Independent University, Bangladesh MS student Aurpita Rani Paul from the Department of Life Sciences has been awarded the National Science and Technology (NST) Fellowship 2025–2026 under the Food and Agricultural Science category.

The fellowship is awarded by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of Bangladesh, to student researchers selected on the basis of scientific merit and alignment with national priorities, particularly in food security, agriculture, and climate resilience.

Aurpita’s research proposal, titled “Improving Heat Tolerance in Rice Variety (Oryza sativa) through CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Knockout of HTA1 Gene,” is being conducted under the supervision of Dr Sabrina M Elias, Associate Professor in the Department of Life Sciences at IUB.

The study focuses on CRISPR/Cas9 genome-editing techniques to examine the functional role of the HTA1 gene in rice under heat stress conditions. It aims to evaluate gene knockdown effects on thermal stress response in Oryza sativa, with potential applications for improving climate resilience in rice cultivation systems.

Dr Elias supervised the academic development and technical framing of the research proposal, supporting its submission for national-level competitive funding. The broader research work is also supported by the Bangladesh Academy of Sciences through a project granted to Dr Elias.