Background

Third-year Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Vanderbilt University, working in aquatic biogeochemistry under the mentorship of Dr. John C. Ayers. My research focuses on understanding how biological and geochemical processes interact to control carbon and nutrient dynamics in freshwater ecosystems.

I integrate high-resolution field measurements (e.g., dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH, and underwater light), laboratory-based geochemical analyses, and quantitative modeling approaches to resolve diel and seasonal variability in lake systems. Using ecosystem metabolism models, I quantify gross primary production (GPP), ecosystem respiration (ER), and net ecosystem production (NEP), and examine how these processes are coupled to environmental drivers.

A central component of my work involves stable isotope geochemistry (δ¹³C-DIC, δ¹⁸O, δ²H) to trace carbon transformation and exchange processes. I also investigate how artificial light at night (ALAN) alters photoperiod-driven metabolic processes in freshwater environments.

In addition, my research examines nutrient dynamics, with a focus on phosphorus speciation and cycling across contrasting trophic systems, to identify the geochemical controls on nutrient availability and transformation.

Research Interests

My research interests include aquatic biogeochemistry, ecosystem metabolism, environmental isotope applications, and nutrient cycling in freshwater systems. I am particularly interested in how physical, chemical, and biological processes interact to regulate carbon and nutrient fluxes under natural variability and anthropogenic influence.

I am also interested in interdisciplinary approaches that integrate field observations, analytical chemistry, and data-driven modeling to address challenges in water quality and ecosystem change. My previous work on groundwater hydrogeochemistry and microplastic contamination informs my broader perspective on environmental systems.

I welcome opportunities for collaboration with researchers and practitioners working on freshwater ecosystems, water quality, and environmental change. 

Latest

• May 01, 2026: Our paper titled 'Hydrogeochemical characterization and machine learning-driven prediction of groundwater salinity intrusion risk in southwestern coastal Bangladesh' has been accepted to the Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies.

• April 16, 2026: My Poster presentation titled 'Coupled Carbonate Equilibrium and Metabolic Controls on δ¹³C-DIC Variability in Freshwater Ecosystems' received the People's Choice Award at the Tennessee Water Resource Conference 2026. 

• Apr 02, 2026: Our paper titled 'A novel polymer-sensitive index coupled with multivariate and machine learning modeling for microplastic risk assessment in coastal sediments of the bay of Bengal' has been accepted to the Marine Pollution Bulletin.

• Mar 01, 2026: Our paper titled 'Microplastic ingestion and trait-weighted ecological risk assessment framework for intertidal invertebrates of the Cox’s Bazar Coast, Bay of Bengal' has been accepted to the Regional Studies in Marine Science.

• Jan 15, 2026: Our paper titled 'Polymer‑specific hazard profiling and risk indexing of microplastics in coastal sediments of St. Martin’s Island: A multivariate and machine learning approach' has been accepted to the Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances.

• Dec 14, 2025: Presented my work titled "Coupled Carbonate Equilibrium and Metabolic Fractionation Drive δ¹³C-DIC Variability in Freshwater Ecosystems" at the AGU 2025 Annual Meeting.

• Dec 01, 2025: Our paper titled 'Multi-Scale Assessment of Land Use and Land Cover Dynamics on Groundwater Quality in the South-Central Coastal Region of Bangladesh' has been accepted to the journal Cleaner Water. 

• Nov 19, 2025: Awarded an NSF-supported Student Research Grant for the project “A FAIR and Reproducible Framework for Depth-Resolved Visualization and Modeling of Ecosystem Metabolism in an Oligotrophic Lake” The award supports open, reproducible workflows and public code/data dissemination associated with my PhD research.

• July 03, 2025: My write-up titled 'Shedding Light on Lakes: How Artificial Light at Night May Be Changing Freshwater Ecosystems' has been published in the The Official Blog of The Geological Society of America. 

• June 25, 2025: Our paper titled 'Statistical and probabilistic modeling of groundwater contamination: A data-driven uncertainty and risk assessment in Barind Tract, Rajshahi, Bangladesh' has been accepted to the Journal of Trace Elements and Minerals.

• June 05, 2025: My write-up titled 'How Artificial Light at Night May Be Changing Freshwater Ecosystems' has been published in the GSA Today magazine. 

• June 01, 2025: Our paper titled 'Interpreting hydrogeochemical interactions and controlling processes in groundwater using advanced statistical techniques in the Southeast Asian megacity: Dhaka, Bangladesh' has been accepted to the journal Cleaner Water. 

• April 08, 2025: My Poster presentation titled 'Understanding the Natural Biogeochemical Cycles in an Oligotrophic Lake in Middle Tennessee' received the People's Choice Award at the Tennessee Water Resource Conference 2025. 

• Dec 27, 2024: Our paper titled 'Spatiotemporal distribution and human health risks of potential toxic elements in the groundwater of the lower Tista Floodplain, Rangpur, Bangladesh' has been accepted to the Journal of Discover Water.

