Call for applications for membership

of National Young Academy of Bangladesh (NYAB)

 Online application for NYAB membership 2021 is open!!

Applications must be submitted by Sunday, 31st October, 2021, 23:59 hours BST.

Applications are sought from young  academics, researchers and scholars holding Bangladeshi nationality who combine the highest level of research excellence with a demonstrated passion and commitment for the advancement of science extending beyond their workplaces.

Discipline: The call is open to all scholars working in any research-based discipline, including the sciences, medicine, engineering, social sciences, the arts and humanities, business and law.

Excellence: Applicants must be able to demonstrate a high level of excellence in their discipline, being among the best in their age-group within the country, preferably with excellence recognised at an international level.

Impact: National Young Academy of Bangladesh looks forward to a broad range of programmes around the country  to support young scholars, promote science to a broad audience, engage in policy debate, and foster international and interdisciplinary collaboration. Applicants should provide evidence of interest or experience in one or more of these areas.

Age/career point: Applicants should be in the early years of their independent careers. The NYAB members should not be older than 43 years at the time of application and the typical period from completion of a PhD or similar degree should be 3-10 years. Highly motivated applicants falling outside these ranges may be considered under exceptional circumstances, (for example: such as maternity, prolonged illness etc) on providing a satisfactory justification.

Diversity: We encourage applications from all qualified candidates, irrespective of gender, discipline, region etc.  Scholars working in government, industry, policy and non-governmental sectors are also welcome to apply.

Expectations: Each NYAB member is expected to attend the NYAB Annual General Meeting each year and is also expected to actively contribute to one or more of the organisation’s programmes. The NYAB is envisioned to be an active and examplary organisation, and being a member will require a time commitment on each member’s part. In the event that applicants are selected as new NYAB  members, they should be available to attend the next Annual General Meeting, which is tentatively scheduled at the end of 2021.

The NYAB was launched in 2019 with 20 members.  In 2020 another 20 members were recruited. This year another 20 members will be selected. Membership is for 5 years.

Apply right now by clicking below. (You will need a google/gmail username and password; kindly create if you do not have already.)  You may come back later to fill in incomplete segments, but the application should be complete by 11:59 pm BST on 31st October, 2021. 

Link to application form (https://forms.gle/kAyEmLYxZAZ5fWNU6)  

Supplementary information: The concept of a Young Academy 

The decade or so following a PhD is typically very productive for a scientist. The needs and issues facing a scientist in this age-group can be very different from a senior and established scientist. This is also a time when such a scientist can and should contribute more meaningfully to the larger society and nation.

Worldwide this has gradually been appreciated and so far over forty countries have established independent National Young Academies (NYAs) with around ten other countries having similar bodies (https://globalyoungacademy.net/national-young-academies/). Several more are in the pipeline. The NYAs are usually established with full support from the national senior Academy of Sciences. In our region, now India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have their own National Young Academies.

This new paradigm has received full support from leading international bodies such as the IAP: The Global Network of Science Academies and The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) for the advancement of science in developing countries. Renowned world leaders in science policy such as Professor Howard Alper, former Co-Chair of IAP, and Professor Bruce Alberts, former Editor-in-Chief, Science, have written and spoken extensively in support of this concept.

Even amidst the fledgling academic atmosphere of Bangladesh, we still have some excellent, sharp and brilliant young academics. They are often isolated and have remained in the country only due to their dedication and patriotism. Their voices are seldom heard on matters of national scientific interest, yet they represent the future of the country. To bring them together on one platform, the National Young Academy of Bangladesh (NYAB) was formally launched in 2019.

Further information on NYAB is available at https://nyabangladesh.org, while information on NYAs around the world, curated by the Global Young Academy, is available at https://globalyoungacademy.net/national-young-academies to address further queries that you may have in this regard.