About the Chair

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Government of Pakistan established Salam Chair in Physics at Government College University, Lahore in 1999 and named it after the Nobel Laureate of Pakistan, Dr. Abdus Salam who was also an old student (1942-46) and a faculty member (1951-54) at the College.

Dr. G. Murtaza was appointed Professor Salam Chair in March 2000 for a period of two years. Later his tenure was extended for the third year and subsequently for a further period of two years. This recommendation  was made in view of Dr. Murtaza’s high productivity as a teacher, researcher and administrator.

A number of programs aimed at promoting research activity in Physics at the GCU have been initiated with the help of facilities arranged by Salam Chair. Some important achievements in this regard are stated below:

Research Activities

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Research Publications since March 2000: 55. The detail may be categorized as under:- 

55=38 Research Papers +17 Conference Proceedings.

M Phil/Ph.D. Program

• M. Phil (2 year post-M.Sc.) program in Physics which was initiated during the Fall 2000 is running successfully. A number of M.Phil students are registered at Salam Chair.

• Ph. D. program has also been initiated and a number of students have registered.

• Recently, several HEC awardees have also applied for Ph.D. registration.

• Three Ph. D and four M. Phil students of the QAU Islamabad and six M. Phil students of the GCU Lahore have completed their theses.

• Currently eleven M. Phil (7) / Ph.D.(4) students are working in the Theoretical Plasma Physics Group and five M. Phil/Ph.D. students at the Plasma Laboratory.

• A number of young colleagues and research students at the GCUL have been inducted into the Plasma Physics program theoretical/experimental.

Plasma Technology Lab

• Plasma Technology Lab has been set up at CASP. A 3kJ Plasma Focus device has been fabricated, assembled and commissioned successfully and is currently in operation.

• Another Plasma Focus Device (called MiniFocus) which was gifted to Salam Chair by the Imperial College London UK is also functional.

• A plasma device used for the generation of low density Cold Plasma has been designed & fabricated and is now in operation. This device is for Surface Coating experiments on various substrates.

• An additional facility of XRD has also been added recently with financial assistance from the Higher Education Commission (HEC)

• Research Grants and Fellowships

• The Office of the External Activities of The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ASICTP) has awarded three student fellowships to Salam Chair.

• Three research projects were granted to Salam Chair by the Pakistan Science Foundation, the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission and the Dr. A. Q. Khan Research Laboratories, providing funds for setting up the lab and for supporting research scholars. In all, five student fellowships were awarded by these R&D institutions.

• The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Italy has declared GCU Lahore as one of the Federated Institutes of the Centre through its Federation arrangement scheme. Under the agreement, three young faculty members of the University can participate in different research activities of the Centre each year (four have already visited the Center during the year 2002 & 2003).

• Received Productivity Allowance Award of Rs. 1,200,000/- for the year
  2001-2002 by the PCST, half of which was for the awardee (Dr. G. Murtaza) and the rest for the promotion of his research Activity. From the latter amount, five M. Phil students have been given fellowships @Rs.5,000/- p.m. and some equipment has been purchased

• Recently received Productivity Allowance Award of Rs. 360,000/- for the year 2005, 20% of which is for the promotion of research activity.

• Linkages/Collaboration

• Salam chair has linkage/collaboration with the Plasma Physics Group of Quaid-i-Azam University (Dr. M. Zakaullah) and the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (Dr. Abdul Waheed of Plasma Physics Group at
  R-Block). Salam Chair has also International linkages with the Ruhr University Bochum Germany, the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Italy, Imperial College London UK (which has donated to us a Plasma Focus Device) and the Technical University Singapore (where Dr. Riaz Ahmed got 2-month training during the summer 2000).

• Eighth, Ninth and Tenth National Symposia on Frontiers in Physics were held at the GCU Campus, on November 20-22, 2000; January 28-30, 2003 and January 11-14, 2005 respectively in which a large number of physicists from various universities and R & D institutions participated. Four foreign professors also came from Europe and the US to take part in the Eighth Symposium. In the Tenth Symposium five foreign faculty members participated.

• Organised (jointly with the Physics Department and the Pakistan Physical Society) Salam Lectures by various eminent scientists:

Management Committee

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Research Projects

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1.   ICTP Contribution for student fellowships at Salam Chair in Physics

ICTP remitted to us an amount of US$4000/- for three student fellowships for the year 2001, an amount of US$4800/- for the year 2002, US$ 5701.25/- for the 2003, € 5,400/- for the year 2004 and an amount of € 5,400/- for the years 2005. These fellowships were awarded to the following research students:

2.     Productivity Allowance (PCST)

Fellowships @Rs 5000/- p.m. were granted to following M. Phil students out of the PCST Productivity Allowance :

3.    PAEC Project

Title: Plasma Processing of Materials and Phase Changes Using Dense Plasma Focus

Duration: Three Years;              Amount:           Rs. 6,18,000/-

Research Fellowships:               Two @ Rs 6,000/- p.m. each for three years

4.  MOST Project (Strengthening of Research Faculty)

Two Positions of Research Associates @Rs 8000/- p.m. were granted.

