Dr. Arjumand Zehra Zaidi
Senior Research FellowMy professional experience is in the field of environmental evaluation and decision making. My research interests include optimization and modeling of water resources, environmental, and disaster management systems. Most of my research work deals in environmental decision making with the help of various numerical techniques and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) using satellite data. Currently, I am working in the US Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Water (USPCASW), Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Jamshoro, Pakistan, as a Senior Research Fellow.
Postal Address: USPCAS-W, Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Jamshoro
Phone: +92 22 2109145
Email: [email protected]
Resume: Download CV
Biography
My professional experience is in the field of environmental evaluation and decision making. My research interests include optimization and modeling of water resources, environmental, and disaster management systems. Most of my research work deals in environmental decision making with the help of various numerical techniques and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) using satellite data. Currently, I am working in the US Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Water (USPCASW), Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Jamshoro, Pakistan, as a Senior Research Fellow.
Education
| ID | Degree Type | Discipline | University | Country | Pass Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Doctorate | Information Technology | School of Information Technology George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia. USA | USA | 2004 |
| 2 | Master | Urban Systems Engineering | George Mason University, Virginia. USA | USA | 1999 |
| 3 | Bachelor | Civil Engineering | NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi, Pakistan | Pakistan | 1989 |
Experiences
| ID | Designation | Organization | Country | Time Periods |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Senior Research Fellow | USPCASW, Mehran University of Engineering and Technology Jamshoro, Pakistan | Pakistan | 01-08-2016 - Present |
| 2 | Volunteer Researcher (without pay) | RS and GIS Department Institute of Space Technology Karachi, Pakistan | Pakistan | 01-08-2016 - 28-06-2024 |
| 3 | Assistant Professor/Academic Coordinator | RS and GIS Department Institute of Space Technology Karachi, Pakistan | Pakistan | 01-08-2009 - 01-07-2016 |
| 4 | Assistant Professor | Department of Environmental Sciences COMSATS Institute of Technology Abbottabad, Pakistan | Pakistan | 01-10-2008 - 01-07-2009 |
| 5 | Regional Program Manager (Extension Projects and Studies Division) | Cleaner Production Institute (CPI), (Southern zone), NEC Consultants (Private) Limited. | Pakistan | 01-05-2006 - 01-09-2008 |
| 6 | GIS Specialist | NED University of Engineering and Technology | Pakistan | 01-12-2005 - 01-04-2006 |
| 7 | Post-doctoral Fellow | Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering (CEIE) George Mason University (GMU), Virginia. | USA | 01-11-2004 - 01-10-2005 |
| 8 | Graduate Research Assistance | Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering (CEIE) George Mason University (GMU), Virginia & The Louis Berger Group D.C. office, Washington D.C | USA | 01-01-2003 - 01-01-2004 |
| 9 | Graduate Teaching Assistant | Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering (CEIE) George Mason University (GMU), Virginia. | USA | 01-01-1999 - 01-01-2003 |
| 10 | Researcher (summer) | George Mason University, Virginia | USA | 01-01-2000 - 01-12-2000 |
| 11 | Graduate Research Assistant | George Mason University, Virginia | USA | 01-01-1997 - 01-01-1999 |
| 12 | Summer Intern | Fairfax County Water Authority Fairfax, Virginia. | USA | 01-01-2000 - 31-01-2000 |
