Prof Dr Abu Abdullah Ziauddin Ahmad, a well-known physicist and former chairman of the Bangladesh Space Research and Remote Sensing Organization (Sparrso), passed away last night at a local hospital. He was 79.

He left behind his wife, a daughter, and a son. His namaz-e-janaza would be held at Eidgah Masjid, Road no. 6A, Dhanmondi in the capital, after Juma prayers today.

Ziauddin Ahmad recently retired as chairperson of Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at Brac University.

He earned his bachelor and master's degrees in physics from Rajshahi University. He carried out research work in high energy physics at the Imperial College of Science, Technology & Medicine London, UK, and obtained the PhD degree in 1965. Other areas of his research include theoretical nuclear physics, neutron physics, lattice dynamics and crystal field level splitting.

He had to his credit more than 50 years of research and teaching experience at prestigious institutions both at home and aboard including Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, UK; Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA; Institut Laue-Langevin, France; Atomic Energy Research Establishment, UK; Atomic Weapons Research Establishment, UK; Birmingham University, UK; Garyounis University, Libya; Bright Star University of Technology, Libya; Himachal Pradesh University, India; Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology; Atomic Energy Centre, Dhaka; Rajshahi University; Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology (Buet); the University of Asia Pacific, Brac University, and Dhaka University.