West Coast Region
Mehrab Ahmed Joy
West Coast Manager (WCM)
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.
Iffat Ara Achol
West Coast Officer (WCO)
Iffat Ara Achol is currently an undergraduate student in the Department of Coastal Studies and Disaster Management at Barishal University, Bangladesh. Her research interests lie in the areas of coastal resilience, disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation, and sustainable environmental management.
She has gained practical research experience as a Data Enumerator with organizations such as Bsafe Foundation and The Hunger Project Bangladesh, where she was involved in conducting both quantitative and qualitative field studies, including focus group discussions (FGDs) and key informant interviews (KIIs). In addition, she has contributed to academic research as an ArcGIS Mapper, with her collaborative work published in Springer.
Beyond her academic engagements, Achol actively participates in campus leadership and community service. She currently serves as Vice President of the Barishal University Environment Conservation Society, leading initiatives related to environmental awareness, youth empowerment, and sustainability.
Raunak Al Nabeel
Deputy West Coast Officer (D-WCO)
Raunak Al Nabeel is a graduate in Agrotechnology (B.Sc. in Agriculture, Khulna University) with a strong academic background and a focused commitment to addressing agriculture and climate challenges in Bangladesh’s coastal belt. His work centers on salinity, waterlogging, and stress-prone coastal agroecosystems, key constraints to food security and rural livelihoods.
He has conducted research on waterlogging tolerance in sunflower, salinity effects on food legumes (faba bean), and the genetic, morphological, and yield characterization of local rice varieties adapted to coastal saline environments. Through these efforts, he has developed practical expertise in stress physiology, field trial design, salinity analysis, germplasm evaluation, and data interpretation, with an emphasis on improving productivity in marginal and underutilized coastal lands.
Alongside research, he has demonstrated leadership through active roles in agricultural organizations, contributing to stakeholder coordination, documentation, and international exchange, and supporting large-scale events such as the IAAS World Congress 2024 that took place in Bangladesh and also in Khulna University as it was the headquarters of IAAS Bangladesh.
Ali Hasan Jihadi
Research Associate of The West Coast
I am Ali Hasan Jihadi, currently a final-year undergraduate student (8th semester) at Patuakhali Science and Technology University, studying Environmental Science and Disaster Management. I am nearing the completion of my graduation and aspire to pursue higher studies in my field in the future.
My academic and research interests include ecosystem and biodiversity conservation, river and water resource management, and natural as well as anthropogenic disasters.
I have conducted my undergraduate thesis on social-ecological systems, and previously contributed to a research project related to cyclone prediction. In addition, I have worked in several research projects as a data enumerator and served as a junior data analyst in one research initiative.
My technical skills include proficiency in MS Office, ArcGIS-based mapping, and KoBoToolbox for data collection and management. I am keen to stay engaged in research- and field-oriented activities aligned with my academic and career goals.
Md. Tahasinul Islam
Research Associate of The West Coast