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Climate, DRR & Environmental Expert

Md. Ekhtekharul Islam

Md. Ekhtekharul Islam is an environmental researcher, academic, and policy-oriented development professional with more than nine years of university teaching experience and over seven years of hands-on engagement in field-based and policy-focused research. His work brings together climate change, disaster risk management, environmental governance, public health, displacement, resilience, and sustainable development. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Public Health at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. He also serves as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Environmental Science and Management at Independent University, Bangladesh, and has delivered master’s-level lectures at the University of Copenhagen on disaster risk management and global health. His professional experience includes collaboration with globally recognized institutions and initiatives, including UNEP, IPCC, the European Climate Foundation, BRAC, RMMRU, and other national and international development actors. He has served as Lead Author for UNEP’s Global Environment Outlook 7 and as an Expert Reviewer for the IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Cities. At ART Lab, Md. Ekhtekharul Islam contributes technical expertise in climate resilience, disaster preparedness, environmental policy, climate-induced displacement, plastic waste management, and research design. His multidisciplinary background enables him to connect academic evidence with practical policy recommendations and community-level development solutions.

Professional Skills

Climate Change Adaptation 95%
Disaster Risk Management 95%
Environmental Policy Analysis 92%
Research Design and Evaluation 90%

Experience & Activities

Md. Ekhtekharul Islam has developed a strong professional profile at the intersection of teaching, research, policy analysis, and development consultancy. His academic background includes a PhD fellowship in Public Health at the University of Copenhagen, an MSc in International Development and Management from Lund University, Sweden, and both BSc and MSc degrees in Environmental Sciences from Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh. His academic work has consistently focused on environmental resilience, drinking water vulnerability, climate change adaptation, and sustainable rural development. As an academic, he has taught environmental science, climate change, environmental economics, disaster risk management, and environmental law at Independent University, Bangladesh. He has also delivered master’s-level lectures at the University of Copenhagen on disaster risk management and global health, reflecting his ability to connect environmental and public health perspectives in both national and international learning environments.

His research engagement includes high-level international contributions. As Lead Author of UNEP’s Global Environment Outlook 7, he contributed to analysis on environmental inequality and pollution in the Asia-Pacific region. As an IPCC Expert Reviewer, he is involved in reviewing the Special Report on Climate Change and Cities. He is also affiliated with the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit, where he has contributed to climate-induced displacement policy work, including a guiding template for Climate Vulnerable Forum countries and an action plan for Bangladesh. His publication record includes journal articles, book chapters, working papers, and conference presentations on rooftop farming, waterlogging, water quality, climate adaptation, disaster preparedness, coastal displacement, and ecosystem-based adaptation. He has also received research grants on transformative climate adaptation technologies, flood resilience financing, Indigenous community adaptation, climate change and Indigenous communities, and sea turtle conservation in Cox’s Bazar.

As a policy and research consultant, he has contributed to assignments on solidarity levy and climate finance, plastic waste management in Cox’s Bazar Municipality, tidal river management and women in the southwest coast of Bangladesh, and evaluation of refugee relief operations. Within ART Lab’s portfolio, he is listed as Team Leader for the Oxfam-supported baseline study on strengthening community preparedness, rapid response, and recovery in disaster-prone communities of Bangladesh. Through his interdisciplinary expertise, Md. Ekhtekharul Islam supports ART Lab’s commitment to evidence-based research, climate resilience, environmental sustainability, and inclusive development. His work strengthens the organization’s capacity to deliver high-quality research and policy recommendations for development, humanitarian, and environmental programs.