Fazlul Halim Chowdhury (1 August 19309 April 1996) was a fellow of the

Bangladesh Academy of Sciences Bangladesh Academy of Sciences 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 partition of ...

and one of the longest-serving

Vice-Chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor is ...

s of the

University of Dhaka The University of Dhaka (also known as Dhaka University, or DU) is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the oldest university in Bangladesh. The university opened its doors to students on July 1st 1921. Currently i ...

. He made pioneering contributions to the development of

physical chemistry Physical chemistry is the study of macroscopic and microscopic phenomena in chemical systems in terms of the principles, practices, and concepts of physics such as motion, energy, force, time, thermodynamics, quantum chemistry, statistical ...

in Bangladesh, publishing more than 20 articles. He focused on

cellulose Cellulose is an organic compound with the formula , a polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of several hundred to many thousands of β(1→4) linked D-glucose units. Cellulose is an important structural component of the primary cell wall ...

fibers (especially

jute Jute is a long, soft, shiny bast fiber that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from flowering plants in the genus ''Corchorus'', which is in the mallow family Malvaceae. The primary source of the fiber is ''Corchorus olit ...

polyelectrolyte Polyelectrolytes are polymers whose repeating units bear an electrolyte group. Polycations and polyanions are polyelectrolytes. These groups dissociate in aqueous solutions (water), making the polymers charged. Polyelectrolyte properties are th ...

s, and

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respon ...

Early life

Chowdhury was born on 1 August 1930 to Abdul Aziz Chowdhury, an educationist and Afifa Khatun of Kunja Sreepur village, in

Comilla District Comilla District, officially known as Cumilla District, is a district of Bangladesh located about 100 kilometres south east of Dhaka. Comilla is bordered by Brahmanbaria and Narayanganj districts to the north, Noakhali and Feni districts to ...

Bengal Presidency The Bengal Presidency, officially the Presidency of Fort William and later Bengal Province, was a subdivision of the British Empire in India. At the height of its territorial jurisdiction, it covered large parts of what is now South Asia and ...

Education

*SSC, Noakhali R.K. Zilla H.E. School, 1945 *HSC, Comilla Victoria College, 1947 *BSc (Hons), Department of Chemistry,

, First in the First Class *MSc, Department of Chemistry, University of Dhaka, First in the First Class, 1951 *PhD,

Manchester University , mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity , established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Unive ...

, UK (Thesis entitled "The Acid Behaviour of Carboxylic Derivatives", 5 July 1956) Awarded "Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851" to pursue PhD studies.

Academic career

*Lecturer, 1952–53; assistant professor, 195658, Department of Chemistry, Dhaka University *Professor, Department of Chemistry and Applied Chemistry,

Rajshahi University The University of Rajshahi, also known as Rajshahi University or RU ( bn, রাজশাহী বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়), is a public co-educational research university in Bangladesh situated near the northern Bangladeshi cit ...

, 195890 *Nuffield Fellow, Cambridge University, U.K. 196062 *Dean, Faculty of Science, Rajshahi University, 1972 *Commonwealth Senior Fellow, Cambridge University, U.K. 197374 *Member, University Grants Commission (UGC), 197476 *Vice Chancellor, University of Dhaka, 197683 *Fellow of

, 1979 *Asia Foundation Fellowship, 1984 *President, Bangladesh Chemical Society, 198486 *Senior Advisor in Basic Sciences, UNESCO, New Delhi, 198590 *

University of Asia Pacific University of Asia Pacific ( bn, ইউনিভার্সিটি অব এশিয়া প্যাসিফিক) often abbreviated as UAP is a private university located at Dhaka, Bangladesh. History The University of Asia Pacific was ...

, Dhaka, 199596 *President, The Rajshahi University Teachers Association *Provost, Abdul Latif Hall, Rajshahi University *Senior Researcher, American Association for the Advancement of Science Washington D.C.

Research

Chowdhury made pioneering contributions to the development of

in the country, publishing more than 20 articles. He focused on

fibers (of

in particular),

s, and

s. He also guided a number of PhD theses.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chowdhury, Fazlul Halim 1930 births 1996 deaths Fellows of Bangladesh Academy of Sciences Bangladeshi chemists Physical chemists Vice-Chancellors of the University of Dhaka Academic staff of the University of Rajshahi Comilla Victoria Government College alumni