Qaiser Mushtaq (born 28 February 1954), ( D.Phil.(Oxon),

ASA ASA as an abbreviation or initialism may refer to: Biology and medicine * Accessible surface area of a biomolecule, accessible to a solvent * Acetylsalicylic acid, aspirin * Advanced surface ablation, refractive eye surgery * Anterior spinal ar ...

KIA Kia Corporation, commonly known as Kia (, ; formerly known as Kyungsung Precision Industry and Kia Motors Corporation), is a South Korean multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It is South Korea's second lar ...

), is a Pakistani mathematician and academic who has made numerous contributions in the field of

Group theory In abstract algebra, group theory studies the algebraic structures known as group (mathematics), groups. The concept of a group is central to abstract algebra: other well-known algebraic structures, such as ring (mathematics), rings, field ...

and

Semigroup In mathematics, a semigroup is an algebraic structure consisting of a set together with an associative internal binary operation on it. The binary operation of a semigroup is most often denoted multiplicatively: ''x''·''y'', or simply ''xy'', ...

. He has been vice-chancellor of The Islamia University Bahawalpur from December 2014 to December 2018. Mushtaq is one of the leading

mathematicians A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change. History One ...

and educationists in

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 ...

. Through his research and writings, he has exercised a profound influence on mathematics in

. Mushtaq is an honorary full professor at the Mathematics Division of the

Institute for Basic Research Ruggero Maria Santilli (born September 8, 1935) is an Italo-American nuclear physicist. Mainstream scientists dismiss his theories as fringe science. Biography Ruggero Maria Santilli was born September 8, 1935) in Capracotta. He studied physics ...

, Florida, US. His research contributions in the fields of

group theory In abstract algebra, group theory studies the algebraic structures known as group (mathematics), groups. The concept of a group is central to abstract algebra: other well-known algebraic structures, such as ring (mathematics), rings, field ...

and LA-semigroup theory have won him recognition at both national and international levels. In

Graham Higman Graham Higman FRS (19 January 1917 – 8 April 2008) was a prominent English mathematician known for his contributions to group theory. Biography Higman was born in Louth, Lincolnshire, and attended Sutton High School, Plymouth, winning a ...

's words, "''he has laid the foundation of coset diagrams for the

modular group In mathematics, the modular group is the projective special linear group of matrices with integer coefficients and determinant 1. The matrices and are identified. The modular group acts on the upper-half of the complex plane by fractional l ...

''", to study the actions of groups on various spaces and projective lines over Galois fields. This work has been cited in the Encyclopedia of Design Theory.

Biography

Qaiser Mushtaq was born in

Sheikhupura Sheikhupura ( pa, ; ur, ) also known as Qila Sheikhupura, is a city in the Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. Founded by the Mughal Empire, Mughal Emperor Jahangir, Jehangir in 1607, Sheikhupura is the List of most populous citie ...

to Pir Mushtaq Ali and Begum Saghira Akhter, and belongs to the Qureshi family of

Gujranwala Gujranwala ( ur, , label=none; ) is a city and capital of Gujranwala Division located in Pakistan. It is also known as "City of Wrestlers" and is quite famous for its food. It is the 5th most populous city proper after Karachi, Lahore, Faisala ...

. He is a descendant of Shah Jamal Nuri. Mushtaq married Aileen Qaiser, a senior journalist educated from the

National University of Singapore The National University of Singapore (NUS) is a national public research university in Singapore. Founded in 1905 as the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States Government Medical School, NUS is the oldest autonomous university in the c ...

and

Wolfson College, Oxford Wolfson College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Located in north Oxford along the River Cherwell, Wolfson is an all-graduate college with around sixty governing body fellows, in addition to both research and ...

. They have two daughters, Shayyan Qaiser and Zara Qaiser. He received primary education from the

Convent of Jesus and Mary, Sialkot The Convent of Jesus and Mary, Sialkot was the first Catholic school in the Punjab and second in British India after Agra. It was established in 1856 by five nuns headed by Mother St. Gonzaga Bergonhoux and was opened at the request of the Archbis ...

, and secondary education from Government Pilot Secondary School, Sialkot. Mushtaq studied for a certain period at

Murray College Government Murray College Sialkot, (GMC Sialkot) often referred to as Murray College, formerly known as Scotch Mission College, is a government college located in Sialkot in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It was established by the Scottish missio ...

till his family moved to Rawalpindi, where he studied at Gordon College. He did his MSc and M.Phil. from

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 ...

