User:PVC-IUB/sandbox

Short Introduction

Niaz Ahmed Khan is a researcher, university professor, development practitioner, trainer, project management specialist, and civil society & community outreach worker from Bangladesh. Currently, he is Pro Vice Chancellor of Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB), and Professor (Grade 1) and former Chairman at the Department of Development Studies, University of Dhaka. His career reflects a rich blend of academic and practicing development management experiences gained in Bangladesh, Thailand and the UK. Besides serving as Bangladesh Country Representative of IUCN – the International Union for Conservation of Nature (the world’s largest environmental network organization), some of his other former positions include: Senior Programme Coordinator, UNDP-Bangladesh; Forest and Natural Resource Management Specialist, Asian Development Bank (ADB) ; South Asian Fellow, Queen Elizabeth House, University of Oxford; Distinguished Visiting Researcher, The American University in Cairo; Manager (Operations), PKSF; Senior Academic Adviser, BRAC Institute of Governance and Development; and Chairman, Bangladesh Tropical Forest Conservation Foundation; and Distinguished Visiting Professor, Asian University for Women (AUW) . He has published prolifically (more than 170 refereed publications including some 50 in Web of Science and/or Scopus indexed journals) on such broad fields as environment, natural resource management, and social/community development. He regularly contributes to high panel government and civil society committees and boards, and acts as resource person and/or academic adviser to key national military and civil service training institutions.

Early Life and Education

Niaz Ahmed Khan was born in an esteemed family in a famous village called Chunoti of Lohagora Upazila in the district of Chattogram, Bangladesh. His great grandfather Khan Bahadur Nasir Uddin Khan was a Deputy Magistrate and Deputy Collector of unpartitioned India under the British empire. His grandfather Kabir Uddin Ahmed Khan was a Sub Deputy Collector and first-class Magistrate in the Asam-Bengal Civil Service under British and subsequently, Pakistan rule. His father Dr. Shafiq Ahmed Khan (Ph.D., Sarajevo University) was a distinguished member of the erstwhile Pakistan Superior Forest Service - subsequently, Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS - Forest).

Khan topped the merit list and secured first position in all public examinations in Bangladesh - from Secondary School Certificate (SSC) through Masters. Subsequently, he earned his Ph.D. in Development Studies from the University of Wales Swansea, UK with distinction. He further pursued and achieved post-doctoral qualifications from the University of Oxford (Queen Elizabeth House), UK and the Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand. His other professional qualifications include: Certificate in Interpersonal Skills for Volunteers (University of Wales Lampeter, UK); Diploma in Voluntary & Community Organisations (University of Wales Swansea, UK); and Diploma in Personnel Management (Institute of Personnel Management, Bangladesh).

Career

Khan’s career and professional experiences spread over two broad streams: academic-research and practicing development management & administration. On the academic side, he held such positions as Pro-Vice Chancellor, Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) ; Chairman and Professor, Development Studies, University of Dhaka; South Asian Fellow, Queen Elizabeth House, University of Oxford; Research Fellow, University of Wales Swansea; Professor of Public Administration, University of Chittagong; Distinguished Visiting Researcher, The American University in Cairo, Egypt; Distinguished Visiting Professor, Asian University of Women; Senior Academic Adviser cum Coordinator (post-grad programs)-BIGD, BRAC University; Senior Academic Adviser, National Defence College; Executive Director, Centre for Resources and Development Research; and Asia Research Fellow, Asian Institute of Technology. Adjunct/Part time Professorship with leading universities in Bangladesh including: BRACU, EWU, NSU, IUB. He has extensively published, and his articles and book chapters have appeared in journals and books with such reputed publishers as Springer, Routledge/Taylor & Francis, Sage, Oxford University Press, Wiley, Palgrave Macmillan, and Elsevier.

On the practicing development management and administration stream, he has held such progressively important positions as Country Representative-Bangladesh, International Union for Conservation of Nature-IUCN; Senior Program Coordinator-CHT, UNDP-Bangladesh; Institution Capacity and Development Specialist-CHT, UNDP-Bangladesh, and Manager Operations, Palli Karma Shahayak Foundation-PKSF. Besides, he has extensively consulted (often in the capacity of Mission/Team Lead) with: World Bank, UN, ADB, DANIDA, Asia Foundation, USAID, Save the Children, CARE, ICIMOD and various government agencies in the UK and Bangladesh in the fields of rural and community development, co-management, climate change adaptation and DRR, urban/local governance and decentralization, social/policy dynamics of environmental management, community based natural resource management, monitoring, evaluation, social/participatory research, indigenous people, ethnic minorities’ rights, management/institutional development, and poverty reduction.

Recognition

Professor Khan has achieved several academic and professional recognitions, awards and scholarships including: Balipara Foundation, Assam, India: Special Recognition Award 2022; The American University in Cairo, Egypt: Distinguished Visiting Research (DVR) Fellowship 2018; Asian University for Women, Chittagong: Distinguished Professorship 2018; Australian Government, Australia: Australian Leadership Awards Fellowship (ALAF) 2010; Association of Commonwealth Universities, London, UK : Commonwealth Academic Staff Fellowship 2008; Queen Elizabeth House (Oxford Department of International Development), University of Oxford, UK: Visiting South Asian Fellowship 2008-09; Asia Scholarship Foundation (funded by Ford Foundation), Bangkok, Thailand: Asia Fellowship 2002-03; Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand: Fellow of the Asian Institute of Technology 2003; University of Wales Swansea, UK: Pro Vice Chancellor’s Honorary Fellowship 1999-2006; & Visiting Scholarship 1997-98; Association of Commonwealth Universities, London, UK: Commonwealth Scholarship 1992-95; University of Chittagong, Chittagong, Bangladesh: Gulmeher Gold Medal Award 1987 & Merit Award 1986; University of Chittagong, Chittagong, Bangladesh: Talent Pool Scholarships 1986-87 & 1983-86; Secondary & Higher Secondary Education Board, Comilla, Bangladesh: Talent Pool Scholarship 1981-83; & Merit Awards 1981 & 1983. He has been covered by numerous newspaper articles amid Bangladesh as follows:

Dhaka Tribune

The Daily Star

The Financial Express

Personal Life

Khan is happily married to Mustari Khan; they have one daughter - Fatiha Munzarin Khan. His pastimes include music, photography, and reading.