Jahidul Islam

Jahidul Islam is a researcher, human rights activist, and policy analyst whose work focuses on environmental criminology, environmental justice, human rights, migration, gender, refugees, corruption, Southern criminology, and development. He currently serves as a Research Associate at the Center for Human Rights, Environment & Migration Research (HREM Center), University of Chittagong, where he contributes to research projects, policy briefs, working papers, reports, field-based research, stakeholder engagement, and academic collaboration on human rights, environmental, and migration-related issues. Islam completed his Master of Social Sciences in Political Science at the University of Chittagong with a CGPA of 3.61. His master's thesis, “Environmental Crime and Its Impact on Human Rights Violations in Developing Countries: Special Reference to Bangladesh,” reflects his growing academic specialization at the intersection of environmental harm, governance, justice, and human rights. He also earned his Bachelor of Social Sciences in Political Science from the same university, where his academic training covered comparative politics, political sociology, public policy, governance, political economy, development, corruption, women and politics, and local government.

Alongside his academic work, Islam has accumulated extensive experience in human rights documentation, research, fact-finding, media monitoring, and advocacy. As a Human Rights Activist with the Human Rights Support Society (HRSS), he has contributed to research and analytical reporting on human rights violations, accountability, governance, Universal Periodic Review initiatives, and civil society engagement in Bangladesh. His work has also provided practical experience with UN human rights mechanisms, Special Procedures, women's rights, community empowerment, and election-related human rights assessment.

He has also worked as a Research Assistant at the University of Chittagong, supporting research in both the Departments of International Relations and Political Science. His research experience includes projects on human rights, migration, environment, gender, democracy, and sustainability, involving semi-structured interviews, large-scale survey data collection, field observation, questionnaire development, SPSS-based data processing, empirical analysis, and research report preparation. Islam's broader professional experience includes serving as Office Coordinator at the Chittagong University Office of International Affairs, where he supported international partnerships, institutional collaborations, MoU processes, exchange initiatives, academic events, and coordination among university departments, administration, and external partners. This role strengthened his experience in internationalization, stakeholder engagement, institutional communication, and academic program coordination.

His current research agenda places particular emphasis on environmental crime, environmental governance, green crime, environmental sustainability, and electoral corruption. His ongoing and under-review research includes work on environmental crime and human rights violations in the Global South, fragmented environmental enforcement and environmental justice, environmental governance and sustainability in Bangladesh, and the relationship between electoral corruption, civic rights, and democratic erosion.

Islam has also been involved in competitively funded research jointly. In 2026, projects on environmental governance, green crime, and environmental sustainability in Bangladesh and on electoral corruption and violations of civic rights received research grants from the University of Chittagong Research and Publication Cell, with his CV identifying him in principal investigator roles on these initiatives. Beyond research, Islam has demonstrated sustained leadership and public engagement. He has served as President of the Chittagong University House of Political Science, Campus Affairs Secretary of the Chittagong University Debating Society, and International Service Director of the Rotaract Club of Islamabad, Chittagong. Through these roles, he has organized academic seminars, research and professional-development workshops, large-scale debate programs, cultural exchange initiatives, humanitarian activities, and community-oriented projects.

His achievements include being Runners-up at the DUDS South Asian Debating Championship 2022, receiving the Best Wing Award 2023 from the Chittagong University House of Political Science, the Outstanding Executive Member Award 2021 from the Chittagong University Debating Society, and the Best Youth Speaker Award 2014 from the 9th Bangladesh & 1st SAANSO (South Asian Association of National Scout Organization) Scout Jamboree (2014) as a both national and international participant.

Bringing together research, human rights advocacy, policy analysis, and organizational leadership, Islam's work is centered on understanding how environmental harms, governance failures, political institutions, and social inequalities affect rights and justice, particularly in Bangladesh and the wider Global South. His long-term scholarly interests lie in producing evidence-based research that can contribute to stronger environmental governance, human rights protection, accountability, and sustainable development.