Assalamualaikum

Warahmatullahi
Wabarakatuh
Outline of today’s talk

1. Self introduction
2. Definition: research
3. Muslim Heritage of Science & Technology
4. Some Tips (advice) for Research
 Area
147,570 km2 (94th)
55,599 sq mi 
Population
162,221,000[2] (7th)
1,099.3/km2 (9th)
2,917.6/sq mi
Dhaka, the capital of
Bangladesh, is known as
‘The City of Mosques’.
(there more than 1,000
Mosques in Dhaka only)
The villages are the true countryside of
Bangladesh and almost always have green
paddy fields
Mouth watering jack fruit

Jackfruit
Bangladesh is a land of rivers. About 800 rivers including tributaries flow through the
country constituting a waterway of total length around 24,140 km [

The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on

Climate Change has estimated that 17 percent of
Bangladesh will be submerged under water by 2050,
if sea levels rise by 3.3 feet due to climate change.

Shitalakshya River
 フリガナ ﾓﾊﾏｯﾄﾞ ｱｽﾞﾊ ｳｯﾃﾞｨﾝ バングラデシュ、オーストラリア
男 国籍
氏　　名 Md. Azhar Uddin gy: AvRnvi DwÏb Bangladeshi, Australian
〒 700-0082
生年月日（年齢） 昭和 36 年 4 月 13 日生 (13 April, 1961) 現住所
岡山市津島中 1-4-1-505 号
学　　　　　歴 (Educational)
年　　　月 事　　　　　項
昭和５５年　４月～昭和５９年　８月 Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka, Bangladesh( 大学 )
August,1984 　 Bachelor of Science in Engineering (Chemical)
昭和６３年４月 (April-Sept, 1988) 広島大学 (Japanese Language Course at Hiroshima University for 6 Months)
昭和６３年１０月～平成　１年　４月 岡山大学　工学部　大学院工学研究科　合成化学専攻（修士課程）修了　
October 1988 – March 1991 　 Okayama University, Faculty of Engineering, Dept. Syn. Chem. M.Sc. (Synthesis Chemistry) 　　　　
平成　３年　４月～平成　６年　３月 東京工業大学　理工学研究科　化学専攻（博士後期課程）入学 Tokyo Institute of Technology;
April 1991 – March 1994 博士（理学）（東京工業大学）の学位授与　 Doctor of Science (Catalytic Chemistry)
職　　　　　歴 (Job & Professional)
年　　　月 事　　　　　項
昭和５９年　 11 月～昭和 64 年 3 月 Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation, Bangladesh, Assistant Chemical Engineer, 入社
September 1984 – March 1988
平成６年４月 1 日～平成１４年１月 岡山大学助手（工学部）採用 Okayama University, Faculty of Engineering, Dept. Applied Chemistry; Research
April 1994-January 2002 　　　 Associate
平成１２年　５月～平成１４年　１月 School of Chemistry, The University of New South Wales 客員研究員（平成１２年９月まで）
May 2000 – January 2001
　平成 14 年 1 月～平成１６年　２月 School of Engineering, Discipline of Chemical Engineering, The University of Newcastle, Australia, Senior Research Associate
January 2002 – February 2004
平成１６年２月～平成 16 年 9 月 29 日 School of Chemical Engineering and Industrial Chemistry, The University of New South Wales, Australia, Senior Research Associate 採用 ,
February 2004 – September 2004
平成 16 年 10 月 October 2004 – March 岡山大学助手（環境学研究科）採用 Okayama University, Faculty of Env. Sci. & Tech. Dept. Env. Chem & Mat.
2005 岡山大学准教授（環境学研究科） ( 研究員 ) 現在に至る Associate Professor
平成 17 年 4 月 April 2005-

学会・社会における活動 Professional Society

年　　　月 事　　　　　項

昭和６３年　４月 化学工学会会員　 Society of Chemical Engineers, Japan

平成　３年　４月 日本石油学会 Petroleum Society of Japan
平成　３年　４月 触媒学会 Catalysis Society of Japan
平成　３年　４月 ゼオライト研究会 Zeolite Research Association of Japan
平成　７年　４月 プラスチック化学リサイクル研究会 Research Association for Feedstock Recycling of Plastics, Japan
平成　 16 年　 4 月 日本エネルギー学会会員 Japan Institute of Energy
Research Interests:
◆ Preparation, characterization and application of novel solid catalytic
materials to environmentally friendly and energy efficient processes.

