BDIUSA

Muhammad Faizul Islam, Ph.D.

 
 

Position: Treasurer

Bio: 

Muhammad Faizul Islam received his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Economics from Northeastern University in 1989. Dr. Islam who has a teaching career of over twenty five years, is currently an Adjunct Associate Professor at Southeastern University. He received the 2007 Southeastern University Distinguished Scholar Award. He is also an International Business Reviewer of The Wall Street Journal. He has published several papers in refereed journals, wrote chapters, reviewed and edited books. Dr. Islam’s articles are published in newspapers in Bangladesh. His comments are regularly sought by the New-York based Thikana. His views and comments are also aired on the Bangla Service of the Voice of America and the British Broadcasting Service.

Dr. Islam has served as an economist at the Departments of Commerce and Treasury. During his tenure at Treasury, he lectured at the Ukrainian Academy of Banking as a Fulbright scholar. He is the recipient of the prestigious 2003 President Council on Integrity and Efficiency Award for Excellence. With the establishment of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in March 2003, he was transferred there as one of its founding members and senior economist, a position he currently holds.

Sukomal Modak, Ph.D.

 

Position: Executive Member
Contact: sukomal_mondak@yahoo.com

 

Bio: 

Dr. Modak received his B.Sc. in Civil Engineering from BUET in 1989 with distinctions: First Class, First, Honors, Record Marks, and a gold medal. His superior academic accomplishment earned him the Malik Akram Hossain Gold Medal, Fazlur Rahman Khan Scholarship, and University Grants Commission Scholarship in Bangladesh. Thereafter he received two masters’ degrees in Structural Engineering. The first one was from BUET in 1992 with Record GPA and the second one was from Washington State University at Pullman in 1995. He received his PhD in Structural Engineering from Purdue University in 1997.

Dr. Modak served Bangladesh as a Lecturer of BUET for little over two years (1989–1992). After completing his Ph.D., he joined CSI team as a Research & Development Engineer in 1997. Since then, he is one of the lead developers of computer software for structural and earthquake engineering at CSI. His current responsibilities and past accomplishments in implementing and maintaining all the building design codes from across the nations in CSI software products make him one of the most well versed person in building design codes.

Dr. Modak has contributed to the state-of-the-art of computational structural mechanics — mainly in algorithm development for computational structural dynamics. He has written about thirty papers in engineering. He has published his works in many peer-reviewed reputed engineering journals such as International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering, Journal of Structural Engineering (ASCE), Computers and Structures, and so on. He also has published his work in many peer-reviewed conferences papers, reports, and a book chapter. Dr. Modak has peer-reviewed papers for many engineering journals including International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering, Journal of Engineering Mechanics, Journal of Structural Engineering, Journal of Infrastructure Engineering, International Journal of Earthquake Engineering, and International Journal of Solids and Structures.

Dr. Modak is/has been a member of American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Structural Engineering Association of California (SEAOC), Earthquake Engineers Research Institute (EERI); US Association of Computational Mechanics (USACM), International Association of Computational Mechanics (IACM), Sigma Xi–The Scientific Research Society, and American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). He has served in two technical subcommittees of ASCE Structural Engineering Institute — Emerging Computing Technology and Methods of Analysis.

Dr. Modak wants to use his science, technology, engineering, and mathematics knowledge for the development of Bangladesh. Currently he is interested in the following multi-disciplinary research areas: (a) Development of low-cost high-quality housing for sustainable development with green technology. He is looking at bamboo treated with environment friendly preservatives as a structural material. Challenges are structural configurations, decay protection, fire-resistance, and connection design. (b) Development of low-cost high-performance groundwater non-contaminating septic system using indigenous material for rural sanitation. (c) Improving evaluation systems in public examinations in Bangladesh to encourage fairness and competition. He is interested in the development of success-matrix for different components of the education system.

Structural Engg Software Developer (R&D)
Computers and Structures, Inc. (CSI)
1995 University Ave., Suite 540;
Berkeley, California 94704, USA
Web: www.csiberkeley.com
Web: www.caeplDhaka.com
Tel: (510) 914-7286
Email: Sukomal_Modak@yahoo.com

 

Elora Shehabuddin, Ph.D.

 

Position: Executive 

Bio: 

Elora Shehabuddin is Professor of Transnational Asian Studies and Core Faculty in the Center for the Study of Women, Gender, and Sexuality at Rice University. She was Assistant Professor of Women’s Studies and Political Science at the University of California, Irvine, before moving to Rice in 2001. She received her A.B. in Social Studies from Harvard University and Ph.D. in Politics from Princeton University.

