Riazuddin (physicist)

Riazuddin (10 November 1930 – 9 September 2013), was a Pakistani theoretical physicist, specialising in high-energy physics and nuclear physics. He is considered one of the early pioneers of Pakistan's nuclear weapons development and atomic deterrence development. Starting his scientific research in 1958, he served as the director of the Theoretical Physics Group (TPG) of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) from 1974 until 1984. Riazuddin was a pupil of Abdus Salam, a Nobel laureate in Physics.

Riazuddin carried out his research at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), PAEC, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and Daresbury Laboratory where he published papers in mathematics and physics. Riazuddin also played an important role in education in Pakistan, contributing to the rise of science in Pakistan. Riazuddin authored several scientific books on particle physics and quantum mechanics. Later in his life, he joined the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) as a visiting professor of theoretical physics.