Professor Dr. M. Feroze Ahmed is an academician, prolific researcher and an acclaimed environmental engineer. He was born on 31st Dec. 1945. He completed his matriculation from Ulpur P.C. High School, Gopalganj in 1962 and intermediate education from Rajendra College, Faridpur in 1964. He earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from BUET in 1968 and joined the Dept. of Civil Engineering as a lecturer in 1969. He completed his master’s degree in civil engineering with specialization in environmental engineering in1974 from BUET. The title of his MSc thesis was Chemical Treatment of Surface Waters for Public Water Supplies in Dacca. Later he went to the UK on a Commonwealth Scholarship and earned PhD from the University of Strathclyde in 1983. The topic of his PhD thesis was The Influence of Particle Characteristics on Dewaterability of Sewage Sludge. He became a professor of civil engineering in 1986. He retired from BUET in 2011 and was appointed as Dean of Engineering Faculty in 2012 and then Vice-Chancellor of the Stamford University Bangladesh in 2013 and served for 1 term till 2017. He is now an Emeritus Professor of the Stamford University Bangladesh(1). He was also a visiting professor at University of Strathclyde, UK.

While Prof. Ahmed worked at BUET, he served many administrative positions. He was the Head of the Department of Civil Engineering (1991 – 1993), Director of Planning and Development Directorate (1993 – 1996), Manager of BUET-UA (University of Alberta) Institutional Linkage Project and Dean of the Faculty of Civil Engineering (1996 – 1998). Prof. Ahmed pioneered in establishing a strong and rich Environmental Engineering research group in BUET. Under his visionary leadership, the International Training Network (ITN) Centre for Water Supply and Waste Management was established at BUET in 1996 which is now an internationally reputed center of excellence in the field of water and sanitation. He also contributed towards establishment of Petroleum Engineering Department, Centre for Continuing Education, and Centre for Environment and Resource Management at BUET as Project Manager of the BUET- UA  Linkage Project under which these department and Centres were established. As a leading expert in the field of environmental engineering, he contributed in preparation of National Environmental Quality Standards (EQS), Environment Policy, National Policy for Water Supply and Sanitation, Bangladesh National Building Code, Coastal Environmental Management Plan, Multipurpose Cyclone Shelter Program and National Policy and Implementation Plan for Arsenic Mitigation in Bangladesh. He is a contributor to most extensively used ‘Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality’ 4th Edition published by the WHO. Professor Ahmed worked as a member, then vice-Chairman and Chairman of Dhaka WASA Board, Chairman, Civil Engineering Division, BSTI and Convenor, Building Services, Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC).

As an expert environmental engineer, Prof. Ahmed worked as a consultant/advisor to about 20 projects of national importance. He was one of the pioneers of high-rise  Building Construction in Bangladesh. He along with Prof. Sohrabuddin Ahmed and Prof. Jamilur Reza Choudhury designed 3 high-rise buildings including Bangladesh Shilpa Bank Building, the first 22-storied building in Bangladesh. He was the a member of the International Panel of Expert for the Construction of Bangabandhu Bridge on the river Jamuna and presently working as a member of the International Panel of Experts for the design and construction of Padma Multipurpose Bridge.

As a scholar in the field of environmental science and technology Prof. Ahmed published about 150 technical papers in various journals that include several papers in the world-famous journal Science. His publications have over 5000 citation in recently published technical papers as listed by Google Scholar(2). He has authored and edited 20 books and Proceedings held by 152 libraries worldwide(3). His book on ‘Water Supply and Sanitation’ is a text book in Bangladesh and some universities in European and African countries. He has also written chapters of several books and guidelines published by the world’s leading publishers, World Health Organization and the World Bank. He is recognized by American Chemical Society (ACS) as a leading scientist in the field of arsenic research and published his biography under element “Arsenic” in a periodic table published on 80th anniversary of the society (4). He is a fellow of the Bangladesh Academy of Sciences and Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh and a member of American Society of Civil Engineers and many other national and International professional Societies.