Professor Shehabuddin is the author of three books: Sisters in the Mirror: A History of Muslim Women and the Global Politics of Feminism (University of California Press, 2021), Reshaping the Holy: Democracy, Development, and Muslim Women in Bangladesh (Columbia University Press, 2008), and Empowering Rural Women: The Impact of Grameen Bank in Bangladesh (Grameen Bank, 1992). She has published articles in Modern Asian Studies, Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, Journal of Women’s History, Südasien-Chronik [South Asia Chronicle], Journal of Bangladesh Studies, and Asian Survey, as well as chapters in numerous edited volumes. She co-edited a special issue of Feminist Economics on “Gender and Economics in Muslim Communities.”

Professor Shehabuddin has received many fellowships, including from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, the American Association of University Women, the Social Science Research Council, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the U.S. Institute of Peace. She has been selected as a Carnegie Scholar and as a Research Associate in the Women’s Studies in Religion Program at the Divinity School at Harvard University. Her doctoral dissertation was awarded the American Political Science Association’s Aaron Wildavsky Dissertation Award for best dissertation in Religion and Politics.

Professor Shehabuddin currently serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Bangladesh Studies, as an Associate Editor of the Encyclopedia of Women and Islamic Cultures (Brill), on the Advisory Committee of the Women’s Studies in Religion Program at Harvard Divinity School, and as an elected member of the South Asia Council in the Association for Asian Studies.

 

Ariful Islam Bhuiyan, Ph.D.

 
 

Position: Executive Member

Bio:

Dr. Ariful Islam Bhuiyan is an engineering consultant responsible for a team of electrical engineers, software engineers, project engineers, and applications engineers. This team supports a range of Artificial Lift products, including all surface equipment, remote monitoring/control systems, product test systems, and application software & tools. Currently, Dr. Bhuiyan is serving as Editorial Board Member for Electronics Science Technology and Application.

Dr. Bhuiyan received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Texas Tech University. His thesis was titled “Anterior Cruciate Ligament Response Due to Forces Resulting from Quadriceps Muscle and Ground Reaction.” He received his M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering, from National University of Singapore in 2005 and earned a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology in 2002. Dr. Bhuiyan is married with three children.

Navine Murshid, Ph.D.

Position: Executive Member

Bio: 

Dr. Navine Murshid is an Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Colgate University. She completed her B.A. at Lawrence University in Economics and Government in 2004 and received her Ph.D. in political science from the University of Rochester in 2010. Her research revolves around the politics of migration and refugees in the South Asian context. She also works on political violence in Bangladesh stemming from various sources such as Ismalism, party politics, and so on. Her book, tentatively titled Politics of Refugees in South Asia is under contract with Routledge Press. Her article, “The Role of India in Bangladesh’s Independence War, 1971: Humanitarianism or Self-Interest?” was recently published in Economic and Political Weekly. She was recently featured on Voice of America Bangla’s New Year program on Bangladesh’s prospects in 2012 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkUIo-a4hVk). She can be reached at navinemurshid@gmail.com.

Publication Links: 

Protesting Rape in New Delhi

Stateless and left out at sea

Adnan Morshed, Ph.D.

 
 

Position: Member

Bio: 

Adnan Morshed received his Ph.D. and Master’s in architecture from MIT, and B. Arch. from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, where he also taught. He completed his post-doctoral at the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. He is currently Associate Professor at the School of Architecture and Planning, the Catholic University of America, Washington, DC. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Society of Architectural Historians, jury for the National Endowment for the Humanities grants, and, recently, chaired the Society of Architectural Historians’ committee for 2015 Alice Davis Hitchcock Book Award. Adnan Morshed has been awarded highly competitive fellowships, among others, the Wyeth Fellowship at the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts (CASVA), the National Gallery of Art; the Smithsonian Institution; Wolfsonian-Florida International University; and the Society of Architectural Historians. His research has garnered prestigious research grants from the Graham Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities, and MIT. He is the author of Impossible Heights: Skyscrapers, Flight, and the Master Builder (University Minnesota Press, 2015) and Oculus: A Decade of Insights into Bangladeshi Affairs (University Press Limited, 2012). He has lectured around the world on the history and theory of modern architecture and urbanism, urban ecology and gender justice, and sustainable urban planning in developing countries. His articles appeared in the Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, Journal of Architectural Education, Journal of South Asian Studies, Thresholds (MIT), Center (National Gallery of Art), Constructs (Yale), New Geographies (Harvard), Architectural Design, and Traditional Dwellings and Settlements Review. He has served as a reviewer for various national and international refereed journals. In 2012, he led the Society of Architectural Historians’ study tour to three South Asian cities: Dhaka, Delhi, and Chandigarh. Currently he also serves on the Board of the $1M Mellon Foundation Grant to MIT’s Global Architecture History Teaching Collaborative, led by Professor Mark Jarzombek. A practicing architect and urbanist, Adnan Morshed has designed buildings in the U.S., Lebanon, Malaysia, and Bangladesh. He is an avid traveler, photographer, collector, and an op-ed contributor to various newspapers and online forums. 