5.  KRL Project

Two fellowships @Rs 3000/- p.m. were granted for M. Phil students.            Duration: Three months

Research students/scholars presently associated with Salam Chair 

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Plasma Theory

Note: More recently, a number of HEC awardees have also applied for Ph.D program.

Lectures/ Seminars

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Dr.  Murtaza gave the following talks at various places / on different occasions:

• Gave talks at NESCOM  Islamabad on January 31 2005

1. Tribute To Abdus Salam

2. Quark Gluon Plasma-An Exotic Plasma State”

• Gave a talk at the ASICTP Workshop on Theoretical Plasma Physics 5-16 July, 2004 “Collective Modes and Linear Landau Damping in a Quark-Gluon Plasma”

• Gave a talk at the First Cairo Conference on Plasma Physics & Applications Cairo Egypt, October 11-15, 2003.

• Gave an Address,

“Some Recent Development in the World of Physics” at the inaugural ceremony of the 9^th National Symposium on Frontiers in Physics 28-30, January 2003 at GCU Lahore

• Gave a talk,

“Quark Gluon Plasma – Visiting the Early Universe”

at the 9^th National Symposium on Frontiers in Physics 28-30, January 2003 at GCU Lahore

• Delivered two lectures at the summer workshop on Mathematics 24-29 June, 2002 at GCUL:

-Quark Gluon Plasma (Visiting the Early Universe)

-New Trends in Plasma Physics

• Gave two invited lectures at the International Nathiagali Summer College on Physics and Contemporary Needs, 3-5 July, 2002, Nathiagali, Pakistan on

(i)    Quark Gluon Plasma

(ii)    Dusty Plasma

• Gave a talk entitled:

“Salam’s Dream-Unification of Fundamental Forces”

at Chawla Mathematical Society, April 24, 2000, GCU Lahore.

•  Gave a lecture at the Jones Physics Society, GCU Lahore

“Some New Trends in Plasma Physics”

• Gave a Seminar (August 2002) at the University of Albany, N. Y. USA on Quark Gluon Plasma

• Contributed an article to the GCU Magazine Ravi Science,

“Search for Simplicity and Unity in Nature”

• Gave a talk entitled: “Tribute to Abdus Salam”

• Gave a talk entitled: “Salam-my Teacher ”

• Gave a talk entitled: “Salam through Pictures”

• Gave a talk entitled: “ Legacy of Salam-the ICTP”

International Conferences, Seminars, Symposia and Summer Schools Attended/Organised

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• Organised One Day Symposium on Applications of Topology held on April 14, 2005 at GCU, Lahore

• Organised 10^th National Symposium on Frontiers in Physics held on January 11-14, 2005 at GCU, Lahore

• Organised One Day Symposium on Mathematics held on November 27, 2004 at GCU, Lahore

• Visited ASICTP as lecturer to the Workshop on Theoretical Plasma Physics 5-16 July, 2004

• Visited as Senior Associate the Abdus Salam ICTP October, 2003

• First Cairo Conference on Plasma Physics & Applications Cairo Egypt, October 11-15, 2003.

• Organized the 9^th National Symposium on Frontiers in Physics 28-30, January 2003

• Visited as Senior Associate the Abdus Salam ICTP July, 2002

• Participated in the 27^th International Nathiagali Summer College on Physics and Contemporary Needs, 3-5 July, 2002, Nathiagali, Pakistan.

• Organized the section on Plasma Physics and gave two invited talks entitled:

(i) Quark Gluon Plasma

(ii) Dusty Plasmas.

• Attended the National Symposium on Physics in Industry held on June 28–30, 2001 Karachi Pakistan

• Visited as Senior Associate the Abdus Salam ICTP August, 2001

• Attended the International Bhurban Conference on Applied Science & Technology 10-15, June 2002

• Visited the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy (ASICTP) and Ruhr University Bochum, Germany August 2001

• Organized Regional College on Plasma Physics held on January 29 -- February 03, 2001 at the National Centre for Physics, Islamabad, Pakistan

• Organized 8^th National Symposium on Frontiers in Physics held on November 20-22, 2000 at Govt. College University, Lahore, Pakistan

• As Senior Associate visited the Abdus Salam ICTP July 01-August 7, 2000 and also participated in the International Conference on Plasma Physics “Colloidal Plasma Science 3-7 July, 2000 Trieste, Italy.

• Regional Conference on Plasma Research in the 21st Century 7-12 May 2000 Bangkok and gave an invited talk.

Faculty

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Contact Us

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Salam Chair in Physics

Department of Physics

GC University, Lahore

Phone No. +92-42-9212245

E-Mail: