Md. Al-Hasan is a Deputy Director at the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM), a leading think tank based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. In this role, he designs and oversees research on poverty, inequality, labor markets, women’s empowerment, and agricultural transformation, with a focus on generating rigorous evidence to inform policy across South Asia.

Prior to joining SANEM, Al-Hasan was a Research Analyst II at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) from 2021 to 2026, specializing in impact evaluation and large-scale survey management. At IFPRI, he designed and implemented a cluster-randomized controlled trial (RCT) in Maharashtra, India, evaluating a digital ag-tech platform for smallholder farmers, and led analytical work on a Gates Foundation-funded INCATA project examining inclusive agricultural transformation across Odisha, India.

Al-Hasan managed large-scale household surveys for USAID’s Feed the Future programme in Bangladesh, analyzing the 2018/19 baseline and co-leading the 2022 midline rounds. His responsibilities included survey design, enumerator training, field coordination, and high-frequency data quality checks in Stata. He also collaborated with the World Bank to develop poverty imputation methodologies supporting geographic targeting under the U.S. Global Food Security Strategy.

His peer-reviewed publications examine Bangladesh’s labor market, including informal employment, wage inequality and the gender pay gap, the employment-poverty nexus, and returns to schooling using IV quantile regression approaches.

Before IFPRI, Al-Hasan was a Senior Research Associate at the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) from 2017 to 2021, and earlier served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at East West University, Bangladesh, where he earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Economics.

Al-Hasan has presented at international conferences including the IFPRI-RISE 2025 Conference (Washington, D.C.), the Dhaka Winter Conference in Economics, and the UNU-WIDER Conference (Bangkok, Thailand). He is fluent in English and Bangla, with extensive experience collaborating with UN agencies, government counterparts, and international donors to deliver policy-relevant evidence.

Md. Tuhin Ahmed is a Lecturer at the Department of Economics, Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University, Bangladesh. Currently, he also holds the position of Honorary Deputy Director at the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM). He completed his MSS (Master of Social Science) and BSS (Bachelor of Social Science) in Economics from the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. He has been awarded the Shah A.M.S Kibria Gold Medal, Dr. Jalal Alamgir Memorial Gold Medal and Advocate Md. Edris Memorial Gold Medal by the President of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh for achieving the highest CGPA in MSS in Economics from the University of Dhaka for the year 2018. His areas of research interest include labour economics, poverty & inequality, renewable energy, power and energy sector, and business economics. Before becoming a faculty member at Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University, he held the position of Lecturer of Economics at Netrokona University, Netrokona. He also gained experience as a Research Associate and later as a Senior Research Associate (SRA) at the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM). As a researcher at SANEM, he was engaged in 22 more research projects. As a team member, he worked with several development partners such as the World Bank Group, UNICEF, Microfinance Opportunities (USA), Nathan Associates Inc. (USA), The Asia Foundation, British Council, Advocata Institute (Sri Lanka), ESCAP, TARA Climate Ltd., etc. As a Principal Investigator, he conducted three research projects, two with Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre and one with Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University. Moreover, he has led three research projects as Principal Investigator—two with the Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre (BPATC) and one with Mawlana Bhashani Science and Technology University.

With over eight years of research and policy experience, Farhan’s scholarship is situated at the intersection of energy economics, tourism economics, and just transition. His work particularly emphasises energy price shocks and renewable energy deployment, energy security, energy market reforms, just transition implementation mechanisms, and tourism–environment–energy linkages in developing economies.
Previously, he served as a Senior Research Associate at SANEM and Research Associate at the School of Business and Economics (SBE), North South University (NSU), where he contributed to numerous government- and non-government-funded research projects. He completed his Master’s in Economics at the SBE as the top of the class, earning the highest distinction.

Farhan has published extensively in leading peer-reviewed journals, including Energy Policy, Energy Strategy Reviews, Energy Reports, Current Issues in Tourism, and Resources Policy. He has also contributed chapters to volumes published by frontline Publishers, including Elsevier, Routledge, Springer, and Edward Elgar. Besides, he regularly attends national and international conferences, where he presents papers on his areas of expertise. Additionally, he actively serves as a voluntary Reviewer for numerous top-tier peer-reviewed journals.