Ashraf Ali, D.Sc., MBA

Position: Member

Bio: 

Dr. Ali, a former Lecturer of BUET, Dhaka, Bangladesh (1979-1981), has written the book on advanced engineering (2004) “Boundary Element Methods: Applications in Sound and Vibration” published by Taylor & Francis/Balkema of The Netherlands. He has written about forty papers in engineering, a half of which were published in peer-reviewed engineering journals such as International Journal of Solids and Structures, International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering, Journal of Engineering Mechanics (ASCE), Computers and Structures, Journal of Acoustical Society of America, Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics, Engineering Analysis with Boundary Elements, and so on. Dr. Ali has peer-reviewed papers for the engineering journals: International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering, Engineering Mechanics (ASCE), and International Journal of Solids and Structures. His research areas of interest include computational mechanics (finite element and boundary element methods), hyperelasticity, random vibrations and structural dynamics, infinite elements, structural stability, thermal analysis, acoustics and structure-acoustics coupling, explicit dynamics, and so on.

Dr. Ali established Bangladesh Development Initiative (BDI) in 1988 and was its founding President. He has edited two books in social sciences: Development Issues of Bangladesh (1996) and Development Issues of Bangladesh-II (2003) both published by UPL, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Dr. Ali is an editorial board member of BDI’s Journal of Bangladesh Studies. He established the Seattle chapter of AABEA (American Association of Bangladeshi Engineers and Architects) in 1998 and was its founding President. He is a life-long member of AEDSB (Association for Economic and Development Studies on Bangladesh).

Dr. Ali is interested in promoting the production of value-added commodities in Bangladesh such as capital, intermediate and durable goods with domestic R&D (Research and Development) component. In Dr. Ali’s opinion, this is the only way Bangladesh can aspire to become a middle-income country in the foreseeable future.

15160 SE 54th Place, Bellevue, WA 98006, USA
(425)-373-4013; e-sas@msn.com

B.S. Civil (Structural) Engineering (1979) BUET, Dhaka, Bangladesh; M.S. Civil (Structural) Engineering (1983) Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, USA; D.Sc. Civil (Structural) Engineering (1986) Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA; MBA (2004) University of Phoenix, USA.

Atiar Rahman (Bonny), MD, PhD, FACP, FACC

 

Position: Member

Bio: 

Dr. Atiar Rahman (Bonny) is a board-certified cardiologist. As the first commonwealth scholar in medicine from Bangladesh, he earned his doctorate in cardiovascular physiology from the Queens Medical Center in England. Then as a Medical Research Council of Canada Scholar, he completed fellowships in adult cardiology from Toronto General Hospital in Canada. After his second fellowship in cardio-vascular medicine from the renowned Oschner Foundation, he joined as head of the division of Cardiac MRI and CT at the University of Texas Medical Branch, and was at the forefront of teaching this emerging technology from its early days. He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed publications in renowned journals, written editorials and book chapters, had numerous grants for medical research, and been a reviewer of leading medical journals. He has traveled to 24 countries to give lectures on his specialties. As an associate professor and director of non-invasive lab at the UT M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, he made it a center of excellence. Dr. Rahman has been recognized with several awards for being a role model professionally and personally to his community, to other health professionals, and residents and medical students.

Dr. Rahman and his family have been deeply involved with community philanthropy since his medical school days and he considers it as a lifestyle choice on par with his work. A vocal proponent of prevention of unnecessary medical complications and costs, he deeply cares about issues like interrelationship between child education, health care, and their environment. His wife and son are both physicians, and his daughter is in pre-med.

Badruzzaman Ahmed, Ph.D.

 

Position: Member
Contact: badruzzaman@bdiusa.org

Bio: 

Ahmed Badruzzaman is currently an independent energy consultant and a visiting scholar at the Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS) at University of California, Berkeley. Over a 30-year period, his work has spanned industrial and academic research, part-time teaching with Ph. D dissertation guidance, and assessing energy options.  An author of several papers and two US patents, he is an internationally recognized expert on the use of nuclear technology in downhole measurements. He is also a keen student of nuclear power, and a proponent of sustainable small energy systems in the developing world.  On the latter, he mentored his former employer’s set up of an alternative livelihood options project in one of their operations in partnership with two Diaspora-run NGO’s http://www.spaandanb.org/projects/chevron.html

Dr. Badruzzaman earned a Ph. D. in Nuclear Engineering & Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY in 1979. During 2001-2009, he taught part-time at University of California, Berkeley. He was an Adjunct Professor at Texas A&M University and a Member of the Board of Visitors of Claremont Graduate University’s School of Mathematical Sciences. He is a Fellow of American Nuclear Society, a recipient of several technical awards from petroleum-related professional societies.  A strong proponent of technology transfer, he has spoken on his research around the globe.  In 2006-2007, he toured over 20 countries as a Distinguished Lecturer (DL) of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE). He later chaired the DL Committee. He has twice been a Distinguished Speaker of the Soc. of Petrophysicists and Well Log Analysts (SPWLA).  He was a consultant to the International Atomic Energy Agency during 2011-2012, an official reviewer of a 2008 US National Academy of Sciences’ report, served as the editor of the technical journal, Petrophysics, and the VP of Publication of SPWLA.

