Center of Excellence in Higher Education
The First Private University in Bangladesh

Dr. Mohammad Moshiur Rahman

Full Time Faculty
Associate Professor

Ph.D., Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands
M.Sc., Queens College, City University of New York, USA

Phone: +880-2-55668200 Ext: 2063
Email: mohammad.rahman@northsouth.edu 
Office: SAC 712

Curriculum Vitae
 

Dr.  Mohammad Moshiur Rahman is an Associate Professor at the Department of Environmental Science and Management, North South University, with research interests in groundwater chemistry, water quality, and reactive transport modeling of hydrogeochemical processes of groundwater contamination. Dr. Rahman has been teaching at North South University since September 2010. 

Dr. Rahman completed his Ph.D. in water resources from the Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands. His Ph.D. thesis title is Field Experiments and Reactive Transport Modeling of Subsurface Arsenic Removal in Bangladesh.

Dr. Rahman completed his Master of Science in Applied Environmental Geo-sciences from the Department of Earth and Environmental Science at Queens College, City University of New York, New York, USA. His master's thesis was on Arsenic loading on soil due to large-scale groundwater irrigation and its impact on rice productivity in Bangladesh.

Dr. Rahman received another Master of Science degree in Geology from the Department of Geology at Dhaka University. His master's thesis was on Hydrogeological and Hydrochemical Evaluation of Burichang and Sadar Upazila, Comilla District, Bangladesh.

Dr. Rahman received his Bachelor of Science in Geology from the Department of Geology at Dhaka University. 

He has over 15 years of relevant work experience as an environmental researcher in the Netherlands, the USA, and Bangladesh. Most of this experience has been very interdisciplinary and has been focused on groundwater arsenic geochemistry and groundwater arsenic mitigation. He has published 20 journal papers in international peer-reviewed journals with 1015 citations.

Publications:

  1. M. A. Amin et al., “Trace metals in vegetables and associated health risks in industrial areas of Savar, Bangladesh,” J. Health Pollut., vol. 10, no. 27, p. 200905, 2020.
  2. Z. Aziz et al., “Evidence of decoupling between arsenic and phosphate in shallow groundwater of Bangladesh and potential implications,” Appl. Geochem., vol. 77, pp. 167–177, 2017.
  3. S. C. Borges Freitas, D. Van Halem, M. M. Rahman, J. Verberk, A. B. M. Badruzzaman, and W. G. J. Van der Meer, “Hand-pump subsurface arsenic removal: the effect of groundwater conditions and intermittent operation,” Water Sci. Technol. Water Supply, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 119–126, 2014.
  4. M. M. R. Haniyum Maria Khan, “Harnessing Bangladesh’s Undeveloped Geothermal Potential: A Case Study of the Barapukuria Coal Basin,” Journey Sustain. Dev. Peace J., vol. 2, no. Issue 1, pp. 68–81, 2024.
  5. I. S. Haque, M. M. Rahman, M. S. Rafiq, M. S. H. Apurba, and N. R. Khandaker, “Energy recovery potential in Bangladesh from elevated temperature textile processing wastewater: an analysis of energy recovery, energy economics and reduction in carbon dioxide emission,” Model. Earth Syst. Environ., vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 2661–2673, 2024
  6. M. A. Hoque, M. S. I. Sohel, M. M. Rahman, and N. Ahmed, “Site suitability analysis for the construction of water reservoirs in drought‐prone areas of Bangladesh using geospatial techniques,” World Water Policy, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 65–85, 2022.
  7. A. B. Iqbal et al., “Assessment of Bangladesh groundwater for drinking and irrigation using weighted overlay analysis,” Groundw. Sustain. Dev., vol. 10, p. 100312, 2020
  8. M. Jakariya et al., “Wastewater-based epidemiological surveillance to monitor the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in developing countries with onsite sanitation facilities,” Environ. Pollut., vol. 311, p. 119679, 2022.
  9. M. Jakariya et al., “Developing a safe water atlas for sustainable drinking water supply in Sonargaon Upazila, Bangladesh,” Groundw. Sustain. Dev., vol. 25, p. 101126, 2024.
  10. M. Jakariya et al., “Changing water sources and extraction methods in Bangladesh: Challenges, consequences, and sustainable solutions,” Groundw. Sustain. Dev., vol. 25, p. 101129, 2024.
  11. H. B. Jung et al., “Fate of Arsenic during Groundwater Discharge to Meghna River Part I: Sediment Geochemistry,” Fate React. Transp. Groundw. Arsen. Disch. Waquoit Bay USA Meghna River Bangladesh, vol. 1001, p. 76, 2009.
  12. H. B. Jung, Y. Zheng, M. W. Rahman, M. M. Rahman, and K. M. Ahmed, “Redox zonation and oscillation in the hyporheic zone of the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna Delta: Implications for the fate of groundwater arsenic during discharge,” Appl. Geochem., vol. 63, pp. 647–660, 2015.
  13. H. M. Khan, M. M. Rahman, and N. R. Khandaker, “To drill or, not to drill for natural gas in Bangladesh: A comparative economic and reservoir analysis,” Journey Sustain. Dev. Peace J., vol. 1, no. 02, pp. 76–94, 2023.
  14. N. R. Khandaker, M. M. Rahman, and S. Rafiq, “Needed Strategies to Negate a Poisoned Challis: Arsenic Mitigation in Bangladesh,” Journey Sustain. Dev. Peace J., vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 22–35, 2025.
  15. N. R. Khandaker and M. M. Rahman, “Energy Efficient Method for Treatment of Textile Processing,” Anaerob. Dig. Built Environ., p. 3, 2021.
  16. D. K. Kundu, A. Gupta, A. P. Mol, M. M. Rahman, and D. van Halem, “Experimenting with a novel technology for provision of safe drinking water in rural Bangladesh: The case of sub-surface arsenic removal (SAR),” Technol. Soc., vol. 53, pp. 161–172, 2018.
  17. J. Leber, M. M. Rahman, K. M. Ahmed, B. Mailloux, and A. van Geen, “Contrasting influence of geology on E. coli and arsenic in aquifers of Bangladesh,” Groundwater, vol. 49, no. 1, pp. 111–123, 2011.
  18. T. M. Legg et al., “Carbon, metals, and grain size correlate with bacterial community structure in sediments of a high arsenic aquifer,” Front. Microbiol., vol. 3, p. 82, 2012
  19. N. Mladenov et al., “Dissolved organic matter sources and consequences for iron and arsenic mobilization in Bangladesh aquifers,” Environ. Sci. Technol., vol. 44, no. 1, pp. 123–128, 2010.
  20. N. Mladenov et al., “Dissolved organic matter quality in a shallow aquifer of Bangladesh: implications for arsenic mobility,” Environ. Sci. Technol., vol. 49, no. 18, pp. 10815–10824, 2015.
  21. K. A. Radloff et al., “Considerations for conducting incubations to study the mechanisms of As release in reducing groundwater aquifers,” Appl. Geochem., vol. 23, no. 11, pp. 3224–3235, 2008.
  22. K. A. Radloff et al., “Reversible adsorption and flushing of arsenic in a shallow, Holocene aquifer of Bangladesh,” Appl. Geochem., vol. 77, pp. 142–157, 2017.
  23. A. Rahman et al., “Whole genome sequence of denitrifying bacterium Stutzerimonas stutzeri strain NGHE31, collected from an eutrophic wetland in Sunamganj, Bangladesh, following the 2017 flash floods,” Microbiol. Resour. Announc., vol. 13, no. 4, pp. e00001-24, 2024.
  24. M. M. Rahman et al., “Exploratory experiments to determine the effect of alternative operations on the efficiency of subsurface arsenic removal in rural Bangladesh,” Hydrogeol. J., vol. 23, no. 1, p. 19, 2015.
  25. M. M. Rahman et al., “Reactive transport modeling of subsurface arsenic removal systems in rural Bangladesh,” Sci. Total Environ., vol. 537, pp. 277–293, 2015.
  26. M. M. Rahman and D. S. Diba, “Acetogenic Pretreatment as an Energy Efficient Method for Treatment of Textile Processing Wastewater,” Chapters, 2021.
  27. M. S. R. Sarker, M. M. Rahman, and N. Khandaker, “Defining the kinetics of the novel application of anaerobic acetogenics for treating textile dyeing wastewater,” Model. Earth Syst. Environ., vol. 4, pp. 1259–1270, 2018.
  28. A. Sharmin et al., “Reducing excess phosphorus in agricultural runoff with low-cost, locally available materials to prevent toxic eutrophication in hoar areas of Bangladesh,” Groundw. Sustain. Dev., vol. 10, p. 100348, 2020.
  29. A. Sharmin et al., “Natural attenuation of chromium and manganese from a Bangladesh tannery effluent via humic substance complexation: field, laboratory and modeling studies,” 2021.
  30. M. S. Sohel, A. Tithi, M. Rahman, and H. Khan, “Assessing the Impact of Native and Plantation Forests on Catchment Water Yield in Tropical Regions: A meta-analysis,” 2024.
  31. M. S. I. Sohel et al., “Analysis of erosion–accretion dynamics of major rivers of world’s largest mangrove forest using geospatial techniques,” Reg. Stud. Mar. Sci., vol. 46, p. 101901, 2021.
  32. S. S. Tasnim, R. M. S. Hoque, M. Y. Tarana, and M. M. Rahman, “Agricultural damage assessment for paddy fields from land use land cover and flood extent maps of five unions of Sunamganj using remote sensing–based analysis,” J. Bangladesh Inst. Plan., pp. 1–18, 2023.
  33. A. Van Geen et al., “Monitoring 51 community wells in Araihazar, Bangladesh, for up to 5 years: implications for arsenic mitigation,” J. Environ. Sci. Health Part A, vol. 42, no. 12, pp. 1729–1740, 2007.

