Brac University hosted a “CSE Research Day 2026” on the Merul Badda campus in Dhaka recently, bringing together students, faculty members, researchers and industry professionals for a day of discussion on research, technology and real-world applications of computing.
Organized by the department of computer science and engineering on June 19, the event focused on how computer science research can connect with other fields and helps address practical problems.
It also gave students an opportunity to learn about current research areas, hear from faculty and industry experts, and understand how academic work can be linked with industry needs.
The program included panel discussions, expert sessions and workshops on a range of topics, including artificial intelligence, machine learning, natural language processing, bioinformatics, usable security, privacy, computer vision, image processing, robotics, blockchain, quantum computing, human-computer interaction, and ICT for development.
The day began with a panel on interdisciplinary research.
Speakers discussed how computer science tools and methods can support work in public health, biotechnology, engineering and other fields.
They also talked about why collaboration across disciplines is important for solving complex scientific and technological problems.
A separate session on projects, internship and software engineering focused on the expectations of the software industry.
Faculty members and industry professionals discussed software development practices, internship opportunities and ways students can turn academic projects into stronger portfolio work.
The session also highlighted the importance of problem-solving and engineering thinking.
Other sessions introduced students to ongoing research in language technologies, biological data, healthcare innovation, human-centered security and privacy.
Discussions also covered intelligent visual systems, autonomous technologies, secure computing, blockchain and quantum computing.
An interactive workshop under the human-computer interaction and ICT for development track encouraged students to identify real problems, develop research ideas and think about how those ideas could become practical projects.
The final academic session focused on artificial intelligence and machine learning, with discussions on current research directions and the growing use of AI across different fields.
At the closing ceremony, where registrar David Dowland was present, a “Best Thesis Award 2025” was presented, recognizing undergraduate thesis work to encourage students to continue research that can contribute to society.
Several faculty members and industry professionals contributed to different sessions, including associate professor Sadia Hamid Kazi, chairperson of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE).
Malay Kanti Mridha, a professor of the BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health and director of the Central Research and Innovation Office, and Swakkhar Shatabda, a professor of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering and deputy director of the Institutional Quality Assurance Cell; Prof Taiabul Haque; Prof Farida Chowdhury; Prof Md Sadek Ferdous; associate professor Muhammad Iqbal Hossain; and associate professor Farig Yousuf Sadeque. were also present.
Habib Al Saki, project manager at Grameenphone, Zobayer Hasan, senior solution architect at TigerIT Bangladesh Ltd, and Ariful Islam, senior software engineer at Brain Station 23 Plc, spoke among others.
