Mail Code CS
Salman Hameed
Adele Simmons Hall 218
413.559.6160
On leave of absence fall 2024 and spring 2025.
Salman Hameed holds a B.S. in physics and astronomy from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and a Ph.D. in astronomy from New Mexico State University at Las Cruces.
Hameed is a Charles Taylor Chair and professor of integrated science and humanities in the School of Cognitive Science. He is also the director of Center for the Study of Science in Muslim Societies (SSiMS).
His primary research interest focuses on understanding the reception of science in the Muslim world and how Muslims view the relationship between science and religion. Professor Hameed recently led a 4-year National Science Foundation funded study on the reception of biological evolution in diverse Muslim societies. He is also leading a study to understand and analyze the discourse and participants in online Islam and Science videos. His other research interests include analyzing reconciliation efforts over sacred objects and places of astronomical importance. His past astronomy research focused on understanding star formation in spiral galaxies.
He has taught courses on "Evolution, Islam, and Modernity," "Science in the Muslim world," "Creating science fiction short films using real science" (with Dr. Jason Tor), "Science and Religion: Biological evolution in the public sphere," "Aliens: Close Encounters of a Multidisciplinary Kind" and "History and Philosophy of Science and Religion" (with Dr. Laura Sizer) at Hampshire College. Hameed also runs Irtiqa, a science and religion blog with an emphasis on scientific debates taking place in the Muslim world, hosts an online astronomy video series in Urdu, Science ka Adda, and has a regular astronomy segment for the Bill Newman show on WHMP and for Monte Belmonte on WRSI 93.9.
