Shamim Jairajpuri
Mohammad Shamim Jairajpuri, D.Sc., commonly known as Shamim Jairajpuri, (born 1942) is an Indian zoologist and academic who is known for his contributions to the field of nematology. He has had an active career in higher education in India, including helping to establish Maulana Azad National Urdu University, and has received a number of honors and awards, including two awards from the Indian National Science Academy. He has also received the Janaki Ammal National Award for Taxonomy bestowed by the Indian Ministry of Environment & Forests, the first individual to have been so awarded.[1]
Biography
Born in Jairajpur, Azamgarh District, Uttar Pradesh, India in 1942, Jairajpuri attended Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), receiving a Ph.D. in 1964 and in 1970 a Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) degree in Zoology for his work in Taxonomy.
Positions
Jairajpuri has had an active career, primarily in association with AMU, at which university he became a professor in 1983. He served as Chairman of its Zoology Department for two terms, from 1988–1989 and from 1997–1998, and as Dean of the Faculty of Life Science for two terms, from 1993–1995 and from 1997–1998. In 1991, he was coordinator of the Agricultural Center.
He has also served as the President of the Nematological Society of India from 1979 to 1981. He was vice president of the Indian National Science Academy and the Zoological Society from 1989 to 1991, standing during those years also as Director of the Zoological Survey of India. He was the Founding Director of the Institute of Agriculture, serving from 1993 to July 1996. In 1998, he became the first Vice Chancellor of the newly formed Maulana Azad National Urdu University and was credited in The Milli Gazette as "a leading personality" in the establishment of that university.[2] He remained in that position until 2003. He was also during that time an honorary professor in the School of Life Sciences at the University of Hyderabad. In 2000, he became President of the Indian Society for Parasitology, serving until 2005. In 2001, he became the Chairman of the Programme Advisory Committee of the Zoological Survey of India and the Botanical Survey of India, a position he held until 2004.
Publication
Jairajpuri is published in books, monographs and journals. From 1977 to 1979, he was chief Editor of the Indian Journal of Nematology. Journal publications include the Netherlands journal Nematologica, in which he has placed 80 papers, and the French Revue de Nématologie, in which he has placed 40.
Honors and awards
- Gold medal, 1997, Zoological Survey of India
- Gold medal, 1998, Zoological Survey of India
- Janaki Ammal National Award for Taxonomy, 1999, Ministry of Environment & Forests, Government of India.
- Har Swarup Memorial Award, 2000, Indian National Science Academy
- Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship, 2004, Indian National Science Academy
- D'Souza Memorial Award in Nematology, 2005
- Honorary Fellowship for lifetime achievements in nematode research, 2006, Nematological Society of India
- Shiksha Ratna Puruskar, 2007, by India International Friendship Society[3]
- Lifetime Achievement Award in Parasitology, Indian Society for Parasitology[4]
Notes
- Indian Government (6 April 2000). "Prof. Jairajpuri selected for E.K. Janaki Ammal National Award for Taxonomy". Retrieved 6 January 2009.
- "Community News". The Milli Gazette. 16–31 August 2002. Retrieved 6 January 2009.
- Sharma, Parul (28 June 2007). "A new hostel for students". The Hindu. Retrieved 6 January 2009.
- "ISP Fellows". ISP. 2014. Archived from the original on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
Sources
- Biodiversity and Ecological Stability, Jairajpuri.
Further reading
- Interview, Vigyan Prasar Science Portal, Government of India.