Abdul Hameed Nayyar
Encyclopedia
Abdul Hameed Nayyar (born: 11 January 1945) is a Pakistani physicist
and nuclear
activist. He specialized in solid state physics and quantum physics, and quantum mechanics
. He was a visiting research scientist at the Princeton University
and worked on Renewable Energy
and Clean Fuel
Program at the Sustainable Development Policy Institute
in Islamabad
. Dr. Nayyar is also a prominent peace activist
, strong supporter of non
-nuclear proliferation
, nuclear disarmament
, and peaceful use of nuclear technology
.
. He received his early and intermediate education in Sukkur
and Multan
before attending the Karachi University. At University of Karachi, Nayyar received his B.Sc.
and M.S.
in Physics
from there. Later, he went to United Kingdom
to attend Imperial College, London, where he obtained his another M.Sc.
in physics under the supervision of dr. Abdus Salam
. At Imperial College, Nayyar obtained his Ph.D.
in Theoretical
-Condensed matter physics
. Upon returning, he took up teaching position at the Physics
department at the Quaid-i-Azam University
, Islamabad
in 1973.
Since retiring in 2005, he has been involved in running the Renewable Energy/Clean Fuel program at SDPI
. He has also been a visiting Research Scientist at the Princeton University
since 1998. He is presently a faculty member at the LUMS
.
Pakistan, and a member of the Board of Governors of Focus on the Global South
, Bangkok
.
. He holds a visiting position at the Program on Science and Global Security of the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University
, USA, where he spends summer months conducting technical studies on issues in nuclear disarmament. He is a member of the International Panel on Fissile Materials
.
(physics), Dynamic response, and the Square lattice
in mathematics.
.
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
and nuclear
Nuclear physics
Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies the building blocks and interactions of atomic nuclei. The most commonly known applications of nuclear physics are nuclear power generation and nuclear weapons technology, but the research has provided application in many fields, including those...
activist. He specialized in solid state physics and quantum physics, and quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics, also known as quantum physics or quantum theory, is a branch of physics providing a mathematical description of much of the dual particle-like and wave-like behavior and interactions of energy and matter. It departs from classical mechanics primarily at the atomic and subatomic...
. He was a visiting research scientist at the Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
and worked on Renewable Energy
Renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
and Clean Fuel
Biofuel
Biofuel is a type of fuel whose energy is derived from biological carbon fixation. Biofuels include fuels derived from biomass conversion, as well as solid biomass, liquid fuels and various biogases...
Program at the Sustainable Development Policy Institute
Sustainable Development Policy Institute
The Sustainable Development Policy Institute provides the global sustainable development community with representation from Pakistan as well as South Asia as a whole. The Institute's mission is: "To catalyse the transition towards sustainable development, defined as the enhancement of peace,...
in Islamabad
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
. Dr. Nayyar is also a prominent peace activist
Peace activist
This list of peace activists includes people who proactively advocate diplomatic, non-military resolution of political disputes, usually through nonviolent means.A peace activist is an activist of the peace movement.*Jane Addams*Martti Ahtisaari...
, strong supporter of non
Negation
In logic and mathematics, negation, also called logical complement, is an operation on propositions, truth values, or semantic values more generally. Intuitively, the negation of a proposition is true when that proposition is false, and vice versa. In classical logic negation is normally identified...
-nuclear proliferation
Nuclear proliferation
Nuclear proliferation is a term now used to describe the spread of nuclear weapons, fissile material, and weapons-applicable nuclear technology and information, to nations which are not recognized as "Nuclear Weapon States" by the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons, also known as the...
, nuclear disarmament
Nuclear disarmament
Nuclear disarmament refers to both the act of reducing or eliminating nuclear weapons and to the end state of a nuclear-free world, in which nuclear weapons are completely eliminated....
, and peaceful use of nuclear technology
Nuclear technology
Nuclear technology is technology that involves the reactions of atomic nuclei. Among the notable nuclear technologies are nuclear power, nuclear medicine, and nuclear weapons...
.