Farhan’s ongoing research focuses on just transition pathways, macroeconomic and distributional implications of renewable energy adoption, green tourism, and transition finance mechanisms, and the application of advanced econometric and dynamic macroeconomic modelling techniques to inform evidence-based sustainable development policies in developing and emerging economies.

Dipa Das began her career at the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM) as a Research Associate in 2023 and currently works as a Senior Research Associate. She has worked on a diverse range of projects spanning employment, gender, investment, and the ready-made garment (RMG) sector. She completed her Master of Science (MSc) in Economics from the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IITR), India, under the Study in India (SII) Scholarship of the Government of India, and her Bachelor of Arts (BA) Honours in Economics from Visva-Bharati, India.

Her areas of interest include labour economics, gender and employment, and the ready-made garment (RMG) sector. As part of the SANEM team, she has contributed to research projects in collaboration with development partners including GIZ, UNDP, UN Women, LIRNEasia, and the Institute for Human Development (IHD). Her research has been published in the Indian Journal of Labour Economics, and she has presented her work at the Annual Conference of the Indian Society of Labour Economics and the SANEM Annual Economists’ Conference (SAEC).

Shafa Tasneem has joined SANEM as a Research Associate. She holds a BSS in Economics from the University of Dhaka and is currently pursuing an MSS in the same department. Shafa has previously worked as an intern at SANEM, Economic Intelligence Lead at The Financial Express Bangladesh and later as an intern at Aspire to Innovate (a2i). Her research interests revolve around the realms of development economics and political economy.

Sudeepto Roy is an Economics graduate from the University of Dhaka, where he also completed his Master’s degree. ​Currently, he ​works as a Research Associate at the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM),​ following his previous roles as a Research Assistant and Intern within the same organization. His professional journey includes an internship at Bangladesh Bank, the Central Bank of Bangladesh, and two years at Medisquare Smart Health Ltd., where he worked as a Business Research and Development Executive and Business Executive.​ Sudeepto’s strong research background is demonstrated by his award-winning paper, “Bridging Growth and Sustainability: Biomass Energy in South Asia’s Circular Economy,” which earned the Best Research Paper ​accolade at the 19th South Asian Economics Students’ Meet (SAESM) 2024, organized in collaboration with the World Bank. He has actively participated in and won several business competitions. Beyond academics and research, Sudeepto served as the Vice President of the Economics Study Center (ESC) at the University of Dhaka, the pioneering student chapter of the Department of Economics. His research interest lies in development economics, health economics, environmental economics​, and​ international trade.

Md. Razib has joined SANEM as a Research Associate. He has completed BSS degree at Economics in Dhaka University. He has also completed MSS degree recently at the same department and same university. From the moment he joined at Dhaka University, he felt depth fascination for research. He has developed strong research capabilities through rigorous coursework and independent projects during his academic studies. His research interest lies in international trade, environmental economics, macroeconomics and development economics.

Nafis Mubarrat is a Research Associate at the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM). He previously worked as a Programme Associate at SANEM. Nafis completed his Master of Social Sciences (MSS) and Bachelor of Social Sciences (BSS) in Economics from the University of Dhaka, where he received a Government Merit Scholarship. His work focuses on applied microeconomics, labor markets, and energy economics. He has contributed to multiple research projects, including studies on skill development in the garment sector and the economic impacts of energy transition policies in Bangladesh. He has experience in survey design and implementation, data analysis, impact evaluation methods, and econometric techniques using Stata and other statistical tools. He also worked as a Survey Audio Auditor with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), where he reviewed survey recordings to ensure data quality and enumerator consistency. In addition, he has received training in key research and data analysis tools and methods, including Impact Evaluation using Difference-in-Differences (DiD), Stata workflow and econometric analysis, KoboToolbox for survey design and monitoring, survey data cleaning, and capacity building on energy economics and macroeconomic impacts of energy price fluctuations. He has actively participated in a wide range of co-curricular and voluntary activities, contributing to academic, cultural, and organizational initiatives throughout his academic and professional journey. His research has appeared in policy publications and newspaper outlets such as The Daily Star and The Business Standard, as well as SANEM’s “Energy Outlook.”

