Reza Mansouri Information

Reza Mansouri (born January 8, 1948, Tehran) is an Iranian physicist, astronomer (cosmologist), science policymaker, and retired professor of physics at Sharif University of Technology. Renowned for his work in gravitation, general relativity, and cosmology, he served as the Deputy Minister of Research at the Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology during the second term of President Mohammad Khatami (2001–2005).

Education

Reza Mansouri obtained his high school diploma in 1965 from Rahnama High School in Tehran. He pursued his bachelor’s degree in engineering at the University of Tehran’s Faculty of Engineering. Driven by his passion for astronomy, he continued his studies at the University of Vienna, earning his Ph.D. in physics in 1972 under the supervision of Roman Ulrich Sexl. From 1972 to 1977, he served as an assistant professor at the University of Vienna. Following the 1979 Iranian Revolution, he returned to Iran and joined the faculty of physics at Sharif University of Technology.

Scientific Contributions

Mansouri, in collaboration with Roman Ulrich Sexl, developed a theory for testing relativity. His research spans gravitation, general relativity, black holes, and cosmology. He played a pivotal role in establishing key scientific institutions in Iran, including the Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), the Graduate School of Basic Sciences in Zanjan, and the University Publishing Center. He was also a founding member of the Physical Society of Iran post-revolution and served as its president for several terms.

Mansouri served as the editor-in-chief of the Physics Journal of the University Publishing Center from 1982 for 25 years and has been the editor-in-chief of Nojum (Astronomy) magazine since its inception in 1991. He was a pioneer in facilitating Iran’s collaboration with CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) on the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) project and SESAME (Synchrotron-Light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East). Until winter 2015, he was the project director of the Iranian National Observatory (INO), leading efforts to select Mount Gargash in the Karkas mountain range near Kashan as its site and overseeing the construction of the 3.4-meter primary mirror by Schott, delivered in 2015. However, he was abruptly dismissed from this role by Mohammad Javad Larijani in 2015.

Teaching

At Sharif University of Technology, Mansouri taught courses on cosmology, special relativity, and general relativity to undergraduate, master’s, and Ph.D. students. He also designed and taught an innovative course titled Foundations of Thinking in Physical Sciences at Sharif University and the University of Kashan, focusing on the methodology and philosophy of physical sciences.

Criticisms

Mansouri has been a vocal critic of certain practices in Iran’s scientific community. He has challenged claims about Mahmoud Hessabi, arguing that Hessabi was an ordinary physicist and that stories of his close collaboration with Albert Einstein or interactions with luminaries like Niels Bohr and Erwin Schrödinger, propagated by Hessabi’s son Iraj, are fabrications. According to Mansouri, Hessabi had only a brief 15-minute meeting with Einstein during a public session, and his article on the “infinity of particles” was rejected due to a mathematical error.

Mansouri has also criticized the Mustafa Prize, arguing that awarding it to foreign researchers while domestic researchers face funding shortages is unjustifiable. Additionally, he has critiqued the Chehrehaye Mandegar (Enduring Figures) award, stating that only scientific communities, not politically influenced institutions like IRIB, should determine a figure’s scientific or cultural credibility.

Cultural and Terminological Contributions

Mansouri has contributed to the Academy of Persian Language and Literature, particularly in the field of scientific terminology. He authored several specialized dictionaries, including the Physics Dictionary and the Nautical Dictionary, which have helped standardize scientific terms in Persian.

Awards and Honors

Mansouri received the prestigious Abdus Salam Prize for his contributions to science and science policy. He has also served as a visiting professor at McGill University and played a significant role in international scientific collaborations.

Books

Authored

• Architecture of Science in Iran, Dibayeh Publishing, Tehran, 2010
• Special Relativity (with Shahram Khosravi), Sharif University of Technology, forthcoming
• The Future of Iran from the Perspective of Three Contemporary Thinkers: Hassan Eshayari, Mousa Ghaninejad, Reza Mansouri, Dibayeh Publishing, Tehran, 2007
• What Should I Do with Iran? Organization and Disarray in Scientific Development, Kavir Publishing, Tehran, 2005
• Scientific Development of Iran (2nd Edition), Ettela’at Publishing, Tehran, 2003
• Physics Without Physics (in conversation with Khaterh Hejazi), Iranian Physical Society Publishing, Tehran, 2001
• The Sky as a Roof, Tarh-e No Publishing, Tehran, 1999
• Iran 1427: National Resolve for Scientific and Cultural Development, Tarh-e No Publishing, Tehran, 1998 (2nd Edition, 3rd Printing, 2003)
• Dictionary of Science and Technology, University Publishing Center, Tehran, 1994
• Physics Dictionary, University Publishing Center, Tehran, 1987 (2nd Edition: 1998)
• Nautical Dictionary, University Publishing Center, Tehran, 1985
• Solutions to Analytical Mathematics for 6th-Year Mathematics Students and Independent Candidates (with Hassan Molaei), Sa’di Bookstore Publishing, Tehran, 1965
• Solutions to Descriptive and Numerical Problems for 6th-Year Mathematics Students and Entrance Exam Candidates (with Hassan Molaei), Sa’di Bookstore Publishing, Tehran, 1965
• Solutions to Algebra for 5th-Year Mathematics and Natural Sciences Students (with Hassan Molaei), Sa’di Bookstore Publishing, Tehran, 1965
• Solutions to Trigonometry for 5th-Year Mathematics and Natural Sciences Students, Sa’di Bookstore Publishing, Tehran, 1964
• Solutions to Algebra for 4th-Year Mathematics and Natural Sciences Students, Sa’di Bookstore Publishing, Tehran, 1964
• Solutions to Geometry for 4th-Year Mathematics Students, Sa’di Bookstore Publishing, Tehran, 1964
• Solutions to Algebra for 3rd-Year High School Students, Sa’di Bookstore Publishing, Tehran, 1964
• Solutions to Algebra for 2nd-Year High School Students, Sa’di Bookstore Publishing, Tehran, 1964

Edited

• Large Scale Structure of the Universe (co-edited with R. Brandenberger), Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2000
• ISMO-UNESCO-IPM (co-edited with F. Ardalan and G. Violini), Tehran, 2000

Translated

• Assumption and Myth in Theoretical Physics by Hermann Bondi, Sharif University of Technology, 1979
• Relativistic Astrophysics, White Dwarfs, and Black Holes by Roman Sexl and Hannelore Sexl, Sharif University of Technology, 2nd Edition, 1991
• Mechanics and Electrodynamics, Theoretical Physics Series (Volume 1) by Landau and Lifshitz, University Publishing Center, 1985
• Special Relativity, General Relativity, and Cosmology by Wolfgang Rindler, University Publishing Center, 1997