Office Administration
Executive Director (ED)
Muhammad Irfan Sadik is the founder and current Executive Director (ED) of Project Upokul. He started this research initiative in February 2025, along with two co-founders. Mr Sadik holds a
M.S.S. and B.S.S. from the Department of International Relations at Jahangirnagar University. His research interests mainly focus on Security Affairs in the Bay of Bengal, Blue Economy, Climate Change: Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies, Coastal Economy, Disaster and Risk Management, and Indo-Pacific Geopolitics.
Emrul Hasan
Head Of Operations (HOO)
Hailing from Hatiya Island, Noakhali, Emrul Hasan is one of the co-founders of Project Upokul and is currently serving as the Head of Operations (HOO) of the organization. Emrul is studying for his Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng) in Industrial Engineering at Daggendorf Institute of Technology, Germany. His research focuses primarily on Coastal Economy, Blue Economy, and Land Eroison.
Minara Mim
Human Resource Management (HR)
Minara is currently serving at the Human Resourse Department (HRM) in Project Upokul. She is pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Accounting & Information Systems under the Faculty of Business Studies at the Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP).
She has completed her internship at Trust Bank PLC, gaining valuable corporate experience. Alongside her academic journey, she has worked as a Content Researcher in several marketing agencies. In addition to her professional and academic achievements, she has been running and moderating her online business for nearly a year, demonstrating her entrepreneurial skills and leadership abilities.
Head of Research
Mehrab Ahmed Joy is a dedicated researcher from the University of Barishal, specializing in marketing and development studies. His research interests include community development, education, democracy, social change, and data-driven analysis of societal issues- with a growing focus on coastal areas and their socio-economic dynamics. Currently, he is serving as the West Coast Manager (WCM) at Project Upokul. As for his previous research experiences, he has served as Research Assistant (RA) at the Bonn Institute for Development and Democracy (BIDD), where he contributed to both qualitative and quantitative research projects. In addition, he has worked with several NGOs, INGOs, and youth platforms such as: The Hunger Project Bangladesh, Save the Children, and Bsafe Foundation. Through his academic and field experiences, Mehrab combines analytical rigor with community engagement to advance inclusive and evidence-based development research.