Zahin Rohan Razeen, a 22-year-old technologist, has been selected as the only representative from Bangladesh as an Asia and the Pacific region finalist in this year’s edition of ‘UN Young Champion of the Earth’ competition.
Since its inception, the UNEP annually selects a total of 35 finalists from all over the world, finding the most talented young entrepreneurs making a positive impact on the environment with their initiatives. He is the only Bangladeshi to have been selected as a finalist in the last 3 years.
The company “Quantum Polychemics” is a Biotechnology spin-out from the Atomic Energy Commission and Nuclear Research Establishment, founded by him, produces non-toxic, organic polyhydroxyalconate (PHA) based biopolymers that are fully programmable to a time-controlled degradation and while remaining environmentally friendly.
The projects biological processes convert perishable waste destined for landfill into valuable materials. Their mission is to drive our world towards a circular economy, where major brands utilize eco-friendly PHA plastics in packaging, food services, agriculture, textiles and many other areas to reduce the 18 billion pounds of plastic polluting our oceans every year.
This initiative aims to improve economic status and create job opportunities of tens of thousands and could be very well the impetus needed to make Bangladesh a leader in bio-material exports for Industry 4.0. In addition, it has already improved the financial condition of hundreds of jute farmers.
The 22-year-old has founded a number of technology-based initiatives over the years that are working on solving grand challenges. Among the companies he founded Hydroquo Plus, Bangladesh’s first Hydro-Informatics R&D up-start dedicated to ensure water security leveraging Industrial Internet of Things and Lingwing Ed-tech which uses artificial intelligence to provide quality personalized education.
Razeen is a recent graduate in Mathematics has been endorsed as a Future World Changer by the University of Glasgow for his disruptive innovations. As a “Clinton Global Initiative” and “Resolution Project” fellow he has received international acknowledgements from TechCrunch, CES, One Young World and NATO for his ground breaking work in Engineering and Technology. He is also the recipient of “Watson Institute” scholarship. It is an elite institution that recruits selective world class talents for creating innovations that change the world.