IUB Photonics Simulation Laboratory

01/02/2026

It is our great pleasure to share that our research study titled “Plasmonically Engineered All-Inorganic Lead-Free Tin-Doped High-Performance Perovskite Solar Cells” was presented by Fardous Mahmud Fahim at the 2026 IEEE International Conference on Electrical, Computer & Telecommunication Engineering (ICECTE 2026), held at Rajshahi University of Engineering & Technology (RUET) from 29–31 January 2026.

The accepted paper was authored by Fardous Mahmud Fahim, Hemal Sharma, Tazrian Noor Abhash, and Dr. Mustafa Chowdhury. This research was conducted under the supervision of Dr. Mustafa Habib Chowdhury, Director of IUBPSL and Head of the Department of EEE, IUB, Independent University, Bangladesh. This study focused on developing stable and environmentally sustainable lead-free, all-inorganic perovskite solar cells. Using first-principles density functional theory (DFT), tin (Sn) doping was introduced into cesium germanium chloride to reduce its bandgap and improve optical properties. Furthermore, finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations assessed the optoelectronic performance enhancement was achieved by incorporating a plasmonic metal-assisted nanograting structure in the hole transport layer.

It is also worth noting that, out of a total of 995 submissions, only 335 papers were accepted for presentation at the conference, reflecting the highly competitive selection process.

16/01/2026

Thank you Independent University, Bangladesh for highlighting IUBPSL's and Department of EEE, IUB's accomplishment!

20/12/2025

Back on 31st July 2025, our research study titled “Effect of Plasmonic Metal Core – Tin(II) Fluoride Shell Nanoparticle Shape in Lead-Free Perovskite Solar Cells: A DFT and FDTD Study” received the Best Paper Award in the Poster Paper Presentation category at the 2025 IEEE International Conference on Quantum Photonics, Artificial Intelligence, and Networking (QPAIN). The authors of the study were Hemal Sharma, Fardous Mahmud Fahim, Anika Bushra, Tazrian Noor, and Dr. Mustafa Habib Chowdhury.

The recognition was later reported in top national newspaper outlets such as The Business Standard and The Daily Star.

The Business Standard: https://www.tbsnews.net/economy/corporates/iub-wins-best-paper-award-ieee-qpain-2025-1211896

The Daily Star: https://www.thedailystar.net/business/organisation-news/press-releases/news/iub-wins-best-paper-award-ieee-quantum-conference-3962596

The Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) of Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) has won the Best Paper Award in the Poster Paper Presentation category at the 2025 IEEE International Conference on Quantum Photonics, Artificial Intelligence, and Networking (QPAIN). The confer...

16/12/2025

It is with immense pleasure we would like to announce that our research paper titled "Plasmonically Engineered All-Inorganic Lead-Free Tin-Doped High Performance Perovskite Solar Cells" has been accepted for oral presentation at the 5th International Conference on Electrical, Computer, & Telecommunication Engineering (ICECTE 2026). ICECTE 2026 will be hosted and organized at Rajshahi University of Engineering & Technology (RUET).

The authors of the study are Fardous Mahmud, Hemal Sharma, Tazrian Noor, and Dr. Mustafa Chowdhury. Moreover, this is Fardous Mahmud's very first lead-author paper. This research was performed under the supervision of Dr. Mustafa Chowdhury, Director of IUBPSL and Head of the Department of EEE, IUB at Independent University, Bangladesh.

09/08/2025

The first peer-reviewed research paper on perovskite solar cells from IUBPSL was presented by Dr. Mustafa Habib Chowdhury in IEEE TENSYMP 2025 held in Christchurch, New Zealand from 7-9 July 2025. TENSYMP is one of the flagship conferences by IEEE Region 10, bringing together researchers, academics, and industry professionals to share cutting-edge developments in electrical, electronic, and communication technologies.