| 13 | Structural Design Engineer | Vazirali Associates Karachi Pakistan | Pakistan | 01-01-1994 - 01-01-1997 |
| 14 | Junior Structural Design Engineer | Kamil Associates Karachi, Pakistan | Pakistan | 01-01-1990 - 01-01-1991 |
Publications
| ID | Title of Research Paper | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Assessment of the lake water quality using Landsat 8 OLI imagery: A case study of Manchar Lake, Pakistan | 2022 |
| 2 | Performance Evaluation Methods for Check-dams in Balochistan: A review. | 2021 |
| 3 | Indus river water level monitoring using satellite radar altimetry | 2021 |
| 4 | Impact of water sector interventions on economy, equity, and environment in the rainfed region of Punjab, Pakistan | 2020 |
| 5 | Sensitivity of Direct Runoff to Curve Number Using the SCS-CN Method | 2019 |
| 6 | Performance evaluation of newly proposed seaweed enhancing index (SEI) | 2019 |
| 7 | Impact of Urbanization on Basin Hydrology: A case Study of Malir Basin of the Karachi (Pakistan) City. | 2019 |
| 8 | Standing Stock Of Seaweeds In Submerged Habitats Along The Karachi Coast, Pakistan: An Alternative Source Of Livelihood For Coastal Communities | 2019 |
| 9 | Geostatistical modeling of dengue disease in Lahore, Pakistan | 2019 |
| 10 | Identifying high potential locations for run-of-the-river hydroelectric power plants using GIS and digital elevation models | 2018 |
| 11 | Development of Government Schools in Orangi Town, Karachi | 2017 |
| 12 | Remote Sensing and GIS for Dengue Epidemic Risk Mapping in Lahore, Pakistan | 2016 |
| 13 | Rainfall-Runoff Modeling using Geo-Spatial Techniques in sub-catchment Tarbela | 2016 |
| 14 | Worldview-2 and Landsat 8 Satellite Data for Seaweed Mapping along Karachi Coast | 2015 |
| 15 | Run-of-River Hydropower Potential of Kunhar River, Pakistan.” Pakistan Journal of Meteorology | 2015 |
| 16 | Arguments for inclusion of economic criteria in the total maximum daily load (TMDL) allocation phase | 2015 |
| 17 | Geo-statistical Dengue Risk Model: Case Study of Lahore Dengue Outbreaks 2011. Journal of Space Technolo | 2015 |
| 18 | Identification of Suitable Sites for Plantation of Biofuel Source Jatropha C. using Geospatial Techniques | 2015 |
| 19 | Landuse changes and their impacts on the natural drainage system of Malir River Basin | 2015 |
| 20 | Economic total maximum daily load for watershed-based pollutant trading. | 2014 |
| 21 | How to Include Economic Analysis in TMDL Allocations? | 2008 |
Courses
- Hazard Planning and Risk Management
- Advanced GIS and Remote Sensing
- Watershed Modeling
Projects
| Funded by | Title | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|
| Higher Education Commission (LCF) in collaboration of Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences | Metering the aquifer using smart monitoring and data driven approach to assist in devising adaptive groundwater management strategy in Balochistan. | Co-Principal Investigator |
| Higher Education Commission | Indus River Flow Monitoring using Satellite Radar Altimetry Data and 2D Flood model | Principal Investigator |
| Small Grant USPCASW | Indus River Water Level Monitoring in Sindh using Satellite Radar Altimetry | Principal Investigator |
| Small Grant USPCASW | Eco-Innovation in Textile Processing Industry of KITE for Sustainable Product Processing. | Team-Member |
| Water Improvement Sector Program (WSIP) Sindh | Study on Water Balance of the Sindh Province of Pakistan | Principal Investigator |
| Small Grant Mangroves for Future Fund (IUCN Pakistan) | Seaweed mapping and stock assessment along Karachi (Pakistan) Coast | Principal Investigator |
| Higher Education Commission | Drought Management Decision Support System (DM-DSS) in Sindh using Remote Sensing Techniques | Co-Principal Investigator |
