Ahmad Shamsul Islam (; 6 August 1924 – 14 April 2025) was a Bangladeshi scientist and educator. He was awarded

Ekushey Padak Ekushey Padak () is the second highest civilian award in Bangladesh, introduced in memory of martyrs of the Bengali language movement of 1952. The award is given to recognize contributions in a number of fields, including culture, education, and e ...

in 1987 by the

Government of Bangladesh The government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh () is the central government of Bangladesh. The government was constituted by the Constitution of Bangladesh comprising the executive (the president, prime minister and cabinet), the ...

for his contribution to education. He served as a Professor of the Department of Botany at the

University of Dhaka The University of Dhaka (), also known as Dhaka University (DU), is a public university, public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1921, it is the oldest active university in the country. The University of Dhaka w ...

until his death.

Education and career

Islam earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from

Presidency University, Kolkata Presidency University, formerly Presidency College, is a public state university located in College Street, Kolkata. Established in 1817 as the ''Hindoo College'', it was later renamed ''Presidency College'' in 1855 and functioned as a leadi ...

in 1945 and 1947 respectively. He obtained a Ph.D. from

Manchester University The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...

, England in 1954. For his postdoctoral research he went on to

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

University of California, Davis The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Davis, California, United States. It is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University ...

, the

University of Nottingham The University of Nottingham is a public research university in Nottingham, England. It was founded as University College Nottingham in 1881, and was granted a royal charter in 1948. Nottingham's main campus (University Park Campus, Nottingh ...

and

University of Tokyo The University of Tokyo (, abbreviated as in Japanese and UTokyo in English) is a public research university in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1877 as the nation's first modern university by the merger of several pre-westernisation era ins ...

. Islam joined

BRAC University BRAC University (, also known as BRACU) is a private research university located in Merul Badda, Dhaka, Bangladesh. It was established in 2001 as a branch of Sir Fazle Hasan Abed's BRAC under the Private University Act 1992. History Sir ...

as a consultant in August 2003. He served as the moderator of Global Network of Bangladeshi Biotechnologists (GNOBB). In 2008, he was proposed by Maqsudul Alam to initiate the jute genome sequencing project. Islam was the founding editor of Sind University Research Journal, Pakistan Journal of Botany, Science Series of Dhaka University, Dar es Salaam University Scientific Research Journal and Bangladesh Journal of Botany.

Personal life and death

Islam's father, Moulvi Serajul Islam, was a professor at

Rajshahi College Rajshahi College (Bengali language, Bengali: রাজশাহী কলেজ) is a public college, public educational institution in Rajshahi, Bangladesh. Established in 1873, it is the third oldest college in Bangladesh after Dhaka College a ...

and

Chittagong College Chittagong College is a public educational institution in Chittagong, Bangladesh. It is a higher secondary school and also a degree awarding college of National University, Bangladesh. It is the second higher secondary school in the region that ...

. Islam had a son, Yousuf Mahbubul Islam, the current vice-chancellor of

Daffodil International University Daffodil International University or (DIU) () is a private research university located in Daffodil Smart City, Birulia, Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh. It was established on 24 January 2002 under the Private University Act of 1992. DIU is the largest ...

and a daughter,

Zeba Islam Seraj Zeba Islam Seraj is a Bangladeshi scientist known for her research in developing salt-tolerant rice varieties suitable for growth in the coastal areas of Bangladesh. She is currently a professor at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biol ...

, a professor of Biochemistry at the University of Dhaka. Islam resided in

Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

, Texas. He died on 14 April 2025, at the age of 100.Ekushey Padak winning scholar Prof Dr Ahmad Shamsul Islam passes away
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Awards

* The Currie Memorial Prize (1954) * Gold Medal by

Bangladesh Academy of Sciences Bangladesh Academy of Sciences (BAS) is an academic forum for Bangladeshi scientists and technologists. Established in 1973, it aims to fulfill the role of promoting research and development of sciences in Bangladesh. History After the partiti ...

(1987)

References

Sources

* https://www.newagebd.net/post/country/262338/ekushey-padak-winner-prof-ahmad-shamsul-islam-dies * https://www.bssnews.net/others/263091

Education and career

Personal life and death

Awards

References

Sources

Further reading