Biography
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Biography of Professor Mozibur Rahman Biswas
Note: Pictures included in the slideshow are not in good resolution (i.e. not high-quality images) because these are photographs of original photographs from family albums.
Early Life
He was born on October 31, 1939 in Biswas family of Satashia village in Gopalganj. He was the son of Abdul Karim Biswas (Father) and Jobeda Begum (Mother). He was born in a farming family belonging to rural power structure. He lost his mother at the age of two. He grew up with his elder sister, Rizia Begum. After his mother's passing, grandmother began looking after him and his sister. Sadly, his grandmother died soon after.
Villagers used to know Dr. Biswas in his nickname, Hiru.
He went to the primary school (equivalent to elementary school) of the village. Then he moved to his uncle's place in Chittagong (Bangladesh's port city) for middle and high schools. His uncle used to work in the Railway Office in Chittagong. Uncle admitted him to Municipality School of Chittagong. He used to stay in his uncle's house while completing middle and high schools.
Dr. Biswas passed matriculation (Secondary School Certificate exam) from the Chittagong Municipality School. After then he moved to Faridpur for his higher secondary education at a public college named, Rajendrapur College.
His father used to send him money regularly for his education (i.e. college tuition). Additionally, he tutored kids of a family to pay for his personal expenses.
Personal Life and Family
Dr. Biswas got married on March 23, 1965. His wife, Tahmina Khanam, was then an undergraduate student (Mrs. Biswas completed her B.A. degree in 1966). Their eldest son was born in 1967. Six months after the birth of his eldest son, Dr. Biswas moved to the U.S. to pursue a doctoral program in agricultural engineering. His wife and son later joined him in College Station, Texas. In the 1970s, they became parents of two more children -- only daughter and youngest son.
His wife successfully went through a teacher's training program and earned her master's degree in Bengali (Bangla) literature while raising their children.
His eldest son Dr. Wahidul Karim Biswas is a tenured associate professor of the School of Civil and Mechanical Engineering at Curtin University in Australia. His daughter Dr. Ruhina Tasmin Biswas is a specialist in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in Norway and at present working at the Oslo University Hospital. His youngest son Dr. Masudul Biswas is an associate professor of communication and emerging media at Loyola University Maryland, USA.
Dr. Biswas and his wife have 4 grandchildren.
Education and Career
Dr. Biswas was interested in studying engineering. He got admission to Ahsanullah Engineering College (currently Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology). Dr. Biswas wanted to be a mechanical engineer. Therefore, he studied mechanical engineering. He graduated from Ahsanullah Engineering College in 1961. Right after his graduation, he joined Bangladesh Water Development Board in Siddhirganj, a city in central Bangladesh, as an assistant engineer.
While he was working at Water Development Board, he applied for a faculty job at Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU, the then East Pakistan Agricultural University). He was appointed as a teacher in the Faculty of Agricultural Engineering. After teaching for a while, he got a USAID Scholarship and went to the USA in 1962 for his master's degree in agricultural engineering at Texas A&M University. He returned to Bangladesh in 1964 after successfully completing his master's degree.
Dr. Biswas posed for this picture with his Master's of Science diploma at Texas A&M University in 1964.
In the late 1960s, Dr. Biswas moved to the U.S. again to pursue a doctoral program in agricultural engineering. Dr. Biswas completed his doctoral program and earned his Ph.D. in 1970. He conducted his doctoral research on irrigation and water management.
After completing his Ph.D. program at Texas A&M University, Dr. Biswas returned to Bangladesh with his family right before the liberation war against Pakistan and for independence in 1971. He resumed his faculty role at BAU. He became a reader (associate professor) before moving to the United States. Dr. Biswas led the creation of a new academic department -- Irrigation and Water Management -- at BAU in 1973. He became the founding head (chair) of that department. Dr. Biswas became a full professor in September 1974.
The Government of Bangladesh appointed Dr. Biswas as a member of the Bangladesh Public Service Commission, a quasi-judicial position, in 1997. He served as the Commission's member from 1997 - 2001.
Learn more about Dr. Biswas's professional and academic achievements in the Academic Life section.