Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences of Zanjan

Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences (Zanjan)

The Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences of Zanjan was founded with the aim of educating and training experts in different fields of higher education to cater to the needs of the country in science and technology.

History

Established in the year 1992, besides imparting higher education at different levels, this institute is also a research center, which started its activities by admitting students at the undergraduate level in physics in 1993. A year and a half later the institute also began admitting and educating students at postgraduate and Ph.D. levels in physics and mathematics respectively. The construction of the main campus of the institute on an area of 85 hectares next to the Zanjan University of Medical Sciences began in 1995 and was completed in 2000. The institute is not surrounded by any walls and fences and all citizens can enter its premises. The facilities of the institute are available to students 24 hours a day, and all of them can have their own offices for study and research purposes.

Faculties

The Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences of Zanjan consists of six faculties, two research centers, and one language training center. The “Science House” and “Science and Technology” Park of Zanjan are also affiliated with this institute.

Faculty of Physics

The Faculty of Physics is the oldest faculty of this institute. The first batch of Ph.D. students of this faculty were admitted in the fields of condensed matter, astrophysics, and mathematical physics. One of the special measures of this faculty was to launch the continuous seven-year Ph.D. course in physics for those who pass the national-level entrance exam of Iranian universities.

Faculty of Chemistry

Seven years after the establishment of the institute, the Faculty of Chemistry started its work by admitting five students at the postgraduate level. Presently, with the expansion of the activities of this faculty, the courses offered in this faculty include “Organic Chemistry”, “Analytic Chemistry”, “Physical Chemistry”, “Inorganic Chemistry”, “Nanochemistry”, and “Polymer Chemistry”.

Faculty of Earth Sciences

This faculty was established by separating the Department of Geophysics from the Faculty of Physics. Earthquakes, tectonics, sedimentology, hydrology, and geodynamics are the most important educational fields of this faculty.

Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology

The establishment of this faculty dates back to 2003. In addition to graduate studies, this faculty also admits students to the bachelor’s degree in computer engineering. Optimization, computational geometry, machine learning, bioinformatics, and wireless communication are the most important research areas in this faculty.

Faculty of Biological Sciences

This faculty is considered the youngest faculty of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences of Zanjan, which was established in 2008. Biochemistry, biophysics, bacterial culture, cell culture, and bioinformatics laboratories are at the disposal of the students of this faculty to carry out their research projects.

Faculty of Mathematics

Established in 1994, The Department of Mathematics offers a higher education program at M.Sc. and Ph.D. level.

Research Centers

The Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences of Zanjan also has two research centers namely: “Basic Sciences and Modern Earth Technologies” and “Climate Change and Earth Warming”.

Sobouti-Khajehpour Award

In 2012, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the university’s establishment, an award was created in honor of Yusuf Sobouti and Mohammad Reza Khajehpour, two famous professors and founders of this university. This award is given every year to Iranian scientists in the field of basic sciences who are less than 40 years old and whose research has been conducted inside Iran.

International Overview of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences of Zanjan

Having an international overview of higher education was one of the most important issues that was considered at the time of the establishment of this institute. Therefore, right at the beginning of its establishment, an advisory council was formed with the presence of professors from different countries and support it in attracting researchers and international cooperation. Professors from the United States, Italy, India, South Korea, and the Netherlands were present at this council.

In recent years, the Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences of Zanjan has had scientific cooperation with scientific research centers and universities of Aachen, Bonn, Siegen and Kaiserslautern in Germany, Utrecht and Delft in Holland, Heriot-Watt in England, Ecole Polytechnique in France, Arkansas, Ohio and Utah in America, and Tokyo in Japan and has implemented joint projects with them. Based on the plan developed by the Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology for the promotion of Iranian universities, the Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences of Zanjan is foreseen to be among the top 200 universities in the world.