Pervez Amirali Hoodbhoy (

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

nuclear physicist Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies atomic nuclei and their constituents and interactions, in addition to the study of other forms of nuclear matter. Nuclear physics should not be confused with atomic physics, which studies the ...

and

activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...

who serves as a professor at the

Forman Christian College 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 ...

and previously taught physics at the

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 ...

. Hoodbhoy is also a prominent

in particular concerned with promotion of

freedom of speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recogni ...

secularism Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on Secularity, secular, Naturalism (philosophy), naturalistic considerations. Secularism is most commonly defined as the Separation of church and state, separation of relig ...

scientific temper The term scientific temper is broadly defined as "a modest open-minded temper—a temper ever ready to welcome new light, new knowledge, new experiments, even when their results are unfavourable to preconceived opinions and long-cherished theor ...

and

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. Va ...

in Pakistan. Born and raised 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 cap ...

, in a Gujarati household, Hoodbhoy studied at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

for nine years, where he received degrees in electrical engineering, mathematics and

solid-state physics Solid-state physics is the study of rigid matter, or solids, through methods such as quantum mechanics, crystallography, electromagnetism, and metallurgy. It is the largest branch of condensed matter physics. Solid-state physics studies how the l ...

, eventually leading to a

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * ''Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic * Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group ** Ph.D. (Ph.D. albu ...

nuclear physics Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies atomic nuclei and their constituents and interactions, in addition to the study of other forms of nuclear matter. Nuclear physics should not be confused with atomic physics, which studies the ...

. In 1981, Hoodbhoy went on to conduct

post-doctoral A postdoctoral fellow, postdoctoral researcher, or simply postdoc, is a person professionally conducting research after the completion of their doctoral studies (typically a Doctor of Philosophy, PhD). The ultimate goal of a postdoctoral rese ...

research at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...

, before leaving to serve as a

visiting professor In academia, a visiting scholar, visiting researcher, visiting fellow, visiting lecturer, or visiting professor is a scholar from an institution who visits a host university to teach, lecture, or perform research on a topic for which the visitor ...

at the

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

in 1985. While still a professor at the

, Hoodbhoy worked as a guest scientist at the

International Centre for Theoretical Physics The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) is an international research institute for physical and mathematical sciences that operates under a tripartite agreement between the Italian Government, United Nations Education ...

from 1986 to 1994. He remained with the

until 2010, throughout which he held visiting professorships at

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the mo ...

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

and

Stanford Linear Collider SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, originally named the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, is a United States Department of Energy National Laboratory operated by Stanford University under the programmatic direction of the U.S. Departme ...

. In 2011, Hoodbhoy joined LUMS while also working as a researcher with

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

and as copa columnist with the ''

Express Tribune ''The Express Tribune'' is a daily English-language newspaper based in Pakistan. It is the flagship publication of the '' Daily Express'' media group. It is Pakistan's only internationally affiliated newspaper in a partnership with the ''Intern ...

''. His contract with LUMS was terminated in 2013 which resulted in a controversy. He is a sponsor of the ''

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists The ''Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists'' is a nonprofit organization concerning science and global security issues resulting from accelerating technological advances that have negative consequences for humanity. The ''Bulletin'' publishes conte ...

'', and a member of the monitoring panel on terrorism of the World Federation of Scientists. Hoodbhoy has won several awards including the

Abdus Salam Mohammad Abdus Salam Salam adopted the forename "Mohammad" in 1974 in response to the anti-Ahmadiyya decrees in Pakistan, similarly he grew his beard. (; ; 29 January 192621 November 1996) was a Punjabi Pakistani theoretical physicist and a ...

Prize A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people (such as sporting teams and organizations) to recognize and reward their actions and achievements.

for Mathematics (1984); the

Kalinga Prize The Kalinga Prize for the Popularization of Science is an award given by UNESCO for exceptional skill in presenting scientific ideas to lay people. It was created in 1952, following a donation from Biju Patnaik, Founder President of the Kalinga ...

for the popularization of science (2003); the Joseph A. Burton Forum Award (2010) from the

American Physical Society The American Physical Society (APS) is a not-for-profit membership organization of professionals in physics and related disciplines, comprising nearly fifty divisions, sections, and other units. Its mission is the advancement and diffusion of k ...

. In 2011, he was included in the list of 100 most influential global thinkers by ''

Foreign Policy A State (polity), state's foreign policy or external policy (as opposed to internal or domestic policy) is its objectives and activities in relation to its interactions with other states, unions, and other political entities, whether bilaterall ...

