A BRIEF BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE ON PROF. ABUL M.M. SAFIULLAH
Professor A.M.M. Safiullah was born in Mymensingh, Bangladesh and had his early education in Chittagong (the then East Pakistan Cadet College, now Faujderhat Cadet College). He obtained the B.Sc. (Engg.), Civil, degree in 1969 and M.Sc. Engineering Degree (Geotechnical Engineering) in 1977 from Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology, Dhaka, and Ph.D. degree from University of Strathclyde in 1981 under a Commonwealth Scholarship.
After graduation Dr. Safiullah worked in a local Consulting Engineering firm and then joined the Design Directorate of the Water Development Board in 1971. He joined the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) as a Lecturer in Civil Engineering in 1973 and was appointed a Professor of Civil Engineering in 1984. He was Head of the Dept. of Civil Engineering (1993–95), Dean of the Faculty (1998-2000, 2001), Director, Planning and Development (1989-1993), Project Manager, University of Alberta-BUET Institutional Linkage Project (1989-93), Director, Directorate of Continuing Education at BUET (1995-2000). In August 2006 he was appointed as the 10th Vice Chancellor of BUET, a post he continued till August 2010.
Prof. Safiullah has authored papers in national and international journals and conference proceedings related to inter alia geotechnical engineering, soil characterization, ground improvement, embankments, and earth structures. He is one of the authors of the chapter for Foundation of the Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC, 1993) and Design Manual for Road Structures for Local Government Engineering Department.
Prof. Safiullah has acted as Consultant to a large number of national and international agencies on projects related to transmission towers, stadiums, ports and jetties, roads on soft ground, and major bridge projects. He was a Member of Panel of Experts (advising the Government, the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and OECF, Japan) for the Bangabandhu (Jamuna) Bridge. He was Member of a team of expert (geotechnical specialist) for the Multipurpose Cyclone Shelter Programme that prepared a Master Plan for Cyclone Shelters in the coastal areas of Bangladesh. Currently he is working as a Member of the International Panel of Experts (PoE) for the Padma Multipurpose Bridge advising the Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA) on foundation and geotechnical engineering issues.
He is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers (Bangladesh) and was the Chairman of the Civil Engineering Division for three terms. He is currently the President of the Bangladesh Society for Geotechnical Engineering a Chapter of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE) and was its first founding Secretary General. He is a Life Member and former Vice President of the National Oceanographic and Maritime Institute (NOAMI). He is the Vice President of the Board of Accreditation for Engineering and Technical Education (BAETE), Bangladesh. He is also a Member of the Bangladesh Professional Registration Board (BPERB). He had been involved in two technical committees of the ISSMGE, TC-33 (On Scour of Foundations) and TC-20 (On Engineering Practice). He is a former Member of the Bangladesh National Nuclear Safety Committee.