Faculty Profile

Dr. Md Ashrafuzzaman

Professor

Contact Information

  • Office Address: Department of Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet-3114, Bangladesh
  • Phone: +8801304189111
  • Email: azamangeb-gen@sust.edu, azamanbt@gmail.com

Biography

Dr. Md Ashrafuzzaman was born in a small rural village Katabhanga, district Chuadanga, country Bangladesh in 1981. He started his primary education at Udaypur Govt. Primary School and completed the Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSC) in 1997 from Katabhanga High School. After that, he did his Higher Secondary School Certificate Examination (HSC) in 1999 from Kushtia Govt. College, Bangladesh. Later, he completed his Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) honours in Agriculture and Master of Science (MS) in Biotechnology from Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh in 2005 and 2007, respectively. He was appointed as a faculty member (Lecturer) in the Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST), Sylhet-3114 in 2010, later promoted as Assistant Professor in 2011, Associate Professor in 2018 and Professor in 2021. He achieved another MSc degree in Plant Biotechnology from Wageningen University (WUR), Netherlands in 2015. In the year of 2018, he has been awarded PhD degree from the Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation (INRES), University of Bonn, Germany.
Research Profile:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=42aeZzUAAAAJ (Google Scholar)
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Md-Ashrafuzzaman-9 (ResearchGate)
ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8564-7943
https://publons.com/researcher/2198910/md-ashrafuzzaman-phd/ (Publons)

Education

  • PhD from University of Bonn with Very Good grade (Magna cum laude), Germany, Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation (INRES) (2015-2018)
  • MSc in Plant Biotechnology with 7.53 average grade point (In a scale of 10), Wageningen University, Netherlands (2013-2015)
  • Research internship at Plant Breeding Department, INRES, University of Bonn, Germany (2014)
  • MS in Biotechnology with CGPA 3.922 (In a scale of 4) and B.Sc. in Agriculture (Hons.) with 69.20% marks (Pass Marks 33%) from Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh (2001-2007)

Research Interests

  • Plant growth development and yield
  • Plant stress physiology and molecular biology
  • Effects of environmental factors on crop production and quality
  • Abiotic stress tolerance in crops
  • Protected Cropping
  • Plant Biotechnology
  • Molecular Plant Breeding

Active Research Project

  • 1. Ozone tolerant rice for Bangladesh: From molecular understanding of tolerance mechanisms to field application, Coordinator, Bangladesh part, International Coordinator: Professor Dr. Michael Frei, Funding: German Research Foundation (DFG), Germany, Project ID FR2952/5-1, 2019-ongoing
  • 2. Improvement of salt and submergence tolerant rice through genetic engineering approach to bring food security with environmental safety in Bangladesh, Co-Investigator/Consultant, Project Director: Prof. Dr. Md. Shamsul Haque Prodhan, Funding: United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Previous Research Project

  • 1. Evaluation of salinity tolerance in Bt Brinjal genotypes to cultivate in the salt prone areas of Bangladesh SUST Research Centre, Principal Investigator, Funding: SUST Research Centre, Bangladesh, 2020-2021, Project ID: LS/2020/1/16
  • 2. Test of ethylenediurea (EDU) as a biomonitoring and screening tool to diagnose ozone damage in field-grown rice (Oryza sativa L.), Principal Investigator, Funding: SUST Research Centre, Bangladesh, 2019-2020, Project ID: LS/2019/1/11
  • 3. Morphophysiological and biochemical characterization of Bt Brinjal varieties and their ancestor genotypes Principal Investigator, Funding: SUST Research Center, Bangladesh, 2021-2022, Project ID: LS/2021/1/15
  • 4. Improvement and Adaptation of Malta (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck) in Sylhet Region Through Genetic Engineering Approach funded by Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), Bangladesh
  • 5. Improvement of Strawberry (Fragaria ananassa) through tissue culture funded by National Museum of Science and Technology, Agargaon, Dhaka, Bangladesh
  • 6. Worked as a Research Fellow in the Biotechnology Laboratory, Plant Breeding Division, Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA), Mymensingh, Bangladesh period of June 2007 to June 2008 in projects entitled of “Selection for Greater Agronomic Water Use Efficiency in Rice under Salt Affected Conditions” funded by IAEA and “Speeding the Development of Salt-tolerant Rice Varieties through Marker-assisted Selection and their Dissemination in Salt-affected Areas of Bangladesh” funded by International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).

