Dr. Nazim Uddin is a teacher, researcher, inclusive academic leader, trainer, and community development worker, and has been involved with RRU since 2021. His evidence-based teaching and research includes water security, sustainable sanitation, planetary health, environmental health, community development, humanitarian engineering, environment, and climate change. He is also actively collaborating with various institutions across the world.
At Royal Roads, he teaches Community Development in a Global Context and supervises capstone research projects under the School of Leadership Studies, with positive community impact. He also co-designed Planetary Health course for the MA in Global Leadership program. He has also been supporting women's education and championing women globally through transformative, inclusive, and evidence-based teaching and learning approaches. He founded the Center for Climate Change and Environmental Health (3CEH) at Asian University for Women (AUW) in April 2021.
Dr. Nazim Uddin has 20 years of experience in teaching, research, capacity development, and implementation worldwide. He is an Associate Faculty at Royal Roads and a Distinguished Researcher at IMDEA Water Institute in Spain, where he is Principal Investigator (PI) and WP Leader of INVISIBILISED (American Red Cross), CATA-Earth (European Commission), and MARCLAIMED (Horizon Europe), K4DM (IDRC-Canada), SPIDERS (Regional Ministry of Education, Science and Universities of Community of Madrid). Since graduating with his first degree in 2003, he has held 18 academic, development, and field positions across over 10 countries, with extensive research components, including 10 purely research positions.
Experience
During his tenure in all these positions, he received over 40 grants, fellowships/scholarships, and conference awards. Over the last 10 years, his research impact has increased both quantitatively (3700+ citations on Google Scholar) and qualitatively (on over 2.5 million people, including 1.3 million Rohingya refugees). He has led and co-led grassroots projects worldwide in over 15 countries across six continents, totaling EUR 8 million in value over the last 15 years. Moreover, he has developed community-university partnerships in different countries and expanded the capacity of over 600 undergraduate and graduate students, research assistants, faculty members, interns, and more than 500 community leaders worldwide.
He also designed or redesigned and taught a total of 10+ new courses, and supervised over 100 undergraduate and graduate theses and student projects at various institutions, including the University of Victoria, Royal Roads University in Canada, the Asian University for Women in Bangladesh, and the University of Science and Technology Beijing in China. He has published over 90 peer-reviewed journal articles, international conference proceedings, technical guidelines, policy briefs, and compendiums in water security, wastewater treatment, sanitary engineering and resource recovery, environmental health, biodiversity, and sustainability. Some of these have been published in top-tier journals in his field, such as The Lancet.
Education
2018
Post-Doctoral Fellow in Human Geography
University of Victoria
2015
PhD in Environmental Science and Engineering
University of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB)
2014
International Course on Environmental Accounting and Management
Beijing Normal University, China
2011
Master of Science in Environmental Studies
Nagoya University, Japan
2011
Water and Waste Management Certification
Nagoya University Global Environmental Leaders Program, Japan
2009
Master of Science in Water Resources Developmen
Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET)
2009
International Diploma in Community Development
Asian Social Institute, Philippines
2003
Bachelor of Science (4-Year Honors) in Environmental Science
National University, Bangladesh
Awards
2026
César Nombela Fellowship
Regional Ministry of Education, Science and Universities of Community of Madrid
2014
International Excellent Student Award
University of Science and Technology Beijing
2014
PhD Outstanding Dissertation Award
University of Science and Technology Beijing
Research
Research interest
Environmental and Planetary Health
Water Security
Disaster Risk Reduction
Publications
Shabir, F., Uddin, S. M. N., & Gupta, M. (2025). An Assessment of PM 2.5 Concentration from Traditional Heating in the Urban Households of Kashmir. Aerosol Science and Engineering, 1-15.
Khanam, F., Rafa, N., & Uddin, S. M. N. (2025). Nature’s Contributions to People (NCP) of rural freshwater ponds in Bangladesh: An exploration of the impacts of pondscape degradation. Regional Environmental Change, 25(3), 1-12.
Bhattacharjee, N. V., Schumacher, A. E., Aali, A., Abate, Y. H., Abbasgholizadeh, R., Abbasian, M., ... & Bahri, R. A. (2024). Global fertility in 204 countries and territories, 1950–2021, with forecasts to 2100: a comprehensive demographic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. The lancet, 403(10440), 2057-2099.
Banach, M. (2024). Global burden of 288 causes of death and life expectancy decomposition in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. Lancet, 403(10440).
