Md. Abdul Momin has been named assistant professor for agricultural engineering at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Department of Agriculture.
He will teach a variety of courses in power and machinery and agricultural production systems.
Momin is tasked with challenging UAPB agriculture majors to develop and improve the next generation of agricultural equipment, machinery and mechanics, construction equipment, power trains and hydraulics, according to a news release.
He will also be expected to participate in curriculum development, student advisement, internship supervision, industry collaboration, student recruitment, assessment and the development and delivery of industry training programs. Additionally, he will search for grant opportunities, participate in campus governance and take part in community engagement opportunities.
Momin's research interests focus on agricultural and biosystem engineering, with emphasis on information and communication technology in agriculture.
He joins UAPB after having worked as a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California Davis from 2018 to 2020. There, he used biosensing technologies to develop energy-efficient dehumidifying systems to reduce postharvest loss of agricultural commodities and foods.
From 2016 to 2017, he worked as a postdoctoral research associate for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he gained experience in precision agriculture technologies in sugarcane production. One of his achievements there was the creation of a yield mapping system for sugarcane. Based on GPS-data collected from harvesters, tractors and semitrucks -- the mapping system allows producers to collect data on sugarcane yield and characteristics as it is being harvested.
As a postdoctoral researcher at North Dakota State University, he worked closely with the Extension service on a project related to the utilization of flood-affected woody biomass for six months.
Momin earned both undergraduate and graduate degrees in agricultural engineering from Bangladesh Agricultural University in Mymensingh, Bangladesh. After graduation, he began teaching college courses in agricultural engineering at the university.
He taught in various roles for more than 10 years and was responsible for supervising student research projects.
In 2013, he earned a doctoral degree from the Graduate School of Agriculture at Kyoto University in Kyoto, Japan.
His studies focused on post-harvest processing using bio-sensing technology.
As part of his doctoral research, Momin developed machine vision systems for inspecting citrus fruits and soybeans.
Because his work showed potential for commercialization, he earned the "Young Researcher's Academic Award" from the Japanese Society of Agricultural Machinery and Food Engineers in 2013 and 2015.
He has authored a number of journal articles, print and online publications and presentations on precision agriculture systems and other topics related to agricultural engineering.
He received the Elsevier Reviewer Recognition Award from the editorial board of Computers and Electronics in Agriculture and the Prime Minister Gold Medal Award for high academic performance at Bangladesh Agricultural University.
Momin's professional memberships include the Institution of Engineers – Bangladesh, the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers and the Japanese Society of Agricultural Machinery.