Internationally renowned academician Professor Dr. Md. Rafiqul Islam Sardar has been appointed
Vice-Chancellor of Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) for a four-year term. The President of
Bangladesh and Chancellor of the university made the appointment on Tuesday (September 8, 2026).
Prof. Sardar, a BAU graduate, is the university’s 27th Vice-Chancellor. He is a senior professor of
the Department of Fisheries Biology and Genetics under the Faculty of Fisheries and has also been
serving as the Student Affairs Adviser. He obtained his B.Sc. in Fisheries (Honours) in 1987 and
M.Sc. in Fisheries Biology and Limnology in 1988 from BAU, securing first position with First
Class in both examinations. He received the University Award in 1995 for his outstanding academic
performance. He earned his PhD from the University of Stirling in the United Kingdom in 1998 and
subsequently completed postdoctoral research in Japan under the STA Fellowship in 2000 and in
Germany under the DAAD Fellowship in 2012. Prof. Sardar joined BAU as a Lecturer in 1991 and
became Professor in 2005. During his career, he served as Dean of the Faculty of Fisheries, Head of
the Department of Fisheries Biology and Genetics, Director of the Fish Museum and Germplasm
Centre, Provost of Fazlul Haque Hall and Convener of the Deans’ and Provosts’ Councils. He has
been serving as President of the Bangladesh Agricultural University Teachers’ Association
(BAUTA) since February 2024. He previously served as its General Secretary in 2015. His research
expertise includes fish breeding, molecular genetics and biotechnology. More than 35 MSc and
eight PhD students have completed their research under his supervision. He has also developed four
fishery technologies suitable for field-level application. Prof. Sardar has served as Principal
Investigator of 21 research projects funded by national and international organizations. He has
participated in academic and research programmes in several countries and attended numerous
international seminars and symposia. He is a member of several national and international
professional organizations, including the Asian Fisheries Society and the Fisheries Society of
Bangladesh. Prof. Dr. Md. Rafiqul Islam Sardar is married and has a daughter and a son.