◆ Development of microporous and mesoporous materials such as

activated carbon, zeolite and mesoporous silica for the adsorption
removal of air pollutants.

◆ Development of catalytic processes for thermochemical conversion of

woody biomass into synthesis gas (hydrogen, CO).

◆ Development of solid sorbents for elementary mercury (Hg) capture

from coal combustion flue gas and coal gasification fuel gas.

◆ Development of catalysts for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (hydrocarbon

synthesis from CO and H2).

◆ Development of novel processes for the chemical and energy

recycling of waste plastic polymers and rubbers.

Publications (1994-2010): 3 book chapters, 100 refereed papers and 6 patents

Teaching Activities:

◆ Physical Chemistry,
◆ Thermodynamics,

◆ Chemical Reaction Engineering,

◆ Energy and Entropy,
◆ Environmental Catalysis, and
◆ Technical English (Reading & Writing)
 What is Research?
• Research is a process of investigation. An
examination of a subject from different poi
nts of view.
• Research is a hunt for the truth. It is
getting to know a subject by reading up
on it, reflecting, playing with the ideas,
choosing the areas that interest you and
following up on them.
• Research is the way you educate yourself.
 More about research
• Research is the systematic process of coll
ecting and analyzing information to increas
e our understanding of the phenomenon u
nder study.

• It is the function of the researcher to

contribute to the understanding of the
phenomenon and to communicate that
understanding to others.
 Type of Research
Basic research or fundamental research (sometimes pure
research) is research carried out to increase
understanding of fundamental principles. Many times the
end results have no direct or immediate commercial
benefits: basic research can be thought of as arising out
of curiosity. However, in the long term it is the basis for
many commercial products and applied research.

The primary purpose for applied research is

discovering, interpreting, and the development of
methods and systems for the advancement of human
knowledge on a wide variety of scientific matters of
our world and the universe.
Muslim heritage of Science & Tec
hnology
Source: Muslim Heritage
Source: Muslim Heritage
Muslim heritage of Science & Technology
• Islam encourages and urges its followers to learn, read, write
and do research. Here are some proofs of the attitude of the r
eligion of Islam towards education, learning and scientific thin
king:
1. The first verses revealed in the Holy Quran say (what means):
"Read in the name of the Lord, who created man from congealed
blood." This means that the first revealed word was "read". This
reflects the importance of reading and learning according to
Islam.
2. The Holy Quran repeatedly orders Muslims to contemplate the
universe, creatures, animals, seas, stars, the human body and
plants.
3. The Holy Quran is scientific in its approach and thus it gives
Muslims an example of scientific objectivity and the scientific
approach. The Holy Quran often gives proofs to its statements.
4. The scientific approach of the Holy Quran is also clear when the
Holy Quran requires proofs from the disbelievers for whatever
claims they make.
Muslim heritage of Science & Technology
5. The Holy Quran gives another example of scientific objectivity
by repeatedly blaming disbelievers for their blind imitation of th
eir forefathers. This is certainly an invitation from the Holy Qur
an to the believers and people to think independently and critic
ally. Independent thinking is an essential condition for creativit
y, which is the first condition to scientific innovations and techn
ological progress.

6. Prophet Muhammad, urged his Companions to use their own j

udgment if they faced problems to which there was no specific
solution in the Holy Quran or the traditions of Prophet Muham
mad . This encouragement of free judgment is a green signal t
hat stimulates people to think, but without going against the pri
nciples of Islam.

7. Prophet Muhammad, ordered people to record knowledge in b

ooks.
 Science Alone Is not Enough!
• As we know, Islam as a religion holds that science alone i
s not enough to bring real progress. In many countries th
at are technologically advanced, we notice that technolog
y itself may create serious problems to those countries an
d other countries.

