A brief History of ISRT
The Institute of Statistical Research and Training (ISRT), University of Dhaka, was founded in 1964 by the Late National Professor Dr. Qazi Motahar Husain, an eminent scientist, academician and a leading proponent of the statistical sciences in the country. The institute was created in response to the country’s demand for an institution that provides training on statistical research, especially in the area of field surveys, and data processing and report writing for national statistics. In response to this demand, initially, the institute conducted survey research for both government and international organizations and imparted training to government officials for skill development in implementing surveys and censuses to collect information on national statistics useful for government planning and development of policies. In addition, ISRT offered Ancillary Statistics for students from other departments who needed statistics and Diploma in Statistics and different Certificate Courses for those who required skill in statistics for their career. In 1968, ISRT offered MPhil degree for the first time at Dhaka University. To enhance the scope of statistical research, the institute launched a journal with the name “Bulletin of the Institute of Statistical Research and Training” in 1966, which was later renamed the “Journal of Statistical Research” in 1970. After independence, the institute introduced Master of Statistics in 1973 and Master of Demography in 1978 to meet the country’s demand for skilled graduates in Statistics and Demography. Since the early 80’s, the Institute has been regularly offering Ph.D degree programs. As statistics became increasingly interdisciplinary, the need arose for qualified statistical practitioners and statisticians with the expertise to apply statistical methods in diverse fields. Thus, to meet this increasing demand, the institute launched the country’s first 3-year B.S (Honors) program in Applied Statistics starting from the1994-1995 session. From the 1996-1997 session onwards, the program was extended to a 4-year B.S. honors program. A 1-year M.S. Program in Applied Statistics was also offered starting from the session of 1997-1998.
Dr. Qazi Motahar Husain was the founder Director. The current Director is Professor Dr. Tamanna Howlader. Dr. Howlader is the 22st Director of ISRT, who has been successfully leading the institute since February 26, 2023. Currently there are 29 faculty members including members on leave for higher studies who conduct research in diverse areas such as epidemiology, biostatistics, spatial statistics, statistical pattern recognition, econometrics, machine learning, and computational statistics and regularly publish in peer-reviewed journals. In addition, there are 19 dedicated office staffs who are working graciously in order to maintain smooth functioning of the administrative and daily activities of the institute. Since its inception, ISRT has produce graduates with strong statistical computing skills, sound knowledge of statistical concepts and the versatility to apply these concepts in areas as diverse as medicine, engineering, economics and the social sciences. Graduates of this institute are working to fulfil the statistical demands of the nation and the world at large. In addition, the graduates are also working successfully in different administrative posts of the government’s office and industries.