A Talk on Engineering Diplomacy: Bridging the Divide Between Theory and Practice to Resolve Complex Water Problems by Shafiqul Islam

ABOUT THE SERIES
This lecture series at Krea University, proposed by Professor Nirmala Rao, Vice Chancellor, Krea University, addresses current issues in world politics to promote local, national, and global engagement among the student body. Upcoming lecture themes include international humanitarian law, water and environmental security, challenges of climate change, war and forced migration, refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), global governance and political thought. The lectures will be delivered by a diverse range of academics and practitioners, offering Krea students an invaluable opportunity to connect their academic studies to real-world issues and engage with leading experts. The series will be convened by Sherman Teichman, Emeritus Founding Director of The Institute for Global Leadership at Tufts University (1984-2016).

ABOUT THE TALK
This lecture will explore the intersection of science, policy, and the politics of water, spanning local to global scales. It will examine the technical, political, and socio-economic dimensions of water resource management, including transboundary water disputes, water scarcity, and water-related disasters. Special emphasis will be placed on understanding the role of diplomacy in fostering cooperation, negotiation, and conflict resolution to ensure sustainable water governance and equitable access to water resources. Using recent floods in India and Bangladesh as an example, the lecture will demonstrate how numbers and narratives shape the understanding of and responses to natural hazards.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Shafiqul Islam
Shafiqul Islam is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and a Professor of Water Diplomacy at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He is the Director of the Water Diplomacy Programme and the Data-Driven Decision-Making initiative, maintaining a diverse network of national and international partnerships across the United States, South Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. A Fellow of the American Geophysical Union and Editor of Water Resources Research, Islam is the recipient of the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Water Prize for Creativity. He has over one hundred publications and four books on water diplomacy, with his first groundbreaking book translated into Chinese by the Science Press of China. His research and practice have been featured in numerous media outlets, including the BBC World Service, Voice of America, Boston Globe, The Daily Star, Huffington Post, Nature, and Yale E360.

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