Fellow

Prof. Dr. Munawar Sultana

(Fellow, 2025)

Professor Dr. Munawar Sultana of the Department of Microbiology, University of Dhaka, is an outstanding microbiologist whose academic excellence, sustained research productivity, national and international collaborations, and leadership in scientific advancement make her a professional of extraordinary ability. She is an elected fellow of Bangladesh Academy of Sciences (FBAS).

Academic record

Professor Sultana’s academic records reflect a rare brilliance and consistency. She completed her B.S. (Honors) and M.S both in Microbiology from the University of Dhaka. For her extraordinary results in B.S. Honors, faculty 1^st position, she was awarded Prime Minister gold medal and Dean’s Award. She earned her PhD (Magna cum laude) from TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Germany under the auspicious of DAAD fellowship, demonstrating a high level of scholarly maturity. Her training was further strengthened through prestigious international programs, including the Fulbright Visiting Research Fellowship at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she worked on advanced microbiology and environmental toxicology. She contributed to established two world class research laboratories in the department of Microbiology, DU, in which she now has been working as team leader to continue her R&D work. 

Professional record

Professor Sultana’s academic career has been marked by consistent advancement through merit. She joined academia as a Lecturer and now serves as a Professor of Microbiology at the DU. Across all stages, she has demonstrated unwavering commitment to teaching, mentorship, and high-impact research. Her research contributions span several interconnected domains: Molecular epidemiology of viral pathogens (FMDV, WSSV, SARS-CoV-2); Antimicrobial resistance and multidrug-resistant bacteria; Environmental microbiology and arsenic-transforming microbial communities; Bacteriophage engineering and biosensor development; Mastitis whole genome microbiome; and Vaccine and diagnostic kit development for national livestock diseases. She has supervised 22 M.S. theses, guided 10 Ph.D./M.Phil. candidates, and continues to mentor emerging researchers in microbiology.

Grants, Intellectual Property Rights and Publications

Professor Sultana’s scientific leadership is further reflected in her successful acquisition and management of more than 20 major research grants (>1.5 million US$), including projects funded by the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Science and Technology, UGC, World Bank funded HEQEP, TWAS–UNESCO, OWSD, and international collaborators. She served as Principal Investigator (PI) or co-PI in most of these projects, demonstrating her independence, innovation, and capability to manage complex scientific initiatives. Several of her projects focus on developing portable biosensors, recombinant vaccines, and diagnostic kits, two of which have progressed to patent applications currently under processing in Bangladesh. She has authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications in Q1 journals including Scientific Reports, PLOS ONE, BMC Microbiology, Microorganisms, BMC Genomics, and TBED.

Her research in Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus (FMDV) surveillance has generated significant national and international impact. She contributed multiple complete viral genomes to GenBank, enabling deeper understanding of viral evolution, vaccine matching, and strain emergence. Her collaborative works have mapped mutational patterns, antigenic variability, and lineage emergence, providing evidence essential for policy and vaccine strategy decisions. Her contributions in the molecular characterization of SARS-CoV-2 proteins and genomic diversity of multidrug-resistant pathogens have likewise enriched public health preparedness.

Professor Sultana has established strong and sustained international collaborations. Her research partnerships include affiliations with the University of Bergen (Norway), TU Bergakademie Freiberg (Germany), Free University of Amsterdam, Byreut University (Germany), UC Santa Cruz (USA), and institutes in Nepal.  She has further contributed significantly to the academic community through editorial and reviewer roles. She serves on the Editorial Board of BMC Microbiology and has been a Guest Editor for BMC Medical Genomics and Frontiers in Public Health. These roles signify her expertise and recognition by global scientific communities.

Awards and recognition 

Her numerous national and international awards—such as the BAS-Dr. M. O. Ghani Memorial Gold Medal Award 2025, DU Research Excellence Recognition (2026, 2025), DU Dean’s faculty research award, ISBM Research Award (2023), OWSD Early Career Fellowship, Samson H. Chowdhury Award, BAS–TWAS Young Scientist Award, and others—demonstrate her stature as a leading researcher in the field

Professor Dr. Munawar Sultana exemplifies the qualities of academic distinction, original scientific contributions, impactful research leadership, international collaborations, and commitment to training the next generation of scientists.