IUB’s Aurpita receives NST fellowship for rice heat-tolerance research

The research aims to explore potential applications for climate adaptation in cultivation system

A postgraduate student of the Department of Life Sciences at Independent University, Bangladesh has received the National Science and Technology (NST) Fellowship for the 2025-26 academic year under the Food and Agricultural Science category.

According to a media statement, Aurpita Rani Paul, an MS student at the university, received the fellowship awarded by the Ministry of Science and Technology to selected student researchers based on scientific merit and alignment with national research priorities.

Her research proposal, titled “Improving Heat Tolerance in Rice Variety (Oryza sativa) through CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Knockout of HTA1 Gene”, is being conducted under the supervision of Sabrina M Elias.

The study focuses on using CRISPR/Cas9 genome-editing technology to examine the role of the HTA1 gene in rice under heat-stress conditions.

The research aims to assess gene knockdown effects on heat response in rice and explore potential applications for climate adaptation in cultivation systems.

According to the statement, the proposal was developed within IUB’s Life Sciences course, funded by the Bangladesh Academy of Sciences through a grant awarded to Elias.