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Ms Nazifa Rafa

PhD student

The intersections between social contracts and social capital in disaster management of refugee settlements: A case study of Rohingya refugee communities in Bangladesh

Biography

Career

  • Oct 2022 – Present: PhD student, Department of Geography, University of Cambridge
  • Oct – Jan 2024: Research Consultant (Fact-checking), Human Development Report Office (HDRO)
  • May – Sept 2023: Research Assistant, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis
  • March – July 2023: Research Assistant (Academic Secondment), Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), Energy SHINES Placement Programme
  • July – Dec 2022: Research Intern, Human Development Report Office (HDRO)
  • Oct 2021 – Jan 2022: Fellow, Asia Society Korea Youth Program, Asia Society Korea
  • May – Sept 2021: Research Assistant, Center for Climate Change and Environmental Health (CCCEH), Asian University for Women
  • Feb 2020 – May 2020: Project Assistant, Driving, Sharing, and Co-Creating Water, Sanitation, Hygiene and Health (WASH2) Knowledge Among the AUW and Local Communities, United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia
  • Jun – July 2019: Research Intern, Department of Economics, East Delta University

Education and honours

  • Agile Initiative Summer School, Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford (2023)
  • MPhil in Environmental Policy, University of Cambridge (2022) (72% overall score; merit)
  • BSc in Environmental Sciences, Asian University for Women (2021) (summa cum laude; Andy Matsui Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement)
  • Credential of Readiness (CORe), Harvard Business School Online (2020) (pass with high honors)
  • General Course on Intellectual Property, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Academy (2020) (94% overall score)

Scholarships and grants

  • STRENGTH Research Grant – International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) (2024): £2,500
  • University Fieldwork Fund – Department of Geography, University of Cambridge (2023): £5,428
  • Energy IRC Small Grant – Energy Interdisciplinary Research Centre (IRC), University of Cambridge (2023): £1,100
  • Optimising Students’ Futures Fund – Lucy Cavendish College, University of Cambridge (2023): £150
  • Honorary Trinity-Henry Barlow Award (PhD) – Trinity College, University of Cambridge (2022-2023)
  • Lady Judy Moody-Stuart Studentship (PhD) – Lucy Cavendish College, University of Cambridge (2022): £135,000
  • President’s PhD Scholarship – Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London (2022): £83,700 Declined
  • The Lucy Cavendish Travel, Research, and Conferences Grant – Lucy Cavendish College, University of Cambridge (2022): £600 Declined
  • Lady Judy Moody-Stuart Studentship (MPhil) – Lucy Cavendish College, University of Cambridge (2021-2022): £42,000

Publications

Interdisciplinary migration studies

  • Rafa, N., Uddin, S. M. N., & Staddon, C. (2022). 18. Exploring challenges in safe water availability and accessibility in preventing COVID-19 in refugee settlements. In J. E. Nickum, R. M. Stephan, & H. Bjornlund (Ed.), Wicked Problems of Water Quality Governance. Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003331438-19.
  • Rafa, N., To, T. T. V., Gupta, M., & Uddin, S. M. N. (2022). The Pursuit of Energy in Refugee Contexts: Discrimination, Displacement, and Humanitarian Energy Access for the Rohingya Refugee Displaced to Bangladesh. Energy Research and Social Science, 83, 102334. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2021.102334.
  • Islam, N., Uddin, S. M. N., Rafa, N., & Gupta, M. (2021). Chapter 17: Exploring Human-Elephant Conflicts and Mitigation Measures in-and-around Rohingya refugee camps, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. In A. R. K. Gollakota, S. Gautam, & C. Shu (Ed.), Bow Ties in Process Safety and Environmental Management. Identifying the Current Trends And Future Perspectives, pp. 280-296. CRC Press, LLC. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003140382.
  • 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. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su12187325.
  • Rafa, N., Uddin, S. M. N., & Staddon, C. (2020). Exploring challenges in safe water availability and accessibility in preventing COVID-19 in refugee settlements. Water International, 45(7-8), 710-715. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02508060.2020.1803018.
  • Rafa, N. Planned relocation as a climate change adaptation strategy for Bangladesh. International Association for Political Science Students (IAPSS) Regional Conference, 22-25 November, 2019, Stockholm, Sweden.

Environmental health and water security

  • Rafa, N., Ahmed, B., Zohora, F., Bakya, J., Ahmed, S., Ahmed, S. F., Mofijur, M., Chowdhury, A. A., & Almomani, F. (2024). Microplastics as carriers of toxic pollutants: Source, transport, and toxicological effects. Environmental Pollution, 123190. DOI: https://doi-org.ezp.lib.cam.ac.uk/10.1016/j.envpol.2023.123190.
  • Rahman, M. S. & Rafa, N. (2021). Common Barriers, Attitudes and Practices of Veterinary Practitioners Regarding Antimicrobial Resistance and Stewardship in Bangladesh. Open Veterinary Science, 2(1), 72-80. DOI: https://10.1515/ovs-2020-0109.
  • Rafa, N., Jubayer, A., & Uddin, S. M. N. (2021). Impact of Cyclone Amphan on the Water, Sanitation, Hygiene, and Health (WASH2) facilities of Coastal Bangladesh. Journal of Water, Sanitation & Hygiene for Development, washdev2021170. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2166/washdev.2021.170.
  • Batool B., Oishi, Uddin, S. M. N., Rafa, N., Nasiruddin, S. M., Mollah, A. K. M. M., & Hongzhi, M. (2020). Exploring Environmental Risks and Occupational Health Hazards by Hospital Waste in Bangladesh. Sustainability, 12(21), 9077. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su12219077.
  • Chowdhury, S. N., Rafa, N., Uddin, S. M. N., & Mollah, A. K. M. M. (2020). Investigating the Presence of Enteric Bacteria and their Antibiotic Resistance in Drinking Water Samples of Slum Households in Port City Chattogram, Bangladesh. Water Supply, ws2020275. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2166/ws.2020.275.

Energy security, efficiency, and decarbonisation

  • Ahmed, S. F., Rafa, N., Mehnaz, T., Ahmed, B., Islam, N., Mofijur, M., Hoang, A. T., & Shafiullah, G. M. (2022). Integration of phase change materials in improving the performance of heating, cooling, and clean energy storage systems: An overview. Journal of Cleaner Production, 364, 132639. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.132639.
  • Chatterjee, S., Rafa, N., & Nandy, A. (2022). Welfare, Development, and Cost-efficiency: A Global Synthesis on Incentivizing Energy Efficiency Measures through Co-benefits. Energy Research and Social Science, 89, 102666. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2022.102666.
  • Chatterjee, S., Rafa, N., & Nandy, A. Context Matters: A Study of Multiple Impacts of Energy Efficiency Measures in the EU-27 and South Asia. eceee 2021 Summer Study, 7-11 June, 2021.

Biodiversity conservation

  • Rafa, N., Nuzhat, S., Uddin, S. M. N. U., Gupta, M., & Rakshit, R. (2021). Ecotourism as a Forest Conservation Tool: An NDVI Analysis of the Sitakunda Botanical Garden and Ecopark in Chattogram, Bangladesh. Sustainability, 13(21), 12190. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su132112190.

