Haseena Khan

Haseena Khan
হাসীনা খাঁন
Born	Gendaria, Old Dhaka, Bangladesh
Alma mater	University of Dhaka
Known for	Contribution to Jute genome decoding
Awards	Independence Day Award, 2019
Scientific career
Fields	Genetics, Biochemistry
Institutions	University of Dhaka

Haseena Khan is a Bangladeshi scientist, professor and fellow of Bangladesh Academy of Sciences. She is known for her lead on decoding Genome of Tenualosa ilisha from the river Padma. She was awarded Independence Day Award, the highest state award given by the government of Bangladesh for her contribution on research and training.^[1] Haseena Khan is also known for her contribution to jute genome decoding under Maqsudul Alam's lead.^[2]

Biography

Begum Haseena was born in Gendaria, Old Dhaka to a Bengali Muslim family of Dhakaiya heritage. Her father, Muhammad Abdul Khaleq, was a government employee whilst her mother, Begum Khodeza Khatun, was a housewife. Haseena was eighth among nine siblings. Two years after birth, the family moved to transferred to Kolkata, West Bengal as her father was serving as an Ambassador there. As a result, she spent her childhood in Kolkata.^[3] Haseena Khan is married and mother of one daughter.^[4]

Education

Khan started her schooling at a Missionary School, Queen of The Mission in Kolkata. In 1960, her family moved back to Old Dhaka and she enrolled into Saint Xavier School, Lakkhibazar. She finished her O-level in 1970.^[3] Khan passed her HSC from Holy Cross College in 1974 and enrolled in the Department of Biochemistry at Dhaka University. She completed her graduation in 1976. In 1985 Khan received her PhD in Molecular Biology from University of Sussex, England.^[5]

Work

Khan started her career as lecturer at Dhaka University in 1982.^[4] After completing her PhD in England, she joined Biochemistry Department as an Assistant Professor. She is the head of the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department of Dhaka University from 1995. She has also served as chairman of Department of Genetics and Biotechnology from 2001 to 2005. Currently she is working as a fellow at the Bangladesh Academy of Sciences and Member, University Grants Commission, Bangladesh.^[6][5][2] In 2018, Haseena Khan and her team decoded the genome sequence of Bangladesh's national fish, Ilish with the "Tenualosa ilisha Genome Project".^[7][8]

Award and achievements

1. UNESCO/ROSTSCA Award for Young Scientist, 1989 ^[5]
2. Bangladesh Academy of Sciences, M O Ghani Gold Medal, 2011 ^{[citation needed]}
3. For contribution on discover genome sequence of Jute, Kazi Mahbubuddin Gold Award, 2015 ^{[citation needed]}
4. Mani Singh-Farhad Memorial Trust Award, 2016^{[citation needed]}
5. Independence Day Award, 2019 ^[9]

References

1. "13 to get Independence Award". The Daily Star. 10 March 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
2. বিজ্ঞান গবেষণায় এগিয়ে যাচ্ছেন নারী. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). 5 January 2016. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
3. স্বপ্নপথের যাত্রীা. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). 5 February 2011. Archived from the original on 11 March 2018. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
4. "Details of Dr. Haseena Khan". Dhaka University. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
5. "Bangladesh Academy of Science: Professor Haseena Khan". Archived from the original on 12 May 2012. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
6. "The Promise of Bio-tech: Haseena Khan". Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
7. Das, Avizit; Ianakiev, Peter; Baten, Abdul; Nehleen, Rifath; Ehsan, Tasneem; Ahmed, Oly; Islam, Mohammad Riazul; Naser, M. Niamul; Marma, Mong Sano (22 December 2018). "Genome of Tenualosa ilisha from the river Padma, Bangladesh". BMC Research Notes. 11 (1): 921. doi:10.1186/s13104-018-4028-8. ISSN 1756-0500. PMC 6303923. PMID 30577879.
8. "Hurrah for hilsa, again". The Daily Star. 7 January 2019. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
9. "13 to get Independence Award 2019". The Independent. Retrieved 28 March 2019.