STAFF REPORT KHI: Dr. Amer Iqbal, Associate Professor, LUMS Department of Physics, has been awarded the “Abdus Salam Prize for Achievements in Science for Young Pakistani Scientists for Physics 2009”.
Dr. Iqbal has been cited for his ground-breaking contributions to super string theory and its relationship with super symmetry and gauge theories. String theory is an active area of research, the objective of which is to combine the apparently disparate realms of general relativity and quantum mechanics.
Dr. Amer Iqbal, a Ph.D from MIT, has led the LUMS Department of Physics in its formative years. His research interests are at the cutting-edge frontiers of the small and large-scale structure of the universe. Interestingly, knots, the very knots in shoelaces and hair-braids, are also mathematical objects that interest him.
The Abdus Salam Prize is amongst the most prestigious awards given annually to Pakistani scientists in the fields of chemistry, mathematics, physics, biology, below 35 years of age. The award is given on the basis of the collected research and/or a technical essay written specially for the Salam Prize. It comprises a certificate giving a citation and a cash award of $1,000. The award was set up by Dr. Abdus Salam in 1980 from the proceeds of his Nobel Prize of 1979.