Salina Parvin Banu
Agricultural Sciences
Leading Bangladesh to Food Security
The OWSD award helped me not only to become the researcher I am today, but also to become a leader in research.
Salina Banu graduated from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) with a PhD in 2008 in plant pathology. She is now Chief Scientific Officer at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute.
"Scientific research is more challenging in developing countries due to the lack of resources, infrastructure, and support opportunities. Additionally, women scientists are poorly represented in developing countries especially in the selection process for international training and higher education. The OWSD award is not just about opportunity for me. As a women scientist, receiving this immense honor built my confidence to be a successful scientist after completing my PhD. I developed my knowledge and skills to do systematic research for new innovation and networking with the International science community for modern agricultural research. The OWSD award helped me not only to become the researcher I am today, but also to become a leader in research. As an agricultural scientist, I am proud to say that Bangladesh, a country of persistent food deficiency has now attained self-sufficiency, which I continue to be a part of."
