Special Correspondent: Bangladeshi researcher Md Rabiul Alam has been elected as the Postgraduate Research Student Member of the Academic Board of The University of Queensland (UQ) for a one-year term beginning on 1 January 2027.
He secured the university’s sole postgraduate research student seat on the Academic Board through a competitive election involving six candidates.
The Academic Board is UQ’s principal academic advisory body to the Senate. It advises the Senate and Vice-Chancellor on matters related to teaching, research and educational programmes.
UQ has more than 60,000 students, including over 4,000 higher degree by research (HDR) students, and is ranked among the world’s top 40 universities in the QS World University Rankings 2027.
Rabiul is an HDR researcher and casual academic at UQ’s School of Education. His research focuses on language management, multilingualism, linguistic sustainability and language policy.
Alongside his teaching and research, he has been actively involved in student representation and leadership. He previously served as the School of Education’s HDR Representative and currently represents UQ’s graduate researchers in education in the Universitas 21 Education Graduate Researchers’ Community of Practice.
He is also an elected member and Secretary of the Ironside State School Council in Brisbane.
Expressing gratitude to the UQ research student community for the trust and support he received during the election, Rabiul said he hoped to listen closely to research students and bring their experiences and concerns into academic discussions across the university.
He plans to focus particularly on issues affecting HDR students, including research training, supervision, candidature, academic opportunities and financial pressures.
Rabiul also hopes his experience will encourage students and young researchers in different contexts, particularly in Bangladesh, to become more actively engaged in university life.
He believes higher education is not only about earning a degree, but also about developing one’s voice, taking responsibility, representing others and making meaningful contributions to the academic community.
Bangladeshi Researcher Rabiul Alam Elected to University of Queensland Academic Board
