TEHRAN – The body of Dr Akbar Etemad, the father of Iran’s nuclear program and widely regarded as the founder of Bu Ali Sina University in Hamedan, was placed on Monday to rest at the city’s Bagh e Bedi Cemetery.
The funeral held in the courtyard of Bu-Ali Sina University Mosque attracted a wide range of mourners, including senior and local officials, military representatives, university faculty and students.
Speaking at the ceremony, Hamedong Governor Hamid Moranori Shamsi gave a palatable dol to the Iranian scientific community and the family of Dr. Etemad, and praised the late scientists for their unique role in advancing the country’s scientific and industrial capabilities. Another funeral was also held in Tehran on Saturday to honor his memory.
Born in 1930, Akbar Etemado began an academic journey in electrical engineering at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland, and later earned a Ph.D. He continued his groundbreaking atomic research at the Federal Institute of Technology Switzerland.
Returning to Iran in 1965, Etemad was appointed technical advisor to a major reactor research initiative. Just a year later, he established the Atomic Energy Bureau within the national agency for planning and budgeting, and became its director. His leadership and vision peaked in 1974 when he was appointed the first president of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization (AEOI).
Dr. Etemad is an unwavering advocate for Iran’s sovereignty in developing nuclear energy, repeatedly underscoring the importance of national progress. He was also openly critical of the Western treatment of nuclear diplomacy, skeptical of the political equity of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and urged a principled and peaceful path to Iran’s atomic ambitions.
After the revolution, Etemad moved to France, where he lived until his death.