Dr. Mir Faisal represents the scientific aura of Kashmir on global level. He has coined his own name in the world of Physics and his excellence has ably recognized by the World Famous Oxford University as he has published more than a dozen research Papers in Physics, probably highest by any researcher in Oxford University in a single year.
In an exclusive interview with The Kashmir Scenario, Mir Faisal talks to Rameez Makhdoomi.
Tell us a bit about your childhood days?
Well most of my childhood was spent in Middle East especially in Saudi Arabia. I did my engineering from Regional Engineering College (REC), Hazratbal Srinagar, which is now known as National Institute of Technology.
How was your journey in Oxford?
Working at Oxford University was a great experience. I had the chance to interact with some of the leading people in the field and solve some interesting problem at the mathematical institute of Oxford university.
What have been your special interests in the realm of Physics?
I work on quantum gravity, which is the an attempt to combine the Einsteins General theory of relativity with quantum mechanics. This seems to be a very difficult problem but an important one too because if we are able to achieve it, we can answer the questions which are almost metaphysical in nature. As this subject has been popularized by Stephen Hawking and so I started by working on his formalism of quantum gravity called the Euclidean Quantum gravity. But later on I have shifted to string theory and loop quantum gravity as these two approaches to quantum gravity seem to be more promising.
What questions can be answered by a full theory of quantum gravity?
General Relativity deal with the geometry of space and time and quantum theory describes how nature behaves at very small scales. So if we are able to have a full theory of quantum gravity, we can answer fundamental questions regarding the nature of space, time and physical reality. We can know what physical structure exists beyond space and time and how our Universe came into existence and how it can possible end. There is also the possibility of existence of other Universes similar to our Universes in what is called a Multiverse.
Your take on world famous Oxford university?
Well the advantage of working at a good institute is that you get a chance to interact with top people in the field. This has considerable effect on your own research. I think it matters even more for subjects where experiments are involved as these Universities are well equipped and well funded. But one thing has to be remembered that no University can be good in all things, and sometimes a small University might have a research group that interests you, and a very big University will not have it.
How do you view the awareness of masses here about Science?
I wanted to study pure science from day one and was literally forced to join technical education and in masters I joined back my interest. The general; awareness about science is lagging and people do not know that we have to study science for science not just technology. In fact the purest of sciences, i.e., theoretical physics even touches on metaphysical questions and is much more like philosophy written in mathematics.
Your take on representation of South Asians in reputed institutions like Oxford ?
South Asians are doing well, but still it needs a lot of improvement. The representation of population with respect to studying in reputed institutions is still far less when we talk of South Asians. But this is based on my own observation and I have not read or done any research on this subject.
What is your take on the wisdom of students in Kashmir with reference to subject selection?
Students here have limited knowledge of subjects as they are confined to few subjects. The parental pressure coupled with societal compounds problem for the students. I really want the students to follow their real interests and study the subject that they really want to study.
What are your research ambitions?
Well I think I will continue in what I am investigating, and you never know which direction your research evolves. What happens is that when you answer one question, you end you discovering about ten new ones.
What is your message to students community?
My message to the student community is to discard all the pressures and select the subject of their own interest. They should also research which institutions would be the best to join for the subject they want to study. As I said sometimes a very big University would not be good in a subject that a small University would be good in. So the students really need to be careful in which University they are selecting.