Fellow

Professor Dr Shafi Mohammad Tareq

(Fellow, 2024)

Dr. Shafi Mohammad Tareq is a distinguished Bangladeshi environmental scientist and educator. Dr Tareq completed B.Sc. (Hons) and M.Sc. in Chemistry from Jahangirnagar University and obtained an M.S. in Environmental Science and was awarded a D.Sc. from Nagoya University, Japan. Later, he earned a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCHE) from the University of Nottingham in the UK and was elected as a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, UK, reflecting his commitment not only to research but also to the advancement of teaching and academic leadership. He worked as a postdoctoral fellow of the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) and a Commonwealth academic fellow, UK and spent time as a visiting researcher at Hokkaido University in Japan. Dr Tareq also worked as an associate professor at the School of Bioscience, the University of Nottingham. Within Bangladesh, he played a pioneering role as one of the founding faculty members of the Department of Environmental Sciences at Jahangirnagar University, later serving as its Chair and contributing significantly to shaping the department into a leading center for environmental education and research.

Dr Tareq is skilled in environmental monitoring and assessment, focusing on emerging pollution-related health risks, hydrobiogeochemistry, and the fate and transport of dissolved organic matter and emerging chemicals, including microplastics, Fluorescent Whitening Agents (FWA) and antibiotics in freshwater and the food chain. Dr Tareq established the Hydrobiogeochemistry and Pollution Control Laboratory at Jahangirnagar University, which has become a hub for advanced studies and training in these areas. His investigations into arsenic contamination in groundwater, greenhouse gas emissions, paleoclimate reconstruction, and environmental health risk assessments have been widely cited and influential in shaping environmental policy and awareness. He first identified microplastics in freshwater fishes of Bangladesh, which was highlighted in many national and international media, including the BBC and Al-Jazeera TV. Dr Tareq published more than one hundred sixty peer-reviewed papers in high-impact journals, authored several book chapters, and wrote a book titled Lignin Molecular Biogeochemistry: Principles and Practices. His work has been highly cited, reflecting his significant impact in the field, and his h-index demonstrates the wide recognition and application of his research worldwide. He also serves on the editorial boards of several high-impact international journals.

Dr Tareq's contributions have been acknowledged with numerous awards and honours. In 2013, he received the Bangladesh Academy of Science and the World Academy of Science Young Scientist Gold Medal for his outstanding achievements in science and technology. More recently, in 2024, he was honoured with the BAS Gold Medal in the senior group, underlining his continued excellence and leadership in research. He has also been recognized as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC), a Chartered Environmentalist (C.Env.) in the UK, and a Fellow of the Bangladesh Academy of Sciences. His academic journey reflects not only personal dedication but also a broader vision to advance environmental science in Bangladesh and beyond, making him one of the country’s most prominent scientists in his field.

Keywords: Emerging pollution and health risks, Hydrobiogeochemistry, Waste management, EIA/SEA.

Section: Environmental Sciences