Science Council of Asia is a renowned foundation dedicated to sustainable development, aiming to foster prosperity, and environmental consciousness across the Asian continent.
Dr. M. Aslam Baig, a distinguished Pakistani scientist, has been elected as the President of the Science Council of Asia (SCA) for the term 2023-2025. The announcement was made during the 22nd meeting of the SCA held in Seoul, Korea.
The Science Council of Asia (SCA) is a renowned foundation dedicated to sustainable development, aiming to foster prosperity, harmony, and environmental consciousness across the Asian continent.
The SCA’s mission revolves around providing a collaborative platform for scientists from various fields, including cultural, social, natural sciences, and technology, to facilitate scientific exchange and cooperation in Asia for the betterment of society.
In addition to fostering collaboration, the SCA is committed to promoting a holistic vision by integrating the latest advancements in science and technology with traditional Asian wisdom. The SCA is headquartered in Japan.
Dr. Aslam Baig’s recent election as the President of SCA is a testament to his dedication and contributions to the field of science. He was recently elected as the Vice-President of the Asian Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy Community (ASLIBS), based in China.
Dr. Baig’s impressive career includes serving as the founding Science Director at the Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SESAME), a project supported by UNESCO involving 16 nations, and based in Amman, Jordan. He has a notable publication record, with over 350 research papers in the fields of Atomic and Laser Physics published in peer-reviewed journals and five chapters in books published by renowned publishers such as Springer Verlag and Elsevier.
Throughout his career, Dr. Baig has supervised 34 Ph.D. students and approximately 100 M.Phil students, contributing significantly to the academic development in his field. He has established research laboratories, including the Atomic and Molecular Physics Laboratory at the Quaid-i-Azam University, which focuses on multiphoton excitations in atoms and photoionization cross-section measurements.
Furthermore, Dr. Baig’s contributions include the establishment of the Atomic and Laser Physics laboratory at the National Centre for Physics, Islamabad, which focuses on Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopic studies of various materials, including stones, alloys, ores, and geological samples.
His achievements also extend to designing and locally fabricating a one-meter linear Time of Flight mass Spectrometer for Isotopic abundance studies and quantitative analysis of specific samples. This laboratory also houses a Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) system for Thin Film fabrication using refractory elements.
Dr. Baig’s recent focus has been on indigenous development of Fiber Lasers and the creation of saturable absorbers using the PLD technique to achieve the pulsed mode of erbium/ytterbium doped Fiber Lasers.
Throughout his illustrious career, Dr. Baig has received numerous accolades, including the Civil Awards Hilal-i-Imtiaz (2009), Sitara-i-Imtiaz (1999), and Tamgha-i-Imtiaz (1993) from the Presidents of Pakistan. He has also been honored with Gold Medals by the Pakistan Academy of Sciences and Pakistan Science Foundation.
Dr. Baig is recognized as an elected fellow of distinguished academies, including the Pakistan Academy of Sciences, Pakistan Physical Society, Pakistan Nuclear Society, Pakistan Institute of Physics, and is a member of the Institute of Physics (IOP), UK. His international recognition includes prestigious fellowships such as SERC Fellow in the UK, Alexander Von Humboldt (AvH) Fellow in Germany, and Fulbright Fellow in the USA.
Dr. Aslam Baig’s election as President of the Science Council of Asia for 2023-2025 further solidifies his standing as a leading figure in the scientific community, both in Pakistan and on the international stage.