He has significant contribution to enhance scientific knowledge and technological innovation. He coordinated collaborating research on arsenic contamination of groundwater with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT, USA), University of Cincinnati (UC, USA), Columbia University (USA), United Nations University (UNU, Japan), Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science & Technology (EAWAG) and University of Miyazaki (Japan). The BUET-MIT collaborative research work resulted in a breakthrough in understanding the mechanism of arsenic contamination of groundwater, which is widely accepted to scientific community. His joint works with international scientists helped to develop a policy direction to ensure arsenic-safe drinking water in Bangladesh. His other innovative works include the use of advanced biological reactor and ozone oxidation for the first time in Bangladesh in an Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) for Echotex Limited, which received the National Environment Award, 2010 for its best performance. He also led a BUET team to convert the Matuail Solid Waste Dumpsite into a semi-aerobic engineered landfill adopting new innovative technology which reduced emission of methane, a greenhouse gas (GHG) of very high global warming potential, to about 50 percent. He is one of the pioneers of sanitation movement in South Asia, which started in 2003 through organization of 1st ministerial level South-Asian Conference on Sanitation (SACOSAN I) in Dhaka. He participated in all the subsequent SACOSANs held at 2-yrs. Interval in Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Nepal as an expert member of Bangladesh delegates and actively participated in the formulation of strategies from time to time. This Bangladesh-led regional sanitation movement in South Asia along with adoption of innovative approach in Bangladesh contributed to higher progress on sanitation in South-Asian countries as compared to global progress and total elimination of open defecation in Bangladesh. He also moderated the 8-country focal persons of South Asia to prepare Dhaka Declaration in 2016 to move Sanitation to higher gear to achieve SDG for sanitation.

Professor Ahmed delivered  over 75 invited/keynote lectures in the regional and international events in 27 countries and around 50 lectures in important national events to disseminate and share knowledge and research outcomes. As a member of high-level Bangladesh delegation, he spoke at a United Nations side event on innovative approaches to sanitation and learning from Bangladesh at UN Secretariat in NY, USA. Some of his note able lectures at international events are those presented at Seoul National University, Republic of Korea (2018); Tabriz University and University of Tehran, I.R. Iran (2016); AIT, Bangkok,Thailand (2008); Denmark Technical University, Copenhagen, Denmark (2006); United Nations University, Tokyo, Japan    ( 2002); Miyazaki University, Japan (2002); Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman (2000); University of Pretoria, South Africa (1997); Strathclyde University, UK (1992); Association of Academies and Societies of Sciences in Asia (2018)); Russian Academy of Sciences, Siberia Branch, Russian Federation (2009); Royal Scientific Society, Amman, Jordan (2006); Conferences on arsenic contamination, in India (2012), Nepal(2006), Cambodia (2006), Japan(2004), China(2004)., Pakistan(2003), USA (2002), and Australia(2001); Water Engineering in Developing Country (WEDC) Conferences in Lao PDR(2004), India (2002, 1996) and Ethiopia (1999); South–Asian Conferences on Sanitation in Bangladesh (2016, 2003),  Sri Lanka(2010) and India(2008), International Association of Hydrogeologists Congress, Toyama, Japan (2008); 62nd Geological Congress, Ankara, Turkey (2009); WHO Expert Consultation on Water Safety Plan, Geneva, Switzerland ( 2006); Singapore Water Week, Singapore (2008); World Bank Water Week, Washington D.C., USA (2004); International Centre for Science and High Technology-UNIDO Expert Meeting, Trieste, Italy (2007); Conference on Water Safety in Small Water Supplies, Reykjavik, Iceland (2005),; International Recycling Congress , Berlin Germany (1986).

Prof. Ahmed received Dr. Rashid Memorial Gold Medal from BUET in recognition of excellence in teaching and research in 1998, IEB Gold Medal by the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh in 2004 in recognition of services to the nation and engineering profession and Bangladesh Academy of Science (Dr. M.O. Ghani Memorial) Gold Medal in 2007 for contribution to the progress of science and technology. He was the first BUET Coordinator of BUET-MIT(USA) research Group, which received Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz Prize for Water for solving the puzzle of arsenic contamination of groundwater. Prof.  Ahmed received Asia Education Leadership Award 2016 for exceptional leadership quality and achievements  at 7th Asia’s Education Excellence Award programme at Pan-pacific Marina Hotel in Singapore (5).

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Biography compiled by Dr. K.M. Amanat.