Tasneem Mohammad Shah ( ur, ),
SI,
TI, was a Pakistani scientist and a prominent mathematician who has made pioneering and instrumental research and contributions to the field of
computational fluid dynamics
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a branch of fluid mechanics that uses numerical analysis and data structures to analyze and solve problems that involve fluid flows. Computers are used to perform the calculations required to simulate th ...
(CFD) at
A. Q. Khan Research Laboratories (KRL). Trained as an
applied mathematician, his contributions include
differential geometry
Differential geometry is a mathematical discipline that studies the geometry of smooth shapes and smooth spaces, otherwise known as smooth manifolds. It uses the techniques of differential calculus, integral calculus, linear algebra and multili ...
,
numerical analysis
Numerical analysis is the study of algorithms that use numerical approximation (as opposed to symbolic computation, symbolic manipulations) for the problems of mathematical analysis (as distinguished from discrete mathematics). It is the study of ...
,
information security
Information security, sometimes shortened to InfoSec, is the practice of protecting information by mitigating information risks. It is part of information risk management. It typically involves preventing or reducing the probability of unauthorize ...
,
CFD-DEM model
A CFD-DEM model is suitable for the modeling or simulation of fluid-solids or fluid-particles systems. In a typical CFD-DEM model, the phase motion of discrete solids or particles is obtained by the Discrete Element Method (DEM) which applies Newto ...
,
hydrodynamics
In physics and engineering, fluid dynamics is a subdiscipline of fluid mechanics that describes the flow of fluids—liquids and gases. It has several subdisciplines, including ''aerodynamics'' (the study of air and other gases in motion) and ...
(of explosions),
computer science
Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to Applied science, practical discipli ...
,
fluid mechanics
Fluid mechanics is the branch of physics concerned with the mechanics of fluids ( liquids, gases, and plasmas) and the forces on them.
It has applications in a wide range of disciplines, including mechanical, aerospace, civil, chemical and bio ...
,
Vacuum Technology
A vacuum is a space devoid of matter. The word is derived from the Latin adjective ''vacuus'' for "vacant" or "Void (astronomy), void". An approximation to such vacuum is a region with a gaseous pressure much less than atmospheric pressure. Ph ...
and
CFD-DEM.
Tasneem Mohammad Shah was a pioneer and senior member of the
Kahuta Project, and, along with
G.D. Alam and
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 ...
, Tasneem Mohammad Shah have had worked out in the
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 ...
involved in
gas centrifuge and the
uranium
Uranium is a chemical element with the symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Uranium is weak ...
based-
device. As of today, he is a
full professor
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...
and chairman of the Department of Mathematics at the
Air University.
Biography
Shah was born in Pakistan and had moved to Islamabad for his studies. He attended the jubilant and newly founded university, the
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 ...
where he received his undergraduate degree in mathematics from there. He did his MSc,
M. Phil. from Quaid-I-Azam University, followed by his DPhil in mathematics from
University of Oxford
, mottoeng = The Lord is my light
, established =
, endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019)
, budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20)
, chancellor ...
, United Kingdom. His doctoral thesis were written on "''Analysis of
Multi-Grid Methods, design, theory and development of
Algo.''".
Shah came back to Pakistan, after the
1971 Winter War where he joined his alma mater, Quaid-i-Azam University. His early research were mainly focused and emphasised on
Fluid
In physics, a fluid is a liquid, gas, or other material that continuously deforms (''flows'') under an applied shear stress, or external force. They have zero shear modulus, or, in simpler terms, are substances which cannot resist any shear ...
and
Aerodynamics
Aerodynamics, from grc, ἀήρ ''aero'' (air) + grc, δυναμική (dynamics), is the study of the motion of air, particularly when affected by a solid object, such as an airplane wing. It involves topics covered in the field of fluid dyn ...
. In 1972, M. Shah was introduced by
Asghar Qadir
Asghar Qadir ( ur, اصغر قادر born 23 July 1946) ''HI'', ''SI'', ''FPAS'', is a Pakistani mathematician and a prominent cosmologist, specialised in mathematical physics and physical cosmology. He is considered one of the top mathemati ...
to
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 ...
, where Professor Salam had delegated M. Shah to
Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission where he had closely collaborated with
Riazuddin and Asghar Qadir in the development of the nuclear device. At the end of 1975,
A. Qadeer Khan had brought the drawings of the
Zippe-type centrifuge
The Zippe-type centrifuge is a gas centrifuge designed to enrich the rare fissile isotope uranium-235 (235U) from the mixture of isotopes found in naturally occurring uranium compounds. The isotopic separation is based on the slight difference in m ...
s, which according to
Ghulam Dastagir Alam
Ghulam Dastagir Alam Qasmi ( Urdu: غلام دستگیر عالم قاسمی ; popularly known as G.D. Alam; ), was a Pakistani theoretical physicist and professor of mathematics at the Quaid-e-Azam University. Alam is best known for conceiving ...
, were incomplete and the drawings of the centrifuge machine were incorrect.
