As part of a celebration of Abdus Salam's legacy, the DML produced a documentary about his life, alongside the Department of Physics.
Initially screened as part of an exhibition in 2024, the documentary draws together different strands of Abdus Salam's life, including his childhood, his research, his teaching. The film feature interviews with former students, family members, and current members of Imperial, as well as archival footage. Taking a more personal, emotive approach to this piece was designed to show how Salam touched many lives, and to show the human side to the groundbreaking scientific work he undertook.
Abdus Salam trailer
"The way you managed to capture Salam’s work and life and his home here at Imperial with such energy, taste and yet historical and scientific accuracy is just absolutely breathtaking! Thank you so so much for capturing the spirit of the past 70 years, of the day, and of what is to come with such excitement and engagement! "
Claudia de Rahm, Professor of Theoretical Physics
Abdus Salam (1926-1996) was a 1979 Nobel laureate in Physics, and helped found the Theoretical Physics Group at Imperial College London. He first arrived at Imperial College London in 1957 and remained a professor here for the rest of his life. Salam won the Nobel Prize, along with Sheldon Glashow and Steven Weinberg, for his work in unifying two fundamental forces of nature: electromagnetism and the weak nuclear force. Not only was Salam a brilliant theoretical physicist, but he also championed the spread of science in the developing world.
The documentary can be watched in full on these web pages about the Salam Legacy.