A ceremony has been held at the IASBS to introduce the IASBS’s Acting Head, Dr Sadollah Nasiri Gheydari. During the ceremony, which was held on Wednesday, 2 October 2024, the former IASBS President, Prof Babak Karimi, was also honoured for his efforts during his term in office. 

The ceremony was attended by the Adviser to the Science Minister and Ministerial Director General of the Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology, Dr Seyyed Ahmad Reza Khazari; the Governor of Zanjan, Dr Mohsen Afsharchi; Zanjan’s Mayor, Dr Alireza Firoozfar; as well as chancellors of several universities and heads of executive bodies in Zanjan province. 

Initially, Dr Afsharchi and the Head of the Supreme Leader’s Representative in the province’s universities, Hojjatoleslam Ali Ghara-Daghi, delivered speeches. Dr Afsharchi emphasised the need for the independence of universities and called for cooperation of those in charge of science in the country to open up scientific opportunities for universities. He said the increase in the autonomy and independence of universities in higher education institutions was conducive to favourable developments and focus on this point was highly significant.

Then the IASBS Founder, Prof Youssef Sobouti, recalled the goal of admitting 2,500 students while observing desirable standards and emphasised the importance of preciseness in drafting regulations. He said unnecessary guidelines were obstacles for ease and speed of carrying out tasks.

Dr Seyyed Ahmad Reza Khazari was the next speaker who said the Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences was one of the few successful mission-oriented universities in the country, active at the forefront of knowledge, in line with global advancements. He highlighted the University's effectiveness in training outstanding faculty and graduates, attributing the advancement of Zanjan’s society to the existence of universities and scholars who made continuous efforts to promote and develop knowledge. Given the sanctions and their repercussions on the scientific community, he said, the resulting damage impacted higher-level academic institutions more significantly. He emphasised the importance of the three pillars of students, faculty, and staff in the university community and said that meeting the needs of the faculty members and providing the necessary resources for the staff and the students, as well as ensuring peace of mind for work and activities would transform universities into desirable and ideal places.

Then the Acting Head of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences (IASBS), Dr Sadollah Nasiri Gheydari expressed his deep passion for the University's academic environment and said the basic sciences were the driving force behind scientific development. He underscored the importance of creating a safe and calm environment for students and the whole university and noted that all activities had to be consultative, with the chancellor of the university playing a logistical and supportive role in directing scientific and research matters. He said the basic sciences generated wealth over time and that the government needed to support both the basic sciences and the humanities. Universities, he said, were places for scientific work as every country needed development that could be realised through support for universities, elites, researchers, and students.

At the end of the ceremony, the appointment decree for the acting head of the university was presented by Dr Seyyed Ahmad Reza Khazari to Dr Sadollah Nasiri Gheydari. The former President of the University, Prof Babak Karimi, was also honoured for his efforts over the previous eight years.