Keynote Speakers

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Day 1 – December 20 (Saturday), 2025

9:00 – 9:30 am, December 20 – Keynote I

Industry Keynote

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9:30 – 10:00 am, December 20 – Keynote II:

Brig Gen AKM Khabirul Islam, PhD
Head, Department of Industrial and Production Engineering (IPE)
Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST)
Dhaka, Bangladesh

Dr. AKM Khabirul Islam is a distinguished academic, researcher, and engineering professional with over two decades of exemplary contributions spanning academia, research, industry, and international organizations. He began his academic journey with a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (KUET), followed by a Master’s in Industrial and Production Engineering from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). He later earned his PhD in Energy Engineering from Ulster University, United Kingdom, where he conducted groundbreaking research on afordable electrode  materials for hydrogen production from wastewater, advancing the frontier of sustainable energy technology.

Dr. Islam’s professional career reflects a rich blend of industrial leadership and academic excellence. He served as Deputy General Manager at Bangladesh Machine Tools Factory Ltd., where he contributed to industrial modernization and the integration of advanced manufacturing systems. His distinguished service continued as Chief Inspector of Inspectorate of  Armament and Explosives, where he oversaw critical defense engineering operations and safety management at the national level.

In academia, Dr. Islam has built an impressive record of teaching and institutional development. He served as Instructor Class B and later Instructor Class A at the Department of Mechanical as well as  Industrial and Production  Engineering, Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST), where he taught courses on manufacturing processes, design engineering, and Renewable energy, Machien tools and Engineering materials. He later advanced to serve as Instructor Class A at the Bangladesh Military Academy (BMA), where he was instrumental in establishing the newly formed Mechanical Engineering Department, developing curricula, and designing laboratory facilities to strengthen engineering education for future defense professionals.

Currently, Dr. Islam leads as the Head of the Department of Industrial and Production Engineering (IPE) at MIST, guiding the department’s academic and research vision toward sustainable industrial development and innovation. His research interests span renewable energy, hydrogen generation, sustainable manufacturing, circular economy, and smart production systems.

Dr. Islam has undertaken extensive international research collaborations and academic visits to Spain, Australia, the Czech Republic, the USA, the UK, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, Russia, Malaysia, and Switzerland, strengthening global partnerships in hydrogen energy and clean technologies. He remains devoted to expanding hydrogen technology beyond his collaborations with the H₂ Energy Lab of Bangladesh, promoting green hydrogen research and applications to support global decarbonization.

A Fellow of the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) and recipient of  UK Department for the Economy (DfE) Fellowship, PhD Fellowship and the ALICE Project Grant (Spain), Dr. Islam continues to champion sustainable engineering, hydrogen innovation, and clean-energy technologies for a greener and more resilient future.

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10:00 am, December 20 – Keynote III:

Rear Admiral Dr. Khandakar Akhter Hossain, NUP, ndc, psc, PhD
Vice-Chancellor
Bangladesh Maritime University
Dhaka, Bangladesh

Rear Admiral Dr. Khandakar Akhter Hossain joined Bangladesh Navy in 1988. He completed both his B.Sc. and M.Sc. Engineering from BUET with distinction, securing First Class First. He also holds an MBA from the University of Dhaka. Additionally, he has earned two prestigious Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees one from BUET on Heavy Industries, and another from California, USA, focusing on Advanced Technology and Management. He held the position of Dean and

Head of the Naval Architecture and Mechanical Engineering Faculty at the Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST). He also served as Member Engineering at the Chittagong Port Authority and as Managing Director of all three major industry and shipyards operated by the Bangladesh Navy namely Chittagong Dry Dock Limited, Dockyard & Engineering Works Ltd. Khulna Shipyard Ltd. and as Commodore Superintendent at BN Dockyard. Before joining BMU university as Vice Chancellor, he held the esteemed position of Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Materiel) at Naval Headquarters.

Rear Admiral Akhter is a life time Fellow of several prestigious institutions, including the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB), the Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA), UK, and the International Association of Maritime Security Professionals (IAMSP), USA. He has authored more than 150 international publications on a wide range of subjects, including Artificial Intelligence, IoT, Robotics, Satellite Communication, Shipbuilding, Ship- recycling, Energy Solutions, Smart Port Operations, Blockchain, Machine Learning, Cryptocurrency, Quantum Technology, etc. His work has been published in leading technical journals worldwide including USA, Europe, Australia, Japan, China, and others. His few dozen of books has published in Amazon USA. His academic excellency, research, publication and focus on maritime and advanced professional technologies, reflecting his strong commitment and dedication to innovation, leadership and wisdom in both national and international arenas.

