Dr. Md Mafizur Rahman is the 2026-27 Mittal Family Climate Fellow who is working with Prof. Dustin Tingley, Thomas D. Cabot Professor of Public Policy in the Harvard Kennedy School of Public Policy and Harvard Government Department.
Dr. Rahman is an interdisciplinary scholar of public administration whose research examines the intersection of climate governance, environmental justice, and institutional reform. Currently serving as an Associate Professor in the Department of Public Administration at Jagannath University, Dhaka, Bangladesh, he brings over 15 years of experience in academia, research, and policy engagement. His work explores how governance systems and institutional arrangements influence climate adaptation, resilience, and sustainable development in Bangladesh and the Global South.
Dr. Rahman holds a PhD in Public Administration from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, China, where his doctoral research examined climate governance and community resilience in coastal Bangladesh. He has published more than 20 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and policy reports, including articles in The Round Table (Taylor & Francis), Democratization (Taylor & Francis), GeoJournal (Springer Nature), SN Social Sciences (Springer Nature), and the International Journal of Community Well-Being (Springer Nature). As a principal investigator, team leader, and policy consultant, he has led and contributed to more than 30 nationally and internationally funded research and consultancy projects supported by organizations including the World Bank, UNDP, FAO, ADB, IRC, Concern Worldwide, Oxfam, Save the Children, and SIDA. His recent work includes leading the development of Local Adaptation Plans of Action (LAPA) for climate-vulnerable communities in Bangladesh through the Center for Natural Resource Studies (CNRS), an environmental NGO in Bangladesh, translating national adaptation priorities into locally led, evidence-based adaptation planning. Drawing on his research and policy experience, he developed the master’s-level course Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience in Bangladesh as part of the Public Administration curriculum at Jagannath University. He has also represented Bangladesh at the United Nations Climate Change Conferences (COP26, COP27, and COP28), contributing to international discussions on climate governance, adaptation, and sustainable development.
At Harvard, Dr. Rahman will investigate how governance failures, power relations, and institutional arrangements shape freshwater access and climate adaptation in Bangladesh’s southwest coastal region. Drawing on perspectives from public administration, political ecology, and climate justice, his research will examine how these dynamics affect marginalized communities and identify pathways toward more inclusive and climate-resilient freshwater governance. The project aims to generate policy-relevant insights for Bangladesh and other climate-vulnerable regions across the Global South.
