Md Asif Al Suny, an alum and former adjunct faculty of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) at Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB), has secured a fully funded PhD position in Optics at the University of Rochester, USA. Starting Fall 2026, Asif plans to pursue advanced research in the fields of nonlinear optics and metasurfaces, two rapidly evolving areas at the forefront of modern photonics research.

Asif began his academic journey at IUB in 2020 and graduated from the EEE Department in 2023 with an exceptional CGPA of 3.90, earning the distinction of being ranked first in his graduating class during IUB’s 25th Convocation. Throughout his undergraduate studies, he was included in the Vice Chancellor’s Honor List on 9 occasions and consistently maintained a 100% merit scholarship.

Following graduation, Asif joined the EEE Department as an adjunct faculty, teaching multiple courses across various topics for more than two years while continuing his research. A significant portion of his time at IUB was devoted to the IUB Photonics Simulation Laboratory (IUBPSL), a research group in the EEE Department under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Mustafa Habib Chowdhury, Head of the EEE Department.

At IUBPSL, Asif conducted advanced research on high-efficiency thin-film solar cells employing nanophotonic light-trapping structures using the Ansys-Lumerical simulation platform. His research contributions have resulted in multiple publications in prestigious peer-reviewed Scopus-ranked Q1 journals, including Nanoscale Advances published by the Royal Society of Chemistry in 2026. He has also contributed to six peer-reviewed Scopus-indexed IEEE conference publications and personally presented two of these research papers at international conferences.

He also received a fully funded PhD offers from the University of North Texas, USA, and offers for graduate studies from the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor, the University of Arizona, Boston University, and Washington University in St. Louis.

Asif said, "The EEE curriculum and the rigorous research culture at the IUBPSL under the supervision of Dr. Mustafa Habib Chowdhury helped me build a profile capable of securing funded admission offers from top US universities.”

He also said, “My teaching experience in the EEE Department also strengthened my application by demonstrating my ability to contribute as a graduate teaching assistant. I am deeply grateful to my supervisor and the faculty members who supported me throughout the admission process and provided strong letters of recommendation.”

Asif attributes much of his success to the unconditional support of his family. A graduate of Rotary High School and Notre Dame College in Dhaka, he is the youngest child in his family. His late father was a government employee, and his mother is a homemaker. His elder brother is also an electrical engineer, and his elder sister is an entrepreneur.

Asif’s long-time supervisor Prof. Chowdhury said, “The EEE department extends heartfelt congratulations to Asif on this extraordinary accomplishment. His success stands for the quality of education, research excellence, and mentorship culture fostered within the department. It also serves as an inspiration to current and future generations of students aspiring to pursue advanced studies and impactful research on the global stage.”

Founded in 1850, the University of Rochester – based on New York – is one of the leading private research universities in the USA, global rankings of 236 in QS World University Rankings 2026 and 127 in Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2026. For nearly a century, the Institute of Optics at Rochester has served as a global leader in optics and photonics education and research, producing generations of scientists, engineers, and industry leaders.

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