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10:30 am, December 20 – Keynote IV:

Dr. Navid Saleh
Jewel McAlister Smith Professor
Maseeh Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
University of Texas at Austin
Texas, USA

Presentation Title: Empathic design of water treatment technologies

Dr. Saleh is the Jewel McAlister Smith Endowed Professor in the Cockrell School of Engineering. His research focuses on human-centered empathic design of nano-enabled water treatment technologies. This work is centered around three thrust areas that he calls the 3E’s; i.e., Engage, Engineer, and Evaluate. Engage—community-engaged research, Engineer—community-embedded nano-enabled treatment solutions, and Evaluate—mechanistic studies on the fate of emerging contaminants and effects of climate change on water quality—will allow his research to contribute toward solving major water issues for less-fortunate communities. His core research now aims to converge Indigenous knowledge with Western scientific knowledge to seek water solutions. Saleh research group works with Zapotec communities in Mexico, Navajo and Alaska Natives in the US, and Chakma community in Bangladesh. Saleh’s research has produced 102 refereed publications and 7 book chapters with more than 12,000 citations and an h-index of 44. Saleh’s research has been recently featured in PBS NOVA’s documentary titled: Building Stuff: Change it! Dr. Saleh serves as an Editor for the Journal of Hazardous Materials and Total Environment Engineering. He served as the President of the Sustainable Nanotechnology Organization. He also sits in the Editorial Boards of Environmental Science & Technology and Environmental Science: Nano.

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11:00 am – Break

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11:30 am, December 20 – Keynote V

Dr Ahsan Habib, PhD
Professor, School of Planning, and Dept. of Civil and Resource Engineering (cross)
Dalhousie University
Scientific Director, Climate Action Research for Transportation (CART) Network
Director, Dalhousie Transportation Collaboratory (DalTRAC)
5217 Morris Street, Halifax, NS, B3J 1B6
Canada

Ahsan Habib is a transportation professor at Dalhousie University. He received a PhD degree in civil engineering from the University of Toronto in 2009. He held a professional position at the Ministry of Transportation Ontario (MTO) prior to joining Dalhousie University in 2010. He is the founder of the Dalhousie Transportation Collaboratory (DalTRAC) under the Leaders Opportunity Grant program of the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI). His research interests include travel behavior analysis, travel demand forecasting, and the microsimulation of urban systems. Dr. Habib believes multi-modal mobility options are the key to ensuring sustainability for Canadian cities.

Major Grants

• NSERC Discovery Grant, “Developing Longitudinal Bottom-up Models of Land Use, Transport and Energy Use” (PI: Dr. Habib)
• Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness, “Evaluation of Active Transportation Interventions in Nova Scotia Communities” (PI: Dr. Habib)
• Nova Scotia Department of Energy (NS DoE), “Nova Scotia Travel Activity and Emission Study” (PI: Dr. Habib)
• Marine Environmental Observation, Prediction and Response Network, “Evacuating the Halifax Peninsula: Multidisciplinary Analysis and Training to Improve Evacuation from Coastal Floods” (PI: Dr. Quigley, Co-PI: Dr. Habib)
• SSHRC Insight Grants, “Adapting to Vulnerabilities in the Transportation System’s Critical Infrastructure: Drawing Lessons for Risk Governance from the Redecking of the Macdonald Suspension Bridge in Halifax” (PI: Dr. Quigley, Co-PI: Dr Habib & Dr. Pelot [Dalhousie] and Dr. Grutz [Ryerson])
• The Province of Nova Scotia, NS DoE, “Sustainable Transportation   Indicators: Transportation Data Collection and Modelling”, (PI: Dr. Habib)
• Leaders Opportunity Fund (LOF), Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), “Dalhousie Transportation Collaboratory (DalTRAC) Infrastructure Project”, (funding partners: NSRIT and HRM), (PI: Dr. Habib)
• SSHRC Insight Grants, “Coordinating Land Use Planning in the Context of Multiple Plans”, Awarded, (PI: Dr. Grant, [Dalhousie]; Co-PIs: Drs. Habib, Manuel & Rapaport [Dalhousie] and  Dr. Filion [Waterloo])

