The University of Rajshahi (RU) has approximately 38,000 students, including 2,000 Ph.D. and 9,000 graduate students, and is one of the leading public universities in the Republic of Bangladesh. After graduating from the Master of Philosophy (MPhil) course at the University, Mr. Imtiaj Hasan studied abroad in the Ph.D. program at Yokohama City University (YCU), Graduate School of Nanobioscience as a government-sponsored student from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT, JAPAN). In March 2020, he completed the course and earned his Ph.D. degree. In 2022, he was promoted as the first professor at RU who earned a Ph.D. from YCU. He educates many graduate and undergraduate students in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Prof Hasan's father, Hasan Azizul Huq (1939-2021), was a leading Bangladeshi novelist, poet, and also a former philosophy professor in RU whose works have been translated into Japanese, Russian, and Czech and known as an internationally renowned author.
Chairperson, Prof. Dr Imtiaj Hasan, Department of Microbiology, University of Rajshahi (Jan, 2024, Rajshahi).
After returning to Bangladesh, Prof. Dr. Hasan continues to promote international joint research with another YCU alumnus, Prof. Dr. S.M. Abe Kawsar (University of Chittagong, BD), YCU (Prof. Dr. Yasuhiro Ozeki), Nagasaki International University (Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yuki Fujii) and the University of Trieste (Assoc. Prof. Dr. Marco Gerdol, Italy). As of 2024, he published over 70 research articles in international academic journals and seven book chapters. From July to September 2023, he and his wife, Dr. Sultana Rajia, returned to the graduate school of YCU again as postdoctoral researchers to hone their research careers. At RU, establishing a new Department of Microbiology within the Faculty of Biological Science has long been considered from the perspective of overcoming infectious diseases and public health issues in the Rajshahi region and within Bangladesh.
That wish came true in January 2020 when the Department of Microbiology was opened at RU and started recruiting students. However, due to the pandemic, it could not run in full swing. Prof. Dr. Hasan has been appointed to serve as the second chairman of the new department. During his three-year term until 2026, he will lead a distinguished group of Faculty and enthusiastic students to oversee the exciting new changes in this Department to stand it apart. Under his leadership, the Department already earned an impressive research grant.
YCU accepts an average of 1 to 2 Japanese government-sponsored international students from the MEXT each year and provides advanced educational programs and research with a global perspective toward obtaining Ph.D. degrees for overseas students studying in graduate schools. In addition to accepting excellent international students, YCU will support their research careers after earning their Ph.D. through their mentor Professors, the Global Promotive Center, and the Career Promotive Center.
Prof. Hasan receives congratulations from many students after receiving news of his appointment.
Prof. Hasan and his wife, Dr. Sultana Rajia (Assoc. Prof., Varendra Univ), visited YCU again for their postdoc studies (Jul-Sep 2023, Japan).