Each year, the Chowdhury Center invites prominent individuals who have made significant contributions to their fields. Past lecturers have come from academia, civil society, law, and policy, reflecting the breadth and depth of work shaping Bangladesh and Bangladesh studies.
See all past Distinguished Lectures below.
2026
Kazi Khaleed Ashraf | The Great Padma: The Epic River that Made the Bengal Delta
February 5, 2026 | 5-7 p.m. | Stephens Hall, 10 (ISAS Conf. Room)
2024
Marina Tabassum | Architecture of Transition
October 12, 2024 | 2 - 6:30 p.m. | David Brower Center
2020
Naila Kabeer | Contested Narratives about National Identity: Gender, State and Community
October 1, 2020 | 9-10:30 a.m. | Zoom
2019
Shahidul Alam | The Challenge of being a Journalist in Bangladesh Today
November 9, 2019 | 5:30-7:30 p.m. | Sibley Auditorium
2018
Daniel M. Kammen | The Clean Energy Transition in Bangladesh: Local and Global Impacts and Opportunities
November 1 | 5-7 p.m. | Stephens Hall, 10 (ISAS Conf. Room)
2017
Sara Hossain | On Justice and Accountability in Bangladesh
February 16 | 5-7 p.m. | Hearst Field Annex, D37 (Blanche du Bois Room)
2016
Amartya Sen | The Nobel Laureate in conversation with UCB Professor of Economics, Pranab Bardhan
March 13 | 4-5:30 p.m. | The Sanctuary, First Presbyterian Church, 2407 Dana St, Berkeley, CA\
2015
Sir Fazle Hasan Abed | A Quiet Revolution in Bangladesh
March 30 | 5:30-7 p.m. | The Maude Fife Room, 315 Wheeler Hall