Dr. Badruzzaman has spoken in the US and abroad on world’s energy options.  He organized sessions on the topic at various Diaspora forums to raise awareness of the existential energy crisis that exists in his native Bangladesh.  He chairs Bangladesh Environmental Network’s energy panel, and was the lead author of its 2006 report (http://www.benglobal.org/issues_files/BEN_ER2006.pdf).  In 1999 2000, he led the establishment of a Section of the SPE in Bangladesh.  He organized two special sessions at the 2013 BDI Conference at Berkeley on the role non-remittance Diaspora can play in development through non-profit and technology initiatives. He is a strong supporter of UC Berkeley’s Bangla language program and recently led the community effort to permanently endow it.  He serves on Executive Committee of the Chowdhury Center for Bangladesh Studies at ISAS, U C Berkeley.

Bakhtear Talukdar, MBA, Ph.D.

 

Position: Member

Bio: 

Bakhtear Talukdar is an Assistant Professor of Finance at the University of Wisconsin Whitewater, which houses the largest business school in the state of Wisconsin. He holds two MBAs in Finance, one from the University of Dhaka and one from Willamette University in Oregon, USA, and a PhD in Finance from Florida International University in Florida, USA.

Dr. Talukdar has been teaching finance at the undergraduate and graduate level over a decade. He is proficient in financial modeling, risk analysis, and corporate finance. His current research includes gender and compensation, asset pricing, corporate governance, and stock market volatility. He has published several scholarly articles in peer-reviewed journals. He is the author of Bangladesh Bank, Policy Note Series: PN 801 (2007) which recommends governance guidelines for banks and financial institutions in Bangladesh. Dr. Talukdar also worked as a financial consultant to small and medium businesses. He has also worked at Florida International University, Portland State University, University of Dhaka, Daffodil International University, State of Oregon, Citibank N.A., and Bangladesh Bank (Central Bank of Bangladesh). Dr. Talukdar is a recipient of the highly prestigious Fulbright Scholarship funded by the US Department of State.

Dr. Shiba (Shibu) Kar, PhD

 

Position: Member
Contact: shiba@bdiusa.org

Bio: 

Dr. Kar serves as the Assistant Dean and program leader for the Natural Resources, Environment, and Energy program of Illinois Extension at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA. He also leads the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant Program as an Associate Director. Shibu was previously an Associate Professor of Natural Resource Management at University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, a Regional Extension Specialist at Washington State University, and a Research Associate at Pennsylvania State University (Penn State), USA. He earned his Ph.D. in Forest Resources from Penn State, Master’s in Environmental Management and Development from Australian National University, Australia, and Bachelor in Forestry from University of Chittagong, Bangladesh. Dr. Kar has a strong background and interest in leading team efforts on collaborative applied research, Extension, and outreach in natural resource and environmental sustainability, energy and community climate resilience. Dr. Kar serves as an Editorial Board Member of the Journal of Bangladesh Studies, and as a Member of Bangladesh Environment Network. Shibu’s experience of living in different countries and working with several international organizations helps him effectively address local issues focused on natural resource sustainability and community resilience.

Elora Chowdhury, Ph.D.

 

Position: Member
Contact: elora@bdiusa.org

Bio: 

Elora Halim Chowdhury is Professor in the Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Director of the Human Rights Program at the University of Massachusetts at Boston, where she is also affiliated with the Asian Studies Department, the Cinema Studies Program and the Consortium on Gender, Security and Human Rights. She received her Ph.D. in Women’s Studies from Clark University, Massachusetts. Her teaching and research interests include transnational feminisms, critical development studies, gender violence and human rights advocacy, narrative and film with an emphasis on South Asia. Her book Transnationalism Reversed: Women Organizing Against Gendered Violence in Bangladesh (SUNY Press, 2011) was awarded the National Women’s Studies Association Gloria Anzaldua book prize in 2012. She is the co-editor of South Asian Filmscapes: Transregional Encounters (University of Washington Press, 2020 with Esha Niyogi De), Interdisciplinary Approaches to Human Rights: History, Politics, Practice (Routledge, 2019 with Rajini Srikanth), and Dissident Friendships: Feminism, Imperialism and Transnational Solidarity (University of Illinois Press, 2016 with Liz Philipose). Her work has appeared in numerous leading journals in her field including Meridians: Feminism, Race & Transnationalism; Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society; Feminist Studies; Hypatia: Journal of Feminist Philosophy; and Gender, Place & Culture. Her current book project is tentatively titled, Disruptive Archive: Women, War and Muktijuddho Cinema. She serves as the Series Editor to the Dissident Feminisms book series at the University of Illinois Press and on the Editorial Boards of the journals Feminist Formations; Studies in South Asian Film and Media; and Journal of Feminist Scholarship. Dr. Chowdhury has been the recipient of grants and fellowships from the Mellon Foundation, Ford Foundation, Syracuse University and the American Institute of Bangladesh Studies. Prior to joining UMass, Dr. Chowdhury worked for a range of philanthropic, development, and policy institutions including BRAC, UNICEF, and the Ford Foundation.

