KU professor named winner of top science award

KARACHI: Pakistani scientist and University of Karachi faculty member Prof Dr M. Iqbal Choudhary has been named as the 2021 winner of the Mustafa (PBUH) Prize for his services in the field of bio-organic chemistry.

In a statement, spokesman of the KU’s International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS) on Thursday stated that Prof Choudhary, director of the ICCBS and COMSTECH coordinator general, will leave for Iran on October 18 to attend the Mustafa (PBUH) Prize distribution ceremony scheduled to be held in Vahdat Hall in Tehran on October 21.

He said, “The Mustafa Prize is regarded as the Nobel Prize of the Muslim world, which was established in 2012 as a symbol of scientific excellence at the international level to appreciate prominent scientists and provide the ground for scientific cooperation and development worldwide.”

As a top science and technology award, the Mustafa Prize is granted biennially to the top researchers and scientists from the Islamic world in four categories: Life and Medical Science and Technology; Nanoscience and Nanotechnology; Information and Communication Science and Technology; and all areas of science and technology, he said.

It is pertinent to mention here that this year five scientists from Pakistan, Iran, Bangladesh, Lebanon, and Morocco have been awarded the 2021 Mustafa Prize in their respective fields of study. The laureates in each category will be awarded $500,000, a medal, and a certificate, according to the Mustafa Prize website.

It is also worth mentioning that Prof Iqbal Choudhary is a world-renowned medicinal chemist. He has published 1,175 research papers in the fields of organic and bio-organic chemistry in international journals, 76 books, and 40 chapters in books published by major US and European publishers. He has secured 40 US patents so far.

Dr Choudhary’s work has been cited by researchers from around the world — 27,407 times in total — and his h-index is 70. As many as 94 local and international scholars have completed their PhD degrees under his supervision so far.

Dr Choudhary, who holds DSc, PhD, and CChem degrees, has been awarded by different Pakistani governments with the Hilal-i-Imtiaz, Sitara-i-Imtiaz, and Tamgha-i-Imtiaz.