''. In 2013, he was made a member of the UN Secretary General's Advisory Board on Disarmament. Hoodbhoy remains one of Pakistan's most prominent academics. He is the author of ''Islam and Science: Religious Orthodoxy and the Battle for Rationality''. He is the head of ''Mashal'' Books in Lahore, which claims to make "a major translation effort to produce books in Urdu that promote modern thought, human rights, and emancipation of women". Hoodbhoy has written for ''

Project Syndicate Project Syndicate is an international media organization that publishes and syndicates commentary and analysis on a variety of global topics. All opinion pieces are published on the ''Project Syndicate'' website, but are also distributed to a wi ...

'', ''DAWN'', ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' and ''

The Express Tribune ''The Express Tribune'' is a daily English-language newspaper based in Pakistan. It is the flagship publication of the '' Daily Express'' media group. It is Pakistan's only internationally affiliated newspaper in a partnership with the ''Interna ...

''. Hoodbhoy is generally considered one of the most vocal, progressive and liberal members of the Pakistani

intelligentsia The intelligentsia is a status class composed of the university-educated people of a society who engage in the complex mental labours by which they critique, shape, and lead in the politics, policies, and culture of their society; as such, the in ...

. His daughter, Alia Amirali, is also a well-known feminist and political activist.

Early and personal life

Hoodbhoy was born and raised in

Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

, in a

Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub- ...

family belonging to the

Ismaili Shia Isma'ilism ( ar, الإسماعيلية, al-ʾIsmāʿīlīyah) is a branch or sub-sect of Shia Islam. The Isma'ili () get their name from their acceptance of Imam Isma'il ibn Jafar as the appointed spiritual successor (imām) to Ja'far al-Sa ...

community. He has at least one older brother. He has been married twice, first to Hajra Ahmed, niece of activist

Eqbal Ahmad Eqbal Ahmad (1933 – 11 May 1999) was a Pakistani political scientist, writer and academic known for his anti-war activism, his support for resistance movements globally and academic contributions to the study of Near East. Born in Bihar, ...

. Hoodbhoy and Hajra Ahmed have two daughters together, including the feminist Alia Amirali. They were divorced in the early 2010s. Hoodbhoy later married Sadia Manzoor, who is also, like him, a physics professor. They were married late in life and do not have children together.

Education

Hoodbhoy attended 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 ...

in Karachi for his initial schooling. After graduating, at the age of 19, Hoodbhoy went to the United States to attend the

(MIT) on a scholarship. While attending

, Hoodbhoy worked for a local Pakistani restaurant based in

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

to support his studies and showed a great interest in

electronics The field of electronics is a branch of physics and electrical engineering that deals with the emission, behaviour and effects of electrons using electronic devices. Electronics uses active devices to control electron flow by amplification ...

and mathematics. At

, Hoodbhoy graduated with a double BSc in

Electrical Engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

and Mathematics in 1971, followed by an MSc in

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

with a concentration in

in 1973. After graduation, Hoodbhoy joined the

(QAU) as a researcher and renewed his scholarship to resume his studies in the United States. Hoodbhoy continued his research in doctoral studies in

, and was awarded a PhD in

in 1978. In the United States, his collaboration took place with the

scientists A scientist is a person who conducts scientific research to advance knowledge in an area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engaged in the philosophica ...

who participated in the

Manhattan Project The Manhattan Project was a research and development undertaking during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons. It was led by the United States with the support of the United Kingdom and Canada. From 1942 to 1946, the project w ...

in the 1940s, which set of experiences subsequently influenced in his philosophy. Hoodbhoy remained a post-doctoral research fellow at the

for a short time. In 1973, Hoodbhoy joined the

Institute of Physics The Institute of Physics (IOP) is a UK-based learned society and professional body that works to advance physics education, research and application. It was founded in 1874 and has a worldwide membership of over 20,000. The IOP is the Physica ...

of the University of Engineering and Technology in

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. ...

Career

Academia

Hoodbhoy focused his research career extensively on

quantum field theory In theoretical physics, quantum field theory (QFT) is a theoretical framework that combines classical field theory, special relativity, and quantum mechanics. QFT is used in particle physics to construct physical models of subatomic particles and ...

, particle phenomenology, and

supersymmetry In a supersymmetric theory the equations for force and the equations for matter are identical. In theoretical and mathematical physics, any theory with this property has the principle of supersymmetry (SUSY). Dozens of supersymmetric theories e ...

in the area of

particle physics Particle physics or high energy physics is the study of fundamental particles and forces that constitute matter and radiation. The fundamental particles in the universe are classified in the Standard Model as fermions (matter particles) an ...

. After receiving his PhD from

, Hoodbhoy met Riazuddin and

– the prominent Pakistani physicists who were visiting

to give lectures on particle physics. Subsequently, he joined a group of Pakistani physicists at the

Trieste Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into provi ...

, Italy. At

ICTP The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) is an international research institute for physical and mathematical sciences that operates under a tripartite agreement between the Italian Government, United Nations Education ...

, Hoodbhoy collaborated with Pakistan's leading theoretical physicists who worked under

in the 1970s. After

work, Hoodbhoy returned to Pakistan to join

(QAU) where he began teaching and lecturing on physics. Eventually, he became chairman of the

Institute of Theoretical Physics An institute is an organisational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations (research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body. In some countries, institutes can ...

(now the Department of Physics). After spending more than 30 years at QAU, Hoodbhoy moved to

where 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 ...

as a visiting professor, while remaining a visiting scientist at the

Stanford Linear Accelerator Center SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, originally named the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, is a United States Department of Energy National Laboratory operated by Stanford University under the programmatic direction of the U.S. Departme ...

. Controversy over his contract at LUMS sparked an academic debate when it was reported in the

news media The news media or news industry are forms of mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public. These include news agencies, print media (newspapers, news magazines), broadcast news (radio and television), and th ...

that Hoodbhoy's email to the

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 of Nations, Commonwealth and former Commonwealth n ...

of LUMS was made public. Eventually, Hoodbhoy moved to

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 ...

permanently and joined the senior staff to instruct courses on physics. Prior to his return to Pakistan in 1976, Hoodbhoy was aware of the country’s secretive development program on

nuclear deterrence Deterrence theory refers to the scholarship and practice of how threats or limited force by one party can convince another party to refrain from initiating some other course of action. The topic gained increased prominence as a military strategy ...

. Hoodbhoy maintains his close ties with Pakistan's vibrant nuclear society, and had collaborated with many of country's leading theoretical physicists throughout his career, mainly with

Ishfaq Ahmad Ishfaq Ahmad Khan (3 November 1930 – 18 January 2018) , was a Pakistani nuclear physicist, emeritus professor of high-energy physics at the National Centre for Physics, and former science advisor to the Government of Pakistan. A versatile ...

. On several occasions, Hoodbhoy staunchly countered Dr.

Abdul Qadeer Khan Abdul Qadeer Khan, (; ur, ; 1 April 1936 – 10 October 2021), known as A. Q. Khan, was a Pakistani nuclear physicist and metallurgical engineer. He was a key figure in Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program and is colloquially known as the ...

's "father-of" claims, and roundly criticized his academic research on

. In the 1980s, he famously debated with Bashiruddin Mahmood on the topics of

sunspots Sunspots are phenomena on the Sun's photosphere that appear as temporary spots that are darker than the surrounding areas. They are regions of reduced surface temperature caused by concentrations of magnetic flux that inhibit convection. ...

, life-after-death, and philosophy.Bergen, Peter L. (2011). "§Quixotic Quest". The longest war : the enduring conflict between America and al-Qaeda (1st Free Press trade paperback edition) New York: Free Press. . In 1999, Hoodbhoy with

and Riazuddin, played a major and influential role in the establishment of the

National Center for Physics The Abdus Salam Centre for Physics , () Previously known as Riazuddin Centre for Physics. is a federally-funded research institute and national laboratory site managed by the Quaid-i-Azam University for the Ministry of Energy (MoE) of the Gover ...

(NCP), becoming one of the earliest academics and scientists to join the NCP at its inception. Hoodbhoy has roundly criticized the development of

nuclear weapons A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bomb ...

, especially in South Asia, mainly by

India and Pakistan India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

.''The Herald''"> In 2011, Hoodbhoy held India responsible for Pakistan's symmetric nuclear weapons programme as part of Pakistan's self-credible deterrence.''The Herald''" /> According to Hoodbhoy, India's

nuclear tests Nuclear weapons tests are experiments carried out to determine nuclear weapons' effectiveness, yield, and explosive capability. Testing nuclear weapons offers practical information about how the weapons function, how detonations are affected by ...

forced Pakistan to jump into the nuclear arena in 1974, and again in 1998, after war-threatening statements were made by the

Indian government The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the Government, national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy lo ...