Professor, Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

617-287-6764 

Publication Links: 

Farzana Noor Bindu

 

Position: Member

Bio: 

Ms. Farzana Noor Bindu is currently a lecturer in College of Business, Prairie View A&M University, Texas. She teaches Business Statistics and Business Math related courses to undergraduate business students. She has always wanted to teach and she is very thankful that she loves her job and hopes to make a difference through her work.

She has completed her BS in Statistics from University of Dhaka. She earned her MBA degree from IBA, University of Dhaka. She worked with Beximco and Nielsen Bangladesh for a few years before settling in USA with her husband. She then pursued her MS in Biostatistics from the University of Texas, School of Public Health. She is currently involved in research projects and has published a number of papers in recent years. Her research interest is sustainable development.

She lives in Cypress, TX with her husband and two kids. Even though she has been living in the USA for over 15 years, she frequently visits Bangladesh and has a deep yearning to contribute to the country where she grew up and has spent many wonderful years of her life.

Halimur Khan, Ph.D.

 
 

Position: Member

Bio: 

M.A. in Russian, French & English (Moscow, 1982), M.A. in Russian Literature (U of Albany, 1983), Ph.D. in Slavic Languages & Literatures (U of Michigan, 1990), and M.Ed. in International Education Policy and Leadership (Harvard University, 2006).

Dr. Halimur R. Khan is currently an Associate Professor of Russian and a core faculty member at the US Air Force Academy. He teaches and conducts research on Russian language, literature, Russian area studies, as well as educational and national leadership; Khan also consults on international education policy. Halimur Khan has been a faculty member at numerous U.S. universities including at Oberlin College, Georgetown University, Wayne State University, University of Michigan and Colgate University prior to joining the USAF Academy. Dr. Khan has twice been a Junior Fulbright Fellow (Moscow), and a Fellow of American Council on Education (ACE). He is currently serving at various committees at the USAF Academy, and as the Co-Chair of the World Languages Committee at the Colorado Department of Education. Khan is a member of over a dozen professional organizations including WAIS (World Association of International Scholars) at Stanford University; he is a regular contributor to various national and international conferences. Khan frequently consults in international education policy formulation, especially for primary and secondary schools in developing countries and on the issues of girls’ education. He is the author of over ten peer-reviewed journal articles on the areas of Russian literature and international education policy. Dr. Khan is expecting his book, “Russian Literature and Islam: A Cross-cultural Dialog” to be published in June 2008.

Associate Professor of Russian & Director of Research
US Air Force Academy
DFF/Strategic Languages Division
2354 Fairchild Drive, Ste.# 4J6G
Colorado 80840
719.333.7967 (off)
214.724.0654 (cell)
halimurkhan@post.harvard.edu

Nadine Shaanta Murshid Ph.D.

 

Position: Member

Bio: 

Dr. Nadine Shaanta Murshid joined the faculty of University at Buffalo School of Social Work in 2014. She holds a BBA from James Madison University (2003), MPP in Public Policy from Australian National University (2006), and PhD in Social Work from Rutgers University (2013). Her teaching interests include research, diversity and oppression, immigration, violence, and international social work.

Dr. Murshid’s areas of interest and research include institutions, structural sources of violence, social policy, and health disparities. Her most recent work focuses on experiences of microfinance participation among women in Bangladesh. Her current project focuses on mobile financial services and how they affect particular groups, such as migrant workers.

Dr. Murshid’s social consciousness on both national and international levels guides her talks and publications in both scholarly journals and popular media. These include her 2014 article, “The killings at Bangladesh’s Bihari Camp – Murder mystery or murder with impunity?” in India’s Frontier Weekly, and an article on the use of neoliberal language by microfinance participants as they take personal responsibility for social problems, including intimate partner violence and sexual harassment on the streets. She also maintains an op-ed, #ResearchMesearch, on The Daily Star.

Dr. Murshid also serves as reviewer for interdisciplinary journals such as Violence Against Women and Feminist Economics.

Syed Saad Andaleeb, Ph. D.

