Srinagar, November 14: A young scientist from Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri has achieved a rare feat. Dr Shakeel Ahmed, an Assistant Professor at the Department of Chemistry in Government Degree College in Mendhar,  has become one of the youngest Indian scientists to feature on Stanford University’s list of top 2 percent scientists in the world in the field of polymer chemistry. He is 31 years old. Kashmiri Boy, Zubair Ahmed Makes ‘Snow Car’ in Budgam, People Flood Twitter Timeline With Beautiful Images of the Icy Sculpture.

A member of American Chemical Society and Royal Society of Chemistry, Dr Shakeel Ahmed has published research publications on green nanomaterials and biopolymers for various applications including biomedical, packaging, and water treatment, according to reports. He has penned more than 15 books on polymers, nanomaterials, and green materials. The Government Degree College congratulated Dr Shakeel for featuring in Stanford University’s list of top 2 percent scientists in the world. Story of Kashmiri Girl Jannat, Who is Cleaning Dal Lake Since 2 Years, Becomes Part of Hyderabad School's Curriculum.

"It is a matter of great pride for Government Degree College Mendhar that Dr Shakeel Ahmed of the Department of Chemistry (GDCM) has been named among the top 2% scientists of the world in the field of polymer chemistry. The database of the independent study has been published in one of the highly-rated journals, PLOS Biology," the institute said in a press release.

Who is Dr Shakeel Ahmed?

Dr Shakeel Ahmed, a first-generation leader in his family, hails from Dhangri village in Rajouri, a bordering district in Jammu and Kashmir. He graduated in science from a government college. In 2012, he completed M.Sc from Dr Saiqa Ikram Department of Chemistry in Jamia Milia Islamia. He also completed his PhD from Jamia Milia Islamia.

Speaking to Kashmir Monitor, Dr Shakeel Ahmed said he had struggled a lot after losing his father at a tender age. "I was just one year child when my father passed away. At that time there was no breadwinner in my family," he was quoted as saying.

Stanford University recently released a list of 1,59,683 top 2 percent of most-cited scientists in various fields in the world. As many as 1,500 Indians featured in the prestigious list and most of them are from IITs, IISc, and other top institutions. Dr Shakeel Ahmed, despite hailing from a small village and having limited resources, has made to the list.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 14, 2020 04:40 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).