| Higher Education Commission | Impact Assessment of Canal Rehabilitation Programs in Sindh using Geospatial Techniques | Principal Investigator |
| Initiated by ICIMOD under MyCOE / SERVIR Himalayas Fellowship Program | Vulnerability Assessment for Potential Glacial Lakes Outburst Floods (GLOFs) Events in Passu and Bagrot Valley, Pakistan | Mentor |
Supervision
| ID | Program | Discipline | Roll Number | Topic | Pass Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Master | IWRM | 16-MS-IWRM-01 | Impact Assessment of Water Sector Interventions in the Potohar Region | 2019 |
| 2 | Master | IWRM | 16-MS-IWRM-03 | Crop Water Stress Delectation by Remote Sensing: A Case Study of Colorado | 2019 |
| 3 | Master | IWRM | 16-MS-IWRM-08 | Agricultural Water Use Optimization Using Cropping Systems Simulation Model (CropSyst) for Chickpea | 2019 |
| 4 | Master | IWRM | 18S-MS-IWRM-07 | Economics in zero tillage for wheat crop in Water Scarce Area | 2023 |
| 5 | Master | IWRM | 18S-MS-IWRM-10 | Monitoring Sea Level Rise and its Impacts on Coast of Pakistan using Satellite Radar Altimetry | 2022 |
| 6 | Master | IWRM | 18F-MS-IWRM-16 | Estimating the Crop Water Productivity of Major Crops Canal Command Area by using Remote Sensing | 2021 |
| 7 | Master | HID | 19-MS-HID-03 | Hydrological modeling of Pishin Lora Basin, Balochistan | 2023 |
| 8 | Master | HID | 19-MS-HID-15 | Water level monitoring of Tarbela Reservoir: A synoptic view, using altimetry data | 2023 |
| 9 | Master | IWRM | 19-MS-IWRM-05 | Assessment of salinity and its influence on crop effected areas and people livelihood of Malwah Distributary Shaheed Benazirabad (Nawabshah), Sindh | 2023 |
| 10 | Master | HID | 20F-MS-HID-07 | Mekong River Monitoring using Satellite Radar Altimetry and Validation with in-Situ Data | 2024 |
| 11 | Master | IWRM | 21-MS-IWRM-12 | Multi-Mission Satellite Altimetry for Measuring Water Levels: A Case Study of an Island Waterbody in Pakistan | 2024 |
| 12 | Master | IWRM | 21-MS-IWRM-03 | Identification of Potential Groundwater Recharge Zones of Pishin-Lora Basin using GIS and Remote Sensing Tools | 2025 |
| 13 | Master | IWRM | 22-MS-IWRM-05 | Flood Vulnerability Assessment and Mapping in District Dadu and Sehwan, Sindh | 2025 |
| 14 | Master | IWRM | 22-MS-IWRM-09 | Estimating Crop Water Consumption and Water Productivity of Wheat Crop in Larkana and Dadu Districts Using Remote Sensing | 2025 |
| 15 | Master | ENVE | 16-MS-ENVE-14 | Rick and Environmental Impact Assessment of GLOF in District Ghizer and Policy Implications | 2018 |
| 16 | Master | IWRM | 22-MS-IWRM-11 | Mapping Field Scale Actual Evapotranspiration using SSEBoP Model with Data Fusion of Multi-Source Satellite Imagery: A Case Study in Tandojam, Sindh, Pakistan | 2025 |
| 17 | Master | IWRM | 21-MS-IWRM-05 | Prediction of Groundwater Level of Quetta Sub-Basin by Employing Machine Learning Techniques | 2025 |
| 18 | Master | IWRM | 22-MS-IWRM-07 | Analysis of Farmers' Perception on Drip Irrigation System in Mirpur Khas and Tando Allahyar Districts | 2025 |
Trainings
| ID | Training Title | Sponsored | Training Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | National Groundwater Workshop and Launching of Groundwater Management Information System (GMIS) | International Water Management Institute, Lahore | 18-09-2024 - 18-09-2024 |
| 2 | Integrated Water Resources Management for Climate Resilience in Pakistan | Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) | 23-09-2024 - 27-09-2024 |
Awards
| ID | Award Type | Award Title | Awarded By | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | International | Visiting International Fellow | ASCE’s EWRI | 2018 |
| 2 | International | Best Practice- Oriented Paper | ASCE Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management | 2009 |
| 3 | International | Doctoral Fellowship | School of Information and Technology, George Mason University | 2004 |