Rifatnur Mohona is a Research Associate at the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM). She holds a Master of Social Sciences (MSS) and a Bachelor of Social Sciences (BSS) in Economics from the University of Dhaka, where her academic excellence earned her the Governor’s Scholarship for three consecutive years, alongside government board scholarships at both the Honours and Higher Secondary levels. Her research interests span labor economics, development economics, and evidence-based policy analysis, with a particular focus on employment patterns and socio-economic disparities in Bangladesh.

Prior to joining SANEM as a Research Associate, she worked with the organization as a Survey Assistant under the World Bank-funded Programme on Agricultural and Rural Transformation for Nutrition, Entrepreneurship, and Resilience in Bangladesh (PARTNER), conducting field surveys on the country’s agricultural and nutritional landscape. She also served as an Enumerator with DataSense, contributing to a nationwide opinion poll conducted in collaboration with The Business Standard for the Economic Intelligence Bangladesh Special New Year Issue, and completed an internship at the Banking Regulation and Policy Department (BRPD) of Bangladesh Bank.

She is skilled in survey design and implementation, field data collection, and quantitative analysis, with hands-on experience in Stata, SurveyCTO, and KoboToolbox. She has also received formal training in research methodology from the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) under the Planning Division, Ministry of Planning, further strengthening her foundation in rigorous, policy-oriented research.

Afsana Ahmed is an economics graduate from North South University. Her interests span development economics, gender, climate resilience, energy transition, industrial sustainability, and public policy. She also enjoys learning new software and research tools, with her current focus being Python and KoboToolbox.

Beyond academia, Afsana is actively involved in youth leadership and community building. As President of the Young Economists’ Forum (2024–25), she led initiatives that fostered academic engagement, mentorship, and professional development among aspiring economists. She has also played a key role in organizing national-level programs and competitions that encourage critical thinking, research, and policy dialogue.

Outside of economics and youth engagement, Afsana enjoys painting, crafting, and feeding stray animals, especially cats, in her free time.

Mahjabin Mahbub is an Economics graduate from the University of Dhaka with experience in development research, impact evaluation, and field-based policy studies. Before joining, she worked as a Research Assistant on contractual endline evaluation projects appointed by Gram Unnayan Karma (GUK) and completed an internship in Monitoring, Evaluation, and Research at GMark Consulting Limited. Her work involved survey design, field data collection, Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), data analysis, report writing and drafting, case study documentation, and stakeholder coordination. She presented her research paper at the 9th SANEM Annual Economists’ Conference 2026 (SAEC 2026) on the changing impact of maternal employment on child nutrition in Bangladesh.
Her research interests include development economics, poverty, labour markets, impact evaluation, and evidence-based public policy. Through her leadership roles in university clubs and community initiatives, she also strengthened her teamwork, communication, event management, and organizational skills. Now, she aspires to contribute to policy-oriented research that informs effective decision-making and promotes inclusive and sustainable development.
Outside of work, she enjoys singing and painting, which inspire her creativity and lifelong appreciation for the arts.

Leuna Farhat is an Economics graduate from Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce, University of Delhi, India, where she completed her studies as an ICCR scholarship recipient. Currently, she works as a Research Assistant at the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM). Before joining SANEM, she worked at World Vision Bangladesh as a Junior Program Officer in Netrokona and as a Young Professional in Livelihoods in Tahirpur Upazila, Sunamganj. Leuna’s extensive experience is grounded in development programming and qualitative research, having supervised a team of 13 field facilitators, coordinated with government and community stakeholders, and contributed to proposal development and program documentation across the livelihoods, health, nutrition, WASH, education, and child protection sectors. During her undergraduate studies, she completed research projects on public economics and data analysis, examining India’s policy reforms and the aviation industry. Leuna has also undertaken training in data analysis, including the “Introduction to Data Analysis with Python on Google Colab” organized by BIGD. Beyond her professional work, she held leadership positions as Vice President of the Misba Dance Crew and General Secretary of the Foreign Students Society at the University of Delhi. Her research interest lies in applied development economics, labour economics, quantitative research methods, and evidence-based policymaking.

