Asghar Mohammadi Khanaman (490330) at a glance
Childhood memories carry me back to the village of Khanaman, where I went to primary school and where we were exposed to recurrent torrential floods from the surrounding high hills. Those were hard days, though I look back at them with a sense of gratitude and indebtedness. They taught me how to be tolerant, persistent, perseverant, resistant and unyielding to failure. These lessons I have learned well; and I remember them well.
My thoughts of high school carry me away to Kerman, where I had to live by myself away from my family. This was hard too, but it resulted in self-support, self-sufficiency and self-confidence. As a matter of fact, it was these hard periods that paved my way to the university, to which I was admitted in spite of the fact that chances of success were only four out of a hundred. Fortunately, I was admitted to a university of the highest academic standards, where I completed a course of Metallurgical Engineering in four and a half years.
Having obtained my Metallurgical Engineering degree, I applied for a job in a research center, where I was assigned to a team of researchers working on Biological-Filter. Biological-Filter was a device that generates fresh, pollution-free air. Experiments carried out to test the effect of our Biological-Filter on plants, mice and rabbits proved to be successful. Owing to the fact that Iran is a country prone to earthquake, we also designed an Atomic Seismograph as well as a rescuing device, which could locate alive trapped or buried victims under debris after the earthquake. Both of these were displayed at the International Exhibition of Inventions and New Techniques, Oct. 1973, Geneva, and were awarded two gold medals and the Grand Prix. Moreover, I was involved in another successful research project, an alarm system, which would signal the occurrence of periodic torrential floods.
In February 1975 I was invited as a guest researcher and official Iranian representative to the Nuclear Research Center, Studsvik, Sweden, where I worked on various projects such as gamma-spectrometry, neutron activation analyses, X-ray fluorescence, radiation detection, radioisotopes production and application, nuclear geophysics, for some time. During my stay in Sweden I showed concern for creating relations between Iranian and Swedish industries. As a result, a few months after my return to Iran, several Swedish firms and institutes requested my return to Sweden as technical representative of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, to which my Iranian employer responded positively.
I worked in this role from 1977 to 1979, during which I tried my best to bring about bilateral cooperation between Iran and European countries. I took quite a few trips to various places in Europe and negotiated with the management of various institutes/organizations as well as groups of experts with a view to inviting their collaboration with Iran. My efforts were cherished by both my Iranian employers and my European colleagues.
A few months subsequent to the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, the liaison office of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran had to close down. Thus, I had to reorganize my life and initially I decided to spend my time learning Swedish and welding technology at AMU, Nykoeping, and Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Stockholm. This was followed by taking a teaching job in Swedish high schools to teach welding technology, mathematics, physics and chemistry for two years, my main objective with this role was to improve my Swedish language skills as well as practice what I had learned of welding. I also undertook to teach welding technology in evening classes due to my deep interest in integrating into Swedish society and getting to know and understand them better.
In late 1982, when I could speak Swedish and knew enough people in Linkoping, I joined the Department of Engineering Materials, Linkoeping University of Technology, where I completed twenty-four credits, of doctoral studies, and wrote a paper on "Nondestructive Evaluation of Composite Materials by Soft X-Ray and Neutron Radiography" which attracted considerable attention, scientific and financial support on the part of a number of business enterprises such as Studsvik Energi Teknik AB, Bofors, ASEA Plast, Material Roentgen AB, Andrex (Danish), Dr. Saurwein (German), etc. In the course of research on plastic composite materials I came to know the great concern of material scientists for research and development on Electrically Conducting Polymers. Being greatly inclined to creative, innovative work "though I had majored in Metallurgy and Engineering Materials and worked in related subjects" I could not wait to try my hand at research in this field. I managed to get approval from the Department of Applied Physics of the same university to pursue my research on Electrically Conducting Polymers there. In 1986 I introduced the method of "Chemical Vapour Deposition of Electrically Conducting Polymers" and applied for a patent, which was granted to me in 1990. Continued research in this field led to a patent application for my invention of "Template Polymerization of Electrically Conducting Polymers" in 1989.
News of my inventions reached Iran through Swedish press. And when the news got coverage in the press in Iran, I was contacted by Iranian mass-media. This provided me with a suitable opportunity to inform the government and the people of Iran concerning my points of view via radio, television and the press. Soon after that, I was invited by high-ranking Iranian officials to Iran for collaboration with industrial, educational and research centers there. My great concern for implementing my constructive, innovative and reformative views brought me to Iran, where I am currently living away from my family to this day.
During the first few months of my stay in Iran, I visited various scientific, research, academic and industrial centers, delivering lectures, exchanging views with their management and experts and discussing their problems. I also had the opportunity to meet with high-ranking decision makers of the country. Subsequently I took a job in the National Iranian Cooper Industries and worked in their plant in Sarchashmah. Having surveyed the industry, I reported my views in respect of it. Then I joined the Ministry of Heavy Industries (MOHI) as a Senior Advisor, where I continued my services in the various divisions of the Ministry, as well as with the Industrial Development and Renovation Organization of Iran (IDRO). Additionally, during this period I was occupied with conducting research and scientific seminars; providing lectures in industrial complexes, exchanging views with their managers and other experts with a view to pinpointing the bottlenecks and proposing possible solutions; presenting papers on science, education and research; providing advisory services for the deputy ministers of the MOHI and the management of IDRO; providing necessary services for the Swedish-Iranian joint commission and taking part in their meetings and traveling to Sweden, Finland, Ukraine etc. in official delegations together with Minister of Heavy Industries.
In addition to the above, I proposed various projects for the development of Iranian industries, some of which are as follows:
1) Business Plan for the establishment of an Iranian Welding Research and Engineering Center (IWREC). 2) Business Plan for the establishment of an Iranian Surface Research and Engineering Center (ISREC). 3) Business Plan for the establishment of an Iranian Corrosion Research and Engineering Center (ICREC). 4) Plan for the establishment of a Technological Innovation Center of Iran (TICI). 5) Plan for the formation of Creativity and Innovation Groups within the companies affiliated to MOHI and IDRO. 6) Plan the formation of a Consulting Expert Group in the Development of Heavy Industries. 7) Plan for the establishment of a Scientific and Technological Information Center for Heavy Industries
After several years engagement with different ministries, state owned companies, universities, research centers etc. I moved to the private sector and worked in the following fields 1. In a course of ten years I studied ostrich farming and Industries and visited ostrich farms all over Europe and Asia. Eventually, I conceptualized, planned and established Ostrich Farming Industries in Iran. I personally managed the execution of the initial projects. The results of this ten years research and implementation experience have been published in a book named “a scientific and applied look into innovation in ostrich farming in Iran” which serve as a guide book for ostrich farmer. 2. During the same period, I convinced the Iranian authorities for the production of the digital electricity meters in Iran, which was based on benchmark I did considering activities in European countries at the time. I managed the establishment of a joint cooperation between SAIRAN-the largest Iranian Electronics company-, Ghazvin Electricity meters Production Company-the only mechanical electricity meters producer- and Iskra Emeco-ther, one of the largest electricity meters producer in Europe, to produced digital electricity meters in Iran. 3. Worked as a Chief Strategist in KTC 4. Senior Advisor to the managing Director of SAIPA Group 5. Senior Advisor to the Managing Director of National Iranian Copper Industries Company