people

Dr. Md. Murad Ahmed served as the Head of the Research Department during his tenure as Senior Research Manager at the Bangladesh Institute of Social Research Trust (BISR Trust), where he provided overall leadership across the research cycle; from proposal development to study implementation. He holds a PhD in Development Finance from Cardiff Metropolitan University, UK. I had the opportunity to work directly under his supervision on a research project titled “Finding the Link Between International Migration and Climate Change: Salinity, Inundation, and River-Erosion Affected Areas in Bangladesh.” Since he comes from an economics background, we naturally share many common interests to discuss. I especially enjoyed engaging in debates with him on the political economy of Bangladesh. He has always been open-minded and created a welcoming space for his juniors to express their views. He is currently serving as Senior Deputy Executive Secretary (Research, Development & Policy Advocacy) at the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DCCI), and can serve as a professional referee for my work. He has known me since 2024.

Mr. Md. Khurshed Alam was as my direct supervisor during my tenure at Change Initiative, where I developed my foundational skills in qualitative research under his guidance. As this was my first full-time professional role (following my graduate research assistantship at Comilla University), he also played a crucial role in orienting me to the practical realities of social science research, as well as professional workplace norms and expectations. I worked directly under his supervision on a research project titled “Understanding Political and Socio-Economic Impacts due to Climate Change Vulnerability and Exploring Potential Capacities of Climate-Vulnerable Communities for the Association for Land Reform and Development.” In addition, I contributed as a Co-Investigator to another study titled “Situation Analysis of Indigenous Entrepreneurship in Mymensingh”. Currently, he is doing another Masters in Community Engagement (MACE) at University of Alberta. Since 2022, he has remained a mentor to me, with a sustained understanding of my academic and professional development.

Dr. Kazi Mohammed Kamal Uddin is a Professor at Department of Economics of Comilla University. He holds a PhD from Hauzhong University of Science & Technology (HUST), Wuhan, China. He was my class room teacher for 6 courses during my bachelor and masters period. I also worked as a research assistant in his research lab for almost two years. There I learned about the practical implications of statistics and econometrics. In addition to that he also leverged me with opportunities like preparing lecture notes for fellow juniors, lab assistance in introduction to R programming and STATA for statistics and Econometrics classes. Apart from the academic relations, he also guide me when it needs most. He has know me since 2016.

Professor Dr. M. Zakir Saadullah Khan was my thesis supervisor during my master’s studies at Comilla University. He also taught me in three courses, where I built a strong foundation in econometrics through his engaging and insightful teaching. His guidance played an important role in shaping my interest in research. He encouraged me to think independently and helped me understand the importance of critical reasoning in academic work. He holds a PhD from Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. He has known me since 2016.