Islamia University of Bahawalpur announces 38 top scientists and PhD defenses

What happened

Thirty-eight researchers from the Islamia University of Bahawalpur (IUB) have been included in a list of the world’s top 2% of scientists [1]. This annual list is published by Stanford University in the USA and Elsevier, an information analytics organization [1]. According to Professor Dr. Muhammad Atif, Director of ORIC, the recognized researchers represent various fields, including Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Environmental Sciences, Agriculture, Engineering, Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence, Pharmacy, Medicine, and Social Sciences [1].

The recognized scientists are: Faisal Zulfiqar, Muhammad Altaf Nazir, Majid Niaz Akhtar, Muhammad Azhar Khan, Muhammad Farooq Warsi, Usman Zulfiqar, Muhammad Fahad Umar, Muhammad Adil, Ghulam Murtaza, Tayyaba Najam, Abdul Rehman, Zaheer Abbas, Muhammad Ali Raza, Wajid Naseem, Murtaza Hassan, Rashid Iqbal, Rana Muhammad Hassan Bilal, Ismat Bibi, Makshoof Ahmed, Muhammad Mehdi Hassan, Zafar Iqbal, Ghulam Abbas, Riaz Hussain, Asadullah Madni, Munawar Abbas, Salman bin Naeem, Iftikhar Rashid, Humaira Arshad, Khalid Muhammad Mahmood, Muhammad Riaz, Muhammad Yousuf Rafiq, Ejaz Hussain, Hafiz Muhammad Asif, Muhammad Talha Asif, Muhammad Nadeem Akhtar, Abdul Ghaffar, Muhammad Babar Taj, and Abrar Nazir [1].

Additionally, the university has announced two PhD open defenses scheduled for 20 October 2026 [2, 3]:

• Department of English Linguistics: PhD scholar Muhammad Hussain will defend his research under the supervision of Dr. Naveen Javed. The session will take place at 12:00 PM in the Video Conference Room, Khawaja Farid Auditorium, Baghdad Al-Jadeed Campus [2]. Professor Dr. Asma Kashif Shahzad from the Department of English, CMU Vehari Campus, will attend as an external examiner [2].
• Department of History: PhD scholar Khizar Hayat will defend his research under the supervision of Dr. Samina Khalid. The session will be held at 10:30 AM in the Department of History, Baghdad Al-Jadeed Campus [3]. Professor Dr. Muhammad Tahir will attend as an external examiner [3].

Who is affected

• The 38 scientists from IUB recognized for their research contributions [1].
• PhD scholars, MPhil scholars, students, and faculty members are invited to attend the scheduled PhD open defenses [2, 3].