Pioneer Physicist and BOU Founding Vice Chancellor Dr. M Shamsher Ali Passes Away
Professor Emeritus Dr. M Shamsher Ali, a renowned nuclear physicist and founding Vice Chancellor of Bangladesh Open University (BOU), has passed away. According to an announcement posted on BOU’s official website, he died while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Dhaka in the early hours of Sunday, August 3.
Confirming the news, his eldest son Jehan Ali said, “The funeral prayer will be held after Zuhr at Baitul Aman Mosque on Road 7 in Dhanmondi, after which he will be laid to rest at Azimpur Graveyard.”
In a condolence message, Information and Broadcasting Advisor Md. Mahfuz Alam expressed profound grief and sorrow at the demise of Dr. Ali. “Dr. Shamsher Ali made outstanding contributions to the field of education in Bangladesh. He was a man of many talents. His passing is an irreparable loss to the nation,” the advisor said, praying for the forgiveness of the departed soul and offering deep sympathy to the bereaved family.
In its condolence note, the Bangladesh Open University wrote, “Internationally renowned nuclear physicist, eminent Islamic thinker, former professor of the Department of Physics at the University of Dhaka, and founding Vice Chancellor of Bangladesh Open University, Professor Emeritus Dr. M Shamsher Ali has passed away in a hospital in Dhaka (Inna Lillahi wa Inna Ilayhi Raji’un). The BOU family prays for the forgiveness of his soul and expresses heartfelt condolences to his mourning family. May Almighty Allah grant him Jannatul Ferdous.”
BOU Registrar Dr. Moha Shafiqul Alam confirmed that Dr. Ali passed away at around 2:00 AM and reiterated that the funeral would be held after Zuhr at Baitul Aman Jame Masjid in Dhanmondi. In respect of his legacy, the university declared a general holiday for the day.
Dr. Ali, former President of the Bangladesh Academy of Sciences, was born on November 21, 1937, in Bheramara, Kushtia. He passed matriculation from Jashore Zilla School in 1954 and completed ISc from Rajshahi College in 1956. That same year, he enrolled in the Department of Physics at the University of Dhaka, where he earned his BSc with Honors in 1959 and MSc in 1960. He obtained his first PhD from the University of Manchester in 1961 and a second PhD in Theoretical Nuclear Physics from the same university in 1965.
Dr. Ali began his career in 1961 at the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission. After completing his doctoral studies, he returned to Bangladesh in 1965 and joined the Atomic Energy Centre in Dhaka as a Senior Scientific Officer. Due to his exceptional contributions, he was appointed Director of the Atomic Energy Commission in 1970, a role he served until 1978. In 1973, he received a rare distinction when the University of Dhaka appointed him Honorary Professor of Physics through a special citation. He formally joined the Department of Physics at Dhaka University as a full professor in 1982 and served until 2006.
Between 1992 and 1996, Dr. Ali served as the founding Vice Chancellor of Bangladesh Open University. From 2002 to 2010, he also served as the founding Vice Chancellor of Southeast University. Additionally, from 2004 to 2012, he held the position of President of the Bangladesh Academy of Sciences.
On March 24 of this year, Professor M Shamsher Ali formally began his duties as Professor Emeritus at Bangladesh Open University.
Dr. Ali passed away at approximately 3:30 AM on the night of Saturday, August 2, while undergoing treatment in a hospital in Dhaka (Inna Lillahi wa Inna Ilayhi Raji’un). He was 87 years old at the time of his death.