• For example, Science has led to the invention of atomic b

ombs that are capable of destroying a whole city with its
millions of civilians in a minute. Killing one million civilians
or more in a minute is a terrible act of brutality. This act is
the product of Science with the absence of true religion. A
ccording to Islam, civilians should not be harmed during
war.

• However, if Science is accompanied with the practice of t

he true religion and submission to Allah, it will be used to
serve man and not to torture or destroy him.
 Muslim heritage of Science & Technology
During the Muslims Era(6th-16th century) or called as Golden Era of the World, the most
remarkable developments of the history took place that shaped up the world immensely.
These developments became the basis of many inventions that were made centuries later.
Father of Chemistry: Jabir Ibn Haiyan
ABU ABDULLAH AL-BATTANI (Astronomy)
Great Optician: ABU ALI HASAN IBN AL-HAITHAM
ABU AL-NASR AL-FARABI( Logic, sociology, philosophy)
Master Physician:  ABU MARWAN IBN ZUHR (Averroes)
Doctor of Doctors: Ibn Sina (Avicenna)
ALI IBN RABBAN AL-TABARI (Physician , mathematician,
sociology)
Greatest Botanist and Pharmacist of the Middle Ages: IB
N AL-BAITAR

AL-FARGHANI (astronomer)
Ibn Battuta - The Incredible Traveler
Father of Surgery: ABU AL-QASIM AL-ZAHRAVI (Abulcasis)
ALI IBN RABBAN AL-TABARI (Physician)
Discoverer of Pulmonary Circulation : IBN AL-NAFIS
IBN RUSHD (Philosophy ,Logic)
MOHAMMAD IBN ZAKARIYA AL-RAZI (Chemist, Philosopher)
One of the Greatest Mathematicians: MOHAMMAD BIN MUS
A AL-KHAWARIZMI

NASIR AL-DIN AL-TUSI ( philosopher, mathematician,

astronomer, theologian and physician)
Thabit Ibn Qurra (mathmatician)
OMAR AL-KHAYYAM (mathematician, astronomer, philosopher,
physician)
YAQUB IBN ISHAQ AL-KINDI (philosopher, mathematician,
physicist, astronomer, physician)
AL-IDRIS(Botony)
ABUL WAFA MUHAMMAD AL-BUZJANI (Mathematician)
We need to be proud of our Glorious past,
our heritage.
If we did it before,
we can do it again!

If science is accompanied with the practice of the true religion and

submission to Allah, it will be used to serve man and not to torture
or destroy him.
Some Tips (Advice) for Research
 E R
A NG
D

Course of students Course of researchers

What is academic research?
Academic research is made of two essential ingredients.
Communication and implementing new ideas.

Both of these ingredients are essential. Great writers or

speakers do not necessarily make good researchers.
Also, people who can put in practice great ideas do not
always make great researchers.

You need to enjoy communicating your ideas. You need

to enjoy looking for new ideas.
 Target

Breakthrough

Tunnel
Tunnel Applications
Fundamentals

Research
Research is art

Research is art, there is no right way to do research. So far,

many people believe in three general rules:

1. don’t be isolated… be part of a network

2. be open minded

3. don’t copy or try to be fashionable, always

try to go further and lead
Research is time consuming
Research does take time.

Even the most brilliant scientists need time to get results.

If you have a job while you are working on your Ph.D.,

always allocate research time first. Do not worry, you will
find time for your other duties.

Yes, this means working week-ends. Most professors work

during week-ends.

Success is completion or you have to get things done!

You want to make a lot of money? Start your own business.

■ The secret of success is to DO THINGS, e.g. solve
problems, prove theorems, build systems as early as
possible. Apart from good grades, publications make a very
good impression.

■Quality matters more than you think.

■ Basically, you must complete your work, finish the

thesis you started, complete the last run of experiments
for the paper you are writing.
 Be determined
Is being smart important?
Quite possibly, but it is not necessarily the most important quality.
Desperate and determined researchers win every time.

