Physics Development in Iran

Teaching Physics at the university level in Iran started by Taghi Erani, a chemist educated in Berlin, in the years 1928-1930 before the University of Tehran was established. A regular BSc program in physics, however was initiated by Mahmoud Hessabi in 1934 at the University of Tehran. In 1979 just before Islamic Revolution, after half a century, Iran had about 15 departments of physics, some of them with a graduate program at the MSc level, with less than 1000 students and 200 faculties most of them having just a MSc degree. There was almost no research, no public impact, no corporations, and no social or societal engagement. Now, everything has changed to more than 2700 faculties with more than 90 percent having a PhD degree, 25000 students, having considerable social impacts, public engagement, many corporations, big projects, and international collaboration. Notwithstanding this development, physics in Iran is still lacking a roadmap to have a rational societal impact and international recognition.