to Pakistan; Pakistan equalised this situation the same month.''The Herald''"/> While believing that Pakistan's

has protected the country from any foreign aggression and preventing from numerous war threatening situations with India, Hoodbhoy has raised concerns about the

security Security is protection from, or resilience against, potential harm (or other unwanted coercive change) caused by others, by restraining the freedom of others to act. Beneficiaries (technically referents) of security may be of persons and social ...

of nuclear arsenals and the possibility of radicals gaining control.''The Herald''" />

Activism

Hoodbhoy is a prominent sponsor of the ''

'', representing Pakistan's delegation. Apart from his specialist field of research, Hoodbhoy extensively writes and speaks on topics ranging from science in Islam to

and arms disarmament issues around the world. He is the author of ''Islam and Science: Religious Orthodoxy and the Battle for Rationality'', which has been translated into five languages. In this book, Hoodbhoy outlines the

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

of Pakistan, the implications of

theocracy Theocracy is a form of government in which one or more deity, deities are recognized as supreme ruling authorities, giving divine guidance to human intermediaries who manage the government's daily affairs. Etymology The word theocracy origina ...

and

martial law Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Marti ...

in Pakistan, and textbook revival in the education system of Pakistan. His articles and publications are repeatedly published in both technical and non-technical journals, as well as in local international media Hoodbhoy widely writes about the role and modernisation of the

Pakistani military The Pakistan Armed Forces (; ) are the military forces of Pakistan. It is the world's sixth-largest military measured by active military personnel and consist of three formally uniformed services—the Army, Navy, and the Air Force, which are ...

, particularly defence budget spending by the

Pakistani 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, ...

on the

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

. Hoodbhoy has criticized what he sees as the merger of science with religion, especially in Pakistan; by contrast he pointed out Iran, whose religious leaders have kept science and religion separate. In 2003 he was a signatory of the

Humanist Manifesto ''Humanist Manifesto'' is the title of three manifestos laying out a humanist worldview. They are the original ''Humanist Manifesto'' (1933, often referred to as Humanist Manifesto I), the ''Humanist Manifesto II'' (1973), and ''Humanism and It ...

. Hoodbhoy criticized the partition of India, calling it an "unspeakable tragedy" that "separated people who at one time could live together in peace". Hoodbhoy has criticized the Pakistan Higher Education Commission (HEC) for pursuing "a drive to achieve numbers rather than quality". He believes that because of "policies that reward authors of research articles and PhD supervisors with cash and promotions", universities in Pakistan have "turned into factories producing junk papers and PhDs." He has been a harsh critic of the performance of HEC since 2003 when it was led by Dr.

Atta-ur-Rahman Ata-ur-Rahman ( ar, عطا الرحمن ) is a masculine Islamic given name. It is built from the Arabic words ''Ata (name), Ata'', ''al-'' and ''Rahman (name), Rahman''. The name means "gift of the most merciful", ''ar-Rahman'' being one of the ...

, and the issue has led to heated debates in Pakistan's

. In 2009 Hoodbhoy came into conflict with

, an

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.; ...

, over the Higher Education Commission (HEC). In the United States, the journal ''Nature'' published an article on the successes and failures of the HEC. Hoodbhoy wrote to complain about, among other things, the article's failure to mention (what Hoodbhoy called) "the billions wasted on mindless prestige mega-projects". In the debate on the HEC, other Pakistani academics and scientists such as

Adil Najam Adil Najam ( ur, ) is a Pakistani academic who serves as the inaugural dean of the Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, and previously served as vice-chancellor of the LUMS. Life In 2011, Najam returned to Pakistan to head ...

, and

Atta-ur-Rehman Maulana Atta Ur Rehman (( ur, مولاناعطاالرحمن), born July 25, 1965) currently he is serving as Senator. He is also served as federal Minister of Tourism from 2008-2010 during PPP government. Currently he is Vice President JUI ( ...

defended the HEC while disagreeing with most of Hoodbhoy's criticisms. The administrative competency of the HEC was called into question by Hoodbhoy who described its achievements as "dismal". Hoodbhoy supported his arguments against HEC's productivity, that in the case of UESTP-France convention in

, out of an expected faculty strength of between 450 and 600, no French faculty or administrative staff actually arrived. At the television debate, Hoodbhoy questioned the statistics used to support the positive appraisal of HEC's activities in a series of communications between Hoodbhoy and HEC chairman Atta-Ur-Rehman. It was claimed by the latter that in mathematics, Pakistani authors received 20% more citations than the worldwide average. Hoodbhoy questioned this on several grounds including the number of self-citations these publications received and said that this was a crucial aspect that the HEC left out of its interpretation. Criticism was leveled by Hoodbhoy at the practice of hiring those foreign academics in local universities who were said to have difficulty in communicating and teaching, although they contributed to boosting the number of research publications originating from Pakistani universities.

