Jalal Ahmad was born in Sylhet, Bangladesh in 1959 and graduated from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technologyin Dhaka in 1983. He started his professional career that year as a partner in Diagram Architects (1983). Since 1997, he has been the principal of the firm J. A. Architects. For his designs, he often draws inspiration from elements of traditional architecture. He has won awards in a number of prestigious architectural competitions, including the North South University Campus International Design Competition (2004), and the Mujib Nagar Memorial Open Design Competition (1984). He is a founding member of the architectural research group CHETANA, established in 1983. Jalal Ahmad is a part-time faculty member at the Architecture Department of the University of Asia Pacific, Dhaka. He is also serving as an executive committee member of the Institute of Architects Bangladesh.