This implies two things:

Being smarter is not as much of an edge as you may think.
If you are too confident, over time, the desperate lesser
researchers will pass you by.

If you are not the cleverest person in your grad school, you
can make it up by your determination.
 Goal Goal
Step-by-step
approach

Don't get hung up trying to understand everything at the outset

The biggest challenge you face at the onset of any new project
is that there is a huge (seemingly overwhelming) amount of
stuff you need to know to tackle your problem properly.
Publish early and often
Whenever you have a really good idea, don’t spend
too long before publishing it.

Don’t sit on ideas until you can perfect them.

If you had the idea, someone else can also

have it and publish it first.
The secret to success in academia is content reuse.

Most people, in a given year, will only create very little new
content.

Most of what we output is recycled. Courseware is recycled

all the time.

We even reuse other people’s work (such as when we use

a textbook in a course).

If you really like what you are doing, you will go the extra
km and produce good quality: if you hate what you are
doing, producing high quality will seem like hard work. So
good quality content is a way to test your heart out.
Recycle, recycle, recycle

It takes a long time to learn about a new field.

Changing application area is fine, but you should

always try to recycle what you already know.

Don’t continuously start from scratch. The secret

to success is building on what you have done
and what you know better than anyone else.
This means that you should be extra careful
about what topics you pick: pick hard
problems.
Choosing a research topic is a puzzle
Many academics describe the act of choosing a research
topic as a puzzle.

You can’t foresee what needs to be done.

You can’t foresee what the largest breakthrough in your
field will be.
You should be on the lookout, but don’t aim straight at it.

Instead, focus on little things that you can do better than

most people and listen to what people around you are
saying.

A good strategy for a thesis is to learn to do one thing

very well, one thing where you have no competition, and
then you apply it to different problems. As long as all of
this is novel and non-trivial, and you produce enough
work, it qualifies for a good Ph.D. thesis.
Research is about marketing your ideas

Marketing is extremely important in research.

It doesn’t work like other businesses, It is not free of
politics, it doesn’t happen in an nice office, it is full of
intellectual people and extremely competitive. It is not
about getting passing grades. It is not about doing what
you are told.
As a Ph.D. student you are not an employee, the professor’s
helper or his secretary. It is most certainly not a routine job.
You are not a soldier on the field following orders. You are
someone building “something” on your own (mostly).

If You find new results which are better than the

previous ones, then explain to your supervisor why
your results are interesting.
Three Rules for Successful Scientific Research ：

“Raise your quality standards as high as you can live with,

avoid wasting your time on routine problems, and always try to
work as closely as possible at the boundary of your abilities.
Do this, because it is the only way of discovering how that
boundary should be moved forward.”
“We all like our work to be socially relevant and scientifically
sound. If we can find a topic satisfying both desires, we are
lucky; if the two targets are in conflict with each other, let the
requirement of scientific soundness prevail.”
“Never tackle a problem of which you can be pretty sure that
(now or in the near future) it will be tackled by others who are,
more competent and well-equipped than you in relation to that
problem.”
 The Spinach Principle
ほうれんそう
　
報　連　相
ほうれんそう　
HOURENSOU 　
報 報告 Report, Inform
連 連絡 Contact, communicate, get in touch
相 相談 Consult, discuss
　　　夢のある者には、希望がある。
A person who has a dream, has a hope...

　　　希望のある者には、目標がある。
A person who has a hope, has a target....

　　　目標のある者には、計画がある。
A person who has a target, has a plan...

　　　計画のある者には、行動がある。
A person who has a plan, has an act...

　　　行動のある者には、実績がある。
A person who has an act, has a result…

　　　実績のある者には、反省がある。
A person who has a result, has a reflection...

　　　反省のある者には、進歩がある。
A person who has a reflection, has a progress...

　　　進歩のある者には、夢がある。
A person who has a progress, has a dream...
「一人はみんなのために、みんなは一人のために」
One for All, All for One

One for All, All for Won

 Thank you very much for your kind attention!

May Allah bless our efforts in the service of Muslim Ummah.