Research

Hoodbhoy has made important contributions in physics, particularly in particle physics. Many of Hoodbhoy's recorded lectures on physics are available online. At

, Hoodbhoy conducted research on different aspects of particle physics, and pioneered studies in modern physics and its extension to mathematical and nuclear physics. In 2006, Hoodbhoy published a brief mathematical description of

Generalized Parton Distributions In particle physics, the parton model is a model of hadrons, such as protons and neutrons, proposed by Richard Feynman. It is useful for interpreting the cascades of radiation (a parton shower) produced from quantum chromodynamics (QCD) processes ...

. In 2007, Hoodbhoy re-published the work of Jens Lyng Peterson the

Maldacena conjecture Juan Martín Maldacena (born September 10, 1968) is an Argentine theoretical physicist and the Carl P. Feinberg Professor in the School of Natural Sciences at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton. He has made significant contributions to t ...

(a conjectured equivalence between a string theory and gravity defined on one space, and a quantum field theory without gravity defined by one or less dimension) where he contributed mathematically to the theory. In the same year, he re-published the work of

Edward Witten Edward Witten (born August 26, 1951) is an American mathematical and theoretical physicist. He is a Professor Emeritus in the School of Natural Sciences at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. Witten is a researcher in string theory, q ...

Anti-de Sitter space In mathematics and physics, ''n''-dimensional anti-de Sitter space (AdS''n'') is a maximally symmetric Lorentzian manifold with constant negative scalar curvature. Anti-de Sitter space and de Sitter space are named after Willem de Sitter (1872� ...

and its extension to the field of

Holography Holography is a technique that enables a wavefront to be recorded and later re-constructed. Holography is best known as a method of generating real three-dimensional images, but it also has a wide range of other applications. In principle, i ...

. While the paper was published experimentally in 1998 by Witten, Hoodbhoy provided the brief mathematical proofs and description to understand, logically, the subject of Sitter space— a

scalar curvature In the mathematical field of Riemannian geometry, the scalar curvature (or the Ricci scalar) is a measure of the curvature of a Riemannian manifold. To each point on a Riemannian manifold, it assigns a single real number determined by the geometry ...

in general theory of relativity. On 14 April 2001, it was announced that Dr. Hoodbhoy would be receiving ''Sitara-i-Imtiaz'' from the former

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

, General (retired)

Pervez Musharraf General Pervez Musharraf ( ur, , Parvez Muśharraf; born 11 August 1943) is a former Pakistani politician and four-star general of the Pakistan Army who became the tenth president of Pakistan after the successful military takeover of the ...

which he refused to accept. His refusal prompted the ''Friday Times'' to interview him.

Filmography

He produced a 13-part documentary series in

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Pakistan Television Pakistan Television Corporation ( ur, ; reporting name: PTV) is the Pakistani state-owned broadcaster. Pakistan entered the television broadcasting age in 1964, with a pilot television station established at Lahore. Background Historical co ...

on critical issues in education, and two series aimed at popularising science. In 2004, he made a documentary film '

Crossing the Lines The Crossing the Lines project brings the communities of Utrecht (the Netherlands) and Mortsel (Belgium) and the County of Essex (Great Britain) together to protect and redevelop flood defencelines in Northwest Europe in an environmentally sustaina ...

: Kashmir, Pakistan, India' along with Dr.

Zia Mian Zia Mian (Urdu: ضياء میاں ) is a Pakistani-American physicist, Nuclear engineering, nuclear expert, nuclear policy maker and research scientist at Princeton University. Currently, he is the director of the Project on Peace and Securit ...

.CGPACS (2006
Crossing the Lines: Kashmir, Pakistan, India
/ref> These documentaries carry heavy emphasis on the issues of education, public health and scientific revolution in Pakistan. In his documentaries, Dr. Hoodbhoy has heavily criticised Pakistan and India's nuclear weapons program. He also pointed out the seriousness of the Talibanization in Pakistan and its immediate effects on South Asia. His documentaries also point out that American and

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

forces in Afghanistan didn't help the Afghan people's life and there was no reform in Afghanistan's social and public sector and, instead, the insurgency and corruption grew, which also destabilised Pakistan's western front. * ''Crossing the Lines: Kashmir, Pakistan, India'' (2004) * ''The Bell Tolls for Planet Earth'' (2003) * ''Pakistan and India Under the Nuclear Shadow'' (2001)

Publications

Books

* ''Education and the State: Fifty Years Of Pakistan''

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, 1998. * ''Islam and Science: Religious Orthodoxy and the Battle for Rationality'' Zed Books, London, 1992. , (Translations in

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesian ...

