Prof. Tofazzal Islam Appointed Dean at GAU

Gazipur Agricultural University (GAU) proudly announces the appointment of internationally renowned scientist Professor Dr. Md. Tofazzal Islam as the new Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, effective 31 December 2025 for a two-year term. The appointment was formally issued through an office order signed by the University Registrar on 29 December, and the official handover of responsibilities was completed recently. He succeeds Professor Dr. Md. Ramiz Uddin Miah. Professor Islam is a distinguished academic and visionary researcher whose career reflects excellence, humility, and global impact. He earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Agriculture from Bangladesh Agricultural University with first class first position and later completed his PhD in Applied Biosciences from Hokkaido University, Japan, with the highest distinction. He is the founding Director of the Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (IBGE) at GAU and has previously served as Director of International Affairs and the Extension Centre. His most celebrated scientific contribution came in 2016, when he led an international team that identified wheat blast disease in Bangladesh, bringing global attention to his work. His CRISPR-based rapid disease detection technology is now recognized as a groundbreaking milestone for global food security. Professor Islam has published over 480 high-quality research articles in leading international journals. According to Google Scholar, his work has received more than 15,000 citations, with an h-index of 61, a rare and prestigious achievement among Bangladeshi scientists. He made history as the first Bangladeshi Fellow of the American Phytopathological Society (APS) in its 120-year legacy and is also a Fellow of TWAS and the Bangladesh Academy of Sciences (BAS). He has consistently ranked among the world’s top 2% scientists in the Stanford–Elsevier global rankings and has played a pivotal role in positioning GAU as Bangladesh’s leading research university under the Times Higher Education ranking framework. With extensive international research experience through JSPS (Japan), Alexander von Humboldt (Germany), Commonwealth (UK) and Fulbright (USA) fellowships, Professor Islam has received numerous prestigious awards, including the BAS Gold Medal, UGC Research Award, Commonwealth Innovation Award, and IsDB Transformers Award.