$1 Million Gift Establishes Ahmed Distinguished Chair in Sciences, Math
By: Daniel Steele | February 17, 2023
Drs. Basheer and Shakila Ahmed have created a $1 million endowment at The University of Texas at Dallas to establish the Drs. Basheer and Shakila Ahmed Distinguished Chair in Natural Sciences and Mathematics.
In recognition of their transformative gift, the Basheer and Shakila Ahmed Auditorium in the Sciences Building was named in their honor at a Sept. 23 event.
Basheer Ahmed is a retired psychiatrist who worked for more than 55 years in both private practice and on the faculty of various universities in Scotland and the U.S, including six years at UT Southwestern Medical School. His wife, Shakila, is a radiologist in Arlington, Texas.
“Investments in research like this allow us to ask fundamental questions about the universe and to develop responsive tools that create powerful engines for important discoveries,” Dr. David Hyndman, dean of the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, said at the dedication of the Ahmed Auditorium. “The research itself also generates innovations in education, industry-leading experiential training, venture mentorship and advisory support for our students.”
Hyndman also holds the Francis S. and Maurine G. Johnson Distinguished University Chair.
The couple said their inspiration for the gift is their belief in the power of science to reveal the wonders of the natural world and to spur continued progress in human living. By creating an endowed distinguished chair, they sought to make a gift that would impact generations.
“The main goal is to see that this gift will result in teaching students to become future scientists,” Basheer Ahmed said. “Not everyone taught by the professor who holds this chair will become a scientist, but we hope that every student learns something about how they can serve humanity in their own disciplines.”
The Ahmeds have lived this mission in their own lives. Both dedicated their careers to science and medicine and sought to spread a love of learning to their children and throughout their community. As devout Muslims, they also have a specific interest in probing the history of science and medicine in the Islamic world, an interest which eventually led to their connection with UT Dallas.
In 1995 Basheer Ahmed gave a public lecture on the contributions of Muslim scientists and scholars to the field of medicine. In preparation for this talk, he was surprised by the depth and richness of Islamic scholarship in these fields during an anti-intellectual period of Western history.
“Most people have heard about the Dark Ages of Europe. But the Dark Ages of Europe were not the Dark Ages of the world,” he said. “I was amazed by the amount of scholarly work done thousands of years ago in the Islamic world.”
Muslim philosophers, scientists and doctors were instrumental in preserving the intellectual tradition of the classical world while expanding human knowledge to previously unknown heights in fields as diverse as medicine, logic, mathematics and physics.
In 2001 Basheer Ahmed founded the Institute of Medieval and Post-Medieval Studies to advance the study of this intellectual history and to disseminate awareness of it throughout contemporary society. Soon after, the organization hosted a number of lectures and events in collaboration with faculty at UT Dallas.
Through these events, the Ahmeds learned about UTD, its mission and the diversity of its student body. When they began thinking about ways to promote scientific exploration in future generations, they recognized UT Dallas as an institution that combined scientific excellence with educational opportunity for students of all backgrounds.
“The diversity at UT Dallas is great. You have a lot of students from India, Pakistan, all over the Middle East and Asia, alongside students who are Black and Latino,” Shakila Ahmed said. “We’re very happy about that. We hope that this endowment inspires younger generations, that students see someone like themselves in this new position and that it gives them motivation.”
As UT Dallas students take up the mantle of scientific discovery, the Ahmeds hope they will uncover the beauty of nature and use their understanding to improve human living in the future.
“The Quran encourages us to investigate creation,” Basheer Ahmed said. “And science contributes to our civilization, advancing society and helping people, saving lives and making life more comfortable. This is the legacy we hope to leave at UT Dallas.”