Zafar H. Zaidi

The Karachi University Senate recognised his contribution to Protein Chemistry by re-naming the National Center for Proteomics (established 2008) to Dr. Zafar H. Zaidi Center for Proteomics in November, 2019; this was formally changed in July 2020.

Zaidi became the 13th Vice Chancellor of University of Karachi, Pakistan from July 25, 1997 to January 7, 2001.

Zaidi made significant contributions in the field of Protein Chemistry research. He has penned 8 books, 114 research papers and 8 chapters in various books on the topic to his credit. He organized six international symposia and workshops on Protein structure function and was a coordinator of the DNA Sequence Course held in 1987.

From 1973 -76, he worked in Protein Chemistry in the Max Planck institute for Chemistry in Martinsried, near Munich, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, under G Braunitzer.

On return to Pakistan after completing PhD, Zaidi worked as a senior research officer at the Pakistan with Pakistan Council of Scientific & Industrial Research Karachi from 1969 to 1978. During this time, he was on the secondment to the Post Graduate Institute of Chemistry (now H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry) of the University of Karachi which he joined at the invitation of its head, Salimuzzaman Siddiqui At that time, this Institute was conducting research in Natural Products; Dr Zaidi introduced his area of expertise, Protein Chemistry, and established the first such research laboratory in Pakistan in 1976.

Zaidi completed his Bachelor of Science with Honours (BSc. Hons.) from University of Sindh in Jamshoro in 1961 majoring in Chemistry. He went on to complete his Master of Science (MSc.) programme again from University of Sindh, Jamshoro in 1963 specializing in Physical Chemistry in which his academic research was entitled Basic Strength of 2 Methyl Indole. He then proceeded to the United Kingdom for his Doctoral education and completed his PhD. in 1968 in the field of protein chemistry from University of Leeds, UK. His research dissertation was entitled Sulphur in Silk Fibroin from Bombyx Mori. He was later awarded Doctorate of Science from the same University in 1993.

Syed Zafar Hasnain Zaidi Urdu: سید ظفر حسنین زیدی (March 4, 1939 – January 7, 2001) was a Pakistani scientific researcher, and professor who introduced the concept of Protein Chemistry in Pakistan. He served as Vice Chancellor of the University of Karachi, Pakistan. He was decorated twice by the Government of Pakistan for his contributions to Scientific Research in Pakistan, being awarded Tamgha-e-Imtiaz in 1989 and Sitar-e-Imtiaz in 1995. He was also awarded the Khwarizmi International Award in 1992 by the Government of Iran for his research in Science.

Zafar Zaidi was born in 1939 in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, British India, to Syed Tahawar Ali Zaidi and his wife, Mubarak un Nisa. Following the partition of the Subcontinent, he migrated to Pakistan in 1947 and was brought up in Hyderabad. He completed his early education up to grade 12 in Hyderabad from Ghulam Hussain Hidayatullah School and Government College, Hyderabad (now Government College University, Hyderabad), Sindh.