If you think about groundbreaking scientific discoveries, your mind might drift to laboratories in the West. Rarely, do we picture a Bangladeshi woman at the forefront of global research. Yet, quietly and powerfully, Senjuti Saha has been reshaping that narrative, proving that world-class science can emerge from anywhere and that women belong at its core.
Senjuti was born and raised in Dhaka. Her father Dr. Samir Kumar Saha is a microbiologist and her mother Dr. Setarunnahar Setara is a public health researcher. Growing up in a family deeply rooted in science, Senjuti’s path may have seemed almost predetermined, but choosing science and succeeding in it are two very different battles.
After completing her A levels in Bangladesh, she pursued her undergraduate studies and later a PhD in Molecular Genetics at the University of Toronto. She also completed postdoctoral training at leading institutions including the Hospital for Sick Children and Stanford University.
Despite building a promising career abroad, Senjuti made a decision that would define her legacy – she returned to Bangladesh in 2016. It was not the easier path. Resources were limited, infrastructure was still developing and the global research landscape often overlooked scientists from the Global South. But for Senjuti, the mission was clear: to bring science back home and make it accessible, relevant and impactful.
At the Child Health Research Foundation (CHRF), she began building a genomics research ecosystem almost from scratch. Her work focused on infectious diseases that disproportionately affect children in low-resource settings – areas that are often neglected by global research priorities.
From studying antimicrobial resistance in diseases like typhoid and Klebsiella infections to identifying the presence of the chikungunya virus in children with meningitis, her contributions began to shift both local and global understanding of disease patterns.
Then came 2020. As the world grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic, Senjuti and her team achieved a historic milestone, they successfully sequenced the first SARS-CoV-2 genome in Bangladesh. It was not a story of abundance but of persistence. With limited reagents, long working hours and a small but determined team, they proved that scientific breakthroughs do not depend solely on resources, but on resilience and belief.
Yet Senjuti’s impact goes far beyond the laboratory. As a board member of the World Health Organization’s Polio Transition Independent Monitoring Board and a contributor to multiple global advisory groups, she continues to influence international health strategies. Her work has been recognised widely, including being named among Asia’s top scientists and one of the world’s leading researchers.
Still, perhaps her most powerful contribution lies in what she is building for the future. Through her initiative of building scientists for Bangladesh, she is creating pathways for young minds – especially young women to see themselves in science.
In a world where women in science are often overlooked, Senjuti stands as a reminder of what is possible when courage meets purpose. Her journey is not just about achievements but about changing systems, challenging inequality and inspiring others to take up space where they were never expected to belong.
