Mohammed Abu Naser (2 April 1921 – 12 May 2004) was a Bangladeshi educator. He was the 2nd vice-chancellor of

Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, commonly known by the acronym BUET, is a public technological research university in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Founded in 1876 as the Dacca Survey School, it is the oldest institution for the study ...

(BUET). He is a recipient of the

Ekushey Padak Ekushey Padak ( bn, একুশে পদক; lit. "Twentyfirst Award") is the second highest civilian award in Bangladesh, introduced in memory of the martyrs of the Bengali Language Movement of 1952. The award is given to recognize contribut ...

, one of the highest civilian awards in Bangladesh.

Early life and education

Naser was born in

Munshiganj District Munshiganj ( bn, মুন্সীগঞ্জ), also historically known as Bikrampur, is a district in central Bangladesh. It is a part of the Dhaka Division and borders Dhaka District. Geography Total land area is 235974 acres (954 km2), ...

in erstwhile

East Pakistan East Pakistan was a Pakistani province established in 1955 by the One Unit Scheme, One Unit Policy, renaming the province as such from East Bengal, which, in modern times, is split between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India ...

to his parents Mr. M. Ismail Ali Khan and Abida Begum. He began his early education at the Kazir Pagla A. T. Institution at

Lohajang Upazila Lohajang ( bn, লৌহজং eaning ''rusting of iron'' is an upazila of Munshiganj District in the Division of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Geography Lohajang is located at on the south bank of Padma River. It has a total area of 130.12 km2. Dem ...

in Munshiganj. In 1937 he passed the Matriculation Examination in the First Division. He completed the Intermediate Examination from the B. M. College,

Barisal Barisal ( or ; bn, বরিশাল, ), officially known as Barishal, is a major city that lies on the banks of the Kirtankhola river in south-central Bangladesh. It is the largest city and the administrative headquarter of both Barisal Dist ...

. He received the B.Sc (Hons.) and M.Sc. degrees, in Chemistry from the

University of Dhaka The University of Dhaka (also known as Dhaka University, or DU) is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the oldest university in Bangladesh. The university opened its doors to students on July 1st 1921. Currently i ...

, in 1942 and 1943 respectively. Then he went to the Bengal Engineering College at Shibpur, West Bengal to study

Chemical Engineering Chemical engineering is an engineering field which deals with the study of operation and design of chemical plants as well as methods of improving production. Chemical engineers develop economical commercial processes to convert raw materials int ...

. He got a scholarship to study for his M.S. in Chemical Engineering at

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, USA. This was a notable achievement for him to be selected for such a scholarship in undivided India. In 1962 he again went to United States for his Ph.D. He completed his Ph.D. in four years. Of four years, he spent about two years at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, and then he went to

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

to complete the rest of his Ph.D.. He went to London under a fellowship from the

Nuffield Foundation The Nuffield Foundation is a charitable trust established in 1943 by William Morris, Lord Nuffield, the founder of Morris Motors Ltd. It aims to improve social well-being by funding research and innovation projects in education and social pol ...

to study for a year at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

In 1955.

Career

After returning to East Pakistan, Naser first joined at the Industries Ministry, and then joined at the Directorate of Technical Education. After a short while he joined the faculty in ''Ahsanullah Engineering College'' (later became BUET). In 1970 he became the vice-chancellor of BUET and continued holding his position after the liberation of Bangladesh. Naser is credited for the first convocation of BUET which was held in 1973. He became the chairman of the University Grants Commission in 1975. He retired from this position in 1980. He was a professor emeritus of Chemical Engineering in BUET until his death.

Achievements

Naser received the

in 1987. ''Dr M. A. Naser Trust Fund'' is introduced at BUET to offer scholarship for poor and meritorious students of the university.

Death and legacy

Naser died on May 12, 2004. He had four children and eight grandchildren. Khan H. Zahid, the second son, is currently the chief economist and vice president of

Riyad Bank Riyad Bank is one of the largest financial institutions in Saudi Arabia, ranked fourth in assets

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Naser, M. A. University of Dhaka alumni Education in Bangladesh Recipients of the Ekushey Padak 2004 deaths 1921 births Vice-Chancellors of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology Indian expatriates in the United States Pakistani expatriates in the United States