, Islamabad. He then joined

Bahauddin Zakariya University Bahauddin Zakariya University (BZU) ( ur, ) is a public university with its main campus in Multan, Pakistan. Bahauddin Zakariya University was founded in 1975 as Multan University, and is the 2nd largest university in Punjab. It was renamed i ...

, Multan, as a lecturer for a period of one year before returning to Quaid-i-Azam University in 1979. Later, in 1980, he received the Royal Scholarship to do his D.Phil. at

. He was a doctoral student of

and was awarded a doctorate in 1983 for a thesis entitled ''Coset Diagrams for the Modular Group''. In 1990 he was at 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 ...

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 ...

, Trieste, Italy, as a visiting mathematician. He also worked as an associate professor at the

Universiti Brunei Darussalam Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD; Jawi: ) is a national research university located in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. It was established in 1985 and has since become the largest university in the country in terms of student enrollment and curricu ...

from 1993 to 1999, after which he returned to Pakistan. Mushtaq is a tenured professor at

, and a former syndicate member,

, Islamabad. He is also an honorary full professor at the Mathematics Division,

, Florida, US. He served as vice chancellor of The Islamia University of Bahawalpur from 19 December 2014 to December 2018.

Research in mathematics

He has parametrised actions of the modular group on projective lines over Galois fields. This method has proven to be so effective and rewarding, that its wide uses can be seen in Combinatorial Group Theory,

Algebraic Number Theory Algebraic number theory is a branch of number theory that uses the techniques of abstract algebra to study the integers, rational numbers, and their generalizations. Number-theoretic questions are expressed in terms of properties of algebraic ob ...

, and Theory of Group Graphs. His graphical technique helped to solve

George Abram Miller George Abram Miller (31 July 1863 – 10 February 1951) was an early group theorist. At age 17 Miller began school-teaching to raise funds for higher education. In 1882 he entered Franklin and Marshall Academy, and progressed to Muhlenberg Colle ...

's problem (1901) on

alternating groups In mathematics, an alternating group is the group of even permutations of a finite set. The alternating group on a set of elements is called the alternating group of degree , or the alternating group on letters and denoted by or Basic prop ...

as homomorphic images of the

. He has also invented a new algebraic structure known as Locally Associative LA-semigroup, and has done some fundamental research on LA-semigroups producing some significant results in this theory. Consequently, a number of useful mathematical results have emerged which otherwise were applicable under restricted conditions only. Mushtaq has collaborated in research with the late

FRS (

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

) and the late

Gian-Carlo Rota Gian-Carlo Rota (April 27, 1932 – April 18, 1999) was an Italian-American mathematician and philosopher. He spent most of his career at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he worked in combinatorics, functional analysis, pro ...

(

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 ...

). He has been an invited speaker at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, MSRI Berkeley,

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

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 ...

and

Southampton University , mottoeng = The Heights Yield to Endeavour , type = Public research university , established = 1862 – Hartley Institution1902 – Hartley University College1913 – Southampton University Coll ...

; and an invited speaker at several international conferences. He has supervised, as a sole supervisor, the highest number of M.Phil. and PhD students in Pure Mathematics in Pakistan (see the

Mathematics Genealogy Project The Mathematics Genealogy Project (MGP) is a web-based database for the academic genealogy of mathematicians.. By 31 December 2021, it contained information on 274,575 mathematical scientists who contributed to research-level mathematics. For a ty ...

). As a result, he has established a research group in Pakistan, the largest of its kind, which is producing high level original research in mathematics.

Research papers

Mushtaq has over a hundred research papers to his credit. He has written and edited several books, some of which are, Mathematics: The Islamic Legacy (which received a prize from the National Book Council of Pakistan), published by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

and other international publishers; A Course in Group Theory, and Discrete Lectures in Mathematics. He has also written books on topics other than mathematics. They are, Focus on Pakistan, and Pakistan: An Introduction. He was also an invited writer for the monumental book, comprising six volumes, entitled the History of Civilizations of Central Asia, published by

(translated into several foreign languages). He is also known for his analytical writings and research articles on history, mathematics, science, education, and philosophy. He has been an active opposer of the use of

impact factors The impact factor (IF) or journal impact factor (JIF) of an academic journal is a scientometric index calculated by Clarivate that reflects the yearly mean number of citations of articles published in the last two years in a given journal, as i ...

and citation counts of the Higher Education Commission. He led the movement against its use which he believed has damaged the growth of mathematics in Pakistan. One of his essays was published by the

American Mathematical Society The American Mathematical Society (AMS) is an association of professional mathematicians dedicated to the interests of mathematical research and scholarship, and serves the national and international community through its publications, meetings, ...

