IWM

Academic Chronology

Dr. S. M. Tanvir Hassan completed his Bachelor of Urban and Rural Planning from Khulna University, Bangladesh in 1998 and obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Water Resource Development at BUET in 2006. Later, he completed a Master of Science in Water Resources and Environmental Management in 2008 and a Doctor of Philosophy in Water and Climate Sciences in 2023 both from the University of Twente, Netherlands.

Professional Track Record

Dr. Hassan is a Water Resources Specialist with over two decades of professional experience in hydrology, water governance, climate resilience, and geospatial applications across Bangladesh and internationally. Currently with the Institute of Water Modelling (IWM), Dr. Hassan served as a core team member and technical lead for the Haor Master Plan (2025–2050), focusing on water resources planning, climate change impacts, and stakeholder engagement. From 2019–2023, he coordinated the Swiss Red Cross IWRM Project in the Barind Tract, managing an ~CHF 8 million portfolio that expanded access to safe water for over 225,000 people, activated 50 IWRM Committees, and facilitated large-scale shifts from groundwater to surface water irrigation. Previously, he contributed to climate and disaster risk reduction projects with ADPC, GIZ, and BCAS, producing flood and drought risk assessments (ADPC), national climate vulnerability maps (GIZ), and adaptation research (BCAS) under the DFID-funded HI-AWARE programme. His PhD research at ITC Faculty of the University of Twente (Netherlands) advanced scientific understanding of surface water–groundwater interactions in semi-arid environments. Earlier, as a GIS/RS Specialist at IWM, he delivered geospatial solutions for flood forecasting, groundwater zoning, and coastal risk mapping. Dr. Hassan’s expertise combines technical leadership, applied research, and policy-level engagement to promote sustainable water management.

Training/Membership/Workshop/Seminar/Publication etc.

Trainings Received

1. Scaling Climate Finance e-Course – United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), May 2025 covering climate finance sources, instruments, coordination mechanisms, private sector engagement, and GESI integration.
2. Conflict-Sensitive Programme Management (CSPM) – Swiss Red Cross, Dhaka, October 2021 (3-day training at CCDB Hope Foundation, Savar).
3. Delegation Preparedness Plan Preparation – Swiss Red Cross, Dhaka, February 2020 (2-day workshop at Hotel Lake Castle, Dhaka).
4. UAV Applications for Natural Resource Management – ITC, University of Twente & BCAS, 2017–2018 (4-week blended program: theory (Dhaka), field data collection (AIT, Thailand), analysis & dissemination (Dhaka), Tools: DJI Phantom 4 UAV, Agisoft Metashape).
5. Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) Training – HI-AWARE – ICIMOD & BCAS, Dhaka, March 2017 (covering theory of change, logical frameworks, and indicator development).
6. Geospatial Stream Flow Model (GeoSFM) – USGS professionals at IWM, Dhaka, December 2008 (2 weeks) (application of GeoSFM using remotely sensed meteorological data).
7. Remote Sensing and GIS in Water Management – Directorate of Continuing Education & IWFM, BUET, November 2005 (1 week) (Software: ILWIS 3.3. Focus: Integrated water management applications).
8. Geo-Informatics Applications in Water Resources Management – ICIMOD, Nepal at LGED Bhaban, Dhaka, November 2003 (2 weeks) (Software: ArcGIS 8.2. Focus: GIS-based spatial analysis for water resources planning).
9. Certificate Course on Database Programming with Visual Basic 6 – Grameen Communications, Dhaka, Aug–Oct 2000 (3 months) (Development of database applications using VB6).
10. Internship – Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS), Dhaka, March–April 1997 (3 weeks) (Exposure to environmental research and policy-oriented development work).

Trainings Delivered

• Conducted capacity-building sessions on GIS, remote sensing, groundwater modeling, and water resources modelling techniques for project clients and colleagues.
• Supervised MSc students at the University of Twente in hydrological and geospatial research.

