A. M. Harun-ar-Rashid (1 May 1933 – 9 October 2021)[1] was a Bangladeshi physicist and professor of physics at the University of Dhaka. He was the nephew of actor-writer Shamsuddin Abul Kalam.
Rashid was born in a village of Barisal district. His father Moksud Ali was the first person to have received postgraduate education in science.[2] Rashid earned his BSc and MSc in physics from University of Dhaka in 1953 and 1954 respectively.[3] He then completed his PhD from University of Glasgow in theoretical physics in 1960.
Rashid joined the University of Dhaka as a lecturer of the Department of Physics. He became a full professor in 1972. He was the founder and chairman of the Department of Theoretical Physics in the University of Dhaka in 1975.[3] He became chairman of the department in 1979. In 1993, he was named Bose Professor of Physics. He served as a professor of theoretical physics and director of Institute of Physics, University of Islamabad from 1967 to 1971.[3]
He served as the Director of Computer Center (now the Institute of Information Technology, University of Dhaka) in the University of Dhaka.
He was a visiting professor at the Institute für Theoretische Kernphysik, International Center for Theoretical Physics, Imperial College London, University of Texas, Austin and University of California, Los Angeles.[2]
He was a senior scientific officer and principal scientific officer, Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission from 1962 to 1967. He served as the vice president of Asiatic Society of Bangladesh from 1992 to 1993.