Tazrian Noor, a graduate and former Research Engineer in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) at Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB), has secured a fully funded PhD position in Applied Science and Technology at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (N.C. A&T), USA.

He left for the USA on August 12, 2026, and starting this Fall, he will begin his doctoral study focusing on near-field optical spectroscopy tools for the characterization of conventional and emerging semiconductor materials.

Getting a fully funded PhD offer in USA straight after a bachelor's degree is unusual, as most international applicants first earn a master's degree to build the research record such positions demand. Tazrian’s years of research at IUBPSL, two Q1 journal articles, eight IEEE conference papers, and hands-on work with industry-standard simulation tools set him apart.

Tazrian began his undergraduate studies at IUB in Spring 2020 with a 100% merit scholarship and graduated in 2023 with a CGPA of 3.67. He received the Cum Laude distinction at IUB’s 25th Convocation and was included on several of the university’s academic honor and merit lists during his undergraduate studies.

As an undergraduate student, Noor joined the IUB Photonics Simulation Laboratory (IUBPSL), a research group under the Department of EEE supervised by Prof. Dr. Mustafa Habib Chowdhury, Head of the Department of EEE. Tazrian’s research at IUBPSL focused on computational photonics, optoelectronic device modeling, nanophotonics, and semiconductor technologies.

Following graduation, Noor continued at IUBPSL as a Research Engineer and contributed to two IUB-sponsored research grant projects from 2024 to 2026. His work focused on the computational design and optimization of thin-film solar cells, including lead-free perovskite photovoltaic devices incorporating nanophotonic light-trapping and plasmonic metal nanostructures. He used different Ansys Lumerical simulation tools to study the optical and optoelectronic performance of photovoltaic devices.

“Tazrian’s sustained involvement in research at IUBPSL allowed him to develop the technical and research skills required for advanced study in photonics and semiconductor technologies. His transition to a funded doctoral program reflects the foundation he built through his academic and research work at IUB,” said Prof. Chowdhury.

During his time at IUBPSL, Tazrian co-authored two research articles published in Scopus-ranked Q1 journals and contributed to eight peer-reviewed IEEE conference publications, serving as lead author in three. A conference paper he co-authored under an IUB-sponsored research grant received the Best Paper Award in the Poster Paper Presentation category at the 2025 IEEE International Conference on Quantum Photonics, Artificial Intelligence, and Networking (QPAIN).

Tazrian also served for more than a year as a Student on Duty in the Department of EEE, assisting instructors in several courses. He identified his EEE coursework, final-year design project, research experience at IUBPSL, and mentorship under Prof. Chowdhury as key components of his preparation for doctoral study.

“My coursework, research experience at IUBPSL, and teaching responsibilities in the EEE Department helped me build the academic and technical foundation for doctoral study. I am grateful to my supervisor and the faculty members of EEE for their guidance and support throughout my undergraduate and research journey,” said Noor.

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (N.C. A&T), located in Greensboro, North Carolina, is a public land-grant research university founded in 1891. N.C. A&T is known globally for its programs in engineering, science, and technology.

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