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Curriculum Vitae

LAREEF ZUBAIR

lareefzubair@gmail.com, lareef.zubair@columbia.edu, lareef@aya.yale.edu

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Education

Ph.D.: Yale University, Engineering, 1993.

  • Thesis title: “Studies in Turbulence using Wavelet Analysis for data compression and scale separation.” 12 Graduate Courses in Chemical, Electrical, Mechanical, and Biomedical Engineering.

M.Sc.: Yale University, Chemical Engineering, 1990.

  • Awarded University Fellowship, 1989-90.

B.Sc.: University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, Chemical and Mechanical Engineering, 1987.

  • First Class Honors, Valedictorian
  • O.E. Pereira Gold Medal for the Best All-Round Student
  • SLAAS Prize for the best undergraduate research project in Engineering in Sri Lanka

Yale University, 1993 – 1994

  • Post-Doctoral Associate, Departments of Mathematics and Mechanical Engineering

Yale University: Graduate Courses in Social Science, 1990-1994

  • English: Anglo Indian Rhetoric, Instructor: Prof. Sara Suleri Goodyear
  • Sociology: Sociology of the Future, Instructor: Wendell Bell
  • Political Science: Environment and Development in Developing Countries: Prof. M. Keck