Rafa, N., Khalid, R., & Uddin, S. M. N. (2024). Energy access and sustainable development for displaced populations: Achieving energy justice in the Rohingya refugee camps of Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. Energy Research & Social Science, 114, 103621.
Uddin, S. M. N., Gutberlet, J., Chowdhury, A. T., Parisa, T. A., Nuzhat, S., & Chowdhury, S. N. (2022). Exploring waste and sanitation-borne hazards in Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh. Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development, 12(8), 587-599.
Behnam, B., Oishi, S. N., Uddin, S. M. N., Rafa, N., Nasiruddin, S. M., Mollah, A. K. M., & Hongzhi, M. (2020). Inadequacies in Hospital Waste and Sewerage Management in Chattogram, Bangladesh: Exploring Environmental and Occupational Health Hazards. Sustainability, 12(21), 9077.
Akhter, M., Uddin, S. M. N., Rafa, N., Hridi, S. M., Staddon, C., & Powell, W. (2020). Drinking Water Security Challenges in Rohingya Refugee Camps of Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Sustainability, 12(18), 7325.
Nasiruddin, S. M., Li, Z., Mang, H. P., Uddin, S.M.N., Zhou, X., Cheng, S., & Wang, X. (2020). Assessment of organic loading rate by using a water tank digester for biogas production in Bangladesh. Journal of Cleaner Production, 121688.
Uddin, S.M.N., Gutberlet, J., Ramezani, A., & Nasiruddin, S. M. (2020). Experiencing the Everyday of Waste Pickers: A Sustainable Livelihoods and Health Assessment in Dhaka City, Bangladesh. Journal of International Development
Zhou, X… Uddin, S.M.N. (2018) Review of global sanitation development, Environment International, 120, 246-261.
Gutberlet. J. and Uddin, S.M.N. (2018) Household waste and health risks affecting waste pickers and the environment in low- and middle-income countries, International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health, 23(4), 299-310.
Uddin, S.M.N. and Gutberlet, J. (2018) Livelihood and health status of informal recyclers in Mongolia, Resource, Conservation and Recycling, 134, 1-9.
Cheng, S. Li, Z., Uddin, S.M.N. …(2018) Toilet revolution in China, Journal of Environmental Management, 1-10.
Uddin, S.M.N., Li, Z., Ulbrich, T., Mang, H. P., Adamowski, J. F, Ryndin, R. (2016) Household Greywater Treatment in water-stressed regions in cold climates using ‘Ice-Block Units’: Perspective from the coldest capital in the world. Journal of Cleaner Production. 133, 1312-1317.
Uddin, S.M.N., Li, Z., Adamowski, J.F, Ulbrich, T., Mang, H.P., Ryndin, R., Norvanchig, J., Lapegue, J. Wriege-Bechthold, A. and Cheng, S. (2016) Feasibility of ‘Greenhouse System’ for Household Greywater Treatment in Nomadic-Cultured Communities in Peri-Urban Ger Areas of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia: Way to Reduce Greywater-Borne Hazards and Vulnerabilities. Journal of Cleaner Production. 114, 431-442. DOI- 10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.07.149.
Uddin, S.M.N., Walters, V., Gaillard, J.C., Hridi, S.M. and McSherry, A. (2016) Water, sanitation and hygiene for homeless people. Journal of Water and Health, 14(1), 47-51. doi:10.2166/wh.2015.248
Uddin, S.M.N., Li, Z., Ibrahim, M. B., Lapegue, J., Adamowski, JF., Donati, P. F., Huba, EM, Mang, HP. Avirmed, B. and Cheng, S. (2015) Evaluation of ‘Closed-loop sanitation system’ in a country with cold climate: a case from peri-urban Ger areas of Mongolia. Environment and Urbanization. 27(2), 1-18.
Uddin, S.M.N., Li, Z., Mang, HP., Ulbrich, T., Schubler, A., Rheinstein, E., Huba, E.M., and Lapegue, J. (2014) Opportunities and challenges for greywater treatment and reuse in Mongolia: Lessons learnt from piloted systems, Journal of Water Reuse and Desalination, 4(3)182-193.
Uddin, S.M.N., Li, Z., Gaillard, J. C., Tedoff, PF., Lapegue, J, Mang, HP., Huba, E.M. Kummel, O., and Rheinstein, E. (2014) Exposure to WASH-borne hazards: A scoping study on peri-urban Ger areas in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Habitat International, 44, 403-411.