Tributes paid to heroic Bristol PhD graduate killed in Pakistan terrorist attack

Students and university figures have paid tribute to a former PhD student who was killed in a Taliban attack in Pakistan last week.

Syed Hamid Hussain was a chemistry professor who studied at Bristol University for his PhD between 2011 and 2014. He was a teacher at Charsadda University in the Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.

At least 20 people are said to have been killed and 51 injured by terrorist attackers who took advantage of the heavy fog to enter through a back entrance and fire upon the students and their teachers.

Two of Professor Hussain’s students have come forward to say his last moments were of gallant heroism as he fired back at the gunmen with a pistol to give his students time to escape.

Several students have since taken to social media to praise Dr Hussain’s actions. These praises have been reiterated by Pakistani media reports.

The University of Bristol has issued this statement:

“We are deeply saddened to hear of the death of Professor Syed Hamid Hussain, particularly in such tragic circumstances. He studied at the University in 2011, on a six month Higher Education Commission of Pakistan Scholarship placement, as part of his PhD from the NW Frontier Agricultural University, in Peshawar.

“Our thoughts are with his family, friends, colleagues and students at this extremely difficult time.”