The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
  • Awarded UNESCO’s Kalinga Prize for the Popularization of Science in Pakistan.
  • His TV serials and film The Bell Tolls for Planet Earth won honorable mention at the Paris Film Festival.
  • A member of the Editorial Board of Pakistaniaat: A Journal of Pakistan Studies.

He is also the recipient of:

  • Baker Award for Electronics, British Association of Electronics and Radio Engineers (1968).
  • Student-of-the-Year, Pakistan Students Association of America (1972).
  • Rockefeller Mauze Fellowship for graduate studies (1973).
  • Abdus Salam Award for Mathematics (1984).
  • Associate of the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (1986–1994).
  • Faiz Ahmed Faiz Award, for contributions towards the cause of education in Pakistan (1990).
  • “Book of the Year Award”, awarded by the National Book Council Of Pakistan (1993).
  • Fulbright Award (1997–1998) for research at the University of Maryland, College Park.
  • Selma V. Forkosch Prize (2003)
  • International Advisory Council of the Brookings Doha Center.
  • Civic Courage Award- 2007.
  • 2010 Joseph A. Burton Award (2010)

Leave a Reply