Tasneem Zehra Husain
String Theorist & Power-house
Quick question Pinky Gul readers: Name three female scientist or inventors that aren’t characters from the Big Bang Theory. Now name female scientists/inventors of color. Yup, its easy to see how you can be stumped since countless female scientists, regardless of race, never get the recognition they deserved.
Although things are improving, we still have a long way to go in making sure women in science are celebrated for their achievements in this male dominated sector. When it comes to the south Asian diaspora, we find ourselves floundering further behind, with desi women in STEM professions remaining in the shadows. Which brings us to this week’s PinkyGul unsung heroine – Pakistan’s first String Theorist: Tasneem Zehra Husain.
Tasneem Zehra is among a handful of Pakistani women to gain a PhD in Physics and one of the only Pakistanis to hold the honor of representing Pakistan at the conference of Nobel Laureates in Lindau, Germany. There she led the Pakistani team to the World Year of Physics (WYP) Launch Conference in Paris. In 2013, Tasneem was requested to be the moderator for a team of distinguished scientists by the Cambridge Science Festival. Her love for writing led her to write numerous articles in world-renowned science journals.
As a young girl Tasneem had an unmitigated curiosity for puzzles, hidden patterns and logical paradoxes, which led to a professional inclination towards science and mathematics. Completing her O’Levels at 13, the young rising star went on to study physics at Kinnaird College in Lahore. After completing her studies there she won a scholarship by Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), allowing her to continue her research in High-Energy Physics in Trieste, Italy. She went on to obtain her PhD in theoretical physics from Stockholm University, making her the first Pakistani women String Theorist at only 26. She continued her post doctoral research at Harvard University. PHEW! Now that is seriously impressive.
Inspired by her journey, Tasneem helped set up Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) School of Science and Engineering in Lahore. LUMs was created with the vision to provide international-level exposure to students and facilitate an environment that will go on to produce more scientists and researchers locally.
Today, Tasneem is a published writer of a famous science novel “Only The Longest Threads”. Residing in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Tasneem is currently working on her second book. You can read up about her work on her personal website: http://www.tasneemzehrahusain.com/. Through her dedication, hard work and drive Tasneem Zehra has played a remarkable role in encouraging Pakistani women to pursue their passions, no matter how unconventional. Thank you Tasneem for inspiring generations of young brown female scientists to pursue their dreams.
Tasneem Zehra Husain
String Theorist & Power-house
Quick question Pinky Gul readers: Name three female scientist or inventors that aren’t characters from the Big Bang Theory. Now name female scientists/inventors of color. Yup, its easy to see how you can be stumped since countless female scientists, regardless of race, never get the recognition they deserved.
Although things are improving, we still have a long way to go in making sure women in science are celebrated for their achievements in this male dominated sector. When it comes to the south Asian diaspora, we find ourselves floundering further behind, with desi women in STEM professions remaining in the shadows. Which brings us to this week’s PinkyGul unsung heroine – Pakistan’s first String Theorist: Tasneem Zehra Husain.
Tasneem Zehra is among a handful of Pakistani women to gain a PhD in Physics and one of the only Pakistanis to hold the honor of representing Pakistan at the conference of Nobel Laureates in Lindau, Germany. There she led the Pakistani team to the World Year of Physics (WYP) Launch Conference in Paris. In 2013, Tasneem was requested to be the moderator for a team of distinguished scientists by the Cambridge Science Festival. Her love for writing led her to write numerous articles in world-renowned science journals.
As a young girl Tasneem had an unmitigated curiosity for puzzles, hidden patterns and logical paradoxes, which led to a professional inclination towards science and mathematics. Completing her O’Levels at 13, the young rising star went on to study physics at Kinnaird College in Lahore. After completing her studies there she won a scholarship by Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), allowing her to continue her research in High-Energy Physics in Trieste, Italy. She went on to obtain her PhD in theoretical physics from Stockholm University, making her the first Pakistani women String Theorist at only 26. She continued her post doctoral research at Harvard University. PHEW! Now that is seriously impressive.
Inspired by her journey, Tasneem helped set up Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) School of Science and Engineering in Lahore. LUMs was created with the vision to provide international-level exposure to students and facilitate an environment that will go on to produce more scientists and researchers locally.
Today, Tasneem is a published writer of a famous science novel “Only The Longest Threads”. Residing in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Tasneem is currently working on her second book. You can read up about her work on her personal website: http://www.tasneemzehrahusain.com/. Through her dedication, hard work and drive Tasneem Zehra has played a remarkable role in encouraging Pakistani women to pursue their passions, no matter how unconventional. Thank you Tasneem for inspiring generations of young brown female scientists to pursue their dreams.
