Meher Nigar Neema

Meher Nigar Neema is a professor at the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), Dhaka, Bangladesh. In 2002, she graduated from the department of Urban and Regional Planning in Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology. She obtained first class with honors and placed herself in the second position. She was appointed a faculty member in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning in this University in May 2002. In her undergraduate thesis, she developed programs to customize the interface of a commercial GIS software. She produced an excellent thesis and acquired a sound background in GIS. In 2004, she completed her MURP (Master of Urban and Regional Planning) degree from BUET in the major of Urban and Regional Planning. She achieved outstanding performance and as a recognition, she was awarded the prestigious Dr. Rashid Gold Medal from BUET. Her master’s thesis was on "Spatial Optimization Using Genetic Algorithm". In 2006, she obtained the prestigious Monbukagakusho scholarship to conduct her doctoral research. She was awarded a doctoral degree from the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology, Japan (2010). In doctoral degree, she extraordinarily developed Genetic Algorithm (GA) based multi-objective continuous optimization models for the problems of a town’s facility. With a prestigious JSPS scholarship, she completed her post-doctoral research from the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology, Japan (2017). Her post-doctoral research was on "Urban Greeneries as a Viable Strategy to Improve Degraded Air Quality: an Innovative GA-based Hybrid Simulation Approach". She has successfully published her research achievements in the highly accredited peer-reviewed International Journals, namely Computers, Environment, and Urban Systems; Networks and Spatial Economics; Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design; Journal of Environmental Management; Journal of Urban Management. Her research interests include green urban planning, green city and green space planning for sustainable healthy livable cities. In addition, she has progressed in the modeling of town’s facility location using GIS and heuristics. Professor Neema was a chair in the Institutional Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) of Urban and Regional Planning Department of BUET under Higher Education Quality Enhancement Project (HEQEP). She has contributed significantly towards the university administration. Beside her outstanding academic work, Dr. Neema loves to do painting. Two art exhibitions entitled "Green Arts for Happy Living" were organized by Artist Prof. Dr. Meher Nigar Neema held on 28th May, 2022 to 30th May, 2022 and 13th January, 2023 at BUET, Dhaka, Bangladesh. In the art exhibition she presented her talent showing her excellent arts on nature and environment.
Akira Ohgai is a professor emeritus and an executive counselor of Toyohashi University of Technology, Japan. He graduated from Graduate School ofEngineering, Kyushu University, Japan in 1979. From 1983 to 1993, he worked as an assistant professor at Kyusyu University. He graduated from Kyusyu University in 1988 with a Doctor's Degree in Engineering. He worked in Kyushu University and Toyohashi University of Technology for 37 years. From 2014 to 2020, he worked as a vice-president/executive trustee at Toyohashi University of Technology. After that, he was appointed as emeritus professor in 2019. He is working as an executive counselor at Toyohashi University of Technology from 2020. His research interests encompass two main research subjects. First one is the applications of computer technology to urban/regional planning or spatial planning by utilizing GIS, urban modelling, and artificial intelligence. Second one is to establish a novel theory of spatial planning in the era of an aging society with depopulation. He has written books such as"Urban Planning", "Introduction to Architectural Engineering", and "City Center Revitalization and Sustainable Town Development" with co-authors. He has many publications in high quality journals. He has been mainly involved in town planning, including serving as a member of the city planning council of Toyohashi City, Toyokawa City, Gamagori City, Hamamatsu City, and Iida City.In addition, he participated in the San-En-Nanshin region (Mikawa, Enshu, Minamishinshu), San-En-Nanshin Summit, which was held for the formulation of wide-area cooperation plans and policy formation that transcends prefectural borders. Professor Ohgai won the best paper award of Architecture Institute of Japan in 2004 for conducting the thesis entitled "Development of Urban Analysis and Planning Tools Using Cellular Automata, Artificial Intelligence and GIS
Kazuki Karashima is an associate professor and an expert researcher in Japan and he belongs to Maebashi Institute of Technology. In 2021, he was appointed to his current position. He graduated from Ariake National College of Technology in 2007 with a bachelor's degree in Engineering. After the experience of being an expert of a major construction company, he graduated from Toyohashi University of Technology in 2011 with a master's degree in Engineering. He graduated from Toyohashi University of Technology in 2014 with a Doctor's Degree in Engineering. After graduation, he was appointed as a researcher and assistant professor at Toyohashi University of Technology. His research field is urban and regional planning.  Specific research areas are sustainable urban structure, urban disaster mitigation, land use, green urban planning, community-based activity for disaster mitigation, planning support systems. Dr. Karashima won the best paper award of the International Symposium on City Planning and Environmental Management in Asian Countries in 2014 and received excellent presentation award for young researcher of Architecture Institute of Japan in 2014. 
Ishmam Md. Arif Aktab is a Civil and Environmental Engineering professional. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering from North South University in 2018, following his Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) in 2014 and Secondary School Certificate (SSC) in 2011 from St. Joseph Higher Secondary School. Currently, he is pursuing a Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). Ishmam began his career in 2020 as a Junior Civil Engineer at Nippon Koei Bangladesh Ltd., where he has contributed to a range of infrastructure and environmental projects. His responsibilities have included drone-based site surveys, AutoCAD drawing, map preparation using ArcGIS, obtaining government clearances, and supervising field activities. He has also demonstrated expertise in environmental aspects, including the site selection for air quality monitoring stations and the collection of environmental data from relevant agencies. He is currently serving as an Environmental Expert under the JICA Technical Cooperation Project for Capacity Improvement for Air Quality Control. His role involves supporting the development of air quality management strategies through technical and institutional capacity-building initiatives. In recognition of his innovative thinking, Ishmam received the Excellence Award in the Smart City Business Idea Competition 2023 for his proposal on utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) to develop early warning systems for water supply management.