PHYSICIST
Abdul Qadeer Khan
1936 - 2021

Abdul Qadeer Khan
Abdul Qadeer Khan (1 April 1936 – 10 October 2021) was a Pakistani nuclear physicist and metallurgical engineer. He is colloquially known as the "father of Pakistan's atomic weapons program". A Muhajir emigrant from India who migrated to Pakistan in 1952, Khan was educated in the metallurgical engineering departments of Western European technical universities where he pioneered studies in phase transitions of metallic alloys, uranium metallurgy, and isotope separation based on gas centrifuges. After learning of India's "Smiling Buddha" nuclear test in 1974, Khan joined his nation's clandestine efforts to develop atomic weapons when he founded the Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) in 1976 and was both its chief scientist and director for many years. Read more on Wikipedia
His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Abdul Qadeer Khan is the 295th most popular physicist (up from 306th in 2019), the 159th most popular biography from India (up from 161st in 2019) and the 3rd most popular Indian Physicist.
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Among PHYSICISTS
Among physicists, Abdul Qadeer Khan ranks 295 out of 851. Before him are Charles Wheatstone, Ernest Walton, Lawrence M. Krauss, John Clauser, Anne L'Huillier, and Harry Daghlian. After him are Zhores Alferov, Carl von Linde, Samuel C. C. Ting, Klaus Hasselmann, Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker, and Walter Kohn.
Most Popular Physicists in Wikipedia
Go to all RankingsCharles Wheatstone
1802 - 1875
HPI: 68.18
Rank: 289
Ernest Walton
1903 - 1995
HPI: 68.17
Rank: 290
Lawrence M. Krauss
1954 - Present
HPI: 68.00
Rank: 291
John Clauser
1942 - Present
HPI: 67.98
Rank: 292
Anne L'Huillier
1958 - Present
HPI: 67.95
Rank: 293
Harry Daghlian
1921 - 1945
HPI: 67.91
Rank: 294
Abdul Qadeer Khan
1936 - 2021
HPI: 67.90
Rank: 295
Zhores Alferov
1930 - 2019
HPI: 67.85
Rank: 296
Carl von Linde
1842 - 1934
HPI: 67.80
Rank: 297
Samuel C. C. Ting
1936 - Present
HPI: 67.78
Rank: 298
Klaus Hasselmann
1931 - Present
HPI: 67.74
Rank: 299
Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker
1912 - 2007
HPI: 67.73
Rank: 300
Walter Kohn
1923 - 2016
HPI: 67.71
Rank: 301
Contemporaries
Among people born in 1936, Abdul Qadeer Khan ranks 65. Before him are Ghassan Kanafani, Costas Simitis, Don Cherry, Eva Hesse, Denny Hulme, and Steve Reich. After him are Jack Lousma, Iolanda Balaș, Samuel C. C. Ting, Petar Mladenov, Richard Wilson, and Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud. Among people deceased in 2021, Abdul Qadeer Khan ranks 63. Before him are Wilbur Smith, Eduardo Martínez Somalo, Sam Jones, Betty White, Jean-Claude Carrière, and Jorge Medina. After him are John Magufuli, Pat Hitchcock, Viktor Bryukhanov, Osamu Yamaji, Phil Spector, and Norman Lloyd.
Others Born in 1936
Go to all RankingsGhassan Kanafani
WRITER
1936 - 1972
HPI: 68.23
Rank: 59
Costas Simitis
POLITICIAN
1936 - 2025
HPI: 68.23
Rank: 60
Don Cherry
MUSICIAN
1936 - 1995
HPI: 68.11
Rank: 61
Eva Hesse
SCULPTOR
1936 - 1970
HPI: 68.11
Rank: 62
Denny Hulme
RACING DRIVER
1936 - 1992
HPI: 67.92
Rank: 63
Steve Reich
COMPOSER
1936 - Present
HPI: 67.92
Rank: 64
Abdul Qadeer Khan
PHYSICIST
1936 - 2021
HPI: 67.90
Rank: 65
Jack Lousma
ASTRONAUT
1936 - Present
HPI: 67.90
Rank: 66
