Pabna University of Science and Technology

The university is currently navigating a leadership transition following the appointment of Prof. Dr. Abul Hasnat Md. Shamim as Vice-Chancellor, with a primary focus on enhancing academic excellence, research output, and strengthening university-industry collaborations.

Legal basis clarification: the enabling Act was passed by parliament on 15 July 2001, but PUST did not open until 5 June 2008 (established_year reflects operational start per convention across other records in this tracker). The task brief says 'PUST Act 2008' but primary sources (thedailycampus citing Section 10(3) of the 'PUST Act, 2001'; Wikipedia) are consistent that the founding legislation is Act 2001. student_count of 5,000 is PUST's own figure from the official homepage (stated as 'approximately 5,000'); Wikipedia gives ~4,500 but PUST's own site takes precedence. faculty_count of 211 is from the official PUST homepage. annual_budget_bdt set null: no primary-source figure found; UGC annual report breakdowns for individual smaller universities are not publicly accessible in parsed form. vc_since is the gazette appointment date of May 14, 2026; formal joining date is not yet confirmed in accessible sources. Previous VC S.M. Abdul Awal (Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Khulna University) was appointed September 23, 2024 and formally took charge September 25, 2024; he was relieved March 16, 2026 after being appointed SDG Affairs Chief Coordinator at the PM's Office on March 15 -- this was part of the BNP-Tarique government's first wave of university reshuffles (March 16 batch included DU, CU, RU, JnU, and others). The May 14, 2026 second batch covered 11 universities including PUST. Abul Hasnat Md. Shamim was Professor of Soil Science and Treasurer at Bangladesh Open University prior to his PUST appointment. Campus is located approximately 3 km east of Pabna town on 30 acres beside the Dhaka-Pabna highway. Chancellor is President Mohammed Shahabuddin, who administered oaths to the BNP-Tarique cabinet on February 17, 2026 and remains in office.