Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz (Persian: دانشگاه شهید چمران اهواز), formerly the Jundishapur University of Ahvaz (also spelled Gundishapur or Jondishapur), is a public university in Ahvaz, Khuzestan, Iran. Opened in 1955, it is one of Iran's comprehensive "Grade A" (sath-e yek) universities as designated by the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, and comprises 15 faculties together with one satellite campus. Its name commemorates the Academy of Gondishapur, the late antique centre of learning in Khuzestan.
By the ISC ranking, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz was the 13th largest and a leading university in Iran in 2015. The campus covers 276 acres (112 ha).
In 2024 (1403 SH), at the 41st meeting of the presidents of Iran's Grade A universities, attended by the Minister of Science, Research and Technology Hossein Simaei Sarraf, the ministry granted the university an "international mission" (ma'muriyat-e beynolmelali), placing it among the fifteen Iranian universities designated as leading, policy-shaping institutions.
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History
Ancient Jundishapur
The university takes its historical name from Jundishapur, a city whose foundation is traditionally attributed to the Sasanian king Shapur I. Over roughly six centuries the name became synonymous with a major centre of learning in a range of disciplines, reaching its height under Khosrow I Anushirvan in the 6th century.
The exact site of the ancient university city is not established with certainty. According to research by Ahmad Eghtedari, it most probably lay in the area bounded by Shushtar, Susa and Dezful. The village of Shahabad, some 18 kilometres (11 mi) south-east of Dezful and 50 kilometres (31 mi) north-west of Shushtar, is one of the proposed locations.
Modern foundation
The modern institution opened in Ahvaz in Mehr 1334 (September 1955) under the name Gondishapur; shortly afterwards the spelling was changed to Jundishapur. Its buildings were laid out beside the Karun River, adjoining the Ahvaz tropical botanical garden. Several of the buildings and faculties were designed by architects including Kamran Diba and André Godard, making the complex one of the more notable examples of modern campus architecture in Iran.
The Faculty of Agriculture was the first faculty to be established, and agriculture, literature, mathematics and medicine were among the first fields of study offered. On 15 June 1958 (25 Khordad 1337) the first cohort of 38 graduates of the Faculty of Agriculture received their degrees.
Shortly after the university opened, Talat Basari was appointed vice-president, the first woman to reach such a position at a university in Iran.
Renaming
During the Iran–Iraq War, parts of the university's grounds were assigned to Mostafa Chamran, head of the Headquarters of Irregular Warfare. Following his death in action in 1981, the university was renamed in 1982 from Jundishapur University of Ahvaz to Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz in his memory.
Separation of the medical faculties
In 1986, under national legislation transferring medical education to the newly created Ministry of Health and Medical Education, the Schools of Medicine, Health, Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy separated from the university to form the independent Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences.
Organisation
The university is administered through the following vice-presidencies (mo'avenat):
Cultural and Social Affairs
Research and Technology
Education and Graduate Studies
Administration and Support
Student Affairs
Faculties
Faculty of Sciences:
Department of Physics
Department of Chemistry
Department of Biology
Department of Genetics
Faculty of Engineering:
Department of Electrical Engineering
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Department of Computer Engineering
Department of Civil Engineering
Department of Metallurgical Engineering
Department of Architecture
Faculty of Literature and Humanities:
Department of Persian Language
Department of English Language
Department of French Language
Department of History
Faculty of Agriculture:
Department of Agronomy
Department of Agricultural Machinery
Department of Horticulture
Department of Plant Protection
Department of Soil Science