Khalil Ahmad Qureshi (

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

physical chemist Physical chemistry is the study of macroscopic and microscopic phenomena in chemical systems in terms of the principles, practices, and concepts of physics such as motion, energy, force, time, thermodynamics, quantum chemistry, statistical me ...

and the professor of

physical chemistry Physical chemistry is the study of macroscopic and microscopic phenomena in chemical systems in terms of the principles, practices, and concepts of physics such as motion, energy, force, time, thermodynamics, quantum chemistry, statistical mecha ...

at the Punjab University. He has published notable papers in nuclear physical chemistry in international scientific journals as well contributing in the advancement of the scientific applications of the civilian usage of the fuel cycle.

Biography

Early life and education

A native of

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

, Qureshi subsequently attended the Punjab University to study chemistry where he graduated with BSc in chemistry. For his higher studies, he went to United Kingdom to attend

Imperial College London Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...

. He earned MSc in

Chemical Technology Chemical engineering is an engineering field which deals with the study of operation and design of chemical plants as well as methods of improving production. Chemical engineers develop economical commercial processes to convert raw materials int ...

and worked towards gaining the DIC in physical

metallurgy Metallurgy is a domain of materials science and engineering that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their inter-metallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are known as alloys. Metallurgy encompasses both the sc ...

. At the

Imperial College Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...

, he joined the doctoral group led by Thomas West and David Craig. He earned his PhD in physical chemistry under the supervision of David Craig, writing his

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: ...

on Physico-chemical studies of the

vapour In physics, a vapor (American English) or vapour (British English and Canadian English; see spelling differences) is a substance in the gas phase at a temperature lower than its critical temperature,R. H. Petrucci, W. S. Harwood, and F. G. Herr ...

deposition of Al₂O₃, in 1972.

Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission

He briefly taught physical chemistry at the

London University The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree- ...

before moving to Pakistan. Upon his return, he joined the

Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) (Urdu: ) is a federally funded independent governmental agency, concerned with research and development of nuclear power, promotion of nuclear science, energy conservation and the peaceful usage of nucl ...

(PAEC) and took the professorship of nuclear chemistry at the

Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology The Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science & Technology (PINSTECH) ( ur, ) is a federally funded multiprogram science and technology research institute managed for the Ministry of Energy by the Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Scie ...

(PINSTECH). Subsequently, he joined the clandestine atomic bomb project's chemistry section led by fellow chemist IH Qureshi.

Munir Ahmad Khan Munir Ahmad Khan ( ur, ; 20 May 1926 – 22 April 1999), , was a Pakistani nuclear reactor physicist who is credited, among others, with being the "father of the atomic bomb program" of Pakistan for their leading role in developing their nati ...

, chairman PAEC, had him to partially take over the "R-Labs" at PAEC to engage research in chemical explosives. Initially, the research was concentrated towards development of the

HMX HMX, also called octogen, is a powerful and relatively insensitive nitroamine high explosive, chemically related to RDX. Like RDX, the compound's name is the subject of much speculation, having been variously listed as High Melting Explosive, Her ...

, a non-toxic explosive that was produced as a

by-product A by-product or byproduct is a secondary product derived from a production process, manufacturing process or chemical reaction; it is not the primary product or service being produced. A by-product can be useful and marketable or it can be consid ...

of the

RDX RDX (abbreviation of "Research Department eXplosive") or hexogen, among other names, is an organic compound with the formula (O2N2CH2)3. It is a white solid without smell or taste, widely used as an explosive. Chemically, it is classified as a n ...

process. In the 1970s, he founded the

Metallurgical Laboratory The Metallurgical Laboratory (or Met Lab) was a scientific laboratory at the University of Chicago that was established in February 1942 to study and use the newly discovered chemical element plutonium. It researched plutonium's chemistry and m ...

(Met Lab) where he also moved majority of the staff to undertake research in physical metallurgy. At the

Met Lab The Metallurgical Laboratory (or Met Lab) was a scientific laboratory at the University of Chicago that was established in February 1942 to study and use the newly discovered chemical element plutonium. It researched plutonium's chemistry and m ...

