Faculty of Life Sciences
Faculty of Life Sciences AMU, Aligarh
After the inception of school of Sciences in the MAO College, the teaching of Zoology and Botany was started in the newly established Department of Biology in the year 1906. The beginning of the Department of Biology was made in a small room situated between Lytton Library and Beck Manzil and comprised a teaching staff of only two persons, Sahebzada Dr. Saeeduz Zafar Khan (formerly Principal, KGMC, Lucknow) and Mr. Fayyaz Bahadur Khan. Dr. Nisar Ahmad Khan succeeded Dr. Saeeduz Zafar Khan. Later Col. Mohammad Haider took over charge of the Department and officiated as its Head until 1923.
As soon as the MAO College transformed itself into a full-fledged Central University in 1920, the teaching of science received a greater attention. As a consequence the Departments of Zoology and Botany were established as independent units in 1922. The Departments of Zoology and Botany are now almost 100 years old. The other departments which are at present part of the faculty of Life Sciences include Department of Biochemistry, Wildlife Sciences, Museology and Inter disciplinary Biotechnology Unit.
The Faculty system in AMU, Aligarh was introduced in 1944 in which Faculty of Science was among the first, wherein, the departments of Zoology and Botany had been functioning since 1922. The Faculty of Life Sciences at AMU came into existence in May 1986. This newly created faculty had started its journey taking along with it the two old departments Zoology and Botany as well as a new one, the Department of Biochemistry which was till then a section of the department of Chemistry. Department of Wild Life Sciences was carved out of its parent Zoology department and added in this faculty in 1986. In 1988, newly created Department of Museology also became the member of this faculty. In June 2017, Interdisciplinary Biotechnology Unit (IBU) was also attached to the Faculty of Life Sciences in the year 2017. The current enrolment of students including research scholars in the entire faculty is 879 in which 275 students are in PhD, 274 in PG while 330 students are in UG courses. The Faculty of Life Sciences has been ranked 'number one’ among the Indian Universities by Q.S. ranking as well as Times Higher Education-India ranking.
The Faculty has produced several stalwarts since the inception of Zoology and Botany Departments. To name a few,
1. Prof. Obaid Siddiqui FRS (1984), Padam Bhushan, Padam Vibhushan,
2. Dr. Syed Zahoor Qasim FNA, FASc, FNASc, Padam Shri, Padam Bhushan,
Bhatnagar Awardees: Obaid Siddiqi (1975), Rajeev Kumar Varshney (2015), Bushra Ateeq (2020)
Fellow of National Academies
1. Prof. M. B. Mirza FASc
2. Prof. Afzal Qadri FASc
3. Prof. Abrar Mustafa Khan FNA
4. Prof. M. Shamim Jairajpuri FNA, FNASc, FASc, FTWAS
5. Prof. A. K. Jafri FNASc
6. Prof. Q.H. Baqri FNASc, FNAAS
7. Dr. Sher Ali FNA FNASc, FASc
8. Prof. Wasim Ahmad FNASc, FNAAS
9. Prof. Qudsia Tahseen FNA, FNASc, FASc
A large number of students of the faculty qualify national level test like CSIR-JRF, DBT-JRF, UGC-JRF, UGC-NET, GATE, ICMR-JRF every year. Post-graduate students have been selected in the prestigious Khorana programme and Obama-Singh knowledge initiative fellowships, Newton-Bhabha Fellowship such that they were able to pursue summer internships or one year research at universities in the USA. Several of our students are also STEM ambassadors, which gives them the chance to work with young people in USA to witness what a future in the sciences looks like.
VISION
To be recognized as regional, National and
International leader in life science teaching and research at
the undergraduate, graduate and Ph.
D level.
MISSION
To discover, develop and disseminate knowledge in Life Sciences
To serve the community by advancing understanding of living organism and their interaction with the environment through teaching and research
To provide high quality biology education with an emphasis on experimental learning and problem solving.
To build public understanding of living world through educational outreach activities for learners of all ages.
Program of Studies
Ranking Among Indian Universities
US News & World Report in its 7th Annual Survey released in December 2020, for the subject “Biology and Biochemistry”, AMU ranked FIRST among all universities in India.
Times Higher Education, London World University Ranking in 2018, 2019 and 2020, “Faculty of Life Sciences” of AMU ranked FIRST among all Universities in India.
