In his 39 years of active service with the NGRI, Mahmood Naqvi rose steadily through the cadre, serving as Acting Director of the institute from February to October 2001 and retiring with title of Scientist G in 2003.
In 1964, NGRI was mostly engaged in geophysical research, and Mahmood Naqvi was initially assigned to work with a team of geophysists, led by the eminent authority on mechanical engineering, M. N. Qureshi, in preparing a gravity map of India.
He also established linkages with some leading geochemists outside the country and, among many other projects, led, with John A. Rogers of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, a highly praised Indo-US collaborative programme on Precambrians of South India.
Mahmood Naqvi contributed immensely to human resource development in geochemistry by guiding over two dozen Ph.D research students, most of whom have subsequently risen to occupy high positions in academic/research institutions and industry.
Following superannuation in 2001, in his capacity as CSIR Emeritus as well as INSA Senior Scientist at NGRI, and despite failing health, he devoted his remaining years to research and authorship of several books, making this final period of his life one of his scientifically most productive.