Biography
Dr. Nayyar was born in Hyderabad, IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He received his early and intermediate education in Sukkur
Sukkur
Sukkur, or Sakharu , formerly Aror and Bakar, is the third largest city of Sindh province, situated on the west bank of Indus River in Pakistan in Sukkur District. However, the word Sakharu in Sindhi means "superior", which the spelling of the city's name in Sindhi suggests is the origin of the...
and Multan
Multan
Multan , is a city in the Punjab Province of Pakistan and capital of Multan District. It is located in the southern part of the province on the east bank of the Chenab River, more or less in the geographic centre of the country and about from Islamabad, from Lahore and from Karachi...
before attending the Karachi University. At University of Karachi, Nayyar received his B.Sc.
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
and M.S.
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
in Physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
from there. Later, he went to United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to attend Imperial College, London, where he obtained his another M.Sc.
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
in physics under the supervision of dr. Abdus Salam
Abdus Salam
Mohammad Abdus Salam, NI, SPk Mohammad Abdus Salam, NI, SPk Mohammad Abdus Salam, NI, SPk (Urdu: محمد عبد السلام, pronounced , (January 29, 1926– November 21, 1996) was a Pakistani theoretical physicist and Nobel laureate in Physics for his work on the electroweak unification of the...
. At Imperial College, Nayyar obtained his Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in Theoretical
Theoretical physics
Theoretical physics is a branch of physics which employs mathematical models and abstractions of physics to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena...
-Condensed matter physics
Condensed matter physics
Condensed matter physics deals with the physical properties of condensed phases of matter. These properties appear when a number of atoms at the supramolecular and macromolecular scale interact strongly and adhere to each other or are otherwise highly concentrated in a system. The most familiar...
. Upon returning, he took up teaching position at the Physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
department at the Quaid-i-Azam University
Quaid-i-Azam University
The Quaid-i-Azam University is a public, research university in Islamabad Capital Territory of Pakistan. It was initially founded as the "University of Islamabad" in July 1967...
, Islamabad
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
in 1973.
Since retiring in 2005, he has been involved in running the Renewable Energy/Clean Fuel program at SDPI
Sustainable Development Policy Institute
The Sustainable Development Policy Institute provides the global sustainable development community with representation from Pakistan as well as South Asia as a whole. The Institute's mission is: "To catalyse the transition towards sustainable development, defined as the enhancement of peace,...
. He has also been a visiting Research Scientist at the Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
since 1998. He is presently a faculty member at the LUMS
Lahore University of Management Sciences
The Lahore University of Management Sciences, usually referred to by its acronym LUMS, is a university located in Lahore, Pakistan. LUMS was established in 1984 by a group of industrialists and people belonging to Pakistan's leading private and public sector corporations, to provide rigorous...
.
Education Policy
He co-edited the SDPI report “The Subtle Subversion: The State of Curricula and Textbooks in Pakistan”, published in 2003, the report critically examined curriculum guidelines and textbook contents in the mainstream public school system of Pakistan. The report, which was intensely debated on public forums, eventually led to the government exercise to revise school curricula and textbooks (see: Pakistan Studies curriculum). Also from SDPI, he co-authored a critical appraisal of the National Education Policy, published in 2006. He has also researched and written on Madrassa education. For over a year, he served as the Executive Director of Developments in Literacy, an organization of Pakistani Americans for philanthropic intervention in education to disadvantaged communities in Pakistan.Peace Activism
Dr. Nayyar also takes an active interest in the national and international peace movements. Dr. Nayyar is a member of the Global Council of Abolition 2000, a member of the Steering Committee of the Asian Peace Alliance, co-Convener of PugwashPugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs
The Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs is an international organization that brings together scholars and public figures to work toward reducing the danger of armed conflict and to seek solutions to global security threats...
Pakistan, and a member of the Board of Governors of Focus on the Global South
Focus on the Global South
Focus on the Global South is an international, non-governmental organisation, based in Bangkok, Thailand since its creation in 1995.Its founding director is sociologist Walden Bello, and it is affiliated with the Social Research Institute of Chulalongkorn University...
, Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
.
Nuclear Issues
Another area that interests him is nuclear disarmamentNuclear disarmament
Nuclear disarmament refers to both the act of reducing or eliminating nuclear weapons and to the end state of a nuclear-free world, in which nuclear weapons are completely eliminated....
