Day: October 1, 2025
Bangladeshi Talents Shine at Global Undergraduate Awards 2025
The Global Undergraduate Awards (GUA) 2025, the most recognised pan-disciplinary undergraduate awards programme in the world, honoured outstanding undergraduate research and innovation at its yearly award ceremony in Dublin, Ireland. The event united some of the finest students and aspiring academicians from 48 different countries who made original contributions to solving real-world problems. This year, Bangladesh achieved a remarkable milestone as Ridwan Noor Nafis won the Global Award in the architecture and design category. He won with his work, Urban Tune-Up: Architectural Packages of Block-based Rooftop Spaces as Containers of Public Life, which re-visualises the rooftops of Dhaka city as repurposed public spaces where people can meet and socialise and, more crucially, engage with the city and its urban nature. He is a graduate of BUET and was hired as one of the lead illustrators in a local newspaper during his university years—an experience that immensely impacted his design thinking. Nafis does not see architecture as a tool for converting shared stories into space but as a means to fix forms. His design philosophy draws on empathy and inclusiveness to make cities more functional and joyful. In the future, he wishes to investigate the overlap between urban design, the city, and environmental performance, and to be part of building a sustainable and socially presentable city. Bangladesh had another significant achievement in the 2025 Highly Commended segments. Out of 11 nominated individuals, 5 are from Bangladesh, nominated in the architecture and design category: 4 from the Department of Architecture, BUET, and 1 from the Department of Architecture, CUET. Jahra Jarin Jemi, a Lecturer at Shanto-Mariam University of Creative Technology, was nominated for her project, Life Between the Tides – Building Resilience for Manta Community in Transition. Nusrat Nasrin Ananna, a graduate of CUET, was nominated for her undergraduate thesis project titled “Unveiling Biodiversity: A Natural History Museum Complex for Discovering the Treasures of Bangladesh”. The project serves as an innovative and comprehensive hub for the exploration and preservation of the region’s rich biodiversity. Maisha Tasnim was nominated for her work “Beyond Shelters: Weaving Resilience, Livelihood, and Identity in Mongla, Bagerhat”. Sakib Nasir Khan, currently working as a part-time lecturer at BUET, was nominated for his work “The Transition: Adaptive Post-Disaster Shelters for Dense Urban Community Recovery”, marking his second consecutive commendation. Aniqa Ibnat was nominated for her thesis “Cyclic Home: Rethinking Roof as Floating Structure in Flood-Pronounced Bangladesh”. The Global Undergraduate Awards is a non-profit organisation in Dublin, established in 2008 and presided over by Michael D. Higgins, president of Ireland. Top undergraduate work is identified through impartial and collaborative consideration across 25 categories by international academics and industry practitioners. Today, the top 10 percent of entries are named Highly Commended, and each category also declares one paper as the Global Winner—highlighting the dynamic, diverse, and transformative nature of student research. Written by Afroza Mamtaz
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