Malaysian Malaysian may refer to: * Something from or related to Malaysia, a country in Southeast Asia * Malaysian Malay, a dialect of Malay language spoken mainly in Malaysia * Malaysian people, people who are identified with the country of Malaysia regard ...

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

, Japanese, and

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

A. H. Nayyar), "Rewriting the History of Pakistan", in ''Islam, Politics and the State: The Pakistan Experience'', Ed. Mohammad Asghar Khan, Zed Books, London, 1986.

Scientific papers and articles

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Detecting Two-Photon Exchange Effects in Hard Scattering from Nucleon Targets, in

Mathematical Physics Mathematical physics refers to the development of mathematics, mathematical methods for application to problems in physics. The ''Journal of Mathematical Physics'' defines the field as "the application of mathematics to problems in physics and t ...

: Proceedings of the 12th Regional Conference, Islamabad, Pakistan 27 March – 1 April 2006, World Scientific, Singapore, 2007. * Abdus Salam: Past and Present- The News (29 January 1996)
Generalized Parton Distributions
Pervez Hoodbhoy, Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad

Appearances in TV shows

* ''Raaste Ilm ke'' (Pathways to Knowledge) on PTV, 1988 * ''Asrar-e-Jahan'' (Mysteries of the Universe) on PTV, 1995 * ''Bazm-e-Kainat'' (Gathering of all Creation) on PTV, 2003 * ''Alif'' on Geo TV. Debate with Jawed Ghamidi, 2006 * ''Aik Din Geo Kay Saath'' on

Geo TV Geo Television Network is a television channel based in Pakistan. It was established in May 2002 and is owned by the Jang Media Group. The channel began its test transmission on 14 August 2002, with regular transmission beginning on 1 October 2 ...

, February 2010 * ''Capital Talk'' on

, 29 August 2012 * ''Salam-The first Nobel laureate (NETFLIX) 2018

Notes

External links

A complete repository of Pervez Hoodbhoy's articles in the making

Profile
QAU
Pervez Hoodbhoy's recent articles for Z Magazine

Pervez Hoodbhoy's articles for the website Chowk.com

Pervez Hoodbhoy's research papers

Science and the Islamic world—The quest for rapprochement
Pervez Hoodbhoy,

American Institute of Physics The American Institute of Physics (AIP) promotes science and the profession of physics, publishes physics journals, and produces publications for scientific and engineering societies. The AIP is made up of various member societies. Its corpora ...

, August 2007
Video Presentation:
"Sacred Terror: Theirs and Ours." Professor Hoodbhoy speaking at the University of Illinois, October 2007.

– article by P Hoodbhoy lamenting the rising tide of

militant Islam Jihadism is a neologism which is used in reference to "militant Islamic movements that are perceived as existentially threatening to the West" and "rooted in political Islam."Compare: Appearing earlier in the Pakistani and Indian media, Wes ...

in Pakistan
Islamic Failure
– 2002 article by P Hoodbhoy, first published in ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' and reprinted in ''

Prospect Prospect may refer to: General * Prospect (marketing), a marketing term describing a potential customer * Prospect (sports), any player whose rights are owned by a professional team, but who has yet to play a game for the team * Prospect (mining ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Hoodbhoy, Pervez Living people 1950 births People from Karachi Pakistani Ismailis Pakistani people of Gujarati descent Karachi Grammar School alumni Pakistani expatriates in the United States MIT School of Engineering alumni Pakistani physicists Pakistani electrical engineers MIT Department of Physics alumni Pakistani nuclear physicists Pakistani educators Pakistani scientists Pakistani scholars Quaid-i-Azam University faculty Members of the Pakistan Philosophical Congress Pakistani anti–nuclear weapons activists Pakistani anti-war activists Pakistani democracy activists Pakistani science writers Kalinga Prize recipients Lahore University of Management Sciences faculty Forman Christian College faculty Pakistani humanists Pakistani science journalists Pakistani secularists Urdu-language writers

Early and personal life

Education

Career

Academia

Activism

Research

Filmography

Publications

Books

Scientific papers and articles

Appearances in TV shows

See also

Notes

Further reading

External links