Our Team

Iftekhar Ahmed is a PhD candidate in Finance at the Department of Accountancy and Finance, with the University of Otago Doctoral Scholarship award. Iftekhar’s PhD projects focus on Climate Finance, where he aims to quantify the impact of climate hazards in the global financial system. He is also a doctoral member of Climate and Energy Finance Group (CEFGroup) at Otago Business School. Prior to joining the PhD program, Iftekhar was involved at the Asian Research Institute of Banking and Finance, and Accounting Research Institute in Malaysia. His current research interest includes Climate Finance, Spatial Finance and Energy Finance.

I am Tushar Saha, PhD student in Department of Pharmacy, University of Otago. 01
November, 2019 is the time when I joined here with the University of Otago doctoral
scholarship. My research area is pharmaceutics. I completed my B. Pharm (Professional) and M. Pharm from Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Dhaka in the year of 2015 and 2016
respectively. I worked as an Associate Scientist in the formulation development team of
Square Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Bangladesh for 19 months. My contact
is tushar.saha21@yahoo.com.

Mozammel comes from Bangladesh where he completed a Bachelor of Science with Honours and Master of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka. After his Master’s, he worked as a ‘Research Associate’ at Jahangirnagar University. Mozammel also has 4 years of working experience as Executive, Quality Control in a pharmaceutical company named Square Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Currently, Mozammel is a Ph.D. student at the Centre for Bioengineering and Nanomedicine, University of Otago. Mozammel is interested to work on neurodegenerative diseases such as stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, etc.

I am doing my PhD in Active Transport and Health in the Department of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Sciences at the University of Otago (Dunedin Campus), New Zealand. Recently, I have completed my Master of Philosophy (MPhil) from Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Australia. I am also involved in a teaching profession as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Dhaka. My research interests are: active transport, transport Infrastructure planning, land use planning, and housing development.

After completing my BSc (Hons) and Msc at Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology from University of Dhaka, Bangladesh, I joined as a Scientific Officer, at National Institute of
Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Bangladesh. I was appointed as a Lecturer at the Department of Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh in the year of 2014
Bio link: https://www.du.ac.bd/faculty/faculty_details/GET/2214
Currently, I am on study leave and doing my PhD at the University of Otago, New Zealand on bacterialadaptive immune system and antibiotic resistance.
Yes, I do have life besides science! I love to watch movie, travel, hang out with friends, enjoy the local foods and lot more…. I, myself dream to live in a society with less discrimination, secular views and equality towards all creation of God.

Fatema Ahmmed has started her PhD Journey from February 2019 after pursuing her MS degree from Khulan University, Bangladesh. She is working with various vibrational spectroscopic techniques and trying to develop non-destructive rapid quantification methods of fish and krill oil for the industry.

I am Yasmeen Nazim Ruma, PhD student in Sir John Walsh Research Institute, Faculty of Dentistry at University of Otago. I started my PhD in June 2017 being awarded the University of Otago doctoral scholarship. I obtained my bachelors and master’s degree in Pharmacy from the Department of Pharmacy, University of Science and Technology Chittagong (USTC) and then worked as a Lecturer in the same department until May 2017. My research area is molecular microbiology and protein crystallography and my PhD project aims the structure directed discovery of newer antifungals. I am the PhD student representative in Faculty of Dentistry

Farjana Ahmed is a PhD candidate in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at University of Otago, New Zealand. She received her BSc and MSc. in Microbiology from Jahangirnagar University, Bangladesh. Then she joined the virology laboratory of International center for diarrheal disease research Bangladesh (icddr,b) as a research officer. Building on these research experiences, later she started her PhD in Otago where she is currently working on Influenza viruses. In her spare times, she loves reading novels and enjoying a good happy hour with friends and families, great music and movies.

This is Amit Sarker. I am a graduate in Pharmacy from Primeasia University. I have more than three and half years of experience as a teacher in the department of Pharmacy, Primeasia University.
Even though I was born and raised in Netrokona, I have had to spend a lot of time in Netrokona, Mymensingh and Dhaka for study purpose. Since 1st August 2019, I have joined as a PhD student in the Department of Pharmacy, University of Otago.

Motia Gulshan Ara is a PhD student in the Department of Zoology, University of Otago, New Zealand. Her research topic is on “Morphological, life history and genetic variation of New Zealand Smelts”. She graduated from Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh with a Bachelor degree in Fisheries and a master degree in Fisheries Management. She is working as an Assistant Professor at Patuakhali Science and Technology University, Bangladesh (study leave).

PhD student at Department of Zoology, Otago University. I am working with the unique and threatened braided river birds of New Zealand. The theme of my PhD research is to examine applicability of aerial photography for counting and monitoring braided river birds and their habitat.
I am a Forestry graduate from Khulna University, Bangladesh with MSc in Forest and Nature Conservation from Copenhagen University, Denmark & Bangor University, UK and MSc in Biology (ecology) from Lakehead University, Canada. I am a former civil servant with Bangladesh Government and also worked for IUCN Bangladesh, UNEP – World Conservation Monitoring Centre, UNDP and FAO.