Pakistani professor receives top Muslim World Science Award

ISLAMABAD: The Mustafa Prize International symbol of scientific excellence for the year 2021 has been awarded to Prof Dr Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary of Pakistan in the field of bio-organic chemistry.

The Mustafa Prize, a top science and technology award, is granted biennially to the top researchers and scientists of the Islamic world. It is awarded in four categories of information and communication science and technology, life and medical science and technology, nanoscience and nanotechnology, and all areas of science and technology.

The Mustafa Prize was established in 2012 as a symbol of scientific excellence at the international level and is regarded as Nobel prize of the Muslim world. Five scientists each from Pakistan, Iran, Bangladesh, Lebanon and Morocco have been awarded ‘The Mustafa Prize’ in their respective fields of study.

The winners will be granted cash prizes amounting to $1 million on October 21. During this period, a joint award will be given to two scientists from the Islamic world residing in a non-Muslim country and a joint award will be given to three scientists residing in Islamic countries.

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Prof Dr Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary is world-renowned medicinal chemist. He has published 1,175 research papers in the fields of organic and bioorganic chemistry in international journals, 76 books and 40 chapters in books published by major US and European press. He has secured 40 US patents so far.

Dr Iqbal’s work has been cited by researchers from around the world by 27,407 times and his h-index is 70. By now 94 national and international scholars have completed their PhD degrees under his supervision. Dr Iqbal is D.Sc., Ph.D., and C. Chememistry and has been awarded Hilal-e-Imtiaz, Sitara-e-Imtiaz, and Tamgha-e-Imtiaz.

He has been elected fellow by world-renowned science academies named Academy of Sciences for the Developing World, Islamic World academy of Sciences, Pakistan Academy of Sciences, Royal Society of Chemistry, and Chemical Society of Pakistan.

Prof Iqbal has been honored by the President of Iran with Khwarizmi International Award, President of Azerbaijan, with ECO Award in Education and the Prime Minister of Pakistan with COMSTECH Award in Chemistry. He has been given the prestigious title of “Distinguished National Professor” by the Higher Education Commission in 2004 and Meritorious Professor by the University of Karachi in 2013.