Professor Dr Md Mojammel Haque formally assumed office as the Vice-Chancellor (VC) of Habiganj Agricultural University (HAU) on Monday, receiving a warm welcome from teachers, students, officers and staff members of the university.

The newly appointed vice-chancellor joined his office at around 2:00pm and was greeted with floral bouquets and felicitations at a reception organised on the university campus. Faculty members, officials and employees from different departments attended the programme and exchanged views with the new VC. Local journalists and representatives from various professions were also present.

Earlier in the day, the Ministry of Education issued a gazette notification appointing Prof Mojammel Haque, a senior academic of the Department of Food Engineering and Tea Technology at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST), as the vice-chancellor of Habiganj Agricultural University for a four-year term.

Theatre ti notification, signed by Assistant Secretary Md Sultan Ahmed of the Secondary and Higher Education Division, stated that the appointment was made by order of the President, who serves as the chancellor of public universities. It also noted that the chancellor retains the authority to revoke the appointment if deemed necessary.
A distinguished academic and researcher, Prof Mojammel Haque has been associated with SUST’s Department of Food Engineering and Tea Technology since its inception in the 2004–05 academic session. As the department’s most senior faculty member, he has played a pivotal role in its development and served as department head for nine years between 2008 and 2017. He is currently serving as Director of the Centre of Excellence at SUST.

He completed both his undergraduate and postgraduate studies at Bangladesh Agricultural University before earning the prestigious Japanese Government MEXT Scholarship. He later obtained his master's and PhD degrees in agricultural science from Chiba University in Japan.

Prof Mojammel Haque is also widely recognised for his contributions to research. More than 90 of his scientific papers have been published in national and international peer-reviewed journals. His research interests include food processing and preservation, food chemistry, tea science, soil microbiology and soil management.

Beyond academics, he has been actively involved in teachers' welfare activities. He served as General Secretary of the Shahjalal University Teachers’

Association in 2012 and was elected Vice-President of the association in 2016.
Speaking briefly after taking charge, the new vice-chancellor expressed his commitment to advancing the university in the fields of education, research and innovation.

With the collective efforts of teachers, students, officers and staff, Habiganj Agricultural University can be transformed into a modern, research-oriented and internationally recognised institution, he said.

Prof Mojammel Haque succeeds Prof Dr Syed Sayem Uddin Ahmed of Sylhet Agricultural University’s Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, who had been serving as vice-chancellor since October 1, 2024.

Teachers, students and university employees expressed optimism that the appointment of the new vice-chancellor would inject fresh momentum into the university’s academic and research activities and contribute to its long-term development.