Sefatul Wasi, a graduate student of Computer Science at Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB), has been selected for the 2026 Hyogo University Mobility in Asia and the Pacific (HUMAP) Scholarship Programme.

He will undertake a one-academic-year research exchange at the University of Hyogo in Japan, beginning in autumn 2026. His acceptance was confirmed on 6 July.

Wasi is the first graduate-level student from IUB to join the programme under a memorandum of understanding signed by IUB and the University of Hyogo in 2023. The agreement aims to promote research collaboration and academic mobility between the two institutions.

During his stay in Japan, Wasi will be supervised by Dr Syoji Kobashi, Professor at the Graduate School of Engineering and the Advanced Medical Engineering Research Institute.

His research will focus on improving the detection of fractures in pelvic X-ray images.

Wasi’s home supervisor is Dr Saadia Binte Alam, Associate Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at IUB, while his co-supervisor is Dr Md Rashedur Rahman, Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at IUB.

Wasi is the fourth IUB student to be selected for the HUMAP programme and the first to participate at the graduate level.

The university’s previous participants in the programme were Nushrat Afroz Roza in 2023, Siam Tahsin Bhuiyan in 2024 and Zayan Zaman in 2025.

Dr Saadia Binte Alam and Dr Md Rashedur Rahman have supervised IUB students participating in the HUMAP programme since the partnership between the two universities was established.

Wasi currently works as a Research and Development Officer in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at IUB. He also collaborates with the Medical Imaging Research and Analysis Wing of the Center for Computational and Data Sciences.

He completed his Bachelor of Science in Computer Science at IUB in 2023 and is expected to complete his Master of Science in Computer Science at the university in summer 2026.

“This programme is a natural continuation of the work I’ve been doing since my undergraduate studies as a medical vision researcher,” Wasi said.

“I’m looking forward to deepening my research experience through my work with Dr Kobashi’s research group and bringing that experience back to further strengthen collaboration between IUB and the University of Hyogo,” he added.

The HUMAP Scholarship covers the cost of the mobility programme and provides participating students with a monthly stipend.