Noted scientist and inventor of jute genome sequence Professor Dr Maqsudul Alam died after a prolonged illness at a hospital in the United States on Saturday, reports BSS.
He was 60.
Dr Alam, a professor at the University of Hawaii, breathed his last at Queens Medical Center in the US state of Hawaii around 2:18 am (Bangladesh time), sources said. He was admitted to the hospital on December 2.
He left behind his wife, a daughter and a host of relatives and well-wishers to mourn his death. He will be buried at a graveyard in Hawaii on Monday.
Dr Alam became famous globally after he along with his team of Bangladeshi scientists decoded the genome sequence of "Tossa" jute-the Jute Plant Draft Genome-in June, 2010.
He and his team later in September in 2012 decoded the genome of fungi, deadly to jute.
After three years of genome sequencing of tossa jute, Bangladeshi scientists, under the leadership of Maqsudul, decoded the genome sequence of deshi (white) jute in 2013.
Dr Alam had earlier decoded the genome of papaya in the US and rubber plant in Malaysia.
President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed deep shock at the death of Dr Alam.