External Affiliations

  • Academic Editor, PLOS ONE Journal
  • Ad hoc reviewer for the Journal of Experimental Botany, Science of the Total Environment, Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, Environmental and Experimental Botany, Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, Frontiers In Sustainable Food Systems, Environmental Advances, Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution, Environmental Science and Pollution Research, Journal of Plant Growth Regulation
  • Life member of Ecological Society of Bangladesh
  • Life member of Bangladesh Association for Biotechnology (BABT)
  • Life member of Plant Breeding and Genetics Society of Bangladesh
  • Gemeral Member, Bangladesh Association for Plant Tissue Culture and Biotechnology
  • General Member, Global Network of Bangladeshi Biotechnologists (GNOBB)
  • Life member, Alumni Association of German Universities in Bangladesh (AAGUB)
  • Member, Bangladesh Krishibid Institution, Bangladesh
  • Alumni, DAAD, Germany
  • Alumni Hollandalumni, Netherlands
  • Alumni, University of Bonn, Germany
  • Alumni, Wageningen University, Netherlands

Journal Publications

  • 1. Chowdhury AT, Hasan MN, Bhuiyan FH, Islam MQ, Nayon MRW, Rahaman MM, Ashrafuzzaman M., Prodhan SH. et al. (2023) Identification, characterization of Apyrase (APY) gene family in rice (Oryza sativa) and analysis of the expression pattern under various stress conditions. PLOS ONE 18(5): e0273592. Impact Factor: 3.240 (Indexed in SCI and SCOPUS)
  • 2. Hasan, M. N., Bhuiyan, F. H., Hoque, H., Jewel, N. A., Ashrafuzzaman, M., & Prodhan, S. H. (2022) Ectopic expression of Vigna radiata’s vacuolar Na+/H+ antiporter gene (VrNHX1) in indica rice (Oryza sativa L.). Biotechnology Reports, 35, e00740. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.btre.2022.e00740
  • 3. Rahman, M.M., Ibrahim, M., Muktadir, M.A., Sadeque, A., Abdel Latef, A.A.H., Ashrafuzzaman*, M. (2022). Rice: Role and Responses Under Abiotic Stress. In: Sustainable Remedies for Abiotic Stress in Cereals. (eds Abdel Latef, A.A.H.). Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-5121-3_6
  • 4. Hasan, M.N., Hossain, M.A., Burritt, D.J., Ashrafuzzaman*, M. (2022). Cereals and Phytohormones Under Ozone Stress. In: Sustainable Remedies for Abiotic Stress in Cereals. (eds Abdel Latef, A.A.H.) Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-5121-3_18
  • 5. Sunny, A. R., Sazzad, S. A., Prodhan, S. H., Ashrafuzzaman, M., Datta, G. C., Sarker, A. K., Rahman, M., Mithun, M. H. (2021). Assessing impacts of COVID-19 on aquatic food system and small-scale fisheries in Bangladesh. Marine Policy, 126, 104422. Impact Factor: 4.173 (Indexed in SSCI and SCOPUS, Elsevier Publisher)
  • 6. Ashrafuzzaman, M., Henry, R. and Frei, M. (2021) Molecular Breeding for Improving Ozone Tolerance in Rice: Recent Progress and Future Perspectives. In Molecular Breeding for Rice Abiotic Stress Tolerance and Nutritional Quality (eds M.A. Hossain, L. Hassan, K.M. Ifterkharuddaula, A. Kumar and R. Henry). https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119633174.ch9 (Wiley Publisher)
  • 7. Alam, S.M., Latef, A.A.AH., Ashrafuzzaman*, M., (2021) Ozone and Enzymatic and Non-Enzymatic Antioxidant Enzymes in Plants: In Organic Solutes, Oxidative Stress, and Antioxidant Enzymes Under Abiotic stressors (ed. Latef, A.A.A.H.). DOI: 10.1201/9781003022879-17 (CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group)
