Jamal Nazrul Islam

Jamal Nazrul Islam
জামাল নজরুল ইসলাম
Islam in 2012 in Chittagong
Born	(1939-02-24)24 February 1939 Jhenaidah, Bengal Province, Bangladesh
Died	16 March 2013(2013-03-16) (aged 74) Chittagong, Bangladesh
Resting place	Garibullah Shah Mazar Graveyard
Nationality	Bangladeshi
Education	DSc (1982) PhD (1964) MSc (1960) BSc (1959)
Alma mater	University of Cambridge University of Calcutta
Known for	The Ultimate Fate of the Universe Classical General Relativity Proceedings of the Conference on Classical (Non-Quantum) General Relativity Rotating Fields in General Relativity Black hole theory Cosmology equation An Introduction to Mathematical Cosmology
Children	2
Awards	full list
Scientific career
Fields	Theoretical physics Applied mathematics Mathematical physics Cosmology General relativity Quantum field theory

Jamal Nazrul Islam (24 February 1939 – 16 March 2013) was a Bangladeshi mathematical physicist and cosmologist. He was a professor at University of Chittagong, served as a member of the advisory board at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology and member of the syndicate at Chittagong University of Engineering & Technology until his death. He also served as the director of the Research Center for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (RCMPS) at the University of Chittagong. He was awarded Ekushey Padak in 2000 by the Government of Bangladesh.

Early life and education

Jamal Nazrul Islam was born on 24 February 1939 in Jhenaidah. His ancestral home is at Jujkhola Narayanhat of Fatikchhari Upazila of Chittagong District, East Bengal. His father, Khan Bahadur Sirajul Islam, was a sub-judge in British India. Because of his father's job, Islam spent his early school years in Calcutta. His mother Rahat Ara Begum was an Urdu poet. She transformed Rabindranath Tagore famous play "Dak Ghar (The Post Office)" in Urdu. Professor Islam studied at Chittagong Collegiate School and College until ninth grade and then he went to Lawrence College, Murree in West Pakistan to pass the Senior Cambridge and Higher Senior Cambridge exams. He received a BSc degree from St. Xavier's College at the University of Calcutta. In 1959, he got his Honors in Functional Mathematics and Theoretical Physics from Cambridge University. He completed his master's degree in 1960. As a student of the Trinity College, he finished the Mathematical Tripos. Islam obtained his PhD in applied mathematics and theoretical physics from Trinity College, Cambridge in 1968, followed by a DSc in 1982.

Academic career

Islam worked in the Institute of Theoretical Astronomy (later amalgamated to Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge) from 1967 until 1971. Later he worked as a researcher in California Institute of Technology and University of Washington. During 1973–1974, he served as the faculty of Applied Mathematics of King's College London. In 1978, he then joined the faculty of City University London until he returned to Chittagong in 1984. In 2006, he was made Professor Emeritus at the University of Chittagong.

His research areas included applied mathematics, theoretical physics, mathematical physics, the theories of gravitation, general relativity, mathematical cosmology, and quantum field theory. Islam authored, coauthored or edited more than 50 scientific articles, books and some popular articles published in various scientific journals. Besides this he has also written books in Bengali. Particularly noteworthy are Black Hole, published by the Bangla Academy, "The Mother Tongue, Scientific Research and other Articles" and "Art, Literature and Society". The latter two are compilations.

In 1997, Islam was invited to the International Symposium on Mathematical Physics in memory of Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar with a special session on Abdus Salam arranged by Calcutta Mathematical Society in Kolkata-India. Professor Narayan Chandra Ghosh, a mathematician of India, was director of the noted symposium.

Fellowships

• Third World Academy of Science
• Cambridge Philosophical Society
• Royal Astronomical Society
• Bangladesh Academy of Sciences
• Islamic Academy of Sciences
• Asiatic Society of Bangladesh
• International Centre for Theoretical Physics

Personal life

Islam held a deep love for his homeland of Bangladesh, returning there after having earnt his PhD and DSc after the 1971 independence war. He is said to have always advised people to return to their motherland after finishing their studies abroad.

