Syed Zahoor Qasim was born on December 31, 1926, and died on October 20, 2015.
Syed was an Indian marine biologist. He helped lead India’s exploration in Antarctica and guided the other seven expeditions from 1981 to 1988.
He was a Member of the Planning Commission of India from 1991 to 1996.
Syed is an Honorary Professor of universities, including Aligarh Muslim University, Madurai Kamaraj University, Anna Malai University, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, and Jamia Millia Islamia.
Syed began his schooling from Majidiya Islamiya Intermediate College, Allahabad, and then moved to Aligarh Muslim University, where he obtained a B.Sc. degree in 1949 and a M.Sc. degree in Zoology in 1951.
He stood first in the order of Merit for which he was awarded the University Gold Medal.
For several years, Syed was a lecturer in the Department of Zoology at Aligarh before proceeding to the United Kingdom for higher studies in 1953.
In 1956 he completed his D.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees from University College of North Wales.
Syed passed away at age 88 in October 2015.