Javaid Laghari

Javaid Laghari (Urdu: جاويد لغارى) TI is a Pakistani American academic, scientist, and politician who has served several prominent positions, including as Senator and the Chairperson of the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan from August 2009 to August 2013 with the status of a Federal Minister.^[1] He has also contributed to scientific research, higher education, and policy development both in Pakistan and internationally.

Javaid Laghari
Born	1960 (age 64–65) Hyderabad, Pakistan
Citizenship	Pakistan
Awards	Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (1999) IEEE Leadership Award (1994)
Scientific career
Fields	Electrical engineering

Javaid Leghari
Chairman of the Higher Education Commission
In office 14 August 2009 – Incumbent
President	Asif Ali Zardari
Prime Minister	Yousaf Raza Gillani
Preceded by	Atta-ur-Rehman
Pakistan Senator to the Senate Secretariat
In office 23 March 2006 – 11 March 2009
President	General Pervez Musharraf Asif Ali Zardari
Prime Minister	Shaukat Aziz Yousaf Raza Gillani
6th Science Adviser to the Prime minister Secretariat
In office 1 August 1993 – 5 November 1996
President	Wasim Sajjad Farooq Leghari
Prime Minister	Benazir Bhutto
Preceded by	Munir Ahmad Khan
Succeeded by	Ishfaq Ahmad
Personal details
Party	Pakistan People's Party
Spouse	Shahida Pari Laghari
Children	Zaid Laghari, Asad Laghari
Alma mater	University of Sindh (BS) Middle East Technical University (MS)

Academic and Research Career

Dr. Laghari began his academic career as a tenured full Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo. He served as Director of Graduate Studies and as Director of the NASA and Department of Defense (DoD) funded Space Power Institute. During his tenure at SUNY Buffalo, he secured over $5 million in research funding and conducted sponsored research for organizations including NASA, the US Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), the Office of Naval Research (ONR), the Naval Research Lab (NRL), and Boeing Aerospace Company. His research focused on high-energy storage and pulsed power devices and their applications in space and other advanced technologies.

Dr. Laghari participated in NATO Advanced Study Institutes in the United Kingdom (1991) and Italy (1983), events reserved for the top 100 scientists from NATO countries. He also served as Chairman of the 1992 IEEE International Conference on High Voltage Engineering and contributed to the IEEE Technical Standards Committee on Radiation Effects.

Leadership in Higher Education

Dr. Laghari was the founding President and Project Director of SZABIST, a leading private university in Pakistan with multiple campuses including one in Dubai. He later served as Chairperson of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan with the status of Federal Minister.

He has delivered over 58 keynote lectures at international institutions, including The Clinton School of Public Service, The Brookings Institution, and the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He has also given numerous invited lectures, Chief Guest addresses, and media interviews.

Political Career

Dr. Laghari served as a Senator and was closely associated with former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. He contributed to the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) as co-author of the party's election manifesto, Deputy Coordinator, Vice Chairman of the Central Policy Planning Committee, Co-Chairman of the Task Force on Manifesto Implementation, and Chairman of the Energy and Power Committee.

Professional and Advisory Roles

Dr. Laghari has served as Coordinator General of COMSTECH, the OIC Ministerial Standing Committee on Scientific and Technology Cooperation. He has held advisory roles in the United States and globally, including President of the American Skills Evaluation Institute (ASEI), President of the Forum for Dialogue and Diplomacy (FDD), and Chairperson of the Trust for Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Knowledge (TIEK) in Houston, Texas.

Publications and Writing

Dr. Laghari has published over 650 papers, 8+ books, and numerous op-eds and articles in leading newspapers and magazines. His publications cover topics in leadership, higher education, science fiction, and thrillers. Notable works include the fiction-thrillers Ifrit ^[2]and Solomon’s Demon^[3], and his upcoming science fiction novel God Chip.

Awards and Recognition

Dr. Laghari is a Senior Member of the ACM and IEEE, and a member of the New York Academy of Sciences. He has received several honors, including the Distinguished Leadership Award (1987), IEEE Award for Leadership and Dedicated Services (1994), and the national award Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (1998). He is listed in American Men and Women of Science, Who’s Who in Science and Engineering, Who’s Who in the East, Who’s Who in America, and Who’s Who in the World.

Publications

Books

• Solomon’s Dream, January 2023, Amazon Publishing, ISBN 979-83-742-07-330^[4]
• Solomon's Magic, November 2022, Amazon Publishing, ISBN 979-83-659-20-354
• Solomon's Demon, August 2022, Amazon Publishing, ISBN 979-884-8052-107
• Challenges in Higher Education, June 2021, Amazon Publishing, ISBN 979-851-8200-623^[5]
• Ifrit, January 2019, Austin Macauley, ISBN 978-1528906623^[6]
• Reflections on Benazir Bhutto, SZABIST Publication, ISBN 978-969-8666-13-2^[7], February 2008.
• Leaders of Pakistan, SZABIST Publication, ISBN 978-969-8666-14-9, August 2009.
• The Wizardry of Leadership, Paramount Publishing, ISBN 978-969-494-846-1^[8], September 2011.
• Dielectric Films for High Temperature High Voltage Power Electronics, Materials for Electronic Packaging, by J. R. Laghari and edited by Deborah D. L. Chung, Butterworth Publishers, 1994.

Selected research papers and patents

• Surface Flashover of Spacers in Compressed Gas Insulated Systems, J. R. Laghari and A. H. Qureshi, IEEE Transactions on Electrical Insulation, Vol. EI-16, No. 5, 1981^[9],
• A Review of Particle-Contaminated Gas Breakdown, J. R. Laghari and A. H. Qureshi, "IEEE Transactions on Electrical Insulation, Vol. EI-16, No. 5, 1981, pp. 388–398.^[10]
• Spacer Flashover in Compressed Gases, J. R. Laghari, IEEE Transactions on Electrical Insulation, Vol. EI-20, vol. No. 1.^[11]
• Testing and Evaluation of Insulating Films: Part I: Description of Test Facilities at the University at Buffalo, J. R. Laghari, IEEE Electrical Insulation, Vol. 2, No.6, 1986.^[12]
• Testing and Evaluation of Insulating Films: Part II: Test Results using Facilities at the University at Buffalo, J. R. Laghari, IEEE Electrical Insulation, Vol. 2, No. 6, 1986.^[12]
• A Review of ac and Pulse Capacitor Technology, J. R. Laghari, Applied Physics Communications, Vol. 6, No. 2, 1986.
• On the Design of Field-Controlled Multi-Layer Foil Insulation, S. Cygan and J. R. Laghari, IEEE Transactions on Electrical Insulation, Vol. EI-22, No. 1, 1987, pp. 107–108.^[13]
• Multifactor Stress Aging of Dielectrics", J. R. Laghari, Applied Physics Communications, Vol. 7, No. 1, 1987.
• Repetitive Phenomena in Dielectics M. Treanor, J. R. Laghari and A. K. Hyder, IEEE Transactions on Electrical Insulation, Vol. EI-22, No. 4, 1987, pp. 517–522.
• Dependence of Electrical Strength on Thickness, Area and Volume of Polypropylene", S. Cygan and J. R. Laghari, IEEE Transactions on Electrical Insulation, Vol. EI-22, No. 6, 1987.^[14]