Muhammed Zafar Iqbal

Muhammad Zafar Iqbal
Born December 23, 1952 (1952-12-23) (age 59)
Sylhet, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh)
Occupation Physicist, writer, columnist
Nationality Bangladeshi
Alma mater
Spouse(s) Yasmeen Haque (1978-present)
Children
  • Nabil Iqbal
  • Yeshim Iqbal
Relative(s) Humayun Ahmed (brother)
Ahsan Habib (brother)

Muhammed Zafar Iqbal (Bengali: মুহম্মদ জাফর ইকবাল) (born December 23, 1952) is a Bangladeshi scientist, writer of science-fiction, children's books, and also a well-known political columnist. He is currently a professor of CSE and EEE department at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology.[1]

Contents

Early life

Muhammed Zafar Iqbal was born on 23 December 1952 in Sylhet. His father, Foyzur Rahman Ahmed, was a police officer. Because of his father's occupation, he traveled to various parts of the country as a child. Zafar Iqbal was inspired by his father for writing at an early life. He wrote his first science fiction work at the age of seven. On 5 May 1971, the Pakistan Army captured his father and killed him in front of a river. Iqbal had to dig his father’s grave to convince his mother of her husband's death.

Academic career

He passed SSC exam from Bogra Zilla School in 1968 and HSC exam from Dhaka College in 1970. He earned his BSc in physics from Dhaka University in 1976. Then Iqbal went to University of Washington to obtain his PhD. He earned the degree in 1982. He worked as a post-doctoral researcher at California Institute of Technology (Caltech) from 1983 to 1988. He then joined Bell Communications Research (Bellcore), a separate corporation from the Bell Labs, which is now known as Telcordia Technologies, as a Research Scientist. He left the institute in 1994 and joined the faculty of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology.[2]

Personal life

Iqbal married Yasmeen Haque in 1978. She is currently serving as the head of the Department of Physics at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology.[3] They have two children - son Nabil and daughter Yeshim. Yeshim translated the book Amar Bondhu Rashed (Rashed, My Friend) written by her father. Iqbal's elder brother, Humayun Ahmed, is a writer and film-maker. His younger brother, Ahsan Habib, is the editor of the satirical magazine, Unmad (Mad) and a cartoonist.

Literary works

Science Fiction

Children's Adventures

Math and science

Other works

Also notable that many famous dramas and cinemas of Bangladesh were made based on novels of Muhammed Jafar Iqbal namely Shukno Ful-Rongin Ful, Bubuner Baba, Hat Kata Robin, Shat Char Dui, Dipu Number Two, Amar Bondhu Rashed etc. He has also written some dramas for different television channels. Notably, an animated film was made a year ago on his science fiction Tratuler Jogot.

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.sust.edu/faculty-members-view/?&dept=eee
  2. ^ Haider, Mahtab (2006-01-01). "Muhammed Zafar Iqbal:A life in quantum leap". The New Age. http://www.newagebd.com/2006/jan/01/newyear06/heroes01.html. 
  3. ^ http://www.sust.edu/department/phy/faculty/teach.php?tech_id=10
  4. ^ http://rapidshare.com/files/275585299/QUANTUM_MECHANICS__BY_JAFOR_IQBAL.pdf.html