Atta-ur-Rahman (

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' organic chemist Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the scientific study of the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds and organic materials, i.e., matter in its various forms that contain carbon atoms.Clayden, J. ...

and is currently serving as Professor Emeritus at the International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences at the

University of Karachi The University of Karachi ( sd, ; informally Karachi University, KU, or UoK) is a public research university located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Established in June 1951 by an act of Parliament and as a successor to the University of Sindh ...

and as Chairman of PM Task Force on Science and Technology. He is also the President of the Network of Academies of Sciences in Cointries of the Organisation of Islamic Countries (NASIC). After obtaining his PhD in organic Chemistry from the University of Cambridge in 1968, Atta-ur-Rahman was elected as a Fellow of Kings College, Cambridge in 1969 and carried on research there till 1973. During that period, he is credited with correcting the earlier work of the

Nobel Nobel often refers to: *Nobel Prize, awarded annually since 1901, from the bequest of Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel Nobel may also refer to: Companies *AkzoNobel, the result of the merger between Akzo and Nobel Industries in 1994 *Branobel, or ...

Laureate Sir Robert Robinson on the chemistry of harmaline. After returning to Pakistan, he contributed to the development of the International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences at the University of Karachi. The Atta-ur-Rahman Institute for Natural Product Discovery (AuRIns) in Malaysia and the Academician Professor Atta-ur-Rahman One Belt and One Road TCM Research Center were named after Rahman, as well as the Atta-ur-Rahman School of Applied Biosciences at the National University of Sciences & Technology (Islamabad, Pakistan) and the Atta-ur-Rahman Laboratories, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences at the University of Karachi (Karachi, Pakistan). He carried out important studies on the synthesis of anti-cancer alkaloids present in the plant Catharanthus roseus and analytical studies on organic compounds involving circular dichroism. Atta-ur-Rahman served as the Federal Minister of Science and Technology (2000-2002) and as the Founding Chairman of the Higher Education Commission with the status of a Federal Minister (2002-2008) and he is generally recognized as bringing a huge positive change in the development of science and technology as well as higher education in Pakistan. Atta-ur-Rahman has been selected as one of the 500 most influential personalities of the Islamic World. Institutions have been named after Rahman in China and Malaysia. He is the only scientist of the Islamic world to be an Academician (Foreign Member) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fellow of the Korean Academy of Science and Technology and winner of the UNESCO Science Prize. He was also elected as Fellow of the presigeous Royal Society (London) (FRS), and he is Honorary Life Fellow of Kings College, University of Cambridge. He was elected as Vice President of TWAS (The World Academy of Sciences, Italy) and President of Network Academies of Science of Countries of Organisation of Islamic Conference comprising 20 Academies of Science of the Islamic World The US Publisher ARKAT USA has published a special issue of the journal Arkivoc, Vol 2007, in honour of Atta-ur-Rahman FRS which had contributions from top scientists in the field of natural product chemistry. Similarly the international journal Molecules published by the Swiss publisher MDPI published a special issue of the journal in honour of Atta-ur-Rahman. The World Academy of Science,TWAS (Italy) has introduced a special Prize in his honour (TWAS-Atta-ur-Rahman Award in Chemistry) for young scientists which is awarded once every two years Atta-ur-Rahman is the most decorated scientist of Pakistan having won four civil awards from successive governments, including the highest national civil award, Nishan-i-Imtiaz. He is generally considered as the architect of Pakistan in the field of information technology, and was conferred The World Academy of Science (TWAS) Prize for Institution building in recognition of his monumental contributions to science and information technology. His book entitled "Stereoselctive Synthesis in Organic Chemistry" (Springer-Verlag) was termed a monumental contribution in the field by the Nobel Laureate Sir Derek Barton in the Foreword of the book written by him. His book entitled "NMR Spectroscopy-Basic Principles" was published by

Springer-Verlag Springer Science+Business Media, commonly known as Springer, is a German multinational publishing company of books, e-books and peer-reviewed journals in science, humanities, technical and medical (STM) publishing. Originally founded in 1842 ...

and translated into Japanese for use in university courses in Japan The Nobel Laureate

Herbert C. Brown Herbert Charles Brown (May 22, 1912 – December 19, 2004) was an American chemist and recipient of the 1979 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work with organoboranes. Life and career Brown was born Herbert Brovarnik in London, to Ukrainian Jewis ...

applauded the contributions of Rahman in science and technology.

Education

Atta-ur-Rahman was born on 22 September 1942 in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

(today's Republic of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

) into an Urdu-speaking academic family. His grandfather, Sir Abdur Rahman, was a

vice-chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor ...

of the

University of Delhi Delhi University (DU), formally the University of Delhi, is a collegiate central university located in New Delhi, India. It was founded in 1922 by an Act of the Central Legislative Assembly and is recognized as an Institute of Eminence (IoE ...

(1934–38) who briefly served as a

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

at the

Madras High Court The Madras High Court is a High Court in India. It has appellate jurisdiction over the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry. It is located in Chennai, and is the third oldest high court of India after the Calcutta High C ...

. In 1946, Abdur Rahman was appointed as vice-chancellor of the Punjab University in

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th List of largest cities, most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is th ...

, eventually relocating his family there, a year before the

Partition of India The Partition of British India in 1947 was the change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: India and Pakistan. T ...

took place. Abdur Rahman eventually became a Senior Justice at the

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

in 1949. His father, Jamil-ur-Rahman, was a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solicit ...

who established a cotton ginning

textile industry The textile industry is primarily concerned with the design, production and distribution of yarn, textile, cloth and clothing. The raw material may be Natural material, natural, or synthetic using products of the chemical industry. Industry p ...

in Okara,

Punjab, Pakistan Punjab (; , ) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in central-eastern region of the country, Punjab is the second-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the largest province by population. It shares land borders with the ...

. After settling in

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...

in 1952, he passed the competitive

O-Level The O-Level (Ordinary Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education. It was introduced in place of the School Certificate in 1951 as part of an educational reform alongside the more in-dept ...

and

A-Level The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational au ...

from the

Karachi Grammar School Karachi Grammar School ( ur, ) is an independent, English-medium school located in 3 different campuses across Karachi. The main and oldest campus is located in Saddar, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. It is a highly selective, coeducational day school ...

and joined Karachi University. Attending Karachi University in 1960, Rahman graduated with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to si ...

(with honors) in chemistry in 1963. He obtained a

Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast t ...

(MSc) in

organic chemistry Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the scientific study of the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds and organic materials, i.e., matter in its various forms that contain carbon atoms.Clayden, J ...

in 1964 with first class and 1st position, and lectured at Karachi University for a year before receiving a

Commonwealth Scholarship The Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP) is an international programme under which Commonwealth governments offer scholarships and fellowships to citizens of other Commonwealth countries. History The plan was originally proposed b ...

for doctoral studies in the United Kingdom. He joined King's College at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

and resumed research in

natural product A natural product is a natural compound or substance produced by a living organism—that is, found in nature. In the broadest sense, natural products include any substance produced by life. Natural products can also be prepared by chemical sy ...

s under John Harley-Mason. In 1968, Rahman received a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

(PhD) in

; the subjects of his

doctoral thesis A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...

were natural products and organic materials.Profile of Atta-ur-Rahman on University of Cambridge, UK website
Published in 2015, Retrieved 8 April 2021 He was elected as a fellow of Kings College, University of Cambridge in 1969 and continued his research at Cambridge University until 1973. Later in 2007, he was appointed as an honorary life fellow of Kings College Cambridge.

Academic career

In 1964, Rahman joined the Karachi University as a

lecturer Lecturer is an academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. They may also conduct re ...

in undergraduate

chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the elements that make up matter to the compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions: their composition, structure, proper ...