 
 

Position: Member

Bio: 

Dr. Andaleeb is the Founding Editor, Journal of Bangladesh Studies, and has published over fifty peer-reviewed journal articles, edited four books, and serves on four international journals editorial boards. He has been awarded the Senior Fulbright Fellowship and selected twice for the Fulbright Senior Specialist Program. He is currently a member of the Discipline Peer Review Committee for the Fulbright Senior Specialist Program. He has consulted for The World Bank (Dhaka), United Nations Development Program (Dhaka), United Nations Funds for Population Activities (Damascus), Food & Agriculture Organization (Rome), International Fund for Agricultural Development (Rome), International Labor Organization & Export Promotion Bureau (Dhaka), Center for Population Management & Research (Dhaka), Export Promotion Bureau (Dhaka), Ministry of Education, Bangladesh, and Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (Dhaka). He has been involved with AACSB Accreditation work; served as a senator, University Faculty Senate; was selected for the University Promotion & Tenure Committee; and is currently a member of the Graduate Council, Pennsylvania State University.

Professor and Program Chair, Marketing
Sam and Irene Black School of Business, Pennsylvania State University, Erie
Jordan Road, Erie, PA 16563-1400, USA
President: Bangladesh Development Initiative
www.bdiusa.org
Editor: Journal of Bangladesh Studies
Phone: (814)-898-6431
Email: saadandaleeb@gmail.com

B.S. Chemical Engineering (1976), M.B.A. (1977), University of New Hampshire, USA. Ph.D. Business Administration (1989), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA.

Waziuddin Saud Chowdhury

 

Position: Member

Bio: 

Waziuddin Chowdhury is the Director of Project Management at San Francisco Unified School District’s Facilities Bond Program. He is a licensed Architect in the State of California since 1990, Member of the American Institute of Architects and an Accredited Professional in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). He is also a member of Bangladesh Environmental Network (BEN) and the Community Advisory Panel for the City of San Francisco on the development of Building Codes and Earthquake Safety Implementation program.

Chowdhury received his Masters in Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley and a Bachelor’s of Architecture degree from Illinois Institute of Technology at Chicago. 

His past experience includes working as an Architect at three professional consulting firms with projects all over the State of California where he has resided throughout his professional life. Chowdhury currently leads a $ 1.4 billion program as Director of design for the School District, leading a group of engineers and architects modernizing and seismically upgrading schools throughout the City and County of San Francisco.  

He has been involved in several award‐ wining projects, and received personal commendation from the American Institute of Architects Scholastic Award, the AIA School Medal and the Certificate of Merit from the Henry Adams Fund for Excellence in the Study of Architecture.

Dr. Ahrar Ahmad

 
 

Position: Honorary Member

Bio: 

Ahrar Ahmad had taught political science at Black Hills State University in South Dakota for almost 25 years, and retired in late 2016 as Emeritus Professor. He is currently associated with the Gyantapas Abdur Razzaq Foundation in Dhaka, an organization dedicated to research and learning. In 2019, on behalf of BDI, he co-authored Governance and the Governed (Dhaka: UPL, 2019) and edited (in Bangla) Society, State, Evolution:  Gyantapas Abdur Razzaq Distinguished Lecture Series (Dhaka: Bengal Publications, 2019). He has been with BDI since 2003.

Professor Rehman Sobhan

 

Position: Honorary Member

Bio: 

Professor Rehman Sobhan was born in Calcutta on 12 March, 1935. He was educated at St. Paul’s School, Darjeeling (1942-50), Aitichison College, Lahore (1951-52) and Cambridge University (1953-56) where he was awarded an MA in Economics. He began his working career on the faculty of Economics, Dhaka University in 1957 and retired as Professor of Economics in 1977.

Throughout his long and distinguished career as an economist, researcher, political scientist and public intellectual, Professor Sobhan has worked to uphold the welfare and interests of the average Bangladeshi, especially the poor. Through his many books, articles and speeches, he has contributed to the body of knowledge that has improved our understanding of poverty, the process of economic growth, and the role of power in a society. His book Challenging the Injustice of Poverty: Agendas for Inclusive Development in South Asia draws upon “studies across various South Asian countries, (the book) redefines poverty as a process where certain sections of the society are excluded from equal participation in development opportunities as well as decision-making. It further identifies a variety of operational ideas for policymakers, political activists and civil society advocacy groups committed to build a more just and poverty free society in South Asia.”

Professor Sobhan has played an active advocacy role and made many contributions outside the world of academe, including serving as Envoy Extraordinary with special responsibility for Economic Affairs (1971), Member of Bangladesh Planning Commission (1972-74), Member of the Advisory Council of the President of Bangladesh in charge of the Ministry of Planning and Economics Relations Division (1991), Founding Chairman of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) since 1993, and as Chairman of the Board of the Grameen Bank (1996-2002). 

For his distinguished service to the economics profession and to the nation, Professor Sobhan has received a number of awards including, the Bangladesh Bank Purushkar (2000) for services to the economics profession in Bangladesh, and the Bangladesh Shadinata Purushkar (2008), the highest civil award in Bangladesh.