, Qureshi led the team of physical chemists who supervised the physical

conversion Conversion or convert may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * "Conversion" (''Doctor Who'' audio), an episode of the audio drama ''Cyberman'' * "Conversion" (''Stargate Atlantis''), an episode of the television series * "The Conversion" ...

of UF₆ into solid

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

before coating and machining the

. During this time, he supervised and led the research on using chemical and metallurgical industrial techniques and reduction furnaces to produce

from the HEC which moved from KRL. Due to the sensitivity of the project and concerns of fellow theorist AQ Khan, the program was definitely moved to KRL in the 1980s.

Research and science activism

While at PAEC, Qureshi joined the chemistry department of

Quaid-e-Azam University Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad ( ur, ; commonly referred to as QAU), founded as University of Islamabad, is a ranked 1 public research university in Islamabad, Pakistan. Founded as the University of Islamabad in 1967, it was initially dedi ...

as an

associate professor Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''. Overview In the ''North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is a ...

. In the 1990s, he joined the Punjab University to teach post-graduate course on

. In the 2000s, he joined the

Lahore University of Management Sciences Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) () is a private research university, located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. In 1983, Syed Babar Ali, a renowned businessman in Pakistan, recognized the shortage of qualified managers in the countr ...

's School of Science and Engineering as director of engineering and safety. Over the years, he became known for his strong scientific advocacy of peaceful usage of

nuclear energy Nuclear energy may refer to: *Nuclear power, the use of sustained nuclear fission or nuclear fusion to generate heat and electricity * Nuclear binding energy, the energy needed to fuse or split a nucleus of an atom *Nuclear potential energy ...

, safety, and security, following the Fukushima disaster. A member of

Khwarizmi Science Society The Khwarizmi Science Society (KSS) ( ur, ) is a Pakistan based non-profit science association aimed at furthering a science culture in Pakistan’s educational insitiutions and in the general public., The News International, October 2013. Retrie ...

, he has lectured on safety issues regarded the nuclear power and topics in nuclear chemistry. He has also authored numerous articles on chemical safety and securities around the world in world's leading research journal. In 2011, he lectured on physical chemistry and spoke about how

nuclear technology Nuclear technology is technology that involves the nuclear reactions of atomic nuclei. Among the notable nuclear technologies are nuclear reactors, nuclear medicine and nuclear weapons. It is also used, among other things, in smoke detectors an ...

was being used currently and different ways of disposing

nuclear waste Radioactive waste is a type of hazardous waste that contains radioactive material. Radioactive waste is a result of many activities, including nuclear medicine, nuclear research, nuclear power generation, rare-earth mining, and nuclear weapons r ...

at the

Forman Christian College University Forman Christian College is an private liberal arts university in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It was founded in 1864 and is administered by the Presbyterian Church. The university follows an American-style curriculum. Founded in 1864 by American ...

in Lahore. He is the recipient 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 ...

's highest honours– the

Hilal-i-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 the ...

bestowed in 2003 and the

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

bestowed in 1999 by the

Government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

of Pakistan.

Honors and recognition

(2003) *

(1999) * President, Pakistan Materials Research Society *Fellow, Pakistan Institute of Metallurgical Engineers *Fellow of

Pakistan Nuclear Society The Pakistan Nuclear Society (PNS) is an academic not-for-profit educational and scientific learned society devoted to the promotion of peaceful use of nuclear energy and the lobbying for commercial nuclear power development in the country. The P ...

References

External links

Harnessing Nuclear Energy
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Qureshi, Khalil Living people Scientists from Lahore University of the Punjab alumni Alumni of Imperial College London Lahore University of Management Sciences faculty Academics of the University of London University of the Punjab faculty Quaid-i-Azam University faculty Pakistani chemical engineers Project-706 Physical chemists Pakistani science writers Recipients of Hilal-i-Imtiaz Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz Year of birth missing (living people) Nuclear weapons scientists and engineers