43rd IUPAC Council Meeting
Nominee for Bureau
Abu Jafar Mahmood (Bangladesh)
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Abu Jafar Mahmood
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Professor Abu Jafar Mahmood, president of the Bangladesh Chemical
Society, has more than four decades of experience in the teaching and
practice of chemistry. His research interests comprise chemical kinetics,
photochemistry, surface chemistry and catalyst characterization, polymer
chemistry, renewable energy sources, and environmental chemistry. Currently
his major research emphasis is on zinc oxide mediated degradation by
visible light of a number of reactive dyes used by the fabric dyers
of the country. This process holds promise for removing residual dyes
from factory effluent.
Education and Career
Mahmood received M.S. degrees from the University of Dhaka in 1960 and
from the University of Leeds in 1965, and a Ph.D. from Cambridge University
in 1972. He joined the Department of Chemistry at Dhaka as a teaching
fellow in 1961 and has continuously served the department ever since.
He was chairman between 1988–1991 and recently from June 2002 to
January 2005.
Mahmood has produced 60 papers that were either published in national
and international journals or presented at conferences, seminars, and
symposia at home and abroad. In addition, he has supervised a large
number of M.S. and some Ph.D and M.Phil. students.
Related Professional Activities
Mahmood has been elected as a lifetime member of numerous organizations:
Bangladesh Chemical Society, Bangladesh Association for Advancement
of Science, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, Physical Society of Bangladesh,
Bangla Academy, and Catalysis Society of India. In addition, he is a
fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (London) and is a Chartered
Chemist.
Mahmood has played a leadership role in organizing many chemistry conferences
in Bangladesh. Most recently he was chairman of the Organizing Committee
for the Bangladesh Chemical Congress 2004. He was also chairman of the
Organizing Committee for the National Workshop on Pesticide Residues,
held in January 2003.
Since 2003, Mahmood has been editor of the Dhaka University Journal
of Science, and since 1999 he has been one of the editors of (and contributors
to) Bangla Academy Biggan Bishwakosh (Encyclopedia of Science in Bangla).
He has also held advisory or leadership positions on numerous committees
and projects. From 1990–1997 he was chairman of the sectional committee
on “Fine Chemicals” of the Bangladesh Standard Institution.
In 1990, he worked out a plan of collaboration and formally signed a
memorandum of agreement between Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas,
USA, and Dhaka University for collaborative research in specific areas
of chemistry. In 2000, he visited Utsunomiya University in Japan and
initiated its collaboration with Dhaka University.
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