Education

• BURP, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology
• MURP, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology
• MASc, University of Toronto
• PhD, University of Toronto

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12:00 pm, December 20 – Keynote VI:

Ms. Vaibhavi V. Chavan
Senior Lecturer in Project Management
Department: Computing and Business – Project Management
Ravensbourne University London
Greenwich Peninsula, London, UK

Vaibhavi Chavan works as a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) at Ravensbourne University London. Currently, she is also working as an External Examiner for MSc Project Management programme at Leeds Trinity University, UK. In past, she worked as a Deputy Programme Manager and Lecturer in Project Management & Engineering Management at the University of Sunderland in London. She holds an industrial experience working as a Business Consultant on client’s project at the Renfrewshire Council, Glasgow, Project Management Assistant serving two IT projects in Canberra, Australia, and a one-month Business Analytics apprentice at Simul 8 corporation in Glasgow.

Vaibhabi is a Doctoral Researcher in Project Management at Alma Mater Europaea University, Austria & Slovenia. She did her second Master’s in Business Analysis & Consulting at the University of Strathclyde, United Kingdom and completed her first Master’s degree in Project Management at the Australian National University, Australia. She has a background in Bachelor’s in Electronics & Telecomm Engineering at Shivaji University, India. She has completed her UK teaching qualifications namely, Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCE) at University of Sunderland, UK and has a Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), UK.

In past, she worked as a Project Lead for an Innovative Research Project in HE at Alma Mater Europaea University, Assistant Professor for the MBA department teaching International Business, Project Management, & Business Analytics specialisations, and guided all specialization mini-projects, master’s dissertation projects. She also worked as a Lecturer teaching Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering specialisation subjects to undergraduate students.

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12:30 pm, December 20: – Keynote VII:

Professor Javaid Butt
Professor of Manufacturing and Product Design
Birmingham City University
Birmingham, United Kingdom

Professor Javaid Butt is a recognised expert in advanced manufacturing, specialising in the interdisciplinary domains of additive manufacturing, digital twins, and Industry 4.0. He is the Director of the Smart and Sustainable Manufacturing Research Group at Birmingham City University, with a robust portfolio of externally funded projects amounting to over £6.9 million. These projects, sourced from diverse funding streams including Innovate UK, British Council, Erasmus+, Interreg North Sea Region, KTP, and KEEP+, underscore his adeptness in securing and managing substantial research grants.

The majority of his work has been in collaboration with industrial partners where he has successfully delivered impactful and innovative projects leading to patent applications, derogation claims, and commercial value in the form of new products and services.

Professor Butt’s expertise extends to the design and development of diverse manufacturing systems to various technology/manufacturing readiness levels by adeptly leveraging a range of automation principles and programming languages. These systems have been used to manufacture bespoke plastic, metal, and composite products for different industries. Professor Butt’s current research focuses on developing advanced digital twins for additive manufacturing systems through the integration of physics-based numerical simulations with data-driven machine learning algorithms.

Professor Butt holds a BSc degree in Mechatronics and Control Engineering (University of Engineering & Technology, Pakistan), an MSc degree in Advanced Mechanical Engineering Sciences/Mechatronics (University of Southampton, UK), and a PhD in Additive Manufacturing (Anglia Ruskin University, UK). Commencing his professional career at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) as a Lecturer in 2016, he rapidly ascended to the position of Associate Professor in 2020 and was appointed as a Professor of Manufacturing and Product Design at Birmingham City University in 2023.

His impactful research leadership has garnered three prestigious awards at ARU, including the Vice Chancellor’s Award in the ‘Outstanding Knowledge Exchange Collaboration’ category in 2023, Faculty of Science & Engineering Dean’s Award in the ‘Research and Partnerships’ category in 2022, and the Vice Chancellor’s Award in the ‘Outstanding Research and Innovation Established Researcher’ category in 2021.

Education

• PhD in Additive Manufacturing (Anglia Ruskin University, UK)
• PG Cert, Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (Anglia Ruskin University, UK)
• MSc Advanced Mechanical Engineering Sciences/Mechatronics (University of Southampton, UK)
• BSc (Hons) Mechatronics & Control Engineering (University of Engineering & Technology, Pakistan)

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1:00 – 2:00 pm, 

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2:00 – 2:25 pm, December 20 – Keynote VIII:

Md. Sourove Akther Momin
Senior Deputy Operative Director
Walton Hi-Tec,. Ind. PLC.
Dhaka, Bangladesh

Innovative, industrious Data Science and Applied Statistics professional with a proven record of accomplishment in applying machine learning, AI, big data analytics, and advanced statistical modeling to solve real-world industrial and business problems. A communicative and encouraging academic and industry contributor who presents ideas effectively and assists others in adopting the latest data-driven procedures.

