Faheem Hussain

Faheem Hussain
Born 31 July 1942
Yavatmal, Maharashtra, British India (present-day India)
Died 29 September 2009 (aged 67)
Monfalcone, Italy
Residence Monfalcone, Italy and Lahore, Pakistan
Citizenship Pakistani
Nationality Pakistani
Fields Theoretical Physics
Institutions National Center for Physics(NCP)
Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS)
Quaid-i-Azam University
International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP)
Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH)
European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)
University of Chicago
Institute for Nuclear Studies (INS)
Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron (DESY)
Alma mater University of London
Imperial College London
Doctoral advisor Paul T. Matthews
Other academic advisors Abdus Salam
Known for His work on superstring theory, supersymmetry, and noncommutative geometry
Notable awards Royal Society Award (1968)
Notes
A close friend of physicists Pervez Hoodbhoy, Asad Naqvi, and Riazuddin.

Faheem Hussain, DPhil (31 July 1942 – 29 September 2009), was a Pakistani theoretical physicist and a professor of physics at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). A research scientist in the field of Superstring theory at the National Center for Physics,[1] Hussain made contributions to the fields of Superstring theory and string theory. He was the first Pakistani physicist to publish a research paper in the field of superstring theory.[2] A prominent social activist and democratic activist, he has authored various scientific research papers in peer-reviewed journals.[2]

Education and early life

Faheem Hussain was born in Yavatmal, Maharashtra, British India in 1942. His family moved to West Pakistan shortly before Partition on 14 August 1947. He graduated from St. Anthony's High School, Lahore, in 1955 and then enrolled in Forman Christian College.[1][3] After receiving his double BSc(Hons) in Mathematics and Physics from Forman Christian College in 1960, he moved to the Great Britain. There, he attended Chelsea College, London, and completed another B.S. (hons) in physics in 1963. He attended Imperial College, London where a prominent and illustrious physicist Abdus Salam was also teaching. He began working with Abdus Salam's group at the Imperial College. He completed his MSc in physics from Imperial College, London under Abdus Salam, and followed by his PhD in Theoretical physics under the supervision of noted theoretical particle physicist Paul Matthews in 1966.[4]

Academic career

In 1966, at the age of 24, Hussain travelled to United States and joined Enrico Fermi Institute, nowadays known as The Enrico Fermi Institute for Nuclear Studies. During that time, Hussain met with group of Pakistani physicist at the institute, there he founded "The Relativity Group", along with Fayyazuddin, Riazuddin, and Peter Rotteli. During his stay in the Institute, he served as an assistant professor at the University of Chicago, Illinois. In 1968, Faheem along with "The Relativity Group" scientists, came back to Pakistan and joined Quaid-i-Azam University's Institute of Physics. From 1969 till 1975, Hussain joined the embarking "Theoretical Physics Group" (TPG) and did an extensive research at the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission. In 1976, he joined Quaid-e-Azam University's Physics faculty.

He taught at the Garyounis University, Benghazi, Libya, from 1977 to 1979. In 1985 Faheem left Pakistan and joined Deutsches Elektronen Synchrotron or better known as DESY. Prior to this, Faheem moved to Geneva, Switzerland and joined European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). He had also been a visiting professor at the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Germany. There, with Juergen Koerner, George Thompson and others, he calculated relativistic-wave functions for hadrons and used Salam's formalism to develop a variant of the effective heavy-quark theory. The Mainz group went on to make valuable contributions to the study of heavy baryon decays.[5]

ICTP career

Faheem joined ICTP on the request of Abdus Salam. He worked there as a senior staff scientist at the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Trieste, Italy. There, he was originally involved in developing the high energy physics diploma programme, which helps train young graduates from the developing countries to start research in physics.[6][7] There he was the head of the office of external activities for six years. Of late, he was working in superstring theory, the physics of extra dimensions and non-commutative geometry.[7] Faheem published extensively in the field of theoretical elementary particle physics. He also published articles and papers to solve the science and technology problems in the under develop countries.[7]

Politics

Faheem had deep interest in national and international politics. He was a staunch anti-imperialist, and vociferously protested against the new wave of the savage neo-liberalism religion of the free market. According to his close associates and friends, Faheem describes himself as "unreconstructed Marxist". During his stay in the United States. Faheem participated at the mass anti-war demonstration at the University of Chicago. As he moved to Pakistan, Faheem began criticising Pakistan Army's role in the East Pakistan.

