Institute of Regional Studies

As Head of the ‘Climate Resilience Program’ at the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS), Dr. Anjum Rasheed leads critical research and strategic initiatives focusing on climate advocacy, environmental governance, climate change mitigation, and air quality management.

Dr. Anjum is a distinguished environmental scientist with more than fifteen years of experience in climate mitigation analysis, air quality monitoring, environmental policy formulation/analysis, climate resilience, and environmental sustainability. She has academic qualification of Masters and Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences from Fatima Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan. During 2012-2013, she was associated with the Department of Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, North Carolina State University (NCSU) as Ph.D. Scholar for research on ‘Assessment of Impacts of Climate Change on Air Quality in Pakistan through Climate Modeling’.

Dr. Anjum has a diverse and impactful career spanning renowned organizations at the national and international level. She has led high-impact projects on climate change mitigation, climate resilience and clean air strategies, through engagement with policymakers, experts, and research institutions. At the Centre for Climate Research and Development (CCRD), she managed projects on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions analysis, climate change mitigation, Strategic Environmental Assessment and sustainability reporting.

Her tenure at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Nepal focused on validation of Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF-Chem) in the Hindukush-Himalayan Region and black carbon analysis in the Kathmandu valley. She also led critical environmental initiatives as Chief Coordinator with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), overseeing the establishment of Pakistan’s Environmental Monitoring System at the Federal and Provincial level. Earlier in her career, she worked at the Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) contributing to formulation of national environmental standards, air quality and vehicular emissions monitoring, EIA review and transboundary air pollution initiatives.

Research Projects

1. ‘Improving assessment of Drought and its Impacts on Food and Water Resources in South Asia’ funded by Asia Pacific Network for Global Change (APN)

2. ‘Assessment of CO2 Emissions of Pakistan with Mitigation Options for Transitioning Towards Low-Carbon Development’ funded by the Foresight Lab

3. 'Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of European Union's Rural Development Programmes in Pakistan' funded by the European Union

4. Preparation of ‘Pakistan Country Environment Profile’ for the European Union Delegation to Pakistan

5. ‘Pakistan Low Carbon Scenario Analysis' in collaboration with International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) – funded by Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN)

6. ‘WRF-Chem Model Evaluation in Hindu Kush-Himalayan (HKH) region’, ICIMOD

7. ‘Temporal Analysis of Black Carbon in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal’, ICIMOD

8. ‘Technical Cooperation Project for Establishment of Environmental Monitoring System in Pakistan’ funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)

9. ‘Establishment of Environmental Monitoring System in Pakistan’ funded by JICA

10. 'Malé Declaration on Control and Prevention of Air Pollution and its likely Transboundary Effects for South Asia' funded by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

11. ‘Pakistan Environment Programme’ funded by the Royal Embassy of the Netherlands in Pakistan

Research Puublications

1. Kafle, H., Khaitu, S., Gyawali, D., Shrestha, D., Koirala, D., Kamaruzzaman, M., Khawas, V., Rasheed, A., and Yamaguchi, Y (2022). Historical drought and its trend in South Asia: Spatial and temporal analysis 2000-2020. APN Science Bulletin, 12(1), 190 – 204. doi: 10.30852/sb.2022.2022

2. Rasheed, A., and Siddique, M.T., 2019. ‘Climate Change and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Pakistan: A Consequence of Urbanization’. IGLUS Quarterly 5(2-3), 19-26. ISSN | 2571-628X.

3. Ahmed, T., Liaqat, I., Murtaza, R., and Rasheed, A., 2019. ‘Bioremediation Approaches for E-Waste Management: A Step towards Sustainable Environment’, In Electronic Waste Pollution: Environmental Occurrence and Treatment Technologies, Springer Soil Biology.

4. Butt, F.M., Shahzad, M.I., Khalid, S., Iqbal, N., Rasheed, A., Raza, G., 2018. ‘Air Pollution Comparison of Aerosol Optical Depth Products through Remote Sensing’. International Letters of Natural Sciences.

5. Rasheed, A., Aneja, V.P., Aiyyer, A., and Rafique, U., 2015. ‘Measurement and Analysis of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in Urban Areas of Pakistan', Aerosol and Air Quality Research, doi: 10.4209/aaqr.2014.10.0269, v.15, pp. 426-439.

6. Rasheed, A., Farooq, F., and Rafique, U., 2016. ‘Analysis of Sorption Efficiency of Activated Carbon for Removal of Anthracene and Pyrene for Wastewater Treatment’, Desalination and Water Treatment, doi: 10.1080/19443994.2015.1015304, pp. 1-6.

7. Rasheed, A., Aneja, V.P., and Aiyyer, A., Rafique, U., 2014. ‘Measurements and Analysis of Air Quality in Islamabad, Pakistan' , AGU Earth’s Future, ISSN: 2328-4277, DOI: 10.1002/2013EF000174, v. 2 (6), pp. 303-330.

8. Rasheed A., Farooq F., Rafique U., 2013, ‘Kinetic Study of Metal Removal using Apple Peels: Closed Batch Approximation Model’, International Journal of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, ISSN: 2078-0737, v. 4(5), p. 281-285.

9. Rafique, U., Parveen, K., and Rasheed, A., 2013, ‘In-Situ Remediation of Metals in Industrial Effluents on Prepared Peel Biosorbents’ , International Journal of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, ISSN: 2078-0737, v. 4(5), p. 286-291.