Renewable energy/circular economy

  • Ahmed, S. F., Mofijur, M., Nuzhat, S., Rafa, N., Musharrat, A., & Lam, S. S. (2022). Sustainable hydrogen production: Technological advancements and economic analysis. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 47(88), 37227-37255. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2021.12.029.
  • Ahmed, S. F., Mofijur, M., Nahrin, M., Chowdhury, S., Nuzhat, S., Herek, M. A., Rafa, N., Kumar, S., & Mahlia, T. M. I. (2022). Biohydrogen production from wastewater-based microalgae: Progresses and challenges. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 47(88), 37321-37342. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2021.09.178.
  • Le, H. S., Chen, W., Ahmed, S. F., Said, Z., Rafa, N., Le, A. T., Ağbulut, Ü., Veza, I., Nguyen, X. P., Duong, X. Q., Huang, Z., & Hoang, A. T. (2022). Hydrothermal carbonization of food waste as sustainable energy conversion path. Bioresource Technology, 363, 127958. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2022.127958.
  • Ahmed, S. F., Mofijur, M., Islam, N., Parisa, T. A., Rafa, N., Shah, S. A. A., & Mahlia, T. M. I. (2022). Insights into the development of microbial fuel cells for generating biohydrogen, bioelectricity, and treating wastewater. Energy, 254(A), 124163. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2022.124163.
  • Ahmed, S. F., Mofijur, M., Chowdhury, S., Nahrin, M., Rafa, N., Chowdhury, A. T., Nuzhat, S., & Ong, H. C. (2022). Pathways of lignocellulosic biomass deconstruction for value added products production. Fuel, 318, 123618. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2022.123618.
  • Ahmed, S. F., Rafa, N., Mofijur, M., Badruddin, I. A., Inayat, A., Ali, M. S., Farrok, O., & Khan, T. M. Y. (2021). Biohydrogen production from biomass sources: Metabolic pathways and economic analysis. Frontiers in Energy Research, 9, 753878. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fenrg.2021.753878.
  • Rafa, N., Ahmed, S. F., Badruddin, I. A., Mofijur, M., & Kamangar, S. (2021). Strategies to produce cost-effective third generation biofuel from microalgae. Frontiers in Energy Research, 9, 749968. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fenrg.2021.749968.
  • Ahmed, S. F., Mofijur, M., Tarannum, K., Chowdhury, A. T., Rafa, N., Nuzhat, S., Kumar, P. S., Vo, D. N., & Mahlia, T. M. I. (2021). Biogas upgrading, economy and utilization: a review. Environmental Chemistry Letters, 19, 4137-4164. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-021-01292-x.
  • Biswas, S., Nandy, A., Islam, N., & Rafa, N. (2020). Environmental Citizenship and Solid Waste Management in Chattogram, Bangladesh. Open Economics, 3(1), 135-150. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/openec-2020-0109.

Environmental remediation

  • Ahmed, S. F., Kumar, P. S., Rozbu, M. R., Chowdhury, A. T., Nuzhat, S., Rafa, N., Mahlia, T.M.I., Ong, H. C., & Mofijur, M. (2022). Heavy metal toxicity, sources, and remediation techniques for contaminated water and soil. Environmental Technology & Innovation, 25, 102114. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eti.2021.102114.
  • Ahmed, S. F., Mofijur, M., Rafa, N., Chowdhury, A. T., Chowdhury, S., Nahrin, M., Islam, A. B. M. S., & Ong, H. C. (2022). Green approaches in synthesising nanomaterials for environmental nanobioremediation: Technological advancements, applications, benefits and challenges. Environmental Research, 204(A), 111967. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2021.111967.
  • Ahmed, S. F., Mofijur, M., Nuzhat, S., Chowdhury, A. T., Rafa, N., Uddin, M. A., Inayat, A., & Mahlia T. M. I. (2021). Recent developments in physical, biological, chemical, and hybrid treatment techniques for removing emerging contaminants from wastewater. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 125912. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.125912.
  • Tasnim, A., Rafa, N., Kabir, A., & Selvakumar, P. M. (2021). Chapter 67. Consumer Nanoproducts for the environment. In S. Mallakpour, & C. M. Hussein (Ed.), Handbook of Consumer Nanoproducts. Springer. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-6453-6_67-1.

Technology and the modern world

  • Ahmed, S. F., Alam, M. S. B., Afrin, S., Rafa, S. J., Rafa, N., & Gandoumi, A. H. (2023). Insights into Internet of Medical Things (IoMT): Data fusion, security issues and potential solutions. Information Fusion, 102060. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.inffus.2023.102060.
  • Ahmed, S. F., Alam, M. S. B., Hassan, M., Rozbu, M. R., Ishtiak, T., Rafa, N., Mofijur, M., Ali, A. B. M. S., & Gandoumi, A. H. (2023). Deep learning modelling techniques: Current progress, applications, advantages and challenges. Artificial Intelligence Review, 56. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10462-023-10466-8.

Teaching

  • Dec 2023 – Present: Research mentor, Research Scholars programs, Lumiere Education
  • Sept 2020 – May 2021: Undergraduate Teaching Assistant for Ecology and Water Management courses, Asian University for Women

External activities

Contributions to UN reports: