Profile

Muktarun Islam is a professor and Dean faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Department of Irrigation and Water Management, at Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet, Bangladesh. She holds a PhD in Water Resources Development from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, and her thesis was titled: Conjunctive Use of Saline and Non-saline Coastal Aquifers for Agriculture. She holds an M.S. in Irrigation and Water Management, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Bangladesh, and her thesis was titled "Effect of Water Stress on the Growth and Yield of Three Drought Tolerant T.Aman Rice Mutants", and a B.S. in Agricultural Engineering, also from Bangladesh Agricultural University. She has received award "The South Asian Water (SAWA) Fellowship" for Ph.D Programme at the Institute of Water and Flood Management (IWFM), BUET, Dhaka. She was Former Research Fellow, Bangladesh Center for Advanced Studies, during August 2013 to October 2013, Research Assistant, Climate Change Study Cell, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, during 1st August 2011 to October 2012 and Former Assistant Engineer, Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA), during August 03 2005 to November 20, 2007. Her research has been presented at international conferences, including India Water Week and the Asia Pacific Hydrology and Water Forum. Additionally, she has supervised 17 undergraduate theses and mentored 12 M.Sc. students, fostering the next generation of water resource professionals. Her major experiences are groundwater hydraulics, groundwater development, groundwater modeling, water security and vulnerability assessment, climate change adaptation, sustainable development and community resilience building in Bangladesh. She has a passion for stakeholder engagement, community-led adaptation, and disaster risk reduction through transforming science into service co-development. She is skilled in interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research and program management on water resources and climate, and bridging science and society. Dr. Islam’s commitment to professional development is evident through her participation in international training programs, such as the Massive Open Online Course on Adaptive Delta Management and the Climate Extremes and Risk Management course in Nanjing, China. Her expertise in GIS, remote sensing, and integrated water resources management further underscores her multidisciplinary approach to solving water related challenges. Beyond academia, Dr. Islam holds leadership roles as Dean, Chairman of the Department of Irrigation and Water Management, and member of the Academic Council at Sylhet Agricultural University. She has also contributed to institutional development as an editorial board member of the Journal of Sylhet Agricultural University and through various administrative positions, including Assistant Provost and Proctor.