Director-Programme & Acting CEO
Md. Rashedul Hasan has been working for NIRAPAD since 18 May 2022. Mr. Hasan has around 8 years of progressive professional experience in the field of humanitarian and development action. Particularly, he is experienced in Project Management with a demonstrated history of working in the non-profit organization management industry. He is skilled in Proposal Writing, Knowledge Management, CC & DRR program implementation, Non-profit Program Development, Research, and Community Development.
Mr. Hasan obtained his bachelor degree in Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering. Later on he obtained his MS degree in Disaster Management from DU. Prior to joining NIRAPAD, he has worked for DUS, NAHAB and DAM in different roles and responsibilities.
In Charge-Finance & Admin
Senior Research Associate
Md Ariful Islam has been working for NIRAPAD since 17 September 2024. Mr. Islam has around 4 years of progressive professional experience in the field of disaster management and geospatial analysis. He is particularly experienced in research and data analysis with a demonstrated history of working in academia and various humanitarian projects. He is skilled in GIS-based mapping, data collection, and analysis, as well as disaster risk reduction (DRR) program assessments.
Mr. Islam obtained both his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Geography and Environment from Jahangirnagar University. Prior to joining NIRAPAD, he worked with organizations such as FAO-Bangladesh and CARE Bangladesh, contributing to various projects related to geospatial research and disaster management.
Senior Research Associate
Raihan Riaz
MSc (Thesis) in Geography & Environment with 1st Position, Jagannath University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Raihan Riaz is a highly accomplished environmental researcher and development professional specializing in disaster risk reduction, climate resilience, GIS-based spatial analysis, and field research management. He earned his Master of Science in Geography & Environment from Jagannath University, Dhaka, graduating top of his class under the thesis group. His award-winning thesis, “Measuring Household Resilience in the Landslide-prone Rangamati Hill District of Bangladesh: An Indicator-based Approach”, was funded by the Ministry of Science & Technology and received the National Science & Technology Award (2023).
Raihan is currently serving as a Senior Research Associate at NIRAPAD (Network for Information, Response & Preparedness Activities on Disaster), where he contributes to high-impact research and policy support for disaster-prone communities. Before this, he worked as a Research Fellow at the Ministry of Science & Technology (2023–24), an Assistant Project Coordinator at the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, and as a Research Assistant on multiple national projects investigating climate-induced migration, flash flood vulnerability, and socioeconomic resilience, funded by the University Grants Commission of Bangladesh and other agencies.
He has led and supervised various field research projects throughout Bangladesh, including baseline surveys of Rohingya refugee-host communities in Cox’s Bazar, livelihood assessments in the Sundarbans, drought impact studies in northern Bangladesh, and land-use surveys in Sylhet and Sunamganj. Raihan offers practical expertise in mobile data collection platforms (KoBo Toolbox, ODK, CTO), field staff training, MEL reporting, and stakeholder coordination with donors, NGOs, and local government agencies.
A prolific researcher, Raihan has authored and co-authored multiple peer-reviewed journal articles (Elsevier, Springer, Taylor & Francis), with publications on landslide resilience, flash-flood susceptibility, urban expansion, climate migration, and tourism vulnerability. His research has been presented at major national and international conferences on resilience, water management, and climate change. He is also engaged in donor-funded research consultancies on cyclone early warning systems, household economy analysis, forecast-based action programming, and community-based sustainable livelihoods across coastal Bangladesh.
Beyond his technical roles, Raihan is an active youth leader and science communicator. He has served as Coordinator of the Environmental Club (JnU), President of Bangladesh Torun Column Lekhok Forum, Vice President of the Bangladesh Science Fiction Society (JnU Unit), and Organizing Secretary of Green Voice (JnU). He writes regularly as a columnist in leading English and Bangla daily newspapers, including The Daily Sun, The Daily Observer, New Age, The Daily Earth, and The Daily Ittefaq.
Raihan has strong expertise in statistical analysis with SPSS and Stata, advanced geospatial mapping using ArcGIS, and qualitative data coding with NVivo. Additionally, he continues to expand his knowledge through numerous professional trainings in GIS, ICT applications, renewable energy, and disaster risk management. He creates compelling data visualizations with Power BI and applies multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) to support evidence-based decision-making. Skilled in research design and monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) frameworks, he effectively manages field coordination and fosters stakeholder engagement to drive successful project implementation.
Research Assistant
