Tehran, YJC. The Iranian parliament, Majlis, announced on Sunday morning that it has received a letter from President Hassan Rouhani in which he introduces his proposed person to take the office at the Ministry of Science.
Rouhani’s letter was cited at today’s open session in the Majlis,
where the president introduces Mahmoud Nili Ahmad Abadi as his to-be minister
of science, research, and technology.
Addressed to Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani, the letter states
that according to the 133th article of the constitution, Ahmad Abadi is thereby
proposed for the post.
Ahmad Abadi is a professor of Metallurgy at the University
of Tehran, and current Chancellor of the University of Tehran. He is at the
same time head of the Center for Excellence for Higher Performance Material at
the University of Tehran.
Generally called Mahmoud Nili, he was born in 1956 in
Isfahan, Iran. After getting a BSc degree from University of Shiraz in 1982, he
started working for revolutionary institutes. Seven years later he got a MSc
degree from Sharif University of Technology and went to Japan to further his studies
in Tohoku University. Mahmouod Nili has more than 70 scientific articles.
He was preceded by Reza Faraji Dana whom the Majlis
dismissed as Minister of Science on 20 August 2014. The conservative MPs
accused him of permitting students involved in 2009–10 Iranian election
protests to continue their education in public universities. He was also
accused of appointing senior department heads from people who were involved in
mass protests of 2009. Some of the PMs who voted for the dismissal of Faraji Dana
were allegedly benefiting from unlawful scholarships in previous governments
and Faraji Dana was revealing the list of those who granted unlawful
scholarships.