Fellow

Dr. Md. Abdul Latif

(Fellow, 2021)

Dr. Md. Abdul Latif graduated from the Faculty of Agriculture of Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh in 1987. He obtained MS in Plant Pathology in 1992 from Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University ‍and subsequently did PhD in Molecular Biology at Universiti Putra Malaysia in 2001. Dr. Latif, an internationally reputed Plant Pathologist and currently serving as the Director (Administration and Common service) of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI). He was the former head of the Plant Pathology Division from 23/10/2014 to 8/7/2023 and during the tenure he also acted as the Program Leader of the Pest Management Program Area. 

Dr. Latif published 172 articles in the peer-reviewed journals. Among them, 127 published in internationally reputed journals with good impact factors. As per the Google Scholar, the total citation of his articles is 5090. His Hirsch-index now stands at 28 by the Scopus and 41 by the Google Scholar (https://bit.ly/319z7Tn). The cumulative impact factors of his research articles are 272.063. Dr. Latif also published two book chapters in the books published by Springer Nature, one in Greenleaf Publishing in association with GSE Research, Brisbane, Australia, another two in Universiti Putra Malaysia Press and IntechOpen. He is serving as one of the Editorial Board members of several national and international journals including, BioMed Research International (Academic editor), Genetics and Molecular Research (Editor), Bangladesh Rice Journal (Associate editor).

The Major discoveries of Dr. Latif’s research include identification of genes of rice blast, bacterial blight, tungro, brown plant hopper resistance and fragrance QTLs of rice [Sci. Rep. 12, 18820; Physiol. Mol. Biol. Plants. 28(2), 455-469; Entom. Expt. et Appl.162: 60–68; CR Biologies 336:125-133; Mol. Biol. Reports 40: 2503-2515; Biotech. Lett. 35: 799-810, Euphytica, 204: 557–569; Gene, 555(2), 101-107]. Findings of his basic research have been utilized for the improvement of blast and bacterial blight resistant rice varieties [Plant Disease 100(10): PDIS-12-15-1486; Physiologia Plantarum 149: 432–447; J. Phytopathol. https://doi.org/10.1111/jph.13000]. Dr. Latif successfully used the identified linked SSRs for marker-assisted selection for the development of rice blast, bacterial blight and submergence tolerant rice varieties [Frontiers in Plant Science 6, 1002; Euphytica. 213: (1); Plant Mol. Biol. Rep. 30: 79-86].

For his outstanding research accomplishments, Dr. Latif has won the Bangladesh Academy of Sciences-Dr. M Innas Ali Memorial Gold Medal Award 2021 in the field of biological sciences. He was awarded as a national science and technology fellow under the Ministry of Science and Technology, Bangladesh. For his outstanding research performances, he was also awarded as a postdoctoral and a senior research fellow to work at the Universiti Putra Malaysia. In both programs, he developed bacterial blight and blast resistant advanced lines. Dr. Latif contributed significantly to the advancement of basic and applied research at BRRI particularly the development and fine-tuning of rice production package for Bangladesh, where he received the outstanding award from Department for International Development (DFID), UK in 2004. His findings were published in a top-ranking journal (Field Crops Research, 2004, Vol. 93: 281-292). He received two silver and three bronze medals due to his research innovation during 2011-2012. For his outstanding performance on rice disease resistance and cold tolerance breeding program, Dr. Latif was awarded Transforming Rice Breeding-BRRI project annual prize during 2017 and 2019 at BRRI.

Dr. Latif has secured more than TK. 100 million of 4 research grants from both national and international grants to undertake his high impact research activities on the development of rice diseases resistant varieties and nanopesticides. Dr. Latif successfully completed 19 research projects at home and abroad. 

Dr. Latif supervised 21 MS and 10 PhD students of Universiti Putra Malaysia, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, BSMR Agricultural University, National University, Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University, IUBAT. Dr. Latif also mentored four post-doctoral fellows in UPM, Malaysia during 2013-14.

Finally, his research activities mainly focus on the development of disease resistant traits through marker-assisted breeding. In addition to fundamental research accomplishments, Dr. Latif took part actively in the development of 25 rice varieties including the latest Bangabandhu dhan100. All those varieties are cultivated intensively across the country that has impacted tremendously on livelihood improvement of the farmers and food security of the nation.