Dr. Mohammad Tahir Shah is a professor at the National Centre of Excellence in Geology (NCEG) at the University of Peshawar. He had been selected as the vice-chancellor of the

Fata University FATA University ( ur, ; ps, فاټا پوهنتون) is a public sector university situated in Akhorwal, Tribal Sub-Division Darra Adam Khel, Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The university is run by the Higher Education Department, Governm ...

by the Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sardar Mahtab Ahmad Khan. He became the director of the NCEG at the University of Peshawar in 2013 and served there for more than 34 years. Dr. Mohammad Tahir Shah has made contributions to science and technology both nationally and internationally by convening/organizing two international and four national level conferences/workshops and have participated and delivered talks in large number of national and international conferences mainly in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, UK,

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

, and

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. He remained the principal and co-principal investigator of several national and international projects worth more than 10 million Rs. and also remained the project director of a national-level project. Shah has carried out extensive geological research in understanding the genesis of the various types of

rocks In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks form the Earth's ...

mineral deposits In geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid chemical compound with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form.John P. Rafferty, ed. (2 ...

(especially

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...

zinc Zinc is a chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. Zinc is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodi ...

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...

, and manganese) and gemstones in the northern parts of Pakistan. He supervised an international collaborative project of exploration for source rock for gold and precious metals in the Gilgit-Baltistan region. He has also established state of the art

geochemistry Geochemistry is the science that uses the tools and principles of chemistry to explain the mechanisms behind major geological systems such as the Earth's crust and its oceans. The realm of geochemistry extends beyond the Earth, encompassing the e ...

laboratory in the National Centre of Excellence in Geology, whereby analysis of

minerals In geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid chemical compound with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form.John P. Rafferty, ed. (2 ...

soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth or dirt, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, liquids, and organisms that together support life. Some scientific definitions distinguish ''dirt'' from ''soil'' by restricting the former te ...

plants Plants are predominantly Photosynthesis, photosynthetic eukaryotes of the Kingdom (biology), kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all curr ...

, and

water Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a ...

are carried out through sophisticated instruments. The researchers throughout Pakistan acquired

geochemical Geochemistry is the science that uses the tools and principles of chemistry to explain the mechanisms behind major geological systems such as the Earth's crust and its oceans. The realm of geochemistry extends beyond the Earth, encompassing the e ...

data from this laboratory for their national and international publications. For the last several years he has developed an interest in the environmental problems of the country and has researched in the field of Environmental Geology. Shah has remained a teacher at the

University of Peshawar The University of Peshawar ( ps, د پېښور پوهنتون; hnd, پشور یونیورسٹی; ur, ; abbreviated UoP; known more popularly as Peshawar University) is a Public university, public research university located in Peshawar, Khy ...

Education and life

Mohammad Tahir Shah was born in the village in

Sirikot Sirikot is a village in Haripur District and Ghazi Tehsil, in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province at 34°10'60N 73°43'50E. It is the principal settlement of the Union Council.Ghazil Tehsil,

Haripur District Haripur District ( ps, هریپور ولسوالۍ, ur, "The Town of Hari") is a district in Hazara Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. The town of Haripur (meaning 'Hari's town') was founded in 1822 by Hari Singh Nalwa, the Com ...

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, ...

on 20 July 1956. He got his primary education from his village Sirikot, higher secondary education from the Central Model School located in

Mianwali Mianwali ( Punjabi/ ur, ) is the capital city of Mianwali District in Punjab, Pakistan. The 81st largest city of Pakistan, it is known for its diverse population of, Punjabi and Pashtun ethnicities. History Mianwali District was an agricu ...

in 1972 and intermediate from the

Islamia College Peshawar Islamia College Peshawar (ICP) ( ur, اسلامیہ کالج پشاور) is a public university located in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.Sirikot Sirikot is a village in Haripur District and Ghazi Tehsil, in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province at 34°10'60N 73°43'50E. It is the principal settlement of the Union Council.Ghazil Tehsil,

on 20 July 1956. He got his primary education from his village Sirikot, higher secondary education from the Central Model School located in

in 1972 and intermediate from the

Islamia College Peshawar Islamia College Peshawar (ICP) ( ur, اسلامیہ کالج پشاور) is a public university located in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.National Centre of Excellence in Geology,

in 1982. In 1986, he received the first M.Phil. degree in Geology from the University of Peshawar. Shah won the Thomas Jefferson Ph.D. scholarship and proceeded to the University of South Carolina, Columbia (USA) in 1987 and returned to Pakistan, after completing his Ph.D., in 1991. He was promoted to assistant professor (1992–1995), associate professor (1995–2002), professor (2009), and tenured professor (2009–2016).

