A. Education

Present Status

PhD Candidate in Urban and Regional Planning

Department: Urban and Regional Planning

Institution: Curtin University of Technology, Australia

Duration: April, 2009 - April, 2013 (expected)

Academic Award: Endeavour International Postgraduate Research Scholarship (EIPRS)

 

Obtained Degree (Total Schooling = 18 years)

Master of Environmental Studies

School: School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences (Faculty of Science)

Institution: Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand

Duration: February, 2005 - November, 2006

Academic Award: New Zealand Agency for International Development (NZAID) Postgraduate Scholarship

Bachelor of Urban and Rural Planning (BURP)

School: Science, Engineering, and Technology

Institution: Khulna University, Khulna. Bangladesh

Duration: 4 years (November, 1997 - December 2001)


B. International Short Courses
  • Accomplished an e-learning course on Governance in Urban Sanitation (23 March to 15 May 2009) implemented by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) in collaboration with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP) with 91.53% grade.
  • Completed a face to face course on Becoming an e-tutor under the framework of Governance in Urban Sanitation (New Delhi: 3-7 August, 2009) conducted by UNITAR and United Nations University (UNU).
  • Completed a summer university short course on Climate change: An interdisciplinary inquiry at the Central European University, Budapest, Hungary (June 30-July 07, 2008 under SUN scholarship).
C. Research Experiences
Academic
  • Changing Livelihoods Induced By the Impact of Shrimp Cultivation: A Participatory Assessment in the Bedkashi Unions of Koyra Upazila, Southwest Bangladesh. A 90 Points thesis submitted to Victoria University of Wellington, as partial fulfillment for the degree of Master of Environmental Studies (approved in April, 2007), funded by NZAID and Faculty of Science (Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand).
  • Application of GIS to Analyze the Water Supply Network System of Gopalgonj Municipal Area
    This Dissertation was submitted to Urban and Rural Planning Discipline, School of Science, Engineering & Technology, Khulna University, Bangladesh in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Urban and Rural Planning (BURP) (approved on 14 November 2001) 
Professional