. He remained associated with the

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

between 1969 and 1973, and is presently honorary Life Fellow at the King's College of the Cambridge University. In 1977, he became the Co-director of the

Hussain Ebrahim Jamal Research Institute of Chemistry The International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), also known as the Hussain Ebrahim Jamal Research Institute of Chemistry and Dr Panjwani for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, is a federally funded national research i ...

; eventually he was ascended as the Director in 1990. In 1979, Rahman did the post-doctoral research at the University of Tübingen. Upon returning to Pakistan, he joined Karachi University where he lectures and taught chemistry. He was appointed Professor Emeritus at University of Karachi for life.Archived copy

Positions held

* Fellow, King's College, Cambridge University (1969–1973, 2007– for Life) * Professor at H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry at Karachi University * Professor Emeritus at H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry at Karachi University (2012) * Coordinator General of

COMSTECH Standing Committee for Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH) is one of four standing committees of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation dedicated to the promotion and cooperation of science and technology activities among the O ...

(1996–2012) * Federal Minister of Science & Technology (2000–2002) * Federal Minister of Education (2002)Profile of Atta-ur-Rahman on UNESCO.org website
Published 10 November 2014, Retrieved 9 April 2021 * Federal Minister/Chairman, Higher Education Commission, Pakistan (resigned due to govt issues)(2002–2008) * Advisor to the

Prime Minister of Pakistan The prime minister of Pakistan ( ur, , romanized: Wazīr ē Aʿẓam , ) is the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen cabinet, despite the president of Pak ...

Science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence ...

and

Technology Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in medicine, scien ...

(2002–2008)

Government work and political advocacy

After securing the

fellowship A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher educatio ...

of the

Pakistan Academy of Sciences The Pakistan Academy of Sciences ( ur, ) (abbreviated as: PAS), is a learned society of sciences, which described itself as "a repository of the highest scientific talent available in the country." Established in 1953 in Lahore, Punjab, the A ...

, Rahman had been affiliated with the

Pakistan government The Government of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=hakúmat-e pákistán) abbreviated as GoP, is a federal government established by the Constitution of Pakistan as a constituted governing authority of the four provinces, two autonomous territories, ...

regarding

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...

and

science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence ...

affairs. From 1996 until 2012, Rahman served in the

board of directors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit orga ...

of the Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation, representing Pakistan's delegation. In 1997, Rahman served as the Coordinator General of the

Organisation of Islamic Cooperation An organization or organisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is an entity—such as a company, an institution, or an association—comprising one or more people and having a particular purpose. The word is derived from ...

's (OIC) Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH) that comprised 57 Ministers of Science and Technology from 57 OIC member countries. In recognition of his scientific transformation of Pakistan and building a large number of Centers of Excellence in the country as well as promoting scientific research, Prof. Rahman was conferred the TWAS Prize in Institution Building, in Durban, South Africa in 2009. Prof. Atta-ur-Rahman has seved as the Co-Chairman of UN ESCAP. In 1999, he joined the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoSci) as its minister, assisting in drafting the official science policy of the country. In 2002, he was appointed as minister of the

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

(MoEd) as well as becoming the chairman of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) until resigning in 2008. Prof. Atta-ur-Rahman has also served as Chairman of the Prime Ministers National Task Force on Science and Technology, Co Chairman of Prime Ministers National Task Force on Information Technology and Telecommunications, and Vice Chairman of the Prime Ministers Task Force on Technology Driven Knowledge Economy during the years 2019 to 2022.

Honours and awards

National and international Awards

In recognition of his eminent contributions in the field of

, he has been conferred with many civil awards, including: *

Nishan-e-Imtiaz The Nishan-e-Imtiaz (; ) is one of the state organized civil decorations of Pakistan. It is awarded for achievements towards world recognition for Pakistan or outstanding service for the country. However, the award is not limited to citizens ...