However, after the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, Prime Minister of Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto legalised the trade unions in the 1970s. Faheem, together with Pervez Hoodbhoy, formed the student union movement, the "People Labour Federation" in 1973. The dream of the organisation was to bring the "social revolution in Pakistan."

Support for democracy in Pakistan

After the Coup d'état by General Zia, Faheem publicly opposed General Zia-ul-Haq's Islamization and supported democracy in his country.[7] Faheem left Pakistan in 1989 and joined ICTP at the request of Abdus Salam.[8]

Return to Pakistan

Faheem Hussain, who was till working at ICTP from 1990, returned to Pakistan. Hussain, at the ICTP, was working as a senior staff scientist, took his retirement and came back to Pakistan in 2004.[1][7] There, he joined the physics research institute, the National Center for Physics.[1]

Research in physics

Hussain, along with Riazuddin, Fayyazuddin, and Hamid Saleem, carried out a research on the string theory and published extensively in the field of mathematical physics. Later, he moved to Lahore and was offered a position at the Lahore University of Management Sciences or LUMS's science department. He eventually became a chairperson of the Physics Department at there. The LUMS is nationally and internationally known for its research in theoretical physics and numbers of prominent physicists also teaches there. At LUMS, Hussain began his research in noncommutative geometry and superstring theory. There, he formed a "Mathematical Physics Group" (MPG), the MPG group consists of Pakistan's noted physicists, Asad Naqvi, Tasneem Zehra Hussain, and Amer Iqbal. He there began his work and published articles in the field of Extra dimensions, Noncommutative geometry, and the string theory.

Death

Faheem Hussain was suffering from Prostate cancer in 2009. On the night of 29 September 2009, Hussain was announced dead. His work in physics specially to string theory is far reaching and influence. He made extraordinary contribution in the theoretical physics. He has been paid tribute by some of his close friends, associates and students.

Pervez Hoodbhoy, a professor of nuclear physics at the Quaid-i-Azam University paid a tribute to him and said:

"I think he belonged to the genre of academic intellectuals who believe in changing the world for the better. His research and teaching were instruments of change".

Abdul Hameed Nayyar, a former professor of solid state physics at the Qaud-e-Azam University, recalled and said: "Dr. Faheem Hussain was a scholar, a scientist and a revolutionary at the same time". Masud Ahmad, a theoretical physicists and PAEC member and a close friend of his, said:

"Faheem Hussain was a multidimensional personality of being an accomplished scientist, an excellent teacher and an ideal role model for the young students who took great pains to direct the energy of the youth to intellectual pursuits".

Asad Naqvi, a professor of mathematical physics at the LUMS, paid heavy tribute to him and commemorate in few words, and said:

"I am lost after hearing this. I only knew him for about five years, and in that short time, I had grown really fond of him. We are all poorer today, having lost such a lovely person who touched us so deeply".

Bibliography

Research papers

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Name * (6 October 2009). "Faheem Hussain – Lal Salam! " Red Diary". Reddiarypk.wordpress.com. Retrieved 14 December 2010.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Remembering Prof. Faheem Hussain (1942–2009) : ALL THINGS PAKISTAN". Pakistaniat.com. Retrieved 14 December 2010.
  3. ↑ Hoodbhoy, Pervez. "Reckoning Time for HEC". dawa-i-dil. Chowk.com. Retrieved 2009.
  4. ↑ Dutta, Rinku, Faheem Hussain – Lal Salam!, retrieved 2008
  5. ↑ CERN (7 December 2009), CERN scientist:Faheem Hussain 1942–2009., retrieved 2010
  6. ↑ School of Science and Engineering, LUMS. "Biology, Chemistry, Electrical Engineering and Physics: Faheem Hussain". Retrieved 22 September 2008.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4
  8. ↑ Khalid, Rasheed (5 October 2009), "Tribute paid to Dr Faheem", The News International (Islamabad, Pakistan)

External links