  • An investigation on Road Safety situation in Dhaka Metropolitan Area, Bangladesh: Served as the Research Supervisor (completed in December, 2008), the project was financed by Khulna University under the Annual Research Grants Program 2007.
  • Crisis in coastal drinking water and associated health effects: A study of south-west Bangladesh - Served as the Research Supervisor (completed in March, 2008), the project was financed by Khulna University under the Annual Research Grants Program 2008.
  • Enhancing the Livelihood of Urban Poor in KCC Area through e-Development: The Role of GIS, Information & Communication Technologies: Served as the Deputy Project Director (9 months: July 2008-March 2009), responsible for supervising project works and report writing. The project was financed by the Ministry of Science and Information Communication Technology (MoSICT), Bangladesh.
  • Developing an Effective Community Based All Hazards Early Warning Dissemination System (EWDS) Considering Local Community’s Disaster Vulnerability: A Pilot Study on Assasuni of Satkhira district). URP-CDMP Partnership Project (Comprehensive Disaster Management Program) funded by UNDP. I worked as an Expert Consultant (PRA, Disaster Risk Index and GIS) during December, 2007 – July, 2008.
  • Governance Performance Monitoring: A Report Card Survey of Fakirhat Upazila (Baseline Study for Evaluating the Services of Local Government). Served as the Principal Researcher and responsible for research design, overall supervision and preparing of Baseline Study report. The study was conducted during August – October, 2007 (supported by JJS and Manusher Jonno Foundation).
  • Social and Ecological Impact of Urban Forest Distribution
    A multi-disciplinary effort to examine how urban forests are distributed and what the impacts are for urban residents, their behavior or attitudes and for urban biodiversity. Funded by: SGEES, Victoria University of Wellington. New Zealand; Position: Research Assistant (July 17 – October 13, 2006 and April 01 – June 10, 2006); Responsibilities: Preparing database and spatial analysis
  • Automation of Water Supply Network System of Gopalgonj Pourashava
    Organization: Research Cell - Khulna University, Khulna. Bangladesh; Project: Automation of Water Supply Network System of Gopalgonj Pourashava; Position: Research Assistant (January – June, 2004); Responsibilities: Data base building, conducting GIS analysis & report writing
  • Sustainability of the Benefits induced from Micro-credit Programs: A study on the poor women in the south-western region of Bangladesh; Position: Field Supervisor and Data Analyst (February – March, 2002); Funded by: Department of Urban Engineering, University of Tokyo. Japan
  • Environmental Risk Management Action Plan for Khulna City, Bangladesh (2002): This project was funded by USAID and conducted by Khulna University. I served as Research Assistant and responsible for data analysis and participated in preparing the Risk Management Plan.
D. Undergraduate Thesis Supervision & Editorial Works
  • Assessing vulnerability of fire hazard in urban area: a study of Dhaka city (2008)
  • Nature of informal sector and its causal effects on urban environment in Khulna city (2008)
  • Empowering rural community through solar energy technology in southwest Bangladesh (2008)
  • Growth, determinants and impact of rural no-farm activities on poverty reduction (2008)
  • Climate change and population displacement in a coastal village of southwest Bangladesh (2009)
  • Developing an automated methodology for urban seismic risk assessment: a study of Dhaka city (2009)
  • Effects of urbanization on urban water bodies: A study of Khulna city (2009)
  • I was involved as Associate Editor for the publication of Plan Plus (an academic journal published by Khulna university) during January 2008 – March, 2009
E. Seminar and Training
  • Swapan, M. S. H., & Ahmed, S. (2008). Ensuring access to urban water for slum dwellers: an institutional synthesis of low income cities in Bangladesh. Paper presented at the International Conference on Water and Urban Development Paradigms: Towards an integration of engineering, design and management approaches (15-19 September, 2008), Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Heverlee, Belgium.
  • Cyclone SIDR: insecure Southwest coast of Bangladesh - planning and implementation aspects of a model village plan – paper presented in the Seminar on “Cyclone SIDR: Insecure Southwest Coast of Bangladesh” organized by OXFAM and Rupantar on March 31, 2008 in Khulna, Bangladesh. 
  • Climate change and planning challenges for the Bangladeshi cities – paper presented in the National seminar on Climate Change and Bangladesh organized by the Research Cell of Khulna University (Bangladesh) on January 03, 2008.
  • Training and Demonstration on Soil Remediation for Urban Regeneration  – jointly organized by Khulna University of Technology (KUET), ACLIMA Spain (Cluster Association of Environmental Industry of the Basque Country) and Flemish Institute of Technological Research (VITO-Belgium) which was sponsored by the Asia Pro Eco-II Program of The European Commission during 11-15 November, 2007
  • Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) with special focus on Scientific Methodology. The training workshop was jointly organized by Bangladesh Center for Advanced Studies, IFS (Sweden) and Cap-Net (South Africa) during 19-20 September, 2007
  • Application of GIS Data Models in Vulnerability Analysis and Management of Arsenic Contaminated Areas (A Study on Debhata Upazila of Bangladesh) – paper presented in Map India 2005, the 8th Annual Conference of GIS, GPS, Remote Sensing, Aerial Photography, Surveying and Mapping (7-9 Feb 2005, Hotel Taj Palace, New Delhi, India) http://www.mapindia.org/2005/papers/Environment%20Planning/6abs.htm
  • Completed training on Application of Remote Sensing and GIS in Urban Development from August 8 – 29, 2004 at Khulna University (Bangladesh) using ERDAS Imagine and Arc GIS software. The training was jointly organized by ESRI South Aisa, ERDAS India Pvt. Ltd. and Khulna University.
  • Unbalanced Growth in Planned Residential Neighborhood – A Case Study of Nirala Residential Area (Khulna, Bangladesh) – paper presented in the Urban and Rural Planning Discipline in Khulna University in 2001
F. Job History
  • Assistant Professor (full time): Urban and Rural Planning Discipline, Khulna University (Khulna, Bangladesh) and continuing from October 25, 2007.
  • Lecturer (full time): Urban and Rural Planning Discipline, Khulna University, 3 years 10 months (December 15, 2003 – October 24, 2007)
  • Consultant (Environment): URP-CDMP Partnership Project, Khulna University, 8 months (December 2007 – July 2008)
  • Research Assistant (part time): Victoria University of Wellington (School of Earth Sciences), New Zealand, 5 months (July 17 – October 13, 2006 and April 01, 2006 – June 10, 2006)
  • Research Officer (full time): Jagrata Juba Shangha (JJS), Khulna. Bangladesh (JJS is a leading social & environmental development organization working in southern Bangladesh, www.jjsbangladesh.org), Urban development and GIS Cell, 1 year 10 months (February 16, 2002 - December 14, 2003)
  • Consultant (SPSS - Statistical Package for Social Science): CARE Bangladesh (Project on Reducing Vulnerability of Climate Change), 1 month (December 10, 2002 – January 10, 2003)
  • Research Associate (Environment and Urban Development) (full time): PARSHI – Planning Action & Research for Sustainable Human Interest, Khulna, Bangladesh, 3 months (November 01, 2001 – January 31, 20
  • Professional Attachment (Internship): Completed an Academic Internship Program in Institute of Water Modeling - IWM (former Surface Water Modeling Center), Dhaka, Bangladesh (June 18 – July 06, 2000). The Internship Program was focused on both theoretical and application of GIS in urban planning
G. Membership
  • Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP)
  • Society for Conservation Biology (SCB), www.conbio.org
  • Khulna University Planners Alumni (KUPA)