Researcher Profile

"What if we can lower the indoor temperature of our houses by 4-5 °C just by changing the type of raw materials? I want to explore alternatives that are friendly to people and the environment."

As a child, I always dreamt of becoming a Scientist. My interest in watching and reading science fiction films and novels piqued my interest for science. As I grew older, I tried to make my dream a reality and prepared myself to become a doctor. I felt that a good doctor can also be a good researcher, as doctors need to discover the disease of the patients based on the signs and symptoms that are being exhibited. After completing my medical degree, I realised my childhood dream of becoming a Scientist was not far away from my reach. Thus, I joined icddr,b in 2017 as a reseacher and since then I am continuously developing and dedicating myself to work towards abating environmental health problems.

My work at icddr,b involves working on developing and piloting different environmental interventions to mitigate the effect of environmental pollution and its health hazards. Currently, I am working on piloting a Jute based climate resilient shelter at FDMN camps in Cox’s Bazar to reduce the environmental and health hazards from current plastic tarpaulin-based shelters. I have also worked on health impacts of exposure to electronic waste, community health worker home based neonatal jaundice management, and developing and piloting low cost environment friendly menstrual hygiene management interventions for schools and urban slums.

My recent work of piloting Jute based climate resilient shelters has been recognised as an Earth saving innovation at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP26. I am interested to explore health impacts from technical interventions through careful evaluation as a variety of factors determine whether a technically efficient intervention will translate to an effective solution with actual impact on human health.

Why I work at icddr,b:

icddr,b provided me the best possible work environment to showcase my potential and dedication. My mentors and colleagues at Environmental Intervention Unit contributed to my each and every achievement, I have accomplished so far. I want to continue my work at icddr,b and serve towards the improvement of public health with my utmost potential.

Future plans:

I want to focus on piloting new solutions to tackle climate change impact on coastal areas of Bangladesh.