US-based scientist honoured at SSUET

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Shaheer Khan, the US-based Muslim scientist and a senior Aligarhian, currently on a short visit to Pakistan, was the chief guest at a luncheon hosted by Prof Dr Jawaid H Rizvi, Vice-Chancellor Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology (SSUET).

A senior staff scientist at Applied Biosystems (Thermo Fisher Scientific), San Francisco Bay Area Biotechnology, Shaheer Khan is an accomplished multidisciplinary scientist with 20 plus years of research and product development experience in Biotech Company. 

He has demonstrated strong synthetic and analytical chemistry background for discovery and development of new products in a multidisciplinary team environment and has an extensive background in organic chemistry with an emphasis on nucleosides/nucleotides and oligonucleotide. 

During an interaction with the luncheon participants Shaheer Khan praised the Aligarh Muslim University Old Boys Association (AMUOBA) for its efforts for the establishment of an engineering university after the name of great reformer and educationist Sir Syed Ahmed Khan. 

He praised the SSUET founders late Zakir Ali Khan and Z A Nizami who, he observed, steered the AMUOBA towards achievements of cherished objectives in the field of education, particularly engineering. 

Shaheer Khan spoke about the AMUOBA like associations elsewhere in the world and expressing his desire to establish associations on the pattern of the Association at Aligarh University and called upon the SSUET's passed out graduates and now living abroad to contact him for the very purpose. 

He informed that the preparations have started to celebrate the 200th birth anniversary of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan on October 17, 2017. 

As regards his association in US, he said that its functions are attended by people belonging to all religion as they don't allow any political and religious discussions from its forum. 

In his remarks on the occasion the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Dr Jawaid H. Rizvi welcomed Shaheer Khan to the SSUET describing him as a proud Aligarhian rendering most important services in the field of science and technology in the US.

He disclosed that during his meeting with him he discussed with him important matter like visiting fellowship, research collaboration, student guidance, post-graduation programme with faculty. 

The luncheon was attended, among others, by senior Aligarhians, Vice-President AMUOBA, Anwar Ali, General Secretary Arshad Khan, Dean, Associate Dean, Chairpersons of various departments and senior faculty members besides Registrar Syed Sarfraz Ali. 

Later the visiting scientist, accompanied by Anwar Ali and Arshad Khan visited the under-construction Sir Syed Tower at M.R. Kiyani Road opposite Arts Council of Pakistan. He praised the AMUOBA for its outstanding projects and said these projects would contribute greatly towards national development as a follow up of the mission of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan.