M. Shamsher Ali
M. Shamsher Ali (November 21, 1937 – August 3, 2025), also known as Allama M. Shamser Ali, was a Bangladeshi physicist, educator, and Islamic scholar. He served as President of the Bangladesh Academy of Sciences, was the founding Vice-Chancellor of Bangladesh Open University, and later led Southeast University in Dhaka as Vice-Chancellor.
Born in Bheramara, Kushtia, he studied physics at the University of Dhaka and earned a PhD in theoretical nuclear physics from the University of Manchester in 1965. He worked at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste and held key roles with both the Pakistan and Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commissions, including serving as Director of the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (1970–1978). As a professor, he taught physics at the University of Dhaka from 1982 to 2006.
In science, he co-authored a 1966 paper with A. R. Bodmer on alpha–alpha potentials, a model that helps explain how two alpha particles interact and relates to the nucleus of beryllium-8. He was also active in Islamic studies and Sufism, connected with Islamic Foundation Bangladesh, and admired the teachings of Shaikh Sayyid Manzoor Ahmed Uwaysi.
He passed away in Dhaka on August 3, 2025, at the age of 87.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 20:46 (CET).