Md Safat Sikder

Dr. Md Safat Sikder is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's Department of Geography & Geographic Information Science, affiliated with the School of Earth, Society & Environment. His research focuses on remote sensing, GIS, and numerical modeling applied to surface water hydrology, particularly leveraging NASA's SWOT satellite mission to harmonize global lake and river databases. He previously held postdoctoral positions at Kansas State University and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Dr. Sikder earned his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Washington, Seattle, and holds master's and bachelor's degrees in Civil and Water Resources Engineering from U.S. and Bangladeshi institutions.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, University of Washington, 2018
• M.S. in Civil Engineering, Tennessee Technological University, 2013
• B.Sc. in Water Resources Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, 2009

His research interests include:

• Remote sensing of surface water dynamics
• Integration of river and lake monitoring systems
• Global hydrological modeling using satellite data

Dr. Sikder leads a NASA-funded project to harmonize SWOT's a-priori lake-river databases, enabling better understanding of the global water cycle through synergistic use of surface water flux data. His work bridges satellite altimetry, numerical models, and geospatial tools to address challenges in freshwater management and climate change impacts.

Selected Awards:

• ASCE EWRI 2021 Best Case Study Award
• NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship (2016)
• Ivanhoe Graduate Fellowship (2012)

He contributes to interdisciplinary teams advancing global water resource monitoring, including collaborations with NASA, JPL, and international institutions. His research outputs span over 30 peer-reviewed articles in journals like Earth System Science Data and Geophysical Research Letters, focusing on algorithm development, database harmonization, and satellite mission applications.