Coastal and Marine Disasters in South Asia: Risk, Resilience and Sustainable Solutions

Author Biography

Professor Dr. M. Shahidul Islam completed his B.Sc.(Hons.) and M.S. in Geography from the University of Dhaka in 1983 and 1984, respectively, and stood first class first in both the examinations. He completed his PhD in 1996 from the University of St. Andrews, UK under the Commonwealth Scholarship Program. He was the Founding General Secretary of Bangladesh Association of Commonwealth Scholars and Fellows (BACSAF). He was the Founding Chairman of the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies of Chittagong University. In 2008, he moved to Jagannath University and became the Dean of the Faculty of Sciences. He finally moved to Dhaka University as a Professor of Physical Geography in 2010 and became the Chairman of the Department from 2022-25 . He was also a vising Professor of Nagoya University, Japan in 2006. He was the Secretary and President of INQUA (International Union for Quaternary Research) SLCCE: Indian Ocean Sub-commission, in 1995-1999 and 2000-2004, respectively. He is currently the Secretary of Bangladesh Geographical Society. He was the Co-leader of IGCP-495, UNESCO. He participated in a month-long international expedition in the Indian Ocean (Maldives) in 2000. He has more than 85 research publications and sixteen books. His fields of specialization are geomorphology, coastal morphology, coastal dynamics and environment, physical oceanography, paleo-environment and sea-level change. Aznarul Islam completed his Masters of Science in Geography from Kalyani University, India and his Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy in Geography from the University of Burdwan, India. He is working as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography, Aliah University (AU), Kolkata, India, since 2016 and served as the Head of the Department (Officiating) from 2019 to 2022. Previously, he was an Assistant Professor (WBES) at the Department of Geography, Barasat Government College, India (2014–2016). Dr. Islam is the recipient of the Alexander von Humboldt (AvH) Fellowship for Experienced Researcher. He was awarded the University Grants Commission Junior Research Fellowship (Geography) in 2012, secured All India Rank 018/188 in Earth Sciences (CSIR-UGC NET for Lectureship, 2011). He served as a Guest Faculty/Visiting Faculty at several institutes, including Jadavpur University, Kolkata, and Kazi Nazrul University, Asansol. and published 90+ research papers, including 60 in SCI-indexed journals. He is the principal author of Riverbank Erosion in the Bengal Delta: An Integrated Perspective, (Springer, 2024) and co-author of other two books - 1. Palaeochannels and Water Resource Management - A Study in the Western Bengal Delta and 2. The Nadia Rivers - Transition to Transformation both published by the Springer. He has edited 10 books, contributed more than 26 chapters, presented papers in 35+ conferences and successfully guided four Ph.D. theses (three ongoing). He received a UGC Minor Research Project, completed an ICSSR Major Research Project in 2019 as the sole Project Director and was awarded the DST-SERB SURE Award (Govt. of India) in 2023 as Principal Investigator. He serves as an editor and reviewer for leading journals published by Springer, Elsevier, Taylor & Francis, Wiley, Nature, MDPI, Frontiers, etc. He is a life member of the IGF, Kolkata, and NAGI, New Delhi. His principal area of research includes exploring river, water, and society through the lens of applied spatial sciences using quantitative techniques and geo-informatics to reduce fluvial and hydrological hazards and enhance community resilience. Dr. Pravat Kumar Shit is an Assistant Professor at the PG Department of Geography, Raja N. L. Khan Women’s College (Autonomous), West Bengal, India. He received his M.Sc & Ph.D. degrees in Geography from Vidyasagar University and PG Diploma in Remote Sensing & GIS from Sambalpur University. His research interests include applied geomorphology, soil erosion, groundwater, forest resources, wetland ecosystem, environmental contaminants & pollution, and natural resources mapping & modelling. Dr. Shit has published twenty five books (Springer, Elsevier, CRC Press) and more than 100 research papers in peer-reviewed journals and 90 book chapters.He is also the guest editor of “Environmental Science and Pollution Research” and “Applied Water Science”. He is currently the editor of the GIScience and Geo-environmental Modelling (GGM) Book Series, Springer-Nature. Dr. Md. Khalequzzaman is a Professor of Geology and Oceanography at Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania, Lock Haven, USA. His research focuses on Water Resources Management, including Hydrological Modeling, Water Quality, and Environmental studies. He specializes in Integrated Water Resources Management, Watershed Hydrology, Water Balance, and Surface Hydrology. His expertise extends to Watershed Management, Rainfall-Runoff Modeling, Soil and Water Conservation, and Water Quality Monitoring. Dr. Khalequzzaman also utilizes Remote Sensing and GIS in his research, contributing significantly to the field of hydrologic and water resource modeling and simulation.