. The

International Mathematical Union The International Mathematical Union (IMU) is an international non-governmental organization devoted to international cooperation in the field of mathematics across the world. It is a member of the International Science Council (ISC) and supports ...

has included it in its report on the use of impact factors. Mushtaq also founded the mathematical quarterly, PakMS Newsletter, in Pakistan.

Journals and bulletins

He is an editor of the Asian-European Journal of Mathematics (

World Scientific World Scientific Publishing is an academic publisher of scientific, technical, and medical books and journals headquartered in Singapore. The company was founded in 1981. It publishes about 600 books annually, along with 135 journals in various f ...

). He is an associate editor of the Bulletin of the Southeast Asian Mathematical Society (Springer-Verlag). Additionally, he is an editor of the Quasigroups and Related Systems (Maldova Academy of Sciences) and the Bulletin of the Malaysian Mathematical Society, an advisory editor of the Journal of Interdisciplinary Mathematics, an associate editor of the journal Advances in Algebra and Analysis, a reviewer for the Mathematical Reviews of the

(US) and the Zentrablatt fur Mathematik (Springer-Verlag, Germany).

Honours and awards

He was an overseas scholar of the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 in 1980 and a senior

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 ...

Scholar in 1990. Mushtaq was elected an associate member of the

, Trieste, Italy in 1991. Mushtaq has been awarded several awards due to his contribution to

mathematical sciences The mathematical sciences are a group of areas of study that includes, in addition to mathematics, those academic disciplines that are primarily mathematical in nature but may not be universally considered subfields of mathematics proper. Statisti ...

. * Chowla Medal (1977) * Salam Prize in Mathematics (1987) * Mathematician of the Year Award (1987) by the National Book Council of Pakistan * Gold Medal of Honour (1987) from United States * Mathematician of the Year Award (1990) by the National Book Council of Pakistan * M. Raziuddin Siddiqi Gold Medal (1991) from 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 ...

* First Khwārizmī Award (1992) from the

President of Iran The president of Iran ( fa, رئیس‌جمهور ایران, Rayis Jomhur-e Irān) is the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The president is the second highest-ranking official of Iran after the Supreme Leader. The president i ...

* Young Scientist of the South Award (1993) from Third World Academy of Sciences, Italy * 5th National Education Award (1999) by the National Education Forum * Gold Medal in Mathematics (2000) from the Pakistan Academy of Sciences.

Academic societies

Mushtaq founded the Pakistan Mathematical Society. He also founded the series of international conferences, namely IPMC, in Pakistan. The conference takes place every August in Islamabad. He is a member of the

, the Oxford Society, the

London Mathematical Society The London Mathematical Society (LMS) is one of the United Kingdom's learned societies for mathematics (the others being the Royal Statistical Society (RSS), the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (IMA), the Edinburgh Mathematical S ...

, and the Punjab Mathematical Society. He has been the president of the Brunei Darussalam Mathematics Society, and he is the current president of the Pakistan Mathematical Society. Mushtaq helped to start the Islamic Society at Oxford. He was its vice-president and secretary in 1980 to 1983. He also helped to rejuvenate the Oxford University Pakistan Society of which he was the vice-president from 1981 to 1982. In

, he started the 'Mathematical Seminar Series' at

in 1983 and developed it into an institution recognised nationally. At

, he founded the 'Algebra Forum' which has held advanced level seminars on algebra in particular and on various academic topics of general interest. He reformed and restructured the Mathematical Society of Brunei Darussalam as its president.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mushtaq, Qaiser Pakistani mathematicians Living people Pakistani scientists Pakistani scholars 1954 births People from Gujranwala Bahauddin Zakariya University faculty Murray College alumni Government Gordon College alumni Quaid-i-Azam University alumni Quaid-i-Azam University faculty Pakistani expatriates in Brunei Vice-Chancellors of the Islamia University of Bahawalpur Universiti Brunei Darussalam faculty