  • 8. Sunny, A. R. , ProdhanS. H., Ashrafuzzaman M., Sazzad S. A., Rahman S. M. A., Billah M. M., Hussain M., Rahman M., Haider K.M. N., Alam M. T. (2021) Livelihoods and Vulnerabilities of Small-Scale Fishers to the Impacts of Climate Variability and Change: Insights from the Coastal Areas of Bangladesh. Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries, 25(4), 549–571. (Indexed in SCOPUS)
  • 9. Sunny, A.R., Mithun, M.H., Prodhan, S.H., Ashrafuzzaman, M., Rahman, S.M.A., Billah, M.M., Hussain, M., Ahmed, K.J., Sazzad, S.A., Alam, M.T., Rashid, A., Hossain M. M. (2021) Fisheries in the Context of Attaining Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Bangladesh: COVID-19 Impacts and Future Prospects. Sustainability, 13, 9912. Impact Factor: 3.251 (Indexed in SCIE, SSCI and SCOPUS, MDPI Publisher)
  • 10. Hasan, M. N., H. Bhuiyan, F., Hoque, H., Jewel, N. A., Ashrafuzzaman, M. & Prodhan, S. H. (2021) The Effect of Plant Growth Regulators (PGRs) on Efficient Regeneration of 12 Recalcitrant Indica Rice (Oryza Sativa L.) Genotypes. American Journal of Biochemistry and Biotechnology. 17(2), 148-159. (SCImago JR: 0.161 H-Index-31)
  • 11. Ashrafuzzaman, M., Ueda, Y., Frei, M., (2020) Natural sequence variation at the OsORAP1 locus is a marker for ozone tolerance in Asian rice. Environ. Exp. Bot. 178, 104153. Impact Factor: 5.545 (Indexed in SCI and SCOPUS, Elsevier Publisher)
  • 12. Begum, H, Alam, MS, Feng, Y, Ashrafuzzaman, M., et al. (2020) Genetic dissection of bread wheat diversity and identification of adaptive loci in response to elevated tropospheric ozone. Plant Cell, & Environment. 1– 16. Impact Factor: 7.228 (Indexed in SCI and SCOPUS, Wiley Publisher)
  • 13. Ali, B., Pantha, S., Acharya, R., Ueda, Y., Wu, L., Ashrafuzzaman, M., Ishizaki, T., Wissuwa, M., Bulley, S., Frei, M., (2019) Enhanced ascorbate level improves multi-stress tolerance in a widely grown indica rice variety without compromising its agronomic characteristics. J. Plant Physiol. 240, 152998. Impact Factor: 3.549 (Indexed in SCI and SCOPUS, Elsevier Publisher)
  • 14. Bezouw, R.F.H.M., Janssen, E.M., Ashrafuzzaman, M., Ghahramanzadeh, R., Kilian, B., Graner, A., Visser, R.G.F., van der Linden, C.G., (2019) Shoot sodium exclusion in salt stressed barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is determined by allele specific increased expression of HKT1;5. J. Plant Physiol. 241, 153029. Impact Factor: 3.549 (Indexed in SCI and SCOPUS, Elsevier Publisher)
  • 15. Bierschenk B, Tagele MT, Ali B, Ashrafuzzaman Md, Wu L-B, Becker M, et al. (2020) Evaluation of rice wild relatives as a source of traits for adaptation to iron toxicity and enhanced grain quality. PLOS ONE 15(1): e0223086. Impact Factor: 3.240 (Indexed in SCI and SCOPUS)
  • 16. Ashrafuzzaman M., Haque Z., Ali B., Mathew B., Yu P., Hochholdinger F., … Frei M. (2018) Ethylenediurea (EDU) mitigates the negative effects of ozone in rice: insights into its mode of action. Plant, Cell & Environment. 41(12):2882-2898. Impact Factor: 7.228 (Indexed in SCI and SCOPUS, Wiley Publisher)
  • 17. Ashrafuzzaman, M., Lubna, F. A., Holtkamp, F., Manning, W. J., Kraska, T., & Frei, M. (2017). Diagnosing ozone stress and differential tolerance in rice (Oryza sativa L.) with ethylenediurea (EDU). Environmental Pollution, 230, 339350. Impact Factor: 8.071 (Indexed in SCI and SCOPUS, Elsevier Publisher)
  • 18. Ueda, Y., Frindte, K., Knief, C., Ashrafuzzaman, M., & Frei, M. (2016). Effects of Elevated Tropospheric Ozone Concentration on the Bacterial Community in the Phyllosphere and Rhizoplane of Rice. PLOS ONE, 11(9), e0163178. Impact Factor: 3.240 (Indexed in SCI and SCOPUS)