. He holds a visiting position at the Program on Science and Global Security of the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, USA, where he spends summer months conducting technical studies on issues in nuclear disarmament. He is a member of the International Panel on Fissile Materials
International Panel on Fissile Materials
The International Panel on Fissile Materials , established in 2006, is a group of independent nuclear experts from 16 countries. It aims to advance international initiatives to “secure and to sharply reduce all stocks of highly enriched uranium and separated plutonium, the key materials in nuclear...
.
Academic Research
Nayyar has made numerous contribution in quantum physics and mathematics and published number of publications in physics. He made important contribution to the fields of RenormalizationRenormalization
In quantum field theory, the statistical mechanics of fields, and the theory of self-similar geometric structures, renormalization is any of a collection of techniques used to treat infinities arising in calculated quantities....
(physics), Dynamic response, and the Square lattice
Square lattice
In mathematics, the square lattice is a type of lattice in a two-dimensional Euclidean space. It is the two-dimensional version of the integer lattice. It is one of the five types of two-dimensional lattices as classified by their symmetry groups; its symmetry group is known symbolically as p4m.Two...
in mathematics.
Renewable Energy
In the area of renewable energy, the energy group at SDPI that he helped establish, has studied the question of marketability of renewable energy technologies with a view to identifying policy measures that could promote their use in PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
Articles
- "Another Nuclear White Elephant", DawnDawn (newspaper)Dawn is Pakistan's oldest and most widely read English-language newspaper. One of the country's two largest English-language dailies, it is the flagship of the Dawn Group of Newspapers, published by Pakistan Herald Publications, which also owns the Herald, a magazine, the evening paper The Star and...
(Karachi), 25 July 2004. - "Making Weapons, Talking Peace: Resolving The Dilemma of Nuclear Negotiations", Economic and Political Weekly, July 17, 2004. Revised and reprinted as “Talking Peace, Making War" The NewsThe News InternationalThe News International , published in tabloid size, is the largest English language newspaper in Pakistan. The News has an ABC certified circulation of 140,000. It is published from Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi/Islamabad...
(Islamabad), January 8, 2005. - "Twisted Truth", Dawn (Karachi), May 2, 2004.
- "A South Asia Nuclear Weapons Free Zone", Himal-South AsiaHimal SouthasianHimal Southasian is a monthly newsmagazine of commentary, reportage, criticism, opinion, review, fiction and poetry, based in Kathmandu, Nepal. Published and distributed by The Southasia Trust, Himal Southasian is an independent, non-nationalist and pan-regionalist magazine, offering stories for...
, January 2002. - "What They Can Agree On", The HinduThe HinduThe Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Chennai since 1878. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.46 million copies as of December 2009. The enterprise employed over 1,600 workers and gross income reached $40...
, July 10, 2001 and The News (Islamabad), July 10, 2001. - "Chashma - Another Chernobyl in The Making", The News on Sunday (Islamabad), January 23, 2000.
- "Return of The Khaki", Himal-South Asia, November 1999 (reprinted in CERAS Newsletter (Canada), No. 17, 1999).
Physics
- Aiman Al-Omari and A.H. Nayyar, “The Combined Effect of Frustration and Dimerization in Ferrimagnetic Chains and Square Lattices”, J. Phys. Condensed MatterJournal of Physics: Condensed MatterJournal of Physics: Condensed Matter is a monthly, peer reviewed, scientific journal, established in 1989, and published by the Institute of Physics. This journal reports on all areas of condensed matter physics including soft matter and nanostructures. This journal publishes papers that contain...
12, 9949 (2000). - Aiman Al-Omari and A.H. Nayyar, “Dimerization of Ferrimagnets on Chains and Square Lattices”, J. Phys. Condensed Matter 11, 465 (1999).
- A.H. Nayyar, “Real Space Renormalization of the Heisenberg Mattis Magnet on a Chain”; in A. Clark (ed.) Many Body Theories, Plenum Press, 1993.
