Ishaq Shahryar
Encyclopedia
Ishaq M. Shahryar was the Afghan
ambassador to the United States
from 2002 to 2003.
Shahryar who was born in Kabul, Afghanistan to an ethnic Tajik family. He came to the United States
in 1956 on a scholarship to study at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of California, Santa Barbara. He received his Bachelor's degree in Physical Chemistry and his Master's in International Relations. He worked as a solar engineer for aerospace
companies. Shahryar invented the low-cost solar (photovoltaic) cells in 1972 and developed the process for modern day screen-printing (or mass-producing) of cells used in solar energy panels. He was instrumental in the development of ultraviolet sensitive solar cells for the Jupiter Project for NASA ( news - web sites). In 1993, he was awarded U.S. patent rights for a 20 percent efficient silicon solar cell. His latest patent is pending for a new solar cell that will reduce the cost of solar cells by 50 percent.
Shahryar founded Solec International, one of the world's leading manufacturers of solar electric technology, and Solar Utility Company, a solar cell engineering, design, marketing and installation company. He also ran a prominent solar energy company in the Los Angeles
area, Solar Utility. He has recently founded a new company, Sun King Solar in Los Angeles.
While working in solar energy, in 1994, Shahryar was named to the U.S. Presidential Mission on Sustainable Energy and Trade to India and has acted as an adviser to numerous trade and environmental groups in the United States and abroad.
A longtime associate of former Afghan King Mohammad Zahir Shah, Shahryar represented the government of Hamid Karzai
, who became Afghanistan's new president in the summer of 2002. He and his family moved to Washington, D.C. for him to take his position as the first Afghan Ambassador to the United States since 1978. He worked pro bono (for free) and invested much of his own money in the embassy. In 2003, Shahryar resigned due to "corruption" and major "road blocks" in the Afghan government.
Shahryar and his wife, Hafizah, had a son, Alexander, and a daughter, Jahan.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
ambassador to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from 2002 to 2003.
Shahryar who was born in Kabul, Afghanistan to an ethnic Tajik family. He came to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1956 on a scholarship to study at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of California, Santa Barbara. He received his Bachelor's degree in Physical Chemistry and his Master's in International Relations. He worked as a solar engineer for aerospace
Aerospace
Aerospace comprises the atmosphere of Earth and surrounding space. Typically the term is used to refer to the industry that researches, designs, manufactures, operates, and maintains vehicles moving through air and space...
companies. Shahryar invented the low-cost solar (photovoltaic) cells in 1972 and developed the process for modern day screen-printing (or mass-producing) of cells used in solar energy panels. He was instrumental in the development of ultraviolet sensitive solar cells for the Jupiter Project for NASA ( news - web sites). In 1993, he was awarded U.S. patent rights for a 20 percent efficient silicon solar cell. His latest patent is pending for a new solar cell that will reduce the cost of solar cells by 50 percent.
Shahryar founded Solec International, one of the world's leading manufacturers of solar electric technology, and Solar Utility Company, a solar cell engineering, design, marketing and installation company. He also ran a prominent solar energy company in the Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
area, Solar Utility. He has recently founded a new company, Sun King Solar in Los Angeles.
While working in solar energy, in 1994, Shahryar was named to the U.S. Presidential Mission on Sustainable Energy and Trade to India and has acted as an adviser to numerous trade and environmental groups in the United States and abroad.
A longtime associate of former Afghan King Mohammad Zahir Shah, Shahryar represented the government of Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai, GCMG is the 12th and current President of Afghanistan, taking office on 7 December 2004. He became a dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001...
, who became Afghanistan's new president in the summer of 2002. He and his family moved to Washington, D.C. for him to take his position as the first Afghan Ambassador to the United States since 1978. He worked pro bono (for free) and invested much of his own money in the embassy. In 2003, Shahryar resigned due to "corruption" and major "road blocks" in the Afghan government.
Shahryar and his wife, Hafizah, had a son, Alexander, and a daughter, Jahan.