Muhammad Akhtar (biochemist) facts for kids

Muhammad Akhtar FRS (Urdu: محمد اختر; born 23 February 1933) is a British-Pakistani biochemist. A biochemist is a scientist who studies the chemistry of living things. He used to be the Director General of the School of Biological Sciences at the University of the Punjab.

A Life in Science

Muhammad Akhtar has had a long and impressive career in science. He spent several years doing important research in Cambridge, Massachusetts, from 1959 to 1963. After that, he moved to the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom.

University Roles

At the University of Southampton, he started as a lecturer. This means he taught students and did research. He then became a reader, which is a senior academic role, and later a Professor of Biochemistry from 1973 to 1978.

From 1978 until 1991, Professor Akhtar was the head of the Department of Biochemistry. This meant he was in charge of the whole department. He also led other important science groups at the university. For example, he was the chairman of the School of Biochemical and Physiological Sciences from 1983 to 1987. He also chaired the Institute of Biomolecular Sciences from 1989 to 1991.

International Recognition

Professor Akhtar was one of the first members of the Third World Academy of Sciences when it was started in 1984. This organization helps scientists in developing countries. He also directed the SERC Centre for Molecular Recognition from 1990 to 1994.

In 2002, he was appointed Director General of the School of Biological Sciences at the University of the Punjab in Lahore, Pakistan. Even today, he is an emeritus professor at the University of Southampton. This means he is a retired professor who still keeps his title. He is also an honorary fellow at the University College London.

Becoming a Fellow of the Royal Society

In 1980, Professor Akhtar was chosen to be a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS). This is a very high honor for scientists in the UK. He was suggested for this honor by another famous biochemist, George Joseph Popják.

Professor Akhtar wrote about this special moment in a memoir. He shared that George Popják told him not to get too excited. Popják said that it usually takes a few years for someone to be elected to the Royal Society. But, just as Popják had predicted, Professor Akhtar was elected in 1980, exactly three years after he was first suggested.

Writing About Scientists

Professor Akhtar and his wife, Monika Akhtar, have written special books called Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society. These books tell the life stories of other important scientists. Some of the scientists they have written about include Adolf Butenandt, George Popják, and Salimuzzaman Siddiqui.