Omar Shehab is a theoretical quantum computer scientist whose work bridges quantum algorithms, complexity theory, and programming languages for quantum computers. He earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in 2016, following undergraduate studies at Shahjalal University of Science & Technology. He has held research and teaching positions at the University of Southern California’s Information Sciences Institute, the U.S. Army Research Lab, and UMBC, where he taught theoretical computer science and quantum computing. At IonQ, Shehab focuses on developing methods to effectively harness trapped-ion quantum computers, with particular interest in hybrid quantum–classical architectures and identifying problems where quantum speedups can be realized. Currently, at IBM Thomas J Watson Research Center, Shehab is working on average-case hardness of quantum algorithms and quantum complexity theory. He has published extensively, contributed to patent applications, and delivered invited talks. His research has been funded by NASA, Department of Energy, and DARPA.
At SUST, Bangladesh has chosen to forget Jahanara Imam. It has chosen to betray its mother to appease its murderers. It has chosen to sanctify cowardice with religion. The dormitory that should have carried her name now bears the name of a saint, not because the country lacks martyrs, but because it lacks the courage to honor them.
Democracy depends on two simple protections: that people can speak, and that they will not be killed for speaking. In Bangladesh, labeling someone a nastik is painting a target on his back, and should be seen for the incitement to violence that it is.
Bangladesh needs to protect itself and its intellectual property in the age of artificial intelligence. Do our leaders and decision-makers understand what is at stake?
An institution can perish through through abdication and silence while the house burns. By every meaningful measure -- the ability to reassure the public, to clarify recruitment, to protect fairness -- the PSC has ceased to function.
We are already behind, but it is not too late and it need not continue to be that way. AI can help Bangladesh take a quantum leap into the future.
