University of Southern Queensland’s Emeritus Professor Dr Shahjahan Khan has received highly prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from the Indian Association of Reliability and Statistics (IARS) during its 9th International Conference held in Rohtak, near Delhi, India from 28-30 November 2025.

This outstanding international award recognises his lifelong academic excellence, groundbreaking research, international reputation, profession leadership, and scholarly community services of Emeritus Professor Khan that has created indelible influence with lasting positive impact on academia, society, profession, and global community.

Emeritus Professor Khan Presented a keynote address at the International Conference on “Global Advances in Statistical Modelling, Optimization Techniques, and Data Science (IC-GASMOTDS-2025)” as a part of the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of the Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, Haryana, India.

The title of his talk was “Decision from Data – Use and Abuse of Statistics in Research, Development, and Public Decisions.”

The Lifetime Achievement Award represents the highest honors granted by IARS, acknowledging individuals who have significantly shaped statistical science through pioneering research, innovative methodologies, academic leadership, and global engagement. Professor Khan was recognized for his influential scholarly and innovative work spanning over several decades, his leadership in advancing statistical education, and commitment to promoting research excellence across continents.

On Friday 28 November 2025, in the inaugural ceremony of the conference, the Hon’ble Education Minister of Province of Haryana of India, Hon Shri Mahipal Dhanda,. and the President of IARS, Professor S C Malik handed over the citation crest of the Award to Professor Khan (second from the left).

In accepting the award, Professor Khan expressed his gratitude to IARS and MDU, noting that the recognition reflects the collaborative efforts of colleagues, students, and institutions he has worked with throughout his career.

He emphasised the growing importance of rigorous statistical methods, optimization techniques, and data-driven decision-making in addressing global challenges.

This landmark event attracted leading statisticians, data scientists, optimization experts, and industry professionals from all around the world highlighting innovations in statistical modelling, optimization techniques, and data science.

Professor Khan received the prestigious Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) Gold Medal in 2001 (Pakistan) for contribution to the development of statistics, Islamic Countries Society of Statistical Sciences (ISOSS) Gold Medal in 2007 (Malasia) for outstanding research and Qazi Motahar Hossain Gold Medal of Bangladesh Statistical Association in 2012 (Bangladesh) for global professional leadership.

He is an elected Expatriate Fellow of Bangladesh Academy of Sciences (BAS) and Founding Chief Editor of Scopus indexed Journal of Applied Probability and Statistics (JAPS).

He has supervised over 20 PhD students, published 5 books and more than 250 journal articles, and presented 28 research workshops, 29 keynote addresses, and over 70 invited talks in international professional meetings.

He started his academic career as a Lecturer at Dhaka University in 1980 and held various positions at Western University, Canada; King Fahd University, Saudi Arabia; University of Malaya, Malaysia; Bahrain University, Bahrain; and Sultan Qaboos University, Oman.

Professor Khan’s recognition is viewed as a significant highlight of the conference and a fitting tribute to his lifelong dedication to statistical research, professional service, and international academic collaboration.

He is the current Vice Chancellor of Asian University of Bangladesh, Dhaka and Emeritus Professor of University of Southern Queensland, Australia.

Professor Khan  is very well-known for his outstanding community work in Toowoomba, Queensland as well as promotion of multiculturalism and peaceful inclusive society in Australia and beyond.