Nearly 20 Years After Passing, Prof Dr Abdus Salam 'Returns' To Imperial College London

Nearly 20 Years After Passing, Prof Dr Abdus Salam 'Returns' To Imperial College London
Nearly 20 years after he passed away, the Imperial College in London is welcoming the 'return' of Pakistani Physicist and Nobel Laureate Professor Dr Abdus Salam to the college.

In a letter by the college's President Hugh Brady on Friday, he referred to the tremendous contribution of Dr Salam to the college.

"Throughout his career, the Nobel Prize-winning Professor of Theoretical Physics Abdus Salam made a tremendous contribution to Imperial, as well as to the world of physics and science more generally. It is right that we do more to celebrate this legacy," he said as he announced that the central library at the college would be named after him.

"I hope the new Abdus Salam Library inspires many more people in the years to come."

The decision to rename the library was taken by the university's management board. The decision was motivated by a report of the college's History Group, which focused on Imperial's associations with historical figures and undercelebrated people from Imperial's past.

A formal launch and naming ceremony for the Abdus Salam Library will take place in the next academic year.

Professor Salam joined Imperial College in 1957. During his time here, he set up the Theoretical Physics Department with the late Professor Paul T Matthews. He later shared the 1979 Nobel Prize for his contribution to the electroweak unification theory.

Dr Abdus Salam Imperial College London Theoretical Physics Department

Three years ago, English Heritage installed a Blue Plaque to mark the home of Professor Dr Abdus Salam.

Dr Salam lived in Putney, using it as his base in London from 1957 until his death in 1996.

Dr Salam is Pakistan's first and only scientific Nobel laureate, having worked on theoretical and quantum physics.