Dr. Iqbal Mahmud

Prof. Dr. Iqbal Mahmud is one of the most distinguished figures in the history of chemical engineering education in Bangladesh. Born on 8 March 1940 in Kolkata, British India, he completed his early education at Sylhet Government High School (matriculation, 1954) and Murari Chand College, Sylhet (intermediate, 1956). He earned his Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Ahsanullah Engineering College - later to become BUET - in 1960, and subsequently obtained his Master's and PhD degrees from the University of Manchester, UK in 1962 and 1964 respectively.

Dr. Mahmud joined the Department of Chemical Engineering at BUET as an Assistant Professor in October 1964, launching a career spanning over three and a half decades of teaching and institution-building. He rose through the ranks to full Professor and eventually served as the 7th Vice-Chancellor of BUET from November 1998 to September 2000. He is widely regarded as a foundational figure who shaped both the department and the broader engineering landscape of the country.

His contributions extend well beyond academia. He served as Minister of State for Agriculture and Forests (1979-1981), and played a defining role in the establishment of microfinance in Bangladesh as the inaugural Chairman of Grameen Bank (1983-1989) - the institution that would go on to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. He was also a member of the Bangladesh University Grants Commission (1996-1997) and has served on the Academic Council of BRAC University. In recognition of his exceptional contributions to education, the Government of Bangladesh awarded him the Ekushey Padak in 2005, one of the nation's highest civilian honours.