The accepted paper, titled “Using Plasmonic Nanoparticles To Enhance The Optoelectronic Performance Of Lead-Free Formamidinium Tin Halide Perovskite Solar Cells”, is authored by Tazrian Noor, Fardous Mahmud, Hemal Sharma, Md. Asif Al Suny, Anika Bushra and Dr. Mustafa Habib Chowdhury. This research was performed under the supervision of Dr. Mustafa Habib Chowdhury, Director of IUBPSL and Head of the Department of EEE, IUB at Independent University, Bangladesh. The study aimed to harness abundant solar energy using perovskite solar cells, which are flexible, cost-effective, and easy to fabricate, while reducing reliance on lead-based variants that pose risks to human and animal health. The research focused on enhancing the optoelectronic performance of lead-free perovskite solar cells through the incorporation of plasmonic nanoparticles. The finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) and CHARGE modules from the ANSYS-Lumerical software suite were used to perform optical and electrical simulations for the proposed plasmonic perovskite solar cell (PSC), respectively.

30/07/2025

We are delighted to announce that Abrar J. Haque, a graduate of the Department of EEE, IUB, Independent University, Bangladesh and alumnus of IUBPSL, has been awarded the prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Fellowship under the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program.

He is scheduled to begin the three-year PhD program in September 2025, at the University of Hamburg, Germany, with additional research placements at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany, and Leiden University, Netherlands.

The MSCA Doctoral Networks, named after the Nobel Prize-winning physicist Marie Curie, are widely regarded as Europe’s leading and most competitive doctoral programs. Abrar was selected from approximately 160 applicants through a competitive multi-stage selection process.

The fellowship is fully funded by the European Union and covers living expenses, research costs, mobility, and family support. His research will focus on nanodevices for bionanoparticle detection, involving nanotechnology, biosensing, and advanced materials for diagnostic applications in healthcare and environmental monitoring.

Abrar, who joined IUB in the Fall of 2018, completed his B.Sc. in EEE in 2022. He was awarded the Erasmus Mundus Joint International Master’s Scholarship in 2023. He began the Master’s program in September of that year in Smart Systems Integrated Solutions, jointly offered by Aalto University (Finland), University of South-Eastern Norway (Norway), and Budapest University of Technology and Economics (Hungary).

At IUB, Abrar worked for two years as a Research Assistant at the IUB Photonics Simulation Laboratory (IUBPSL). a research group in the Department of EEE, IUB under the supervision of Dr. Mustafa Chowdhury, Associate Professor and Head of the Department of EEE, IUB, IUB. Abrar's research at IUBPSL involved designing novel photovoltaic devices like solar cells using plasmonic metal nanoparticles. His work involved computational modeling of the novel solar cells using the FDTD Solutions and CHARGE solvers within the Ansys-Lumerical platform.

During this period at IUB, Abrar published eight peer-reviewed research papers, including one journal article and seven peer-reviewed conference papers, all indexed in SCOPUS. His undergraduate thesis was published in the prestigious international peer-reviewed journal Applied Optics in 2023.

We at the Department of EEE, IUB are very proud of Abrar's achievements and wish him all the best as he pursues his doctoral studies in a very prestigious PhD program!
Read more at: https://iub.ac.bd/news-and-events/news-and-media-archive/2025-July/6889ae1353fa6344574d1632

IUB EEE alum Abrar Jawad Haque has been awarded the prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Fellowship under the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program.

Read more: https://iub.ac.bd/news-and-events/news-and-media-archive/2025-July/6889ae1353fa6344574d1632

09/05/2025

IUB Photonics Simulation Laboratory (IUBPSL) sends a heartfelt congratulations to our dear and esteemed alumnus S. M. Nayeem Arefin for receiving the 2024-2025 Folsom Distinguished Master’s Thesis Award from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL), USA. He received the recognition on April 23, 2025, for his National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded research on lead halide perovskites conducted during his Master of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE).
The award, granted to only two students from across more than one hundred departments and nine colleges at UNL, recognized his thesis, which was supervised by Dr. Laura Wang, Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, UNL, specializing in optoelectronic materials. Arefin’s thesis, titled “Patterning Synthesis of Lead Halide Perovskites Toward Photonic Application,” addressed the challenges of traditional lithographic techniques that degrade the fragile crystal structures of perovskites.
Arefin is currently pursuing his PhD in the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering (MME) at UNL, where he conducts research under the guidance of Dr. Jeffrey Shield, focusing on the synthesis and characterization of size-controlled metallic nanoparticles, including alloy and core-shell systems, using inert gas condensation (IGC) techniques.
While at IUB, he was a member of the IUB Photonics Simulation Laboratory (IUBPSL), a research group in the Department of EEE, IUB directed by Dr. Mustafa Chowdhury, Associate Professor and current Head of the Department of EEE, IUB, IUB. At IUBPSL, Nayeem focused on improving thin-film solar cells' efficiency by integrating plasmonic nanoparticles. His research at IUBPSL involved the comprehensive morphological analysis of various core-shell nanoparticle systems and their impact on device performance, supported by simulation tools such as the ANSYS-Lumerical software suite.
IUBPSL prays for even greater success for S. M. Nayeem Arefin in his research and academic career in the coming future and wish he can complete his Doctoral research with flying colors and make us all proud! 👍

IUB EEE alum S M Nayeem Arefin has won the 2024-2025 Folsom Distinguished Master’s Thesis Award from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL), USA. He received the recognition on April 23, 2025, for his National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded research on lead halide perovskites conducted during his Master of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE).

Read more: https://iub.ac.bd/news-and-events/news-and-media-archive/2025-May/6819e5053d9144a3341dae92

10/03/2025

IUBPSL is delighted to have a feature news report published in the leading Bangla language daily news paper "Prothom Alo" about the innovative research done by IUBPSL Researchers Mr. Abyaz Karim, Mr. Sajid Ahmed Chowdhuryand Mr. Afnan Uzzaman on using Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning-based simulations in tandem with advanced electromagnetic computational methods to develop high-efficiency solar cells.

In 2024, these 3rd year students of the Department of EEE, IUB working under the supervision of Dr. Mustafa Chowdhury, Head of the Department of EEE, IUB and Director of the IUB Photonics Simulation Laboratory (IUBPSL) - a research group in the Department of EEE, IUB, published their research in two peer-reviewed conferences sponsored by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. Their research papers are currently indexed in SCOPUS and the IEEE Xplore digital library.

The finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations used in this research were performed by IUBPSL using the state-of-the-art ANSYS-Lumerical software suite whose perpetual license was purchased by IUB in 2023. This research output from IUBPSL demonstrates the impact of that investment, and we hope the global renewable energy industry embraces these innovations by us.

We at IUBPSL are incredibly proud of our members and extend our heartfelt congratulations to them! Wishing them all the best as they pursue even greater heights in their academic/professional careers.

আমাদের নবায়নযোগ্য জ্বালানির দিকেই যেতে হবে। কম কার্যক্ষমতার সৌর প্যানেল থেকে দেশের বিশাল সুবিধা পাওয়া কঠিন।

10/02/2025

Really proud to read a policy article by Abrar Jawad Haque that was published in The Business Standard (TBS), a leading English language newspaper (both print and online) emphasizing the urgency for the Bangladesh government to prioritize semiconductor education and workforce development. Hopefully this will spark some thoughts and soul searching among the senior management of different universities across Bangladesh and also government policymakers.

Abrar Jawad Haque is currently an European Union (EU) Erasmus Scholar at the Erasmus Smart Systems Integrated Solutions (SSIs) and an alumni of the Department of EEE, IUB and IUB Photonics Simulation Laboratory.

Expanding into the global semiconductor ecosystem could help Bangladesh achieve revenues rivaling the $40 billion earned annually by the RMG sector—if the industry receives similar strategic support