Dr. Ilham Nizam (ئىلھام نىزام 伊力哈木·乃扎木 Yilihamu Naizhamu) was born on March 15, 1962, in Toksun County, Turpan, Xinjiang, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from the Department of Biology at Peking University in July 1986. He joined the Department of Biology at Xinjiang University immediately after graduation and has since taught courses such as Biochemistry Experiments and Special Topics in Protein Chemistry. In 1999 he authored the lecture notes for “Large‑Scale Biochemistry Experiments,” which were published by the Textbook Department of Xinjiang University in July 1999 and adopted for undergraduate teaching starting in March 2000, achieving good results; he also contributed to the development of a biochemistry question bank. His participation in the key biochemistry course development project titled “Research and Practice on Improving the Quality of Biochemistry Teaching” earned the third prize at Xinjiang University’s 2000 Teaching Achievement Award (awarded April 2002). From the 1991‑1992 academic year he completed a teaching assistant training program in the Department of Biology at Xinjiang University, and from the 1995‑1996 academic year he studied in an intensive English program in the Department of Foreign Languages at Xinjiang University. Since April 2005, he has been pursuing a part‑time postgraduate degree at the School of Life Sciences and Technology, Xinjiang University.
He married Saiyare Abudunuofu on January 24, 1988, and they had a daughter, Wenira ilham (Weinila Yilihamu), on February 3, 1995. In 2014, Wenira moved to the United States. She maintained daily video calls with her parents back in Xinjiang until January 1, 2022, when she suddenly could no longer reach them. A week later, her mother contacted her through a different WeChat account and informed her that both of her parents’ phones had been confiscated and that her father had been taken away. Her mother was extremely worried about him but did not dare to tell her any details because she feared their communication was being monitored, leaving Wenira unaware of what was actually happening. Tragically, on February 1, 2022 her mother passed away, and her father was not allowed to attend the funeral. It was not until 2023 that community staff informed Wenira that her father had been sentenced to nine years in prison; however, they did not disclose the charges he was convicted of, and she still has no clear information about his current situation or whereabouts. An unconfirmed source suggests that he was charged with “Endangered state security.”
