Parvez Haris () is a professor of

biomedical science Biomedical sciences are a set of sciences applying portions of natural science or formal science, or both, to develop knowledge, interventions, or technology that are of use in healthcare or public health. Such disciplines as medical microbi ...

at the School of Allied Health Sciences in

De Montfort University De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) is a public university in the city of Leicester, England. It was established in accordance with the Further and Higher Education Act 1992, Further and Higher Education Act in 1992 as a degree awarding body ...

, United Kingdom. He is an Editor-in-Chief of Biomedical Spectroscopy and Imaging. He is a

Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry Fellowship of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC) is one of the most prestigious awards conferred by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) in the United Kingdom. Existing Fellows include award winning scientists and Nobel prize winners. FRSC awa ...

and

Public Health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the de ...

as well. He is going to deliver speech for the International Biotech Symposium 2021 in

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

scientists Parvez Haris has been selected in the top 1 percent or 100 thousand scientists list of the

University of Stanford Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth governor of and the ...

in the United States. He is a member of International Scientific Committee of Nutrition and Food Engineering. He received the ''UK Bangladesh Catalysts of Commerce and Industry Awards'' (UKBCCI) on the category of business innovation in 2019.

Early life and career

Professor Haris was born in

Moulvibazar District Moulvibazar District, () also spelled Moulavibazar, or Maulavibazar, (previous name: South Sylhet) is the southeastern district of Sylhet Division in northeastern Bangladesh, named after the town of Moulvibazar. It is bordered by the Indian states ...

Sylhet Division Sylhet Division () is a northeastern Divisions of Bangladesh, division of Bangladesh, renowned for its lush tea gardens, rolling hills and vibrant cultural heritage. Covering an area of approximately 12,298 square kilometres, it is bordered by t ...

in Bangladesh in 1964. He came to Britain at the age of 10 in 1975 when his father owned a restaurant in

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

. In 1989, Parvez obtained his PhD in

Biochemistry Biochemistry, or biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology, a ...

from the

Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine The London School of Medicine for Women (LSMW) established in 1874 was the first medical school in Britain to train women as doctors. The patrons, vice-presidents, and members of the committee that supported and helped found the London School of M ...

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

, under the supervision of Professor Dennis Chapman FRS. Succeeding his post doctoral fellowship, he started his career as a lecturer in

at De Montfort University,

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

in 1996. He has conducted a significant number of research on

Arsenic Arsenic is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol As and atomic number 33. It is a metalloid and one of the pnictogens, and therefore shares many properties with its group 15 neighbors phosphorus and antimony. Arsenic is not ...

contamination of water, and its effects on the food chain. In 2011, on a conference at Rize Üniversitesi, Haris presented how the toxic elements in the

soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, water, and organisms that together support the life of plants and soil organisms. Some scientific definitions distinguish dirt from ''soil'' by re ...

through foods effect on human health. Besides, he is continuing research on other biochemistry subjects including

coronavirus Coronaviruses are a group of related RNA viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans and birds, they cause respiratory tract infections that can range from mild to lethal. Mild illnesses in humans include some cases of the comm ...

Human Health Health has a variety of definitions, which have been used for different purposes over time. In general, it refers to physical and emotional well-being, especially that associated with normal functioning of the human body, absent of disease, pain ...

, Nutrition,

Environmental Pollution ''Environmental Pollution'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering the biological, health, and ecological effects of environmental pollution. It was established in 1980 as two parts: ''Environmental Pollution Series A: Ecological and Biologi ...

etc. He is well known for his contribution of reducing arsenic from rice. A group of scientists led by him found a link between arsenic and rice consumption among a small number of

British Bangladeshis British Bangladeshis () are citizens or residents of the United Kingdom whose ancestral roots are from Bangladesh. Bengali Muslims have prominently been migrating to the UK since World War II. Migration reached its peak during the 1970s, with ...

. Research team conducted by him discovered that rice grown in

Sylhet Sylhet (; ) is a Metropolis, metropolitan city in the north eastern region of Bangladesh. It serves as the administrative center for both the Sylhet District and the Sylhet Division. The city is situated on the banks of the Surma River and, as o ...

has much lower arsenic concentration than similar types of rice from other regions of

. Even the scientists found that some varieties of Sylheti

aromatic rice Aromatic rice is one of the major types of rice. It is a medium- to long-grained rice. It is known for its nutty aroma and taste, which is caused by the chemical compound 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline. Varieties of aromatic rice include Ambemohar, Ba ...

had lower arsenic than the well-known

Basmati Basmati () is a variety of long, slender-grained aromatic rice which originates from the Indian subcontinent, mainly in the regions of Nepal, Punjab, Haryana, Sindh and many other states and provinces of India and Pakistan.Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

Selected publications

Some of Haris notable publications: * The conformational analysis of peptides using Fourier transform IR spectroscopy * FTIR spectroscopic characterization of protein structure in aqueous and non-aqueous media * Determination of protein secondary structure using factor analysis of infrared spectra * Fourier transform infrared spectrometric analysis of protein conformation: effect of sampling method and stress factors * Does Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy provide useful information on protein structures? * Conformational transitions in poly (L-lysine): studies using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy * A survey of arsenic in foodstuffs on sale in the United Kingdom and imported from Bangladesh * Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic studies of calcium-binding proteins * Temperature-induced changes in protein structures studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and global analysis

References

External links

It may be a staple in your diet but is rice really that good for you?
(BBC Radio Leicester's Kamlesh Purohit spoke to Dr Parvez Haris) {{DEFAULTSORT:Haris, Parvez Academics of De Montfort University British scientists Bangladeshi diaspora in the United Kingdom Living people Fellows of the Royal Society of Chemistry Alumni of the University of London 1964 births People from Moulvibazar District