Professor Nurul Islam

 

Position: Honorary Member

Bio: 

Professor Nurul Islam has fully earned his reputation as one of the world’s leading development scholars and practitioners. He received his B.A. and an M.A. in economics (ranked first in the first class) from Dhaka University, and an M.A. and a Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University. He held prestigious Fellowships at the London School of Economics, Cambridge, Oxford and the Netherlands School of Economics. He had taught in, and Chaired, the Department of Economics at Dhaka University. Among his twenty nine books are: Development Planning in Bangladesh: A Study in Political Economy, published by UPL in 1979 and reprinted in 1993; and Making of a Nation: Bangladesh — An Economist’s Tale, Dhaka, Bangladesh: UPL, 2003. He received the Bangladesh Bank Award (2009) for his original contributions to theoretical and applied development economics. Throughout his long and distinguished career as an economist, researcher, social scientist and public intellectual, Professor Islam has worked tirelessly to uphold the welfare and interest of the people of Bangladesh. Through his many books, articles and speeches, he has contributed to a corpus of knowledge that has improved our understanding of economic theory and planning, poverty, process of economic growth, and role of politics in developmental dynamics.

Professor Islam has remained active outside the world of academe. He has served as the Assistant Director General, Economic and Social Policy Department, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); as the Deputy Chairman/Minister, Bangladesh Planning Commission Ministry, Government of Bangladesh, 1972–75; as the Chairman of the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) and the Director of the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics. He served as a member and Chairman of the UN Committee of Development Planning Policy; Member, Executive Committee, International Economic Association (IEA), 1968–74; Treasurer, IEA, 1974–75; Member, UN Committee on Development Planning, 1974–77; Member, Executive Committee, Third World Forum, 1974–77. He also served on the editorial board of The World Economy (1977–80) and on the advisory committee of World Development (1977–97).

Professor Islam’s role as the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission of the newly established nation was critical and historic. Along with a distinguished cohort of fellow planners and economists, he led the group in planning to rebuild the nation after the massive and sustained destruction during the nine-month long liberation war in 1971. Even before the war, he played an instrumental role among a core group of economists who had advised Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to underscore the economic argument for an independent Bangladesh.

National Professor Jamilur Reza Choudhury (Deceased)

Position: Honorary Member

Bio: 

Professor Jamilur Reza Choudhury received his B.Sc. from what was then the East Pakistan University of Engineering & Technology (EPUET, now BUET), and his M.Sc. and Ph.D. from University of Southampton (UK). His academic awards include a Commonwealth Academic Staff Fellowship and an honorary doctorate from Manchester University.

Having begun his academic career in 1963 as a lecturer in civil engineering at EPUET, Dr. Choudhury rose to the rank of Professor at BUET in 1976. He held several administrative positions at BUET before joining BRAC University as its first Vice Chancellor and remained in that position for nine years. In 2012, he joined the University of Asia Pacific as its VC. In 2018, the Bangladesh Government recognized his numerous academic contributions by bestowing upon him the title of “National Professor.”

The author of some 70 papers in international journals and conference proceedings on a vast range of topics, Professor Choudhury gained prominence early with his important 1967 article in American Concrete Journal. This article presented a simplified method for the analysis of shear walls in high-rise buildings, known since then as “Coull and Choudhury method,” that has been used in the design of a large number of high-rise buildings all over the world. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers (Bangladesh), the Institution of Civil Engineers (UK), Bangladesh Computer Society, and the Bangladesh Academy of Sciences.

Professor Choudhury has served as consultant to a large number of national and international agencies on projects related to tall buildings, industrial buildings, transmission towers, aircraft hangars, stadiums, ports and jetties, and the computerization of public and private sector organizations. He has served on the panel of experts to the Bangladesh Government and international donors for the Bangabandhu (Jamuna) and the Padma Bridges, and led Bangladesh Government taskforces on cyclone shelters, earthquakes, IT policy, and voter lists. He has served as Chair, Board of Directors, Bangladesh Shilpa Bank (Industrial Bank of Bangladesh) and as Chair, Board of Governors, Bangladesh Institute of Technology, Chittagong, now renamed CUET. He was appointed Adviser (Minister) in the 1996 Bangladesh Caretaker Government, with responsibility for the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and the Ministry of Water Resources.

Professor Choudhury has been widely recognized by numerous organizations, including the Rotary Club Foundation, Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh, and Lions International. He has received the Sarojini Naidu Medal, the Ahsanullah Gold Medal, and Dr. Md. Ibrahim Gold Medal. In 2017, the government of Bangladesh awarded him the Ekushey Padak for his contribution to Science and Technology. In 2018, the government of Japan conferred upon him the “Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon,” one of its highest civilian awards. He is the recipient of the 2017 BDI Lifetime Achievement Award.