Conference

  • 1. Ashrafuzzaman, M., Begum, S., Islam M. M. (2022) Ethylenediurea (EDU): A Promising Ozone Biomonitoring and Crop Breeding Tool for Developing Countries, Bangabandhu International Conference on Sustainable Agriculture, 19-21 January, 2022. Mymensingh, Bangladesh (Oral Presentation, Virtual)
  • 2. Ashrafuzzaman, M. (2022) Evaluation of salinity tolerance in Bt Brinjal genotypes to cultivate in the salt prone areas of Bangladesh, 9th Annual Conference of SUST Research Centre, 28-29 May, 2022, Sylhet, Bangladesh (Oral Presentation, Virtual)
  • 3. Actively participated in TROPAG Conference, 31 October–2 November, 2022, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
  • 4. Ashrafuzzaman, M. (2021) Test of ethylenediurea (EDU) as a biomonitoring and screening tool to diagnose ozone damage in field-grown rice (Oryza sativa L.) 8th Annual Conference of SUST Research Centre, 30-31 May, 2021, Sylhet, Bangladesh (Oral Presentation, Virtual)
  • 5. Frei, M., Ueda, Y., Ashrafuzzaman, M., Begum, H., & Naz A.A., (2018) Breeding of ozone tolerant cereal crops: progress and prospects, International Conference on Ozone and Plant Ecosystems, 21-25 May, 2018. Florence, Italy
  • 6. Ashrafuzzaman, M., Haque Z., Mathew, B., Manning, WJ., Yu, P., Hochholdinger, F., & Frei, M. (2018) Insights into the mode of action of ethylenediurea (EDU) as an antiozonant in rice (Oryza sativa L.), International Conference on Ozone and Plant Ecosystems, 21-25 May, 2018. Florence, Italy (Oral Presentation)
  • 7. Tropentag international conference, 20-22 September 2017, Bonn, Germany (Participated actively and contributed as volunteer in the organizing committee)
  • 8. Ashrafuzzaman, M., Haque, Z., Mathew, B., Manning, WJ., Yu, P., Hochholdinger, F., & Frei, M. (2017) Test of ethylenediurea (EDU) as a biomonitoring and screening tool to assess ozone damage in rice (Oryza sativa L.). 3rd Asian Air Pollution Workshop (AAPW-3). 20-22 October, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan (Poster Presentation)

Teaching

  • M.Sc. courses: Advanced Plant and Agricultural Biotechnology and Crop Protection and Post-Harvest Technology
  • Undergraduate courses: Plant Biotechnology, Plant Cell and Tissue Culture, Plant Breeding, Basic Plant Science, Agriculture Biotechnology, Principles of Genetics, Molecular Markers and Diagnostics, and Environmental Biotechnology

Awards & Recognition

  • International conference participation grant, Theodor-Brinkmann-Graduate School, University of Bonn, Germany (2018)
  • IPID4all (International promovieren in Deutschland–für alle), International conference participation grant, Bonn Graduate Center, University of Bonn, Germany (2017)
  • Research Fellow, Ministry of Science, Information and Communication Technology, Government of Peoples’ Republic of Bangladesh (2007)
  • Netherland Fellowship Program (Nuffic) scholarship for MSc study (2013-2015)
  • Doctoral Research Scholarships for foreign students – FRQNT (DE), Canada (2015)
  • Merit Scholarship Program for foreign students (PBEEE), Canada for PhD study (2015)
  • German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) research scholarship for PhD study (2015-2018)
  • Faculty Award for the Best PhD Thesis, University of Bonn, Germany (2019)

Graduate Supervision

  • 1. PhD student (03) MSc thesis (06) and a number of B.Sc. student’s research projects