Muhammad Shahid Qureshi is a Pakistani mathematician, astrophysicist, and a renowned astronomer. He is an academic and an eminent educationist from Pakistan who has published articles in the fields of astrophysics and astronomy. He is the retired professor of astrophysics and astronomy at Karachi University and Institute of Space and Planetary Astrophysics (ISPA), and former director of ISPA.

Influence[1]

According to a Dawn Interview, his doctorate in Astronomy and Astrophysics was inspired by his teachers at the Karachi University with whom he had a great relationship with. As he quotes,

“In 1990, one of my professors said that very soon Pakistan will be asking the world to send us teachers to teach mathematics and physics as we ran out of them. Today I am forwarding his message: we do not have teachers to teach mathematics and physics”.

This is very inspiring what he did for Physics and Astronomy of Pakistan. He is considered as one of the people who made an influence in the research in physics and astronomy in Pakistan.

Doctorate

He did his M.Phil. in 1995 where he wrote the thesis on supersymmetric quantum mechanics from Karachi University and got his PhD in astrophysics and astronomy in 2008 where he wrote his thesis on effects of atmospheric conditions on crescent visibility, also from Karachi University.

Efforts for space research

Space Week launched by Muhammad Shahid Qureshi

He has been a vocal advocate for space research in Pakistan. He has also been a core planner and organizer of several astronomical and astrophysics events at universities and high schools. With the help of Karachi University’s Physics department, he planned a “Space Week” in ISPA on 31 October 2008.

The event was called “Planet Watch”, and a number of high school and college students were invited. He also delivered a lecture at the conference in which he urged: “You don’t need any equipment for astronomy. All you need is a pair of eyes and curiosity about the cosmos.”

He concluded the lecture with the nature of his involvement with the team at Institute of Space and Planetary Astrophysics, where he worked on astronomical objects, astrophysical plasma, and physical cosmology.

Research in astrophysics and particle physics

Qureshi’s articles have been printed in international and national physics journals. He has been researching to the fields of astrophysics in relation with elementary particle physics and published numerous papers at ISPA. In relation to astrophysics to particle physics, he, once elaborate, while giving a lectured:

“The well-known grand unification theory had two directions of research in the 1980s and ’90s. The supersymmetric theory appeared as one of the results. The empirical predictions of which, could not be tested till today, due to the absence of laboratories. We will be able to test some predictions of the supersymmetry theory when the Large Hadron Collider functions at its full capability. Particle physics and astrophysics, along wide with astronomy, has remained to explore the nature of forces in the first place and of course which is closely related to cosmology, in which we describe the structure of the universe. So the other aspect of my research was astronomy and astrophysics.”

Some other efforts:

His work has been far reaching and influential. Due to lack to researches to the fields of astrophysics and astronomy; Qureshi’s work has been a vital support to an academic research in astrophysics. At SUPARCO, he also helped manufacturing and setting up the space observatory along with the Chinese scientists.

Support for rocket science and Satellite Launch Vehicles (SLV)

He has been supporting the Satellite Launch Vehicle project program at SUPARCO. He has been also urged that Pakistan should launch its satellites via either Sonmiani or Tilla. In an interview while discussing Pakistan’s status on Satellite Launch Vehicle with noted nuclear physicist Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy. While in discussion, he urged that missiles have very roboost and effective electronics and computer system, the SLVs used the similar technology. Dr. M. Shahid Qureshi also urges that Pakistan has the basic technology to build an SLV.

He discloses the discussion with Dr. Hoodbhoy and said “If we can launch a missile up to a range of 1,500 km, why not build an SLV that can launch low-atmosphere satellites?” he said. According to Dr. M.S. Qureshi, “we can begin by launching navigation, spy and weather satellites, which can go up to 1,500 km into space. This alone can give us a lot of data that we need to buy now”.[2]

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[1] Rahim, Rabia. “A true visionary” https://web.archive.org/web/20091205032743/http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/in-paper-magazine/education/a-true-visionary-579

[2]  Reza, Sa’adia R. “KARACHI: Pakistan risks losing orbital slot if satellite not launched” https://www.dawn.com/news/326118/karachi-pakistan-risks-losing-orbital-slot-if-satellite-not-launched