 

Book Chapter:

  1. H. M. Khan and M. M. Rahman, “Transboundary river management of the Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna (GBM) Delta: Environmental challenges and strategies,” Environ. Degrad. Chall. Strateg. Mitig., pp. 495–530, 2022.
  2. N. R. Khandaker and M. M. Rahman, “Understanding Sustainable Arsenic Mitigation Technology Application in the Indian Subcontinent,” in Wastewater Assessment, Treatment, Reuse and Development in India, Springer, 2022, pp. 87–105.
  3. M. S. Rafiq, M. S. H. Apurba, M. M. Rahman, Z. Mirdha, and N. R. Khandaker, “Application of Anaerobic Process and Energy, Materials Recovery for Textile Processing Wastewater,” in Emerging Technologies in Biological and Hybrid Wastewater Treatment: Lessons from Developed to Enhancing Practices in Developing Countries, Springer Nature Switzerland Cham, 2024, pp. 233–261.
  4. M. Sahil Rafiq, M. S. H. Apurba, M. M. Rahman, and N. R. Khandaker, “Sustainable Operation of Textile Wastewater Using Calcium Hypochlorite Oxidation Followed by Waste Iron Slag-Aided Micro-filtration,” in Emerging Technologies in Biological and Hybrid Wastewater Treatment: Lessons from Developed to Enhancing Practices in Developing Countries, Springer Nature Switzerland Cham, 2024, pp. 211–231.

 

Technical Report:

  1. UNICEF Bangladesh - Bangladesh national drinking water quality survey of (March 22, 2011).

 

Conference Abstracts:

  1. M.M. Rahman, S.C. Borges Freitas, M. Bakker, D. van Halem, K.M. Ahmed, A.B.M. Badruzzaman. Exploratory experiments to assess Subsurface Arsenic Removal (SAR) under different operational parameters in rural Bangladesh. GeoGen 2013 International Conference Towards sustainable safe drinking water supply in developing countries: The challenges of geogenic contaminants and mitigation measures. 5-7 February, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
  2. M.M. Rahman, B.M. van Breukelen, M. Bakker, K.M. Ahmed. Reactive Transport Modeling of Subsurface Arsenic Removal Systems in Rural Bangladesh. AGU 2014 Fall Meeting, 15-19 December, San Francisco, USA
  3. M.M. Rahman, M. Bakker, K.M. Ahmed, B.M. van Breukelen. Nationwide Assessment of Potential for Subsurface Arsenic Removal Technology in Bangladesh. AGU 2015 Fall Meeting, 14-18 December, San Francisco, USA
  4. M. S. Rafiq, N. Khandaker, M. Rahman, and M. S. Apurba, “Enhancing Sustainability in Textile Wastewater Treatment: Anaerobic Acetogenic Pretreatment and Aerobic Polishing for Efficient Reuse,” 2023.
  5. N. Maisha, H. Khan, A. Russel, and M. Rahman, “Finding the Best Geothermal Reservoirs in Bangladesh for Commercial Development: An Analysis of Barapukuria Coal Mine Area.,” 2023.
  6. M. S. Rafiq, N. Khandaker, M. Rahman, and M. S. Apurba, “Sustainable Treatment of Textile Processing Wastewater in Resource Challenged Economies: Utilizing Calcium Hypochlorite Oxidation Followed by Sand Filtration with Waste Blast Furnace Iron Slag for Repurposing Treated Effluent in Wet Processing,” 2024.
  7. M. H. Nobony, M. M. Rahman, S. S. Tasnim, M. S. I. Sohel, and M. Moniruzzaman, “Evaluation of Heavy Metal Concentrations in the Vicinity of Industrial Zones along the Meghna River Using Advanced Remote Sensing and Spatial Analysis Techniques,” 2024.
  8. I. Shams, M. Rahman, N. Khandaker, and S. Raj, “ACTION RESEARCH ON MITIGATION OF SALT DEPOSIT ON CLAY FIRED BRICKS OF BANGLADESH FOR ELUCIDATING A SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION,” 2024.
  9. M. M. Rahman et al., “Field Trial of a Novel Subsurface Arsenic Removal Technology for Community Level Safe Drinking Water Supply,” in AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts, 2022, pp. H22A-04.
  10. M. M. R. Ibrahim Rashiq Shams, “ELUCIDATION OF THE CAUSE OF EFFLORESCENCE ON CLAY-FIRED BRICKS IN BANGLADESH,” in 7th  International Conference on Civil Engineering for Sustainable Development (ICCESD 2024), Bangladesh, 2024.
  11. N. R. Khandaker, M. M. Rahman, and F. I. Khan, “Action Research in Bhutan: Production of Biogas from Rice Cooking Generated Wastewater,” in 2021 6th International Conference on Development in Renewable Energy Technology (ICDRET), IEEE, 2021, pp. 1–3.

Travel Grant for Attending WaTER conference 2017 in Oklahoma, USA from the University of Oklahoma, USA

Travel Grant for Attending American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting 2015 from Delft University of Technology, the netherlands

Travel Grant for Attending Geogen conference 2013 in Ethiopia from Delft University of Technology, the netherlands

Ph.D. in Water Resources (2017)
Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands

Master of Science in Applied Environmental Geosciences (2010)
Queens College, City University of New York, USA     

Master of Science in Geology (2003)
University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Bachelor of Science in Geology (2002)
University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh

-Associate Professor (April 2022 to Present):  at the department of environmental science and management, North-South university, Dhaka Bangladesh.

Responsibilities: teaching environmental science ENV 107, geology and geomorphology ENV 311, geographical information system (GIS) ENV 316.

-Assistant Professor (May 2017 to March 2022):  at the department of environmental science and management, North-South university, Dhaka Bangladesh.

Responsibilities: teaching environmental science ENV 107, geology and geomorphology ENV 311, geographical information system (GIS) ENV 316.

- Ph.D. researcher (February 2011 to 2017): Project title: Safe drinking water in Bangladesh: an integrated framework assessing acceptability, social technological feasibility, and sustainability of hand-pump subsurface arsenic removal in diverse settings of rural Bangladesh, the environmental research project by the Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands. Supervisor: Mark Bakker, PhD, Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands.

Responsibilities: Development of a reactive transport model of the fate and transport of arsenic during subsurface arsenic removal.

-Lecturer (September 2010 to Present):  at the department of environmental science and management, North-South university, Dhaka Bangladesh.

Responsibilities: teaching environmental science ENV 107, geology and geomorphology ENV 311, geographical information system (GIS) ENV 316. 

-Research Assistant (August 2008 to June 2010): Project title: Humic Substances and Iron Redox Reactions in Bangladesh aquifers The Environmental Research Project conducted by the ‘Queens College, CUNY, New York and INSTAAR, Dept. of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado. Supervisor: Yan Zheng, Ph.D. Queens College, CUNY, New York, USA

Responsibilities: Collecting groundwater sample and analyze those to determine anions, cations and fluorescence data.

