Dr Hameed Ahmed Khan Sitara-Imtiaz (SI) is the Chief Scientist of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) and Director General of Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science & Technology (PINSTECH), Islamabad, Pakistan.
Dr Hameed Ahmed Khan (SI) was born at Rangoon (Burma) in 1942, and earned his BSc (Hons.) and MSc degrees from Punjab University in 1963 and 1964, respectively. He joined Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) in 1965 and participated in the commissioning of Pakistan’s first Research Reactor (PARR-1). He then obtained an MSc (Reactor Physics) and a PhD (Radiation Physics) from Birmingham University (UK) in 1969 and 1972, respectively.
Dr Hameed Khan's PhD research work produced about 20 international research publications and resulted in the development of a new radiation detection system that was applied to many branches of science and technology. He served on the research/teaching faculties of Birmingham University till 1974.
He was awarded a DSc in Physics and Space Research from Birmingham University (UK) in 1994.
The President of Pakistan decorated Dr Khan with a high civil award of “Sitara-i-Imtiaz” (SI), in recognition of his scientific research work and its applications in Pakistan, and the National Book Council of Pakistan bestowed upon him the award of the Scientist of the Year, 1987.
The Islamic Academy of Sciences elected him a Fellow in 1988. In 1990, the Pakistan Academy of Sciences (PAS) elected him a Fellow of the Academy. The Iranian Research Organization for Science & Technology (IROST) awarded him “Khawarizmi Prize” in 1993 for his contribution to science. The National Book Foundation of Pakistan awarded him first prize in Physics for the years 1991, 1992 & 1993. The Third World Network of Scientific Organizations (TWNSO), Trieste, Italy awarded him its 1998 TWNSO Prize in Technology in recognition of his scientific contributions, particularly for developing the technique of SSNTD and its applications.
Realizing the energy problem in Pakistan, Dr Khan developed and applied an inexpensive technique for uranium and thorium exploration with a view to use these minerals in nuclear power generation programme of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC).
Dr Khan has also been a member of the Editorial Board of “Radiation Effects” and “Radiation Measurements,” and Chief Editor of the “Nucleus,” the scientific journal of PAEC. He has over 450 research publications to his credit.