I am Rakibul Ahasan, a doctoral student at the Department of Geography, Texas A&M University. My research interests include Geographic Information Science (GIS), Urban growth modeling, urban growth-transportation interaction, land change science, urban sustainability, and remote sensing. I also have a very deep interest in transportation planning and modeling. At present, I am working with Dr. Burak Guneralp, who is the team leader of the Urban Dynamics & Sustainability (UDAS) Research Group. We are working on identifying the impacts of urban expansion and human-led developments on global biodiversity and ecosystems.

Before starting my doctoral studies, I have completed my Master's at Iowa State University- one in Master of Community and Regional Planning (MCRP) and another Master of Science in Transportation (MsTrans). I worked with Dr. Monica Haddad and collaborate with Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity (GDMH) for my Master's thesis. My master's thesis title was "Transit proximity and affordable housing investments: Application of Hedonic Model in Des Moines, Iowa". For my thesis, I examined the relationship between housing investments by Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity in affordable housing, housing prices, and access to public buses in the city of Des Moines, the capital city of Iowa. Findings from the study were presented at the Habitat for Humanity Council meeting and a poster was accepted at the 59th ACSP conference. At the same time, due to my immense interest in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), I have completed the graduate certificate in GIS at Iowa State University.

I have also completed a Master's in Urban and Rural Planning (MURP) from Khulna University, Bangladesh in 2017. During that period, I have worked with Metro rail accessibility for my thesis and the title of my work was "An Assessment of Potential change in Mobility and Accessibility of Dhaka Dwellers by the Implementation of Metro Rail (MRT-6)." In 2016, I have completed my Bachelor of Urban and Rural Planning (BURP) degree from the same institution. During my undergrad research, I analyzed the performance of the public transit systems in Dhaka city, the capital of Bangladesh. My thesis title was- "Performance Evaluation of the Public Transport System: Analyzing the Case of Dhaka, Bangladesh."

I love to travel around and cherish how beautiful our surroundings are. I have a dream to visit all the National Parks in the US before I turn 35.




Rakibul Ahasan
December 16, 2020 (1:15 AM)