Membership:

1. Fellow Member of Bangladesh Institute of Planners (Member number 188)

Publications:

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles, Book & Book Chapters

• Hassan, S.M.T. & Lubczynski, M.W. (2024). Surface–groundwater interactions in hard rock, water-limited environment. Journal of Hydrology.
• Hassan, S.M.T., (2023). Multi-scale assessment of interactions between surface water and groundwater fluxes in hard rock, water limited environment. University of Twente, Netherlands
• Syed, M.A., Hassan, S.M.T., & Raihan, A.T. (2022). Geoinformatics for conservation planning in coastal fisheries. In Impact of Climate Change on Hydrological Cycle, Ecosystem, Fisheries and Food Security. CRC Press.
• Maharjan, A. et al., incl. Hassan, S.M.T. (2021). Can labour migration help households adapt to climate change? Climate and Development, 13(10): 879–894.
• Arfanuzzaman, M., Hassan, S.M.T., & Syed, M.A. (2021). Cost-benefit of promising adaptations in climate hotspots. Journal of Water and Climate Change, 12(1): 44–59.
• Singh, S. et al., incl. Hassan, S.M.T. (2020). Urbanization and water insecurity in the Hindu Kush Himalayas. Water Policy, 22(S1): 9–32.
• Biemans, H. et al., incl. Hassan, T. (2019). Importance of snow and glacier meltwater for agriculture on the Indo-Gangetic Plain. Nature Sustainability, 2(7): 594–601.
• Dilshad, T., et al., incl. Hassan, S.M.T (2019). Growing social vulnerability in the river basins: Evidence from the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region. Environmental Development, 31: 19–33
• Hassan, S.M.T., Ghimire, C.P., & Lubczynski, M.W. (2017). Remote sensing upscaling of rainfall interception loss. Journal of Hydrology, 555: 489–505.
• Hassan, S.M.T., Lubczynski, M.W., Niswonger, R.G., & Su, Z. (2014). Surface–groundwater interactions in hard rocks. Journal of Hydrology, 517: 390–410.

Working Papers (Peer-Reviewed)

• Hassan, S.M.T. et al. (2020). Critical climate stress moments: Evidence from the Teesta Basin. Working Paper 26.
• Singh, N. et al., incl. Hassan, T. (2020). Lessons from HI-AWARE’s climate adaptation pilots. Working Paper 23.
• Multiple contributions (2016–2019) on climate adaptation, migration, vulnerability, and hydrology in South Asia (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9).

Policy Briefs (Peer-Reviewed)

• Topics: Multi-stakeholder adaptation, urban water scarcity, mountain water resources, climate-smart agriculture, migration and adaptation, and critical climate stress moments (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7).

Conference Papers & Presentations (Peer-Reviewed)

• Hassan, S.M.T., Syed, M.A., & Mamnun, N. (2017). Estimating erosion and accretion in the GBM delta. ICWFM-2017, Dhaka.
• Hassan, S.M.T. & Islam, A.K.M.S. (2007). GIS for rural drinking water supply stress assessment. ICWFM-2007, Dhaka.
• Posters presented at IAH 2014 (Marrakech) and CAHMDA-V 2012 (Enschede).

Major Project Assignment

• Comprehensive Study for Evaluation and Updating of the Master Plan for the Haor Area (HMP) with IWM
• Operationalization and Institutionalization of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in the Barind Area with Swiss Red Cross, Program Implementation
• Revision of Functional Master Plan and Detailed Area Plan for Rajshahi Metropolitan Development Plan (disaster risk integration) with ADPC
• Development of Flood Hazard Maps for Kutupalong and Balukhali Makeshift Settlements with ADPC
• Climate Finance Governance Project with GIZ
• HI-AWARE (Himalayan Adaptation, Water and Resilience) research with BCAS, led by ICIMOD
• PhD Research: Multi-Scale Assessment of Surface and Groundwater Interactions in Water-Limited Environments, University of Twente, Netherlands
• Tsunami and Storm Surge Inundation Risk Mapping for Coastal Bangladesh under CDMP Phase 1, with IWM
• Groundwater Modeling for Deep Tubewell Installation in the Barind Area with IWM
• Groundwater Zoning for DTW Rehabilitation in Greater Dinajpur with IWM
• Flood Forecasting Support for the Gumti Project and FFWC with IWM
• Urban Road & Drainage Mapping and IIS Development in Four Pourashavas (SHAHAR Project) with IWM
• Command Area Development of Teesta Barrage Project with IWM
• Spatiotemporal Study on Shrimp Culture and Land Use in the Coastal Belt with Khulna University