Brief Biography
Dr. Nazrul Islam is an eminent economist who has served as the Chief of Development Research at the United Nations. In this position, he led the preparation of UN flagship reports on global development issues and provided policy input and advice to senior management.
He earned his Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University and M.Sc. in Economics from Moscow State University. He has taught at Dhaka University, Harvard University, Emory University, Kyushu University, and St. John’s University before joining the UN in 2006.
Dr. Nazrul has earned an international reputation for his contributions to growth, transition, sustainable development, and political economy. He has published twenty books and numerous articles in reputed international journals.
Much of his research focuses on Bangladesh’s development. Notable works include “Development Problem of Bangladesh” (1987), “Bangladesh of the Future” (2012), “Let the Delta be a Delta–The Way to Protect Rivers of Bangladesh” (2016), and “Governance for Development” (2016).
Deeply interested in environmental protection, he founded the Bangladesh Environment Network (BEN) in 1998 and initiated the formation of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) in 2000.
Md. Khalequzzaman, Ph.D.
Global CoordinatorProfessor and Lead
Dept. of EGGS
Lock Haven University
PA 17745, USA
Brief Biography
Dr. Md. Khalequzzaman is a professor of Geology at Lock Haven University (LHU) since 2001. He also served as the chair of the Department of Geology & Physics at LHU for three years from 2005 to 2008. Currently, he is serving as the lead of the Environmental, Geographical, and Geological Sciences (EGGS) department at LHU under the Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania.
He holds B.S./M.S. degree in Mining Engineering/Geology from Azerbaijan Institute of Petroleum & Chemistry in Baku, formerly USSR; another M.S. and a Ph.D. in Geology from University of Delaware, U.S.A.
His areas of expertise and research include coastal environmental oceanography, water resources management, sustainability science, and GIS. He published numerous papers and newspaper articles on various aspects of trans-boundary rivers and integrated water resources management in South Asia.
He collaborated with scientists from India, Canada, and Bangladesh on research projects dealing with equitable and reasonable sharing of trans-boundary rivers. He co-edited proceedings of two international conferences on trans-boundary rivers and regional cooperation on water resources in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna Basins.
Azizur Molla, Ph.D., M.P.H.
TreasurerProfessor
Master of Public Health program
Grand Valley State University
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Brief Biography
Dr. Azizur Molla is a professor in the Master of Public Health program within the School of Interdisciplinary Health at the College of Health Professions at Grand Valley State University (GVSU).
He received dual PhDs in Medical Anthropology and Demography from the Pennsylvania State University and completed his Master of Public Health (MPH) from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. His research expertise spans climate change, water and health, environmental health, and program evaluation.
With over 20 years of experience in teaching and researching health in South Asia and the U.S., Dr. Molla has worked with USAID in designing and assessing public health programs. He has also coordinated training on global health for officials in Bangladesh and Indonesia.
His current research interests include climate change and its effect on sea level rise, water contamination, air pollution, and health disparities. He is currently working on a textbook titled “Climate Change, Drinking Water Security, and Public Health.”
Activities of BEN are coordinated through BEN Coordinating Committee (BEN-CC). Current members of BEN-CC include the following: in alphabetic order by last name