Held a variety of academic and professional roles with responsibilities in data analysis, applied regression, time series forecasting, business intelligence, and process improvement. Experienced in bridging the gap between theory and practice by working with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to implement cost-effective, data-driven solutions. Strong technical, organizational, and leadership skills used to implement innovative projects, lead change, and promote growth through teamwork and continuous improvement.

Mr. Sourove has served Walton Hi-Tech Industries PLC (Compressor Manufacturing Unit) for the past six years, holding several positions across different departments. During this time, he has gained extensive experience in process engineering, design engineering, World Class Manufacturing (WCM) implementation, lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, 5S implementation, FMEA, root cause analysis, cutting tools engineering, metal cutting manufacturing, motor manufacturing, project management, SolidWorks design, AutoCAD design, process improvement, electrical and mechanical design, plant layout analysis, audit programs, and technical training programs. He has also worked closely with multiple suppliers to procure machinery efficiently and has been actively involved in developing organizational policies.

In these roles, he has applied statistical software, big data platforms, and AI-powered tools to design and implement solutions for production planning, supply chain optimization, and business decision-making. He has also supervised projects focusing on simulation, process mapping, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Mr. sourove has completed and delivered several trainings in applied statistics, machine learning applications, big data analytics, quality improvement, and predictive modeling, contributing to professional development for both students and industry practitioners.

In recognition of his contributions to the field, he has been assigned as a Reviewer for the 2nd IEOM 2025 World Congress in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

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2:30 – 2:50 pm, December 20, Keynote IX:

Md Ashikul Alam Khan, PhD, FHEA
Program Director, MSc Management Suite
Graduate School of Management
Birmingham City University
Birmingham, UK

After completion of higher secondary education in Bangladesh, Ashik joined Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), Cambridge, UK for studying engineering. In 2015 he gained BEng (Hons) Electronic Engineering and subsequently attained MSc. Engineering Management (2017) and PhD (2021) from the same University.

Dr Ashik’s PhD integrated the techniques of business process re-engineering and genetic algorithm to design a method to transform structured data into smart structured data for business process interdependence quantification and optimisation. He has taught at different Universities primarily in operations and supply chain management, business process modelling and simulations, business process and system analysis, digital transformation, and strategic management.

Prior to joining Birmingham City University (BCU) Ashik worked as a research assistant for Engineering Analysis Simulation and Tribology (EAST) research group (2017-2018) at ARU and as a technician in proactive control, quality, and evaluation protocol design for manufacturing SMEs and HEIs collaboration towards a common PhD path for the European Union (2018-2021). He had collaborated and worked with the number of Universities and manufacturing farms in Greece, Italy, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, and the UK. He also works as consultant for process optimisation and digital transformation.

His approach to teaching emphasises the technology enabled simulated learning environment and practical implementation.

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2:50 – 3:15 pm, December 20, Keynote X:

Dr. Md. Mazharul Habib
Director (R&D) and Centre Head
Bangladesh Industrial Technical Assistance Centre (BITAC)
Dhaka, Bangladesh

Dr. Md. Mazharul Habib is the Director (Research & Development) and Centre Head of the Bangladesh Industrial Technical Assistance Centre (BITAC), Dhaka, under the Ministry of Industries, Government of Bangladesh. With over two decades of experience, he has developed expertise in manufacturing management, industrial training, mechanical design, and production operations. Beginning his career at BITAC in 1999 as an Assistant Engineer, he advanced through the roles of Executive Engineer and Additional Director before assuming his current leadership position. Dr. Habib has led multidisciplinary teams of over 250 engineers and technicians in production control, die and mold manufacturing, and precision machining. He has coordinated major national projects serving sectors such as power, gas, fertilizer, railways, ceramics, and SMEs, driving process innovation and productivity across Bangladesh’s industrial sector. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of the West of Scotland (UWS), focusing on the effectiveness of quality tools and techniques for introducing Total Quality Management (TQM) in the Ready-Made Garment (RMG) industry. He also holds an M.Sc. in Quality Management from UWS and a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from KUET. Dr. Habib has completed several international trainings and seminars in Japan, India, Singapore, Italy, and Pakistan on die and mold design, CNC manufacturing, and industrial innovation. He has also served as an Associate Lecturer at UWS. He is a member of the Chartered Quality Institute (UK), IMechE (UK), IEB (Bangladesh), and AOM (USA), and a registered STEM Ambassador (UK).