Iolanda Balaș
ATHLETE
1936 - 2016
HPI: 67.84
Rank: 67
Samuel C. C. Ting
PHYSICIST
1936 - Present
HPI: 67.78
Rank: 68
Petar Mladenov
POLITICIAN
1936 - 2000
HPI: 67.78
Rank: 69
Richard Wilson
ACTOR
1936 - Present
HPI: 67.62
Rank: 70
Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud
POLITICIAN
1936 - 2024
HPI: 67.62
Rank: 71
Others Deceased in 2021
Go to all RankingsWilbur Smith
WRITER
1933 - 2021
HPI: 68.22
Rank: 57
Eduardo Martínez Somalo
RELIGIOUS FIGURE
1927 - 2021
HPI: 68.18
Rank: 58
Sam Jones
BASKETBALL PLAYER
1933 - 2021
HPI: 68.12
Rank: 59
Betty White
ACTOR
1922 - 2021
HPI: 68.02
Rank: 60
Jean-Claude Carrière
WRITER
1931 - 2021
HPI: 67.99
Rank: 61
Jorge Medina
RELIGIOUS FIGURE
1926 - 2021
HPI: 67.92
Rank: 62
Abdul Qadeer Khan
PHYSICIST
1936 - 2021
HPI: 67.90
Rank: 63
John Magufuli
POLITICIAN
1959 - 2021
HPI: 67.84
Rank: 64
Pat Hitchcock
ACTOR
1928 - 2021
HPI: 67.78
Rank: 65
Viktor Bryukhanov
ENGINEER
1935 - 2021
HPI: 67.74
Rank: 66
Osamu Yamaji
SOCCER PLAYER
1929 - 2021
HPI: 67.70
Rank: 67
Phil Spector
PRODUCER
1939 - 2021
HPI: 67.66
Rank: 68
Norman Lloyd
ACTOR
1914 - 2021
HPI: 67.57
Rank: 69
In India
Among people born in India, Abdul Qadeer Khan ranks 159 out of 1,861. Before him are Lawrence Durrell (1912), Lata Mangeshkar (1929), Sushruta (-620), Sher Shah Suri (1486), Kasturba Gandhi (1869), and Bindusara (-320). After him are Wilfred Bion (1897), Ashok Kumar (1911), Guru Angad (1504), Vikramaditya (-102), Ravi Shankar (1956), and George Alencherry (1945).
Others born in India
Go to all RankingsLawrence Durrell
WRITER
1912 - 1990
HPI: 68.26
Rank: 153
Lata Mangeshkar
SINGER
1929 - 2022
HPI: 68.20
Rank: 154
Sushruta
PHYSICIAN
620 BC - 600 BC
HPI: 68.12
Rank: 155
Sher Shah Suri
POLITICIAN
1486 - 1545
HPI: 68.04
Rank: 156
Kasturba Gandhi
SOCIAL ACTIVIST
1869 - 1944
HPI: 68.00
Rank: 157
Bindusara
POLITICIAN
320 BC - 273 BC
HPI: 67.99
Rank: 158
Abdul Qadeer Khan
PHYSICIST
1936 - 2021
HPI: 67.90
Rank: 159
Wilfred Bion
PSYCHOLOGIST
1897 - 1979
HPI: 67.76
Rank: 160
Ashok Kumar
ACTOR
1911 - 2001
HPI: 67.74
Rank: 161
Guru Angad
RELIGIOUS FIGURE
1504 - 1552
HPI: 67.61
Rank: 162
Vikramaditya
POLITICIAN
102 BC - Present
HPI: 67.61
Rank: 163
Ravi Shankar
RELIGIOUS FIGURE
1956 - Present
HPI: 67.60
Rank: 164
George Alencherry
RELIGIOUS FIGURE
1945 - Present
HPI: 67.56
Rank: 165
Among PHYSICISTS In India
Among physicists born in India, Abdul Qadeer Khan ranks 3. Before him are C. V. Raman (1888), and Satyendra Nath Bose (1894). After him are Anna Mani (1918), Tom Kibble (1932), Homi J. Bhabha (1909), Jayant Narlikar (1938), Vikram Sarabhai (1919), Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis (1893), Udupi Ramachandra Rao (1932), Abhay Ashtekar (1949), and Daulat Singh Kothari (1906).
C. V. Raman
1888 - 1970
HPI: 74.29
Rank: 1
Satyendra Nath Bose
1894 - 1974
HPI: 69.80
Rank: 2
Abdul Qadeer Khan
1936 - 2021
HPI: 67.90
Rank: 3
Anna Mani
1918 - 2001
HPI: 67.54
Rank: 4
Tom Kibble
1932 - 2016
HPI: 63.51
Rank: 5
Homi J. Bhabha
1909 - 1966
HPI: 62.36
Rank: 6
Jayant Narlikar
1938 - 2025
HPI: 60.59
Rank: 7
Vikram Sarabhai
1919 - 1971
HPI: 59.28
Rank: 8
Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis
1893 - 1972
HPI: 57.73
Rank: 9
Udupi Ramachandra Rao
1932 - 2017
HPI: 57.15
Rank: 10
Abhay Ashtekar
1949 - Present
HPI: 51.49
Rank: 11
Daulat Singh Kothari
1906 - 1993
HPI: 50.90
Rank: 12