-Adjunct Lecturer (August, 2008 to June, 2010): School of earth and Environmental Sciences, Queens College, CUNY, New York, USA.

Responsibilities: teaching environmental science 111 lab sections.

-Research Associate (2005 to 2007): Project Title: “Health Hazard and Arsenic Mobilization in Bangladesh Groundwater”. The Environmental Research Project conducted by the ‘Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (L-DEO) of Columbia University, New York, USA. Employer: Kazi Matin Ahmed, Ph.D. (kazimatin@yahoo.com), professor, Department of Geology, University of Dhaka,   Dhaka– 1000, Bangladesh

Responsibilities:

• Hydrogeological investigation: Water sampling for geochemical and Isotope analysis of groundwater, groundwater and surface level fluctuation monitoring, relative head measurements and understand the distribution and mobilization of arsenic in the aquifers of the Araihazar Upazila area of Bangladesh.

• Geophysical Investigation for Hydrogeological evaluation: Electro-Magnetic (EM31&) surveying, Resistivity profiling & 2D subsurface imaging, and geophysical logging for Natural Gamma & EM conductivity.

-Research Associate (2006 to 2006): Project Title: “Transfert et transformation de la spéciation de l'arsenic dans la rhizosphère du riz résultant de l'irrigation par des eaux contaminées au Bangladesh.”  Employer: Jean-Marie Garnier, Ph.D.  [garnier@cerege.fr], Equipe: Physico-chimie aux interfaces, C.E.R.E.G.E. UMR 6536-CNRS, Europôle Méditerranéen de l'Arbois, BP 80, 13545 Aix-en-Provence Cedex, France.

Responsibilities:

• Hydrogeological investigation: Water sampling for geochemical analysis of groundwater, Core sampling, Core sample analysis, Sediment extraction analysis.

• Project Monitoring and Project Management: Coordinating fieldworks and laboratory analysis. Negotiation with local people; Input into strategic planning.

ENV 107: Introduction to Environmental Science

ENV 311: Geology and Geomorphology

ENV 316: Geographical Information System

ENV 652: Geographic Information System

 

ENV 499: Thesis

Completed and Ongoing Thesis Titles:

 

 

1. Delineating the Impact of Drought and Salinity on Boro Rice Yield using Remote Sensing

2. Characterization of the Hydro Chemical and Hydro Geological Features in the Deep and Shallow Aquifers in Parts of the Cumilla Region

3. Scenario Analysis of Major Groundwater Contaminants in Bangladesh, their health effects, and mitigation Strategies

4. Agricultural Damage Assessment from, Land Use, Land Cover, and Flood Extent Map for Sunamganj Unions Using Remote Sensing-Based Analysis

5. Discovering Appropriate Methods to Reduce Efflorescence Formation on the Surface of Clay-fired Bricks

6. Evaluating the Impact of Climate Change on Water Quality in the Coastal Regions of Cox’s Bazar City, Bangladesh

7. Arsenic build-up hitched to sedimentology? Nexus between geomorphological features and arsenic distribution in Bangladesh.

8. Harnessing the potential of advanced remote sensing techniques and statistical modeling for predicting heavy metal concentration in industrial river zones.

9. Water Quality Index for Heavy Metal Contamination in the Cumilla District.

10. Implementing Early Warning Systems for Earthquakes in Dhaka: The Public Perception.

Member Americal Geophysical Union (AGU)

Member Geological Scociety of America (GSA)

Member Geological Scociety of Bangladesh

- Groundwater arsenic geochemistry
- Fate and transport of groundwater contaminants
- Reactive transport modeling of heavy metals in groundwater
- Geographic information system and environmental modeling
- Water and soil quality analysis

Ongoing Research Projects:

  1. Action research on the mitigation of salt deposits on clay bricks of Bangladesh for elucidating a sustainable solution. The research project was funded by North South University Faculty Research Grant 2021-2022 (CTRG-21-SHLS-14).

 

Completed Research Projects:

  1. Enhancing the efficiency of Subsurface Arsenic Removal (SAR) Technology through Chemical Modification. The research project was funded by North South University Faculty Research Grant 2019-2020 (CTRG-19/SHLS/13).