The Jahangirnagar University Research Society (JURS) organised its first international conference on interdisciplinary research on Saturday (29 August) at Jahangirnagar University in Savar, Dhaka.

Titled the JURS International Conference on Interdisciplinary Research for Sustainability, Innovation and Global Challenges (JICIRSIGC 2026), the one-day hybrid conference brought together 265 participants from Bangladesh and abroad, including researchers, academics, students, policymakers, industry professionals and research enthusiasts.

Held under the theme “From Discovery to Impact: Interdisciplinary Research for Sustainable Futures”, the conference featured oral and poster presentations, national and international speakers, four thematic tracks and Best Paper Awards.

The tracks covered Social Science, Governance and Development; Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Deep Learning and Statistics; Public Health, Biostatistics, Bioinformatics and Life Sciences; and Environment, Climate and Sustainability Sciences.

Discussions focused on governance, democracy, social inclusion, AI and data science, public health, biotechnology, climate change, biodiversity, sustainability and the green economy.

Best Paper Awards were presented across all four tracks. Track 1 winners were Tausif Fuad of the University of Dhaka for the poster category and Progya Paromita Karmakar of the University of Dhaka for the oral category.

Ratna Dip Lodh of the University of Dhaka and Mrinmoy Saha of Bangladesh University of Professionals won the poster and oral awards respectively in Track 2. In Track 3, the awards went to Md Rifaet Hossain of the University of Asia Pacific and Noor-E-Meem of the University of Dhaka. Track 4 winners were Sadia Islam Tanha of Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University and Marjia Khanam Juthi of Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University.

Among the distinguished speakers were Syed Moinuddin Satter, Associate Scientist and Project Coordinator at icddr,b, and Hironari Onishi, Team Leader at JICA, Japan.

Onishi highlighted the importance of basic research in developing new technologies and stressed the role of international support in strengthening research capacity.

Chief Guest Professor Dr Mohammad Kamrul Ahsan, Vice-Chancellor of Jahangirnagar University, said interdisciplinary research is essential to addressing contemporary challenges. He urged young researchers to identify research gaps, critically examine existing knowledge and contribute new knowledge.

Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Administration) Professor Mohammad Nazrul Islam and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education) Professor Md Shamsul Alam also attended the event.

The conference provided researchers from diverse disciplines with an opportunity to exchange ideas, build collaborations and contribute to the wider research community, marking a step forward in JURS’s efforts to promote research and innovation for sustainable development.