Dr. Md Tofazzal Islam, FBAS, FTWAS, FAPS
Professor and Founding Director, Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (IBGE)
Fellow of Fulbright, Commonwealth, JSPS and Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
Professor and Director, Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (IBGE)
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Gazipur-1706, BANGLADESH
Tel. +88-02-9205310-14 Extn. 2252
Fax: +88-02-9205333
Cell: +88-0171-4001414, +88-
Website: https://ibge.bsmrau.edu.bd
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Tofazzal_Islam
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7613-0261
Areas of Specialization: Genomics and Genome Editing; Molecular Plant-Pathogen Interactions; Biotechnology; and Molecular Diagnosis of Fungal Phytopathogen
Research Foci: (i) Mitigation of wheat blast using frontier technologies including CRISPR-Cas; (ii) Point-of-care detection of agriculturally important diseases; and (iii) genomics and metagenomics analyses of terrestrial and marine organisms for their application in biotechnology and bioprospecting.
Resume (Please click here for brief resume in Bangla) (Please Click here for details resume In English)
A distinguished Fulbright Scholar, Professor Tofazzal Islam, born on December 20, 1966, is a distinguished academic figure serving as a Professor and Founding Director of the Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (IBGE) at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University in Bangladesh. He earned his BScAg (Hons) and MSc(Ag) degrees, both with first-class honors, from Bangladesh Agricultural University in 1988 and 1989, respectively. Tofazzal furthered his education by completing his MS and PhD degrees in Applied Biosciences at Hokkaido University in 1999 and 2002. He has held prestigious postdoctoral positions at esteemed institutions such as Hokkaido University, University of Goettingen, University of Nottingham, and West Virginia University, under various fellowship programs including JSPS, Alexander von Humboldt, Commonwealth, and Fulbright. He served as an Adjunct Professor of the Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Department of East West University from 2014-2017 and the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences from 2020-2023.
Throughout his career, Dr. Tofazzal has garnered international recognition for his groundbreaking research and expertise in the application of frontier sciences, including tissue culture, molecular biology, genomics, and genome editing, to address the impacts of climate change on agriculture through the development of climate-smart agrobiotechnology. He is a pioneer in establishing the IBGE with state-of-the-art laboratories for cutting-edge research, securing over 10 million dollars in internationally competitive grants. Dr. Tofazzal’s contributions include swiftly investigating and addressing the 2016 wheat blast outbreak in Bangladesh, employing field pathogenomics and open science principles. He has led extensive research efforts to mitigate the devastating effects of wheat blast disease, developing a CRISPR technology-based rapid point-of-care diagnostic method for detecting wheat blast fungus.
Collaborating with researchers at the Global Institute for Food Security of Canada, Professor Tofazzal’s team recently achieved a milestone by decoding the entire genome of a year-round fruiting jackfruit. Throughout his career, Prof. Islam has discovered over 50 novel bioactive secondary metabolites from marine and terrestrial organisms, elucidating their mechanisms of action on phytopathogens and highlighting potential avenues for agricultural innovation and disease management.
In addition to his research, Prof. Tofazzal holds esteemed editorial roles in leading scientific journals and has authored more than 350 research articles in top-tier journals, accumulating approx. 10,500+ citations and boasting an impressive h-index of 54. Recognized for his exceptional contributions, Dr. Islam is an elected Fellow of esteemed organizations including the Bangladesh Academy of Sciences, American Phytopathological Society (USA), Bangladesh Academy of Agriculture, and The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS, Italy). He has received numerous awards and accolades, including the Gold Medal from the Bangladesh Academy of Sciences and the Commonwealth Innovation Award.
Prof. Tofazzal’s research endeavors have been generously funded by various international organizations, including the World Bank, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and USDA-FAS, among others. He has also been invited to deliver plenary and keynote lectures at numerous international congresses and conferences worldwide, cementing his reputation as a leading authority in his field.
Education
PhD in Applied Bioscience (Grade A, Excellent) (2002), Hokkaido University, Japan
MS in Ecol. Chem. (Grade A, Excellent) (1999), Hokkaido University, Japan
MSc(Ag) in Agril. Chem. (First Class First) (1995), Bangladesh Agricultural University, Bangladesh
B Sc Agriculture (First Class First) (1991), Bangladesh Agricultural University, Bangladesh
Professional position held
Fulbright Visiting Scholar, West Virginia University 9/2017 until 6/2018
JSPS Invitation Fellow, Gifu University, Japan /2015-7/2015
Commonwealth Academic Staff Fellow, University of Nottingham, UK 3/2013- 6/2013
Adjunct Professor, Dept. Genet. Engin. Biotechnol., East West University, Bangladesh 4/2013 – 9/2017
Director (Outreach Activity), BSMRAU, Bangladesh 7/2012-7/2013
Professor & Head, Department of Biotechnology, BSMRAU, Bangladesh & 7/2010 – 9/2017
Professor (Agril. Chem.), SARD, Bangladesh Open University (BOU), Bangladesh 1/2010 – 7/2010
Assoc. Professor (Ecol. Chem.), SARD, BOU, Bangladesh 4/2004 – 1/2010
Alexander von Humboldt Fellow, Georg-August Universität Gӧttingen, Germany 4/2007- 3/2009
JSPS Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan 4/2003 – 4/2005
Assistant Professor (Ecological Chemistry), SARD, BOU, Bangladesh 5/1997 – 4/2004
Lecturer (Agriculture), SARD, BOU, Bangladesh 9/1994 – 5/1997
Graduate Research Assistant, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Bangladesh 7/1991 – 8/1994