Academic career

In recognition of Shah's research contributions in the field of earth and environmental sciences, the President of Pakistan awarded him Civil Award (

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 ...

) in the field of science on the eve of 14 August 2014. He was also awarded the Presidential Award (Izaz-I-Fazeelat) on the eve of 14 August 2001. He is the recipient of the Gold Medal 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 ...

for his research in 2005. The Pakistan Book Foundation awarded him the Earth Scientist of the year award for his publications in the

Earth Sciences Earth science or geoscience includes all fields of natural science related to the planet Earth. This is a branch of science dealing with the physical, chemical, and biological complex constitutions and synergistic linkages of Earth's four sphere ...

in the year 1994–95. He was also awarded IUCN 2001 Environmental award in Academia by SPCS,

. He has been awarded Productivity Awards on his international papers for the years 2003–2005 and 2009–2013. He is listed in the directory ''Productive Scientists of Pakistan'' published by the Pakistan Council of Science and Technology, Islamabad in 2011–2014. He has also received the Star Laureate award and Zafar H. Zaidi Gold Medal for the year 2006 by the South Asia Publications (SAP) in recognition of his credentials par excellence in the field of education. Shah has been and is a member of the boards of studies of various universities, including the University of Peshawar,

University of Haripur The University of Haripur (UOH) ( ur, ) is a public university situated in Haripur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. History UOH was established in March 2008 as a Haripur campus of Hazara University. The campus was upgraded to full-fledged Unive ...

, Benazir Women University,

Quaid-i-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 ...

University of Sargodha The Sargodha university (SU) is a public university based in Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan. History The ''De'Montmorency College'' was established at Shahpur Sadar in 1929. Later, it was renamed to ''Government College Sargodha''. The college was s ...

, AJK University, University of Poonch, and

COMSAT COMSAT (Communications Satellite Corporation) is a global telecommunications company based in the United States. By 2007, it had branches in Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela and several other countries in the Americas. A ...

Institute of IT, Abbottabad, and Islamabad. He is a member of the Board of Faculty of the University of Swabi, the Board of Directors of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Oil and Gas Company (Ltd) and the Board of Governors of the Centre of Excellence in

Mineralogy Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifacts. Specific studies within mineralogy include the proces ...

, University of Baluchistan. Shah remained a member of the Ph.D. Review Committee and the National Curriculum Revision Committee of the HEC, Islamabad. He is the chief-editor of the HEC recognized ''Journal of Himalayan Earth Sciences'' and also remained the Sub-Editor of the ''Journal of Science & Technology'', University of Peshawar. Shah has also won the prestigious

Fulbright The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

(1999–2000) and

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

(2000–2001) Post-Doctoral fellowships and has carried out Post-Doctoral research at the

University of Nevada The University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada, the University of Nevada, or UNR) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Reno, Nevada. It is the state's flagship public university and primary land grant ...

, Reno, Nevada, U.S., and

University of Leicester , mottoeng = So that they may have life , established = , type = public research university , endowment = £20.0 million , budget = £326 million , chancellor = David Willetts , vice_chancellor = Nishan Canagarajah , head_labe ...

, UK, respectively. He remained the senior vice president of the National Geological Society of Pakistan (2006–2008).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shah, Mohammad Tahir 1956 births Living people Alumni of the University of Leicester FATA University faculty Islamia College University alumni Pakistani geologists People from Haripur District University of Nevada alumni University of Peshawar alumni University of Peshawar faculty University of South Carolina alumni