Dhaka Bureau: Two Bangladeshi women have made it to the list of Asia’s top 100 scientists for their special contribution to research. They are Child Health Research Foundation (CHRF) scientist Senjuti Saha and Dhaka University professor Gausia Wahidunnessa Chowdhury. Recently, the Singapore-based science and technology magazine ‘Asian Scientist’ published the list of Asia’s top 100 scientists in 2023.
These two have settled there. Senjuti Saha, one of the top scientists in the country, got a place on the list for her role in life science. He is championing equity in global health research. His team was the first to uncover the genetic makeup of the coronavirus in Bangladesh. Apart from this, Senjuti Saha has discovered that the chikungunya virus can cause meningitis not only in the blood but also in the brains of children.
Another Bangladeshi scientist, Gausia Wahidunnesa Chowdhury, has been listed for his contribution in the ‘Sustainability’ sector. He received the WSD-Elsevier Foundation Award in 2022 for his contribution to the conservation of aquatic ecosystems and endangered species. Apart from this, he works to raise awareness about the risk of plastic pollution. This scientist is playing a role in empowering poor and marginalized women by teaching them how to make products like carpets from abandoned fishing nets. Through this, they are contributing to the protection of the aquatic ecosystem as well as creating an alternative source of income for the women.
He is a member of the Zoological Society of Bangladesh. “Asian Scientist” magazine said this list includes all the researchers who are contributing to the improvement of human life and the environment through unique work in their respective fields. Researchers in Asia continue to dream big and serve marginalized populations. They have overcome obstacles with the help of their team and achieved great success.
Among them, reducing the rate of new HIV/AIDS infection to 50 percent in the last decade in Malaysia and identifying the link between the chikungunya virus and meningitis among Bangladeshi children
