Pakistan's higher-education minister has stepped down after a change in government.

Atta-ur-Rahman, an organic chemist at the University of Karachi, had served as head of the nation's Higher Education Commission since 2002, but his position became uncertain after a national election last month. Last week Pakistan's new president, Asif Ali Zardari, asked for Rahman's resignation. According to Rahman, his departure comes in the midst of a financial crisis that has seen the higher-education system's 27-billion-rupee (US$340-million) budget cut by one-fifth.

Rahman is widely credited with raising the salaries of professors and boosting research spending. "A lot of good has been done," he says. "I hope the person who succeeds me will be able to continue it going forwards."