Islam delivers Distinguished Lecture

Professor Shafiqul Islam of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering recently delivered a Distinguished Lecture at Krea University in India. The Distinguished Lecture series addresses current issues in world politics to promote local, national, and global engagement among Krea University’s student body.  

In his lecture, “Engineering Diplomacy: Bridging the Divide Between Theory and Practice to Resolve Complex Water Problems,” Islam examined the role of diplomacy in ensuring sustainable water governance and equitable access to water resources. Focusing on recent floods in India and Bangladesh, he demonstrated how numbers and narratives shape collective understanding and response to natural hazards. His talk covered the technical, political, and socio-economic aspects of water resource management, including transboundary water disputes, water scarcity, and water-related disasters. 

Islam joined Tufts in 2004 and served as the School of Engineering’s Associate Dean of Research from 2006 – 2009. His research interests include water diplomacy, climate challenges, data-driven decision making, and principled pragmatism. He currently leads D3M@Tufts, an initiative which aims to change how we teach data science in STEM and non-STEM disciplines alike, and conducts water diplomacy policy research at Tufts.

Learn more about Professor Shafiqul Islam.