Professor Atta to get honorary PhD degree from Malaysian university

Professor Dr Atta-ur-Rehman the Co-ordinator General of OIC Standing Committee on Science and Technology (COMSTECH) would receive an honorary PhD degree from the University of the Technology Malaysia in October 2011. According to a letter of the university written to Dr Atta the award would be conferred by the King of Malaysia Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin to Professor Doctor Atta-ur-Rahman in October.
The Board of Directors of University of Technology Malaysia has conveyed its decision to award Professor Dr Atta-ur-Rahman, an Honorary Doctorate degree in science. "The university has awarded you in appreciation of your extraordinary and outstanding scientific achievements in the field of organic chemistry and natural products chemistry and for your immense contribution to the development of science and technology education in Pakistan and the Muslim world." reads the letter of decision received here on Monday.
The degree will be conferred by the King of Malaysia during the 75th convocation ceremony on the October 20, 2011, where Dr Atta-ur-Rahman would also deliver an inaugural lecture.
"The award of honorary degree to me by the Malaysian government is an honor for my country and it shall strengthen Pak-Malaysia bilateral relations in the fields of science, technology research and development." Atta-ur-Rahman says. Professor Atta-ur-Rahman, Fellow of Royal Society, has 843 publications in organic chemistry including 663 research publications, 18 patents, 103 books and 59 chapters in books.
Earlier, he was conferred with honorary doctorate degrees by Cambridge University in 1987, Coventry University in 2007, Bradford University in 2010 and Asian Institute of Technology the same year. He was elected honorary life Fellow of Kings College, Cambridge University of the United Kingdom in 2007.
Atta was recently appointed by Unesco as its member of a high-level panel for science and technology. He won the prestigious UNESCO Science Prize in1999. Besides, many civil awards from the government of Pakistan, he has also won many international prizes including the ECO Prize, Khwarazmi Award, ISESCO, and ENGRO Prizes. He was conferred the TWAS (Italy) Prize for institution building in 2009 and the Austrian government conferred its high civil award (Grosse Goldene Ehrenzeischen am Bande" in 2007 for bringing about revolutionary changes in higher education in Pakistan.