Fahim Kabir is a Junior Data Visualization Analyst at the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM). He is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Computer Science at the University of Windsor, Canada. His work focuses on cleaning and transforming survey datasets, developing interactive dashboards, and supporting data-driven reporting using tools such as Google Sheets, Google Apps Script, KoBoToolbox, and Looker Studio. His interests include data analytics, business intelligence, dashboard automation, and the use of data visualization to communicate research and development insights effectively.

Miftahul Jannat Hridi is an Economics major at the University of Dhaka with a strong interest in labour economics, migration, and microcredit. She is currently an Intern at the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM), where she supports research activities including data collection, analysis, and report preparation.
Her academic interests lie in development economics and policy-oriented research. She is detail-oriented and actively engaged in co-curricular activities, through which she has gained experience in research collaboration, event coordination, and academic initiatives.

Munshi Mustarin Jamal Proma is currently pursuing a degree in Economics at the University of Dhaka. Her interests lie in applied economic analysis, gender-focused economic analysis, labor market dynamics, and development economics, particularly in the context of low- and middle-income countries. She is working as an Intern at the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling, where she contributes to research projects through data processing, literature review, and documentation support. In addition to her academic work, she is actively involved in co-curricular engagements that have helped her develop skills in teamwork, coordination, and working within structured research settings.

Eshrat Sharmin is a research professional, serving as a Deputy Director at the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM) with extensive experience in research across various domains, including gender issues, economic policy, youth development, and socio-economic interventions. With a Master’s in Economics from Jahangirnagar University, her research interests span topics such as technological change, climate transition, digital infrastructure, gender budgeting, and youth vulnerability. She is also the Associate Editor of “Thinking Aloud” and has several published works including journal articles, policy briefs, and newspaper articles focusing on development challenges in Bangladesh

Afia Mubasshira Tiasha is working as a Senior Research Associate at the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM). Before being promoted to Senior Research Associate, she worked as a Research Associate and Research Assistant at the same organization. She has completed both her Master of Social Sciences (MSS) in Economics and Bachelor of Social Sciences (BSS) in Economics from the Department of Economics, Jagannath University, Dhaka with an outstanding result in MSS. She has secured the first position in the MSS examination in her respective batch. Her areas of interest are International Trade, Health Economics, and Environmental Economics. She has joined the SANEM team on June 2, 2021. As a part of the SANEM team, she was engaged in several research projects. Currently, she is working on the projects titled “Has the COVID-19 pandemic worsened multi-dimensional poverty and vulnerability? Evidence from a Unique National Longitudinal Household Survey Dataset in Bangladesh” and “Baseline Survey and Create Evidence on Perceptions, knowledge, and Attitude towards MHPSS issues among adolescents and youth in Rohingya camps and host community”. In the project titled “Bangladesh Regional Connectivity Project 1: To explore bilateral and regional trade potentials’’, she conducted KIIs and FGDs as well as assisted in writing drafts of the policy papers. She was also engaged in collecting secondary data and analysis for specific policy papers. Moreover, she was also involved in the project of ‘’Bangladesh Mohila Parishad’’ and assisted in preparing draft write-ups. Also, she was engaged in the “Bangladesh Trade Facilitation: Time Release Study (TRS)’’ project and assisted in preparing the survey questionnaires. Apart from these, she is assisting in writing proposals for several projects. From her student life, she has research interests and co-authored a paper on Remittance and Economic Growth in Bangladesh. Throughout her student career, she was engaged with various voluntary and social organizations and depicted her leadership skills. She hopes to become a good academician.

Arpita Chakraborty is currently working as a Research Associate at the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM), having previously served as a Research Assistant within the same organization. She holds both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Economics from the University of Dhaka, where she honed her research skills through intensive coursework, hands-on training, and independent projects. Her areas of interest include development, environmental, health, energy, and behavioral economics, along with international trade. Beyond her academic and research engagements, Arpita also contributed as the Joint Secretary of the Economics Study Center (ESC) at the University of Dhaka—the Department of Economics’ flagship student chapter.