He had a wife and two daughters, who survived his death. In his own time, he was known to be a singer, delighting in the songs of Rabindranath Tagore. Additionally, he was a student of Sufism and was also a social activist dedicated to the alleviation of poverty in Bangladesh.

Death

Islam died on 16 March 2013 in Chittagong at the age of 74, having been admitted to the hospital two days prior with diabetes and other issues. Three funeral prayers were held for him, the first at Chittagong University mosque, the second at Shaheed Minar and the last near Garibullah Shah Mazar, where he was buried after the afternoon prayer.

Peer Commentary and Recognition

• Professor Martin Rees -

"I was privileged to know Jamal for almost 50 years. His work, especially on the far future of the Universe, was a particular inspiration to me. And I was deeply impressed by his commitment to his own university in Chittagong, despite the many opportunities he would have had to move elsewhere."

• Professor James Mirrlees -

"A great many people will miss Jamal, for he was a special person, who cared deeply. He cared for his family, and his friends. He cared for science. He cared for Bangladesh. ... His interests ranged widely, making him particularly good at writing on cosmology and relativity for the general reader, and a great talker too. He will be remembered, with affection, and gratitude for his achievements."

• Professor Freeman Dyson -

"I have always felt a deep respect for Jamal's decision to return to his homeland and create a center for modern science at Chittagong. That was not an easy decision. He sacrificed the opportunity to pursue his personal career as a research scientist in Europe or America. If he had chosen to stay in America, he would probably have published more papers. He would have been richer, and Bangladesh would have been poorer. He had the choice between personal ambition and public service, and he chose the more difficult path."

• Professor Amartya Sen -

"There are so few people anywhere who could match Jamal in human kindness as well as intellectual brilliance. The world knows this - and we will remember him through our respective lives."

Awards

• Gold award from Bangladesh Academy of Sciences (Senior group; 1985)
• Bangladesh National Award for Science and Technology (1994)
• Medal Lecture award from Accademia Nazionale delle Scienze (1998)
• Ekushey Padak (2000)
• Mahbub Ullah & Jebunnesa Award (2000)
• Razzak-Shamsun Lifetime Achievement Award in Physics from the University of Dhaka (2010)

Books authored/coauthored/edited

• Islam, J.N. (1983): The Ultimate Fate of the Universe. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England. ISBN 978-0-521-11312-0. (Digital print version published in 2009).
• Bonnor, W.B., Islam, J.N., MacCallum, M.A.H. (eds.)(1984): Classical General Relativity: Proceedings of the Conference on Classical (Non-Quantum) General Relativity, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England. ISBN 0-521-26747-1.
• Islam, J.N. (1985): Rotating Fields in General Relativity, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England. ISBN 978-0-521-11311-3. (Digital print version published in 2009).
• Islam, J.N. (1992, 2nd edition 2002): An Introduction to Mathematical Cosmology, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England. ISBN 0-521-49973-9.
• Islam, J.N. (ed.) (1987): Proceedings of the International Conference on Mathematical Physics, University of Chittagong, Chittagong.
• Islam, J.N. (1985): Krishna Bibar (Black Holes- in Bengali language), Bangla Academy.
• Islam, J.N. (1997): MatriBhasha O Bigyancharcha Ebong Onnanno Probondho (Mother Tongue and Cultivation of Science and other Essays- in Bengali language), Rahat-Siraj Publication, Chittagong.
• Islam, J.N. (1998): Shilpo, Sahitto O Somaj (Art, Literature and Society - in Bengali language), Rahat-Siraj Publication, Chittagong.
• Islam, J.N.: An Introduction to Mathematical Economics (Unpublished).
• Islam, J.N.: Confinement and the Schrödinger Equation for Gauge Theories (Unpublished).

External links

• SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
• TWAS membership
• Islamic World Academy of Sciences
• Jamal Nazrul Islam (1939–2013)
• My memories of Jamal Nazrul Islam
• Famous South Asian physicist, cosmologist J N Islam died
• Professor Jamal Nazrul Islam — as I saw him
• Jamal Nazrul Islam: The passionate learner
• Life sketch of Prof Jamal Nazrul Islam