Emeritus Professor Dr Shahjahan Khan, OAM, a Bangladeshi-origin academic and community leader, was formally invested with the Order of Australia Medal (OAM), one of Australia’s highest civilian honours, at a ceremony in Brisbane today.

The medal was presented by Queensland Governor Dr Jeannette Young AC PSM.

The award was announced on Australia Day, January 26, 2026, by Governor-General of Australia Sam Mostyn AC in recognition of Professor Khan’s significant and sustained contribution to Australian academia and the community over three decades, said a press release.

Professor Khan migrated to Australia in 1992 after completing his PhD in Mathematical Statistics from Western University, Canada. 

He joined the University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ) in 1993 and became its founding Chair in Statistics. He later served in several academic and research leadership positions, including as Research Director.

He was appointed Professor Emeritus by UniSQ in 2022, becoming the first academic of Bangladeshi origin to receive the distinction from the university. UniSQ also introduced the Professor Shahjahan Khan Scholarship for international students in 2023.

A prolific researcher, Professor Khan has supervised 20 PhD students and published more than 260 journal articles. He has delivered numerous keynote addresses and research workshops and has authored books published by Springer.

His contributions have earned several international academic honours, including the ISESCO Gold Medal and ISOSS Gold Medal.

Beyond academia, Professor Khan has made extensive contributions to multicultural and community development in Australia. As founding president of the Islamic Society of Toowoomba, he played a key role in establishing the city’s first mosque and later led efforts to rebuild the Garden City Mosque after it was twice damaged by fire in 2015.

His community service has earned numerous Queensland government, police and university awards.

Professor Khan also served as Vice Chancellor of the Asian University of Bangladesh from 2022 to 2026 and is an Expatriate Fellow of the Bangladesh Academy of Sciences.