Iftekharul Islam

Iftekharul Islam is a dedicated research and development professional with substantial experience in disaster risk reduction, disability inclusion, and community-based research. He holds a Master’s degree in Social Science from the Institute of Disaster Management and Vulnerability Studies, University of Dhaka, graduating with distinction and receiving multiple government fellowships in recognition of his academic excellence.

Prior to joining the Centre for Research and Development (CRD), he contributed to research initiatives with organizations including the Centre for Disability in Development (CDD), Bangladesh Labour Foundation, UGC-funded projects, Ethical Trading Initiative Bangladesh, Caritas Bangladesh, UNICEF, and the Bangladesh Disaster Forum. His expertise encompasses research design, development of data collection instruments, facilitation of surveys, focus group discussions, and in-depth interviews, alongside advanced quantitative and qualitative data analysis.

He is proficient in SPSS, ArcGIS, Kobo Toolbox, and programming languages such as Python and R for statistical and geospatial analysis. His research interests include disaster resilience, climate change adaptation, disability studies, labor rights, and community health. Beyond his research engagements, Iftekharul actively contributes to youth leadership and social development as President of the Bangladesh Youth Initiative (Dhaka University Unit) and as Co-founder of the A Hasanah Initiative, which promotes interest-free microfinance for marginalized communities.