(2002) (highest national civil award) *

Hilal-e-Imtiaz The ''Hilaal-e-Imtiaz'' (; ), also spelled and transliterated as Hilāl-e-Imtiyāz, is the second-highest (in the hierarchy of "Hilal") civilian award and honour given to both civilians and military officers of the Pakistan Armed Forces by th ...

(1998) *

Sitara-e-Imtiaz The Sitara-e-Imtiaz () also spelled as Sitara-i-Imtiaz, is the third-highest (in the order of "Imtiaz") honour and civilian award in the State of Pakistan. It recognizes individuals who have made an "especially meritorious contribution to the ...

(1991) *

Tamgha-e-Imtiaz Tamgha-e-Imtiaz () also spelled as Tamgha-i-Imtiaz, is a state-organised honour of Pakistan. It is given to any civilian in Pakistan based on their achievements. While it is a civilian/military award, it can be bestowed upon officers of the P ...

(1983) * UNESCO Science Prize (1999) * Fellow Royal Society (London) (2006) * “Grosse Goldene Ehrenzeischen am Bande" (2007) high civil award by the Austrian government (2007) * China International Science and Technology Cooperation Award (2020) bestowed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on January 7, 2020 * Academician Chinese Academy of Sciences (2015) * Friendship Award of China (2014) * Vice President The World Academy of Science, TWAS * Presient, Network of Academies of Science of Organising of Islamic Conference, NASIC * Member Korean Academy of Science and Technology * Einstein Professorship of Chinese Academy of Sciences * Babai Urdu Award (1994) * Scientist of the Year Award (for 1985)/Prize Rs. 200,000 (1987) * FPCCI Prize for Technological Innovation (1985) * Engro Excellence Award (2010) * HEC National Distinguished Professor (2011–present) * Professor Emeritus University of Karachi (2011–present) * Lifetime Achievement Award by

University of Management and Technology, Lahore The University of Management and Technology (UMT) ( ur, ) is a private research university located in Lahore, Pakistan. It is chartered by the Government of Punjab and is recognized by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC) in the W4 ...

(2012)

Fellowships

* Fellow of

Academy of Sciences for the Developing World The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) is a merit-based science academy established for developing countries, uniting 1,000 scientists in some 70 countries. Its principal aim is to promote scientific capacity and excellence for sustainable devel ...

* Fellow of

Islamic World Academy of Sciences The Islamic World Academy of Sciences (IAS) is a non-profit organisation of scientists and technologists that works for the promotion of science and technology in the Islamic world. It was founded in 1986. Foundation The establishment of the ...

* Foreign Fellow of Korean Academy of Sciences * Fellow of

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural knowledge, including mathemati ...

, London (July 2006) * Honorary Life Fellow

King's College, Cambridge King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, the college lies beside the River Cam and faces out onto King's Parade in the centre of the cit ...

, UK (2007) * Fellow of Chinese Chemical Society (1997) * Foreign Academician of the

Chinese Academy of Sciences The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS); ), known by Academia Sinica in English until the 1980s, is the national academy of the People's Republic of China for natural sciences. It has historical origins in the Academia Sinica during the Republi ...

(2015)

References

External links

Homepage of Atta-ur-Rahman

Pakistani leaders.com, Dr_Atta_ur_Rehman
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Rahman, Atta Ur Living people 1942 births Karachi Grammar School alumni University of Karachi alumni University of Karachi faculty Pakistani chemists Federal ministers of Pakistan Organic chemists Recipients of Hilal-i-Imtiaz Recipients of Nishan-e-Imtiaz Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz Recipients of the Pride of Performance Alumni of King's College, Cambridge Fellows of the Royal Society Fellows of Pakistan Academy of Sciences Foreign members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Recipients of the Grand Decoration with Sash for Services to the Republic of Austria Presidents of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences Fellows of the Islamic World Academy of Sciences