Iraj Lalezari

Iraj Lalezari (1930–2019) was an Iranian academic. His study fields were organic chemistry and pharmacology. He left Iran in 1979 following the regime change in the country and settled in the US where he continued his academic studies.

Early life and education Lalezari was born in Hamadan on 4 July 1930. He was the eldest of four siblings. He also received a PhD in organic chemistry from the University of Sorbonne in 1953. He served as the director of medicinal chemistry in the latter.

Lalezari was part of the Iranian Jewish delegation led by Moussa Kermanian who met with President Jimmy Carter in 1980. In 2006 Lalezari retired from academic life. Some of these patents were taken jointly by him and his brother Parviz.

Iraj Lalezari discovered the hemoglobin A1C test which has been used in many countries to diagnose diabetes. He was buried at the Green Mountain Cemetery in Boulder on 2 August.

Awards Lalezari was the recipient of the Lavoisier Medal which was granted to him in 1954 by the French Chemical Society. He was also awarded by the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and Empress Farah Pahlavi for his outstanding studies.