Climate Applications Scientist · Water, Climate & Society
Dr. Md Rashed Chowdhury
Adjunct Professor, ASU School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment
Turning seasonal climate forecasts into decisions that protect communities — from the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna basin to the Pacific Islands and the Maldives.
Formerly
- Research Faculty, University of Hawaii at Mānoa
- Fulbright U.S. Scholar, Maldives National University
- Principal Scientist, Pacific ENSO Applications Climate Center
- Post Doctoral Research Fellow, International Research Institute for Climate and Society, Columbia University, USA
- Post Doctoral Research Fellow, National Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience, Japan
- Engineer, Bangladesh Water Development Board

25+
years in water, climate & society
~40
peer-reviewed research papers
2022
book with Springer on flood forecasts
Fulbright
U.S. Scholar, Maldives (2021)
About
Climate science built for decision-makers
Dr. Md Rashed Chowdhury is a climate applications scientist with more than 25 years of experience at the intersection of water, climate and society. He specialises in climate variability and change, with a focus on seasonal climate forecasts, floods, droughts, and climate information for disaster preparedness and water management.
His work centres on seasonal climate tools that help communities prepare for El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) impacts, supporting decision-makers in vulnerable regions including Bangladesh, the U.S.-Affiliated Pacific Islands, the Maldives and the countries of the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna basin.
He is an Adjunct Professor at Arizona State University’s School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, and has served as an invited resource person for the UNFCCC, leading adaptation workshops.
Career highlights
| Current | Adjunct Professor, School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, Arizona State University |
| 2021 | Fulbright U.S. Scholar, Maldives National University |
| 2003–2020 | Principal Scientist, Pacific ENSO Applications Climate Center, and Research Faculty, University of Hawaii at Mānoa |
| Postdoc | Post Doctoral Research Fellow, International Research Institute for Climate and Society, Columbia University, USA |
| Postdoc | Post Doctoral Research Fellow, National Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience, Japan |
| Engineer | Bangladesh Water Development Board |
| PhD | Urban & Regional Planning (Environmental Systems) |
Research focus
Three threads, one question: how do we prepare?
ENSO & seasonal forecasting
How El Niño, La Niña and the Indian Ocean Dipole shape rainfall, sea level and cyclones — and how CMIP5/CMIP6 models project the changes ahead.
Floods & water in the GBM basin
Seasonal flood predictability, stream-flow outlooks and warning-response systems for Bangladesh and the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna basins.
Sea level & island hazards
Operational sea-level forecasts and hazard-management cycles for the U.S.-Affiliated Pacific Islands and the Maldives.
Seasonal Flood Forecasts and Warning Response Opportunities
The book · Springer, 2022
Seasonal Flood Forecasts and Warning Response Opportunities
A book on seasonal flood forecasting and how forecasts can be turned into timely warnings and response, drawing on decades of work in Bangladesh and the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna basin.
Selected publications
Recent work
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Rainfall and sea-level variability in the face of changing El Niño: evidence from the U.S.-affiliated Pacific islands
-

Assessment of ENSO risks to support transportation resilience
-

The sustainability–peace nexus in crisis contexts: how the Rohingya escaped the ethnic violence in Myanmar, but are trapped into environmental challenges in Bangladesh
-

Multimodel ensemble sea level forecasts for tropical Pacific islands
Awards & honours
Recognition
2021
Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award
2003
UCAR Postdoctoral Award
1998
STA Postdoctoral Award, Japan
1991
Monbusho Japanese Scholarship
Get in touch
Collaborations, talks & media
Open to research partnerships, advisory work, workshops and press enquiries on climate risk in South Asia and the Pacific.
Email: rashed.uh@gmail.com