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3:15 – 3:40 pm, December 20, Keynote XI:

S.M. Tofayel Ahmad 
Additional Director (ICT)
Bangladesh Bank
Dhaka, Bangladesh

S.M. Tofayel Ahmad is now working as Additional Director (ICT) at Bangladesh Bank, Dhaka. Before joining to Bangladesh bank he was a lecturer of CSE department of Northern University Bangladesh. He is the former Lecturer of Prime University Bangladesh,  Ideal College (NU), New Model College (NU), etc. He is Former Assistant Programmer, MoICT.

He is now adjunct faculty member of Prime University, Northern University, NAPD, Bangladesh Bank Training Academy (BBTA), Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management (BIBM), ICAB – The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh (ICAB), National Institute of Banking Technology (NIBT) and some other reputed Institutions in Bangladesh. He is one of the famous key note speakers of Bangladesh for 4IR, CPS, Cloud Computing, Information Security, ICT Security Policy & Guidelines, etc.

He has attended in many training, workshop on ICT Risk management, ICT Security, ICT Policy/Act/Guidelines, Cyber Security, BCR/DRP, IS Audit & Compliance, eCommerce, eGovernance, Embedded System, Reconfigurable computing, Instrumentation system in home and abroad.

Mr. Ahmad has written many books including three text books for BTEB. He has written (1) Multimedia and its Application (Text Book), BTEB (2) Data Structure And Algorithm (Text Book), BTEB, (3) Operating System & System Programming, (Text Book), BTEB, (4) Computer Engineering Knowledge, March, 2016, (5) Tautology (Guide Book) in 4 Vol. For CSE students.

Mr. Ahmad has edited  several ICT related guidelines, policies, frameworks for banking sector of Bangladesh including (1) “Guidelines on Cloud Computing for Banks, NBFI, PSO, PSP, MFS,etc., Vol 01, 2023”;  (2)“Cyber Security Framework for for Banks, NBFI, PSO, PSP, MFS,etc.”; (3) “Guideline on ICT Security For Banks and Non-Bank Financial Institutions,  Bangladesh Bank”; (4) “ICT Security Policy for Bangladesh Bank & Some Commercial Banks, Bangladesh”;  & BCP & DRP for Bangladesh Bank  & Schedule Bank; (5)“Core Banking Solutions Features and Control Guidelines for Banks”, etc.

Mr. Ahmad was awarded as the Best Track Paper of IEOM2012 Istanbul for one of his research papers. He is also awarded “Industry Solution Award” by IEOM2023 for contributing Cloud related activities in Bangladesh. He published 23 research papers in National/ International Journal/ Proceedings in IEEE, ACM, Scopus, IEOM, etc. on Embedded System, Reconfigurable Computing, Cloud Computing, Cyber Physical System, Security Operation Center (SOC), VAPT, Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), eCommerce /eBusiness, Financial Engineering and ICT Security & Risk management. He was nominated as Track Chair of Financial Engineering, E-Business/E-Service/e-Commerce/ Engineering Education, Cyber Security for many international conferences.

Mr. S. M. Tofayel Ahmad is ISO Certified Lead Auditor (ISMS, ISO27001) & JICA-ITEE Certified  Master Trainer (ToT).  He was the Vice President of Bangladesh Computer Society (BCS) for 2012-2014 period. His main key work area is ICT Security Guideline & Policy, ICT Risk Management & Emergency Response, Ensuring compliance of Cloud Computing, 4IR, Cyber Security.  Information System Audit & Compliance, Information Security/Cyber Security, Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Management, eProcurement Management, Backup Management, Financial Engineering and providing ICT Security Training. ICT Audit, Inspection and Compliance.

He achieved M.Sc Engg. (ICT) from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). He has also attended many professional courses in home and abroad including DLIS from University of Indonesia and DESOS from University Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR), Malaysia. He is one of the UNO, UNESCO and ICTP Scholars.

Mr. Ahmad has visited many countries including India, Indonesia Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Turkey (Istanbul), Saudi Arabia, etc. for Academic, Training, Tour and Conference purposes.

