Professor Ainun Nishat is recognized as a pioneering expert of water resource management and climate change in Bangladesh. He finished his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, U.K. in 1981. He has a M.Sc in Civil Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), 1975.

Currently, he is in BRAC University, one of the leading private universities in Bangladesh as a Professor Emeritus. He was the former vice chancellor of this university. He is engaged in carrying out diversified research projects in the field of climate change and environment with the Centre for Climate Change and Environmental Research, BRAC University. Previously he was the Country Representative, Bangladesh and followed by Senior Advisor Climate Change, Asia Region in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). He started his career as an Assistant Engineer at the Water Development Board and later he joined BUET as a lecturer in 1972 in the Civil Engineering Department and become a Professor in 1985. He has experience in working as a specialist in the “Master Plan for construction of Multipurpose Cyclone Shelters in the coastal belt of Bangladesh”. In addition, he was the adviser for developing the coastal zone policy for Bangladesh. Furthermore, Dr. Nishat has conducted ample research on the Sundarbans during his tenure in IUCN.

He is a key member of the Climate Change Negotiation Team for Bangladesh and represented Bangladesh at the United Nations Climate Change Conferences (CoP) since Bali, Indonesia at CoP 1. He is also a member of the Compliance Committee of the Kyoto Protocol of the UNFCCC. He was a key member of experts that prepared the National Adaptation Program of Action (NAPA-2005), Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (BCCSAP 2008 and 2009) and also was one of the Lead Authors of Working Group-II of IPCC in preparation of the Third Assessment Report. He had been closely involved in the preparation of a number of strategies and action plans like the Bangladesh National Conservation Strategy and National Environment Management Action Plan etc.

As an expert in water resource management, he was a member of the Indo-Bangladesh Joint River Commission and played a vital role in the Ganges Water Treaty Negotiations that were finalized in 1996. He was a member of the Panel of Experts who consulted the construction of the Jamuna Bridge, the longest bridge in Bangladesh and currently is a member of the Panel of Experts consulting the construction of the Padma Bridge.

Besides working on various projects of the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, UNDP and other international and inter-governmental organizations; he worked in close association with leading NGOs in Bangladesh. Before joining BRAC University, he was a Member of the Governing Body of BRAC. He also works closely with the Bangladesh Center for Advanced Studies (BCAS), Bangladesh Center for Sustainable Development (CFSD), Bangladesh Unnayan Parishad (BUP), Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) and other leading NGOs. He was the Adjunct Professor in Institute of Natural Resources Management, University of Manitoba, Canada; IHE, Delft, The Netherlands; Bangabandhu Sheik Mujubur Rahman Agriculture University. He also worked as a Professor at North South University, and Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB). As a resource person, he delivers lectures regularly at the Bangladesh Public Administration Training Center (BPATC), Planning Academy, and National Academy for Educational Management (NAEM), National Defense Collage and the Armed Forces Staff College at Mirpur, Dhaka etc.