Fellow

Prof. Dr. Jamilur Reza Choudhury (Deceased)

(Fellow, 1998)

National Professor Dr. Jamilur Reza Choudhury was born in Sylhet in 1942.

He had his early education in Dhaka (St. Gregory’s High School and Dhaka College). He obtained the B.Sc. (Engg.), Civil, degree in 1963 from the University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka; M.Sc. Engineering degree (Advanced Structural Engineering) and Ph.D. degree from the University of Southampton in 1968. He was awarded the degree of Doctor of Engineering (Honoris Causa) by the University of Manchester in 2010.

Professor Choudhury joined the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) as a Lecturer in Civil Engineering in 1963 and was appointed a Professor of Civil Engineering in 1976. He was Head of the Department of Civil Engineering (1978-79, 1981-83), Dean of the Faculty (1983-85) and Director, Computer Centre (1982-92) at BUET. In March 2001, he joined the BRAC University as its first  Vice-Chancellor and relinquished the position in February 2010. He had joined University of Asia Pacific as Vice-Chancellor in May 2012.

Professor Choudhury  received a number of awards, e.g. Dr. M. A. Rashid Gold Medal 1997 for excellence in teaching and research from BUET; IEB (Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh) Gold Medal (for Lifelong contribution to Engineering) in 1998; SEED (Science, Education and Economic Development) Award, 2000 from Rotary Club Foundation; Lions International (District 315) Gold Medal for contribution to Science & Technology, 2001; Mercantile Bank Award for Science and Technology; Bangladesh Computer Society Gold Medal, 2005; “ICT Champion” first recipient in 2009 - awarded by Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS); Sarojini Naidu Gold Medal, 2010; Sheltech Award, 2011; Qazi Azhar Ali Gold Medal for contribution to Education, 2011; Khan Bahadur Ahsanullah Gold Medal, 2012; Dr. Mohammad Ibrahim Gold Medal, BIRDEM, 2013; JICAPresident’s Commendation Award, 2013; South Asian ICT Excellence Award 2015, CTO Forum; Golden Jubilee Award for Contribution to Civil Engineering by Amin Jewellers, 2016; Lifetime Achievement Award, Silver Jubilee of Daily Star, (2016); “Civil Engineering Icon” Award by Civil Engineering Association, BUET, in 2016; In 2017, he was awarded “Ekushey Padak” by the Government of Bangladesh  for his contribution to Science and Technology; In 2018, he was awarded the “The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon” by the Government of Japan; In 2018, the Government of Bangladesh appointed him a National Professor; In 2019, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from BDI, USA for contribution to Science and Technology.

Professor Choudhury has authored about 70 papers in international journals and conference proceedings related to inter alia tall buildings, low-cost housing, earthquake resistant design, bridge failures, cyclones and storm surges, retrofitting of structures, IT Applications and IT Policy.

Professor Choudhury has acted as Consultant to a large number of national and international agencies on projects related to tall buildings, bridges, industrial buildings, transmission towers, aircraft hangars, airports, stadiums, ports and jetties, and computerization of public and private sector organizations. He was a Member of Panel of Experts (advising the Government, the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and OECF, Japan) for the 4.8 km long Bangabandhu (Jamuna) Bridge. He was the Team Leader for the Multipurpose Cyclone Shelter Programme (1992-93) and prepared the Master Plan for Cyclone Shelters in the coastal areas of Bangladesh. He was the Chairman of the International Panel of Experts for the Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project and the Karnaphuli Tunnel Project.

Professor Choudhury was Chairman, Board of Directors of Bangladesh Shilpa Bank (1996-98) and was the Chairman, Board of Governors, Bangladesh Institute of Technology, Chittagong (now Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology) from 1997 to 2003.  He was appointed Adviser (Minister) in the Non-Party Caretaker Government in April, 1996 and was in charge of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and the Ministry of Water Resources. He was Convener, Committee on Export of Software and Data Processing Services (1997); Convener, Committees for Formulation of IT Policy for Bangladesh (1999, 2001 and 2008) and was a Member, IT Task Force of the Government of Bangladesh (2001-2009). He was the Convener of the Advisory Committee for Formulation of Strategic Transport Plan for Dhaka (2003-2006) and Convener of the Advisory Committee for Review of Detailed Area Plan for Dhaka (2009-2010).

He was a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers (Bangladesh) and was its President in 1992-93. He was elected a Fellow of Institution of Civil Engineers (U.K.) in 1994. He had been a Fellow of the Bangladesh Computer Society; a Fellow of the Bangladesh Academy of Sciences; Fellow of Bangla Academy and Fellow of Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.

Professor Choudhury expired on 28 April 2020