Fellow

Dr. Muhammad Amirul Islam (Deceased)

(Foundation Fellow, 1973)

Dr.  Muhammad Amirul Islam was born in Noakhali, Bangladesh on 01 September,   1918.

He passed Matriculation in the First Division in 1936; Intermediate Science in First Division in 1938; B.Sc. (Hons.) in Chemistry with First Class in   1941   and M.Sc.  in Chemistry with First Class in 1942 from the University of Dhaka; and earned Ph.D. in Soil   Science   from   the University of California, USA in 1949.

Dr. Islam served as Agricultural Chemist to the Government of East Pakistan from 1950 - 1961; Director of Soil Survey from  1961-1966 and Director-General of Soil Survey of Pakistan from 1966-1967; Director of Agriculture, East Pakistan from 1967-1970; Director of East Pakistan Rice Research Institute from 1970-1971; Vice-Chancellor of Bangladesh Agricultural University from 1971–1972. He was Officer on-Special Duty, Govt. of Bangladesh from 1972 -1973; Director of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute, 1973; and Executive Vice-Chairman of Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council from 1977 - 1979.

Dr. Islam received a Plaque of Appreciation from IRRI for developing Bangladesh Rice Research Institute as a Centre of Excellence in Rice Research and again a Plaque of Appreciation from IRRI in recognition of dedicated service as a Member of Board of Trustees of IRRI. In recognition of the dedicated service to BRRI, the Board of Governors of BRRI named a laboratory of BRRI as "Amirul Islam Laboratory."

Dr. Islam’s research areas included soil science and plant nutrition. He  published 60 research papers in leading scientific journals of Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, U. K. and USA.

Dr. Islam worked as a Member of the External Panel of Consultants for the North Carolina State University, USA on AID/BIFAD Title XII Programme from September 1979 to September 1980; as a Consultant to the International Fertilizer Development Centre from December 1979 to May 1980; as a Consultant for FAO-CIRDAP Project on Delivery System in Support of Small Farmers in Asia from February, 1981 to January, 1982. He conducted a study for FAO on "Status of Plant Nutrition in Bangladesh and also worked as Consultant for UNDP on Agriculture Sector Review of Bangladesh in 1988.

He represented Bangladesh in a Soil Survey Committee in Ankara, Turkey in 1961 and 1966. Represented Bangladesh in International Rice Commission of FAO at Tehran in 1970; represented Bangladesh and BRRI in many conferences and seminars organized by IRRI at Los Banos, Philippines. Participated at West African Rice Development Association conference at Monrovia, Liberia.

He visited China, Korea, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, India, Tanzania, Madagascar and Egypt in connection with IRRI Board meetings and other conferences.

Dr. Islam was a Member of Bangladesh Association for the Advancement of Science; Vice-President, Banglaesh Academy of Sciences; Member, Soil Science Society of Bangladesh.

Dr. M. Amirul Islam expired on 9 February 2001.