Dr. Atiur Rahman

 

Position: Honorary Member

Bio: 

Dr. Atiur Rahman is Professor (Honorary) of Development Studies, University of Dhaka. He received his MSc in Economics from University of Dhaka and PhD in Economics from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He has held a Commonwealth Development Fellowship at the University of Manitoba, a Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship at University of London, and a Visiting Research Fellowship at the Institute of South-East Asian Studies, Singapore. He spent nearly three decades at the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies, where he was Senior Research Fellow until he retired in 2006. He served as director of the state-owned Sonali Bank, and as Chair of the Board of Directors of Janata Bank. In 2006, he joined the faculty at University of Dhaka, but was soon called to serve as the Governor of Bangladesh Bank, a position he held from 2009 to 2016. He has published 66 books in English and Bengali, as well as numerous articles in national and international journals, on a wide range of topics. Among his recent book is Tagore’s Thoughts on Peasantry (Pathak Shamabesh, 2017). As the Governor of Bangladesh Bank, Dr. Rahman made significant contributions to the 3GF conference and the MGD Global Compact International negotiations. His campaign for inclusive and sustainable finance is also well-recognized. He has won many national and international awards, including the Indira Gandhi Gold Plaque, the Manila-based Gusi Peace Prize International, and the Bangla Academy Literary Award. He was recognized as the Governor of the Year 2015 in Asia by The Banker, a subsidiary of the Financial Times, London and as well as the Best Governor in 2015 in the Asia Pacific Region by the Emerging Markets, a subsidiary of the Euromoney.

Dr. Biru Paksha Paul

 

Position: Honorary Member

Bio: 

Biru Paksha Paul is associate professor of economics and finance at the State University of New York at Cortland. He is currently chief economist of Bangladesh Bank where he joined in December 2014. He directs research at the central bank of Bangladesh. As the lead author of the monetary policy statement of the central bank, he participates in various policymaking dialogues on the country’s economy.

Dr. Paul received his B.S.S. (Honors) and M.S.S., both in economics from the University of Dhaka in 1986 and 1989, respectively. He earned his M.B.A. in finance from the University of Technology-Sydney in 1999. He received his M.A. in applied economics from the State University of New York at Binghamton in 2004. He received his Ph.D. in economics from the same university in 2007. His papers have been accepted in numerous journals such as the Journal of Asian Economics, Journal of Quantitative Economics, Indian Economic Review, and Energy Economics. He received the outstanding achievement in research award 2015 SUNY Cortland.

Dr. Paul is the lead author of the recent Bangladesh Bank special publication, Vibrant Bangladesh: A Stable and Potential Economy – an illustrative booklet that examines the Bangladesh economy from a time series approach.

Dr. Hameeda Hossain

Position: Honorary Member

Bio: 

Dr. Hameeda Hossain received her BA in literature and history from Wellesley College and her doctorate in history from Oxford University. Her career has spanned academic research, publishing and editing, as well as crafts development and advocacy for women, workers, and human rights. She has been consistently aligned with progressive causes and efforts, particularly on issues relating to secularism, civil liberties, and economic justice. 

Dr. Hossain began her professional life as an editor with Oxford University Press in Karachi. She helped to co-found and served as the editor of the English language political monthly magazine, Forum, which played a critical role in raising awareness of the systemic inequities and discrimination suffered by the people of East Pakistan. Following Bangladesh’s independence, she joined the University Press Limited in Dhaka as an editor and also became actively involved in the rehabilitation of the women survivors of wartime sexual violence. Her efforts to develop and market local artisanal crafts led to the formation, in November 1974, of KARIKA (Bangladesh Hastashilpa Samabaya Federation Ltd.) This work, in turn, inspired her to write her doctoral dissertation at Oxford on the history of weavers in colonial Bengal, under the supervision of Professor Tapan Raychaudhuri. She has published widely on a variety of topics, including women’s experiences of the war, arts and crafts, the ready-made garment industry, women workers and human rights. Her publications in these subjects include No Better Option? Industrial Women Workers in Bangladesh, (1990, UPL, co-authored with Salma Sobhan and Roushan Jahan); The Company Weavers of Bengal: The East India Company and the Organization of Textile Production in Bengal, 1750-1813 (2010, UPL, and Oxford University Press, Delhi); and Of the Nation Born: The Bangladesh Papers (2016, Zubaan Books, co-edited with Amena Mohsin). In 2004 she co-authored Bangladesh’s Shadow Report for CEDAW and in 2010, the UN CEDAW Alternative Report on Bangladesh.

Dr. Hossain has attended major international women’s events in her capacity as a women’s rights activist, including the inaugural UN Conference for Women in Mexico City in 1975. She has been associated with several women’s and human rights networks in the Global South, such as Development Alternatives with Women for a New EraAsia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development, and South Asians for Human Rights. As a founder member and founder chairperson of the legal aid and human rights organization Ain o Salish Kendra, she assumed responsibility for its research and advocacy programs. She is currently convener of the Sramik Nirapotta Forum (Workers’ Safety Forum), vice-chairperson of Research Initiatives Bangladesh, and a member of the board of the Gyantapas Abdur Razzaq Foundation.