Anwar Ali then contacted
Hafeez Qureshi
Muhammad Hafeez Qureshi (Urdu: محمد حفيظ قريشى; ) (28 January 1930 – 11 August 2007), Sitara-e-Imtiaz, SI, Hilal-i-Imtiaz, HI, known as Hafeez Qureshi, was a Pakistani nuclear scientist and a mechanical engineer, known for his cla ...
to re-design and work out the solution of the Centrifuge machine. Hafeez Qureshi informed
Munir Ahmad Khan (who later consulted with
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 ...
) about the problem faced by the
KRL scientists. Tasneem Mohammad Shah who specialised in
Fluid dynamics
In physics and engineering, fluid dynamics is a subdiscipline of fluid mechanics that describes the flow of fluids— liquids and gases. It has several subdisciplines, including ''aerodynamics'' (the study of air and other gases in motion) an ...
from
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 ...
, was named by Abdus Salam for the gas-centrifuge project when Munir Ahmad Khan and Hafeez Qureshi consulted with him. In 1975, Anwar Ali and G.D. Alam had met with Tasneem Shah in Islamabad, and Shah, with the full backing of Abdus Salam, was accompanied by G. D. Alam to a secret project in Kahuta in 1975.
In the following years, Shah had joined Abdul Qadeer Khan's then-known as
Engineering Research Laboratories (ERL) from its beginning years. Trained as an applied mathematician, Shah was an instrumental carrying out the experimental and theoretical research at KRL. He was the founder and had served as the first director of the Computational Fluid Dynamics Division at the KRL. In particular, he had developed the expertise techniques in fluid explosions—phenomena which are difficult to model mathematically. M. Shah, a pioneer in fluid dynamics, had used complex integrations, and mathematical methods to develop the sustainable method for the gas centrifuges which he published his work at the KRL.
He gained fame in the research laboratory when Shah had mathematically modelled the fluid system in a
Zippe-type centrifuge
The Zippe-type centrifuge is a gas centrifuge designed to enrich the rare fissile isotope uranium-235 (235U) from the mixture of isotopes found in naturally occurring uranium compounds. The isotopic separation is based on the slight difference in m ...
, and have had improved the technology that was brought by
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 ...
in the mid-1970s. His developed theories and the experimental research led to an improvement in the devices, and KRL had developed the advanced and newer versions of the Zippe-type technology as P-1 and P-2. Shah's principal contribution to the gas-centrifuge program was the rotational dynamics of the
235 U by using the complex and difficult applications of
Washer
Washer most commonly refers to:
*Washer (hardware), a thin usually disc-shaped plate with a hole in the middle typically used with a bolt or nut
*Washing machine, for cleaning clothes
Washer may also refer to:
*Dishwasher, a machine for cleani ...
and
Shell integration
Shell integration (the shell method in integral calculus) is a method for calculating the volume of a solid of revolution, when integrating along an axis ''perpendicular to'' the axis of revolution. This is in contrast to disc integration whic ...
s.
Shah was one of the key scientists who had helped develop the
inertial and
thermal system of the
Ghauri missile system series. He had laid down the ground work of the
liquid-propellant rocketry system and formulated the various mathematical theories of the rocket science. On 28 May 1998, with numerous other KRL and PAEC weapon scientists, Shah was an eyewitness to the
first atomic weapons testing, at
Ras Koh Hills
The Ras Koh Hills is a range of granite hills forming a southwestern part of the Sulaiman Mountain Range, in the Chagai and Kharan districts of Pakistan's Balochistan province. The word "Ras" means "gateway" and the word "Koh" means "mountai ...
near at
Chagai Hills. He, along with other scientists, was conferred with
high civilian awards in 1998, and in 1999.
After serving in KRL for more than 27 years, Shah had begun providing training and teaching at the KRL to the field of
fluid dynamics
In physics and engineering, fluid dynamics is a subdiscipline of fluid mechanics that describes the flow of fluids— liquids and gases. It has several subdisciplines, including ''aerodynamics'' (the study of air and other gases in motion) an ...
. He established the Department of Cryptology at
NUST whereas he served as its first director. He also established the first IT University in private corporate sector and become the first rector of KASBIT, Karachi. He remained Dean, Faculty of Computer Sciences at
Bahria University
Bahria University (BU; ur, ) is a public-sector university established in 2000 by the Pakistan Navy at Shangrilla Road, Sector E-8/1 in Islamabad, Pakistan. The university maintains campuses in Karachi and Lahore.
Established by the Pakistan Na ...
and established an Integrated Scientific and Industrial Software house for contract research (ISIS). He is the author of 14 research papers. He is also working for establishment of an HEC project, "''National Institute of Vacuum Science and technology''".
[
]
Awards
*
Sitara-i-Imtiaz (1998)
*
Tamgha-i-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 ...
(1999)
*
Chagai Medal (1998)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shah, Tasneem M.
Computational fluid dynamicists
Pakistani mathematicians
Project-706
Academic staff of Quaid-i-Azam University
Pakistani cryptographers
Living people
Recipients of Hilal-i-Imtiaz
Weapons scientists and engineers
Fluid dynamicists
Computer designers
Functional analysts
Quaid-i-Azam University alumni
Alumni of the University of Oxford
Monte Carlo methodologists
People from Islamabad
Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz
Recipients of Tamgha-e-Imtiaz
Supercomputing in Pakistan
Academic staff of the National University of Sciences & Technology
Year of birth missing (living people)
Nuclear weapons scientists and engineers