- A.H. Nayyar, “Effects of Short Range Ordering and Random Local Anisotropy on the Dynamical Response of a Disordered Chain: A Renormalization Study”, Phys. Rev. BPhysical ReviewPhysical Review is an American scientific journal founded in 1893 by Edward Nichols. It publishes original research and scientific and literature reviews on all aspects of physics. It is published by the American Physical Society. The journal is in its third series, and is split in several...
47, 15023 (1993). - T. Shaheen, W. Azeem and A.H. Nayyar, “Real Space Renormalization Scheme for Calculating the Dynamical Response of Disordered Chains”, Phys. Rev. B 46 0777 (1992).
Nuclear Policy
- Zia MianZia MianZia Mian is a highly cited Pakistani-American physicist, nuclear expert, nuclear policy maker and research scientist at Princeton University. Dr. Zia Mian is also a prominent peace activist and a strong supporter of non-nuclear proliferation, nuclear disarmament, and peaceful use of nuclear...
, A.H. Nayyar, M. V. Ramana, R. Rajaraman, "Plutonium Production in India and the US-India Nuclear Deal," Gauging US-Indian Strategic Cooperation, Henry Sokolski, ed., Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College, Carlisle, PA, March 2007. - Zia Mian, A. H. Nayyar, R. Rajaraman and M. V. Ramana, "Fissile materials in South Asia and the Implications of the U.S.-India Nuclear Deal, Science and Global Security, in press.
- R. Rajaraman, Zia Mian, A.H. Nayyar "Nuclear Civil Defense in South Asia: Is it Feasible?", Economic and Political Weekly, November 20, 2004.
- Zia Mian and A. H. Nayyar, "An Initial Analysis of 85Kr Production and Dispersal from Reprocessing in India and Pakistan", Science and Global Security, vol. 10, No. 3, September–December 2002.
- M. V. Ramana and A. H. Nayyar, "India, Pakistan and the Bomb", Scientific AmericanScientific AmericanScientific American is a popular science magazine. It is notable for its long history of presenting science monthly to an educated but not necessarily scientific public, through its careful attention to the clarity of its text as well as the quality of its specially commissioned color graphics...
, December 2001. - Matthew McKinzie, Zia Mian, A. H. Nayyar and M. V. Ramana, "The Risks and Consequences of Nuclear War in South Asia", in Out of The Nuclear Shadow, Smitu Kothari and Zia Mian (eds.), Zed Books, Rainbow Press & Lokayan, 2001.
Energy Issues
- Waqasullah Khan Shinwari, Fahd Ali and A. H. Nayyar, “Electric power generation from solar photovoltaic technology: is it marketable in Pakistan?”, The Pakistan Development Review, 43(3) 2004 Autumn: p. 267-294
- A. H. Nayyar, “Going up in Smoke”, in “On the Brink: Desperate Energy Pursuits in South Asia”, Panos South Asia, Kathmandu, 2006.
- A. H. Nayyar and Zia Mian, “Pakistan and the Energy Challenge”, in Chernobyl +20: International Perspectives of Energy Policy and the Role of Nuclear Power, Eds. Lutz Mez, Mycle Schneider, and Steve Thomas, Multi-Science Publishing, in press
Education
- A. H. Nayyar and Ahmed Salim, Critical Issues in Education Policy: Citizens’ Review of the National Education Policy, SDPI, 2006
- A. H. Nayyar and Ahmed Salim (eds.) The Subtle Subversion: The State of Curricula and Textbooks in Pakistan, SDPI, 2004.
- A. H. Nayyar, “Madrassa Education: Frozen in Time” in Education and the State: Fifty Years of Pakistan, Pervez HoodbhoyPervez HoodbhoyDr. Prof. Pervez Amirali Hoodbhoy , 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 . He graduated and also received PhD from MIT and continues to...
(ed.) Oxford University Press, 1997. - S. Khurshid Hasanain and A. H. Nayyar, “Conflict and Violence in the Educational Process”, in Making Enemies, Creating Conflict: Pakistan’s Crisis of State and Society, Zia Mian (ed.) Mashal Books, 1997.
- Pervez Hoodbhoy and A. H. Nayyar, “Rewriting the History of Pakistan” in Islam, Politics and the State: The Pakistan Experience, Asghar Khan (ed.) Zed Books, 1985.