معرفی
Ali Shafqat Akanda is an Associate Professor and Graduate Director in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Rhode Island (URI). His primary research focuses on the intersection of climate, water, and health, particularly in developing early warning systems for waterborne diseases like cholera and understanding hydroclimatic extremes' impacts on public health. He leads efforts in leveraging satellite data, machine learning, and remote sensing technologies to improve disaster risk reduction and water security.
Education:
- Ph.D., Water Resources Engineering, Tufts University (2011)
- M.Sc., Geo-environmental Engineering, University of Oklahoma (1998)
- B.Tech, Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (1996)
Research Interests: His work emphasizes hydrologic forecasting, climate-water-health nexus, and the application of Earth observations in public health. He has pioneered smartphone-delivered cholera risk information systems and flood forecasting models for large river basins like the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna system. His interdisciplinary approach integrates environmental engineering, epidemiology, and data science.
Grants & Projects:
- PI, University of Florida: Assimilation of Earth observations to improve cholera outbreak predictions (2023)
- PI, Brown University: Enhancing soil moisture monitoring via neural networks (2022)
- US Geological Survey: Geospatial hydroclimatic risk modeling for Rhode Island water resources (2021)
- Woodard & Curran Foundation: Sustainable water systems in climate-vulnerable regions (2017–2021)
Labs & Collaborations: Akanda collaborates with global institutions like NASA, the World Health Organization, and Johns Hopkins University. His team develops decision-support tools for policymakers, focusing on cholera prevention in Bangladesh and groundwater management in the Arabian Peninsula.
