KARACHI: Habib University hosted Dr. Nergis Mavalvala, Dean of the School of Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as the tenth speaker in its Yohsin Lecture Series.
Dr Mavalvala delivered her lecture, titled The Joy of Discovery: Curiosity, Science, and the Pivotal Role of Universities, to a full auditorium of students, faculty, alumni, industry leaders, and Pakistan’s wider scientific community, closing a two-day visit to the University that marked a high point in Karachi’s intellectual calendar.
In her lecture, Dr Mavalvala asked why human beings seek knowledge at all, especially knowledge with no obvious use. She reflected on humanity’s appetite for curiosity, stating, “Even pre-human cultures were looking up at the sky, in part because it was just mysterious. A hundred years from now the only thing that will matter is that we’ve opened a new window into the universe.”
Pushing back against the idea that curiosity must justify itself in advance, she argued that some of the most consequential discoveries began as questions with no obvious payoff, and that universities carry a responsibility beyond training professionals, to cultivate wonder, creativity, perseverance, and intellectual freedom.
President HU Wasif Rizvi spoke of what her presence signifies for the University community, particularly the Mohsineen who continue to extend their generosity to make a world-class education accessible to all who deserve and seek it.
The lecture capped two days of sustained engagement across the University.
Dr. Mavalvala toured the campus with the Habib University team, held a substantive conversation with faculty on nurturing curiosity in the classroom, and met with outstanding science and humanities students drawn from leading schools across Karachi. She spent exclusive time with Habib University’s own students and alumni, and joined sessions with the Entrepreneurs’ Organization, as well as Pakistan’s wider scientific community to strengthen a shared commitment to investment in homegrown scientific and academic excellence. Her conversations with University leadership went beyond the immediate, touching on how a unique liberal-arts undergraduate institution like Habib can continue to cultivate students’ appetite for curiosity, and on the enduring joy of teaching and mentoring itself.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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