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Day 21 – December 21 (Sunday), 2025

9:30 -10:00 am, December 21 – Keynote XII:

Dr Ahm Shamsuzzoha
Associate Professor (Tenure track)
Industrial Systems Analytics
School of Technology and Innovations
Digital Economy Research Platform
University of Vaasa
Finland

Ahm Shamsuzzoha is working as an Associate Professor (Tenure track), Industrial Systems Analytics, School of Technology and Innovations, Digital Economy Research Platform, University of Vaasa, Finland since 01 June 2023. He is also working as an Adjunct Professor (Docent) at Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at University of Turku, Finland and Visiting Professor, Daffodil International University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Dr. Shamsuzzoha worked as an Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman and Associate Professor at Department of Industrial and Production Engineering, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Bangladesh. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Rajshahi University of Science and Technology, Bangladesh, Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering, University of Strathclyde, United Kingdom and Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering and Management, University of Vaasa, Finland. He published/accepted 104 refereed journal articles and 99 conference articles so far. His research interests are mainly focused on green and sustainable innovation, eco-friendly logistics and supply chain management, digitalization of entrepreneurship, etc.

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10:00 – 10:30 am, December 21 – Keynote XIII:

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10:30 – 11:00 am, December 21 – Keynote XIV:

Dr Shakil Quayes
Chair
Department of Economics
University of Massachusetts Lowell
Health & Social Sciences Building 339
Lowell, MA, USA

Shakil Quayes is a Professor at the University of Massachusetts Lowell based in Lowell, Massachusetts. Previously, Shakil was an Associate Professor at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. After earning his Ph.D., Shakil Quayes taught at Arizona State University, Georgia Southern University, Southeastern Louisiana University, and the Rochester Institute of Technology. He also worked for the Australia New Zealand Bank for a period of three years prior while pursuing his graduate studies. He has published 36 journal articles, and has presented research papers 36 national and international conferences.

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11:00 am, December 21 – Break

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11:30 am – 12:00 pm, December 21 – Keynote XV:

Dr. Shameem Ahmed
Associate Professor
Department of Computer Science
Western Washington University
Bellingham, Washington, USA

Dr. Shameem Ahmed is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Western Washington University (WWU). He co-founded WWU’s Neurodiversity Center and established the NEAT (Next Generation Effective Affective Technology) research lab in 2016, alongside Dr. Moushumi Sharmin. NEAT is an interdisciplinary group focused on designing technology for neurodiverse individuals through Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) approaches. The lab has graduated 59 students, including neurodiverse individuals now working at top organizations like Microsoft, Amazon, and Boeing. Currently, Dr. Ahmed co-directs the NEAT lab, guiding research on using AI, wearables, and mobile technology to understand and address challenges faced by neurodiverse individuals. His work has been published in leading computer science conferences such as ACM SIGCHI, ACM CSCW, and ACM ASSETS. Dr. Ahmed earned his B.S. in Computer Science and Engineering from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), followed by two M.S. degrees in Math and Computer Science from Marquette University and Computer Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). He completed his Ph.D. in Information Science at UIUC under the guidance of Professor Kate Williams. He joined WWU as an Assistant Professor in 2015.

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12:00 – 12:30 pm, December 21 – Keynote XVI:

Brig Gen S M Lutfor Rahman
Vice Chancellor
Bangladesh Army University of Engineering Technology
Qadirabad Cantonment, Natore, Bangladesh

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12:30 – 1:00 pm, December 21 – Keynote XVII:

Ferdous Sarwar, PhD
Professor 
Department of Industrial & Production Engineering
Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology
Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh

Dr. Ferdous Sarwar is a Professor at the Department of Industrial & Production Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka, Bangladesh. His areas of expertise include: 12 years of engineering research experience, 10 years of engineering project management experience, 4 years of experience focused on manufacturing, research, and development of microelectronic components, hands-on experience in flip chip, SMT, MEMS, laser processing, photolithography, wire bonding, and die attach process, strong background in SPC techniques, DOE, APQP, QFD, FMEA, DMAIC & Six-Sigma methods and experience in selection and characterization of materials for microelectronics manufacturing such as TEM, SEM, FESEM and XRD. Dr. Sarwar has published papers in conferences and journals. He received Bachelor of Science (BS) and Master of Science (MS) in Industrial and Production Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Bangladesh and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Manufacturing Engineering from North Dakota State University, USA.