• Dec 10, 2024: Our paper titled 'Pollution evaluation and health risks assessment of naturally occurring toxic metals in shallow groundwater: A study in southwestern tidal delta of Bangladesh' has been accepted to the Journal of Trace Elements and Minerals.

• Dec 02, 2024: Successfully defended my PhD Preliminary exam on 'Understanding the Carbon and Oxygen Dynamics in Freshwater Lakes: A study of Natural Biogeochemical Cycles and Artificial Light at Night' at Vanderbilt University.

• Sep 28, 2024: Our paper titled 'Is the groundwater of Dhaka city, Bangladesh contaminated with naturally occurring potential toxic elements?' has been accepted to the Journal of Frontiers.

• Sep 24, 2024: Presented my work on 'Understanding the Biogeochemical Dyanimics at the Stephens Lake using Isotopic Analysis' at the GSA Connects 2024.

• June 18, 2024: Selected as the Recipient of the 'Gould Research Grant' by the Council of the Geological Society of America.

• May 01, 2024: Started working as the 'Public Relation Officer' at the Vanderbilt University Graduate Student Council.

• May 01, 2024: Selected as the Summer Instructor at Vanderbilt Summer Academy (Program for Talented Youth) for the course ‘Water Quality & Public Health’.

• Aug 10, 2023: Started Ph.D. as a College of Arts and Science Fellow in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science at Vanderbilt University.

• Jul 07, 2023: Our paper titled 'Risk assessment of microplastic pollution in an industrial region of Bangladesh' has been accepted to the Heliyon-Cell Press Journal of Elsevier.

• May 06, 2023: Completion of second master's degree from Auburn University with a CGPA of 4.0.

• Apr 26, 2023: Successfully defended my Master's Thesis on 'Geochemical Characterization of Groundwater and Mineralogical Assessment in Hatiya Island, Southeastern Coastal Region of Bangladesh' at Auburn University.

• Mar 29, 2023: Received the 'College of Science and Mathematics Dean’s Research Award 2023' in the Master's program of Auburn University for 2023.

• Mar 18, 2023: Received the 'GAB Outstanding Graduate Student Award 2023' in the Master's program of Auburn University for 2023.

• Mar 07, 2023: Our book chapter titled ‘Abundance and Distribution of MPs and NPs in Soil: A Global Scenario’ has been published in the book titled ‘Micro and Nanoplastics in Soil - Threats to Plant-Based Food' by Springer Nature Publications.

• Feb 26, 2023: Our paper titled 'Hydrochemical Characterization and Quality Assessment of Groundwater in Hatiya Island, Southeastern Coastal Region of Bangladesh' has been accepted to the Water Journal of MDPI. 

• Dec 10, 2022: Received the 'Bangladesh Sweden Trust Fund' from the Ministry of Finance, Government of Bangladesh.

• Nov 26, 2022: Our paper titled 'Assessment of microplastics as contaminants in a coal mining region' has been accepted to the Heliyon-Cell Press.

• Oct 09, 2022: Presented my work on the Hydrochemical Characteristics and Quality Assessment Of Groundwater in Hatiya Island, Southern Coastal Region of Bangladesh at the GSA Connects 2022.

• Apr 29, 2022: Our paper titled 'Microplastic contamination in the sediments of Saint Martin’s Island, Bangladesh' has been accepted to the Regional Studies of Marine Science.

• Mar 04, 2022: Succesfully proposed my thesis on Hydrochemical Characteristics and Quality Assessment Of Groundwater in Hatiya Island, Southern Coastal Region of Bangladesh to my committee members at Auburn University.

• Oct 09, 2021: Presented my work on the Assessment of Groundwater Quality and Arsenic Contamination in the Coastal Aquifers of Hatiya Island, Bangladesh at the GSA Connects 2021.

• Jul 01, 2021: Received the 'Geological Society of America (GSA) grant' for my master's thesis research.

• Apr 13, 2021: Our paper titled 'Characterization and Spatial Abundance of Microplastics in the Coastal Regions of Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh: An Integration of Field, Laboratory, and GIS Techniques' has been accepted to Soil and Sediment Contamination: An International Journal of Taylor & Francis.

• Apr 02, 2021: Presented a talk on the 'Identification and Spatial Distribution of Microplastics in the Coastal Regions of Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh' at the GSA Southeastern Section - 70th Annual Meeting - 2021.

• Feb 10, 2021: Our paper titled 'Soil Contamination Assessment by Trace Elements in Barapukuria Coal Mine Region, Bangladesh' has been accepted to the Environmental and Earth Sciences Research Journal of the International Information and Engineering Technology Association (IIETA).

• Mar 30, 2020: Successfully defended my Master's Thesis on 'Identification and Characterization of Microplastics in the Coastal Regions of Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh' at the University of Dhaka.