Founding Council
Lt. Col. (Retd.) Mohammad Shafi Chowdhury, PhD, psc
Lt. Col. (Retd.) Mohammad Shafi Chowdhury, PhD, psc is a national security strategist, technologist, and policy thinker whose four-decade career spans military communications, cybersecurity, ICT modernization, and strategic advisory roles across Bangladesh, SAARC, MENA, ASEAN, China, and the United States. With a PhD in Political Economy and National Security, he brings a rare synthesis of defense insight, governance expertise, and technological understanding—shaped by years leading large-scale ICT, telecom, and digital infrastructure programs that expanded access, strengthened national capability, and advanced Bangladesh’s alignment with global development standards. His academic and professional work focuses on how technology, governance, and institutional resilience must evolve together to build nations that are both economically competitive and secure in the digital era.
As a volunteer member of the MillionX Founding Council, Dr. Chowdhury contributes deep policy, governance, and national security expertise to the mission of nurturing a million 10x minds and guiding Bangladesh toward AI-enabled development. His work within MillionX focuses on ethical AI governance, workforce transformation, digital integrity, cyber preparedness, and the strategic integration of AI into national institutions. Through his leadership at the Apex Achievers Academy and his long-standing advocacy for people-centered, rights-based technology adoption, he is committed to ensuring that Bangladesh becomes an AI-powered knowledge economy—one that protects citizens’ rights, upholds transparency, and uses innovation to serve society rather than concentrate power.
People Before Programs
More from the Founding Council

Dr. Bashima Islam
Assistant Professor at WPI, Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, and researcher in AI, wearable sensing, and mobile health with innovations supported by NSF, NIH, Samsung, and Bell Labs. BUET graduate and Imagine Cup National Champion. Founding Council member advancing MillionX’s mission to nurture a million 10x minds across Bangladesh.

Dr. Jesin Zakaria
AI/ML researcher and engineer with 15+ years’ experience across academia and top U.S. tech companies. PhD from UCR and recipient of the SIGKDD Test of Time Award. Former roles at Meta, VMware, Teradata, and Microsoft building large-scale AI systems. Founding Council member supporting MillionX’s mission to nurture a million 10x minds in Bangladesh.

Dr. Zunaid Kazi
AI pioneer, former IBM Watson researcher, and ex-BUET faculty. Founder and CEO of Knowtomation, an inventor with US patents and published research, and a leading voice on AI and Bangladesh's future through op-eds and essays. Founding Council member committed to nurturing a million 10x minds and building Bangladesh's AI talent pipeline.
