Professor Atta-Ur-Rahman is one of Pakistan’s most distinguished scientists. After obtaining his Masters degree in organic chemistry from Karachi University, he completed his doctoral degree at Cambridge University, where he remains a Fellow. He helped develop the higher education landscape in Pakistan and has received the highest national awards. In 1999, he became the first Muslim scientist to win the UNESCO Science Prize. In 2013, in recognition of his work in the field of science, the largest Malaysian university, Universiti Teknologi Mara, named its Research Institute of Natural Products after Professor Atta-ur-Rahman. In 2014 he was awarded the International Cooperation Award, the highest award of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. In 2016, he was elected as Emeritus Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, thereby becoming the first scientist from the Islamic world to be granted this honour. The same year, Professor Rahman was appointed Co-Chairman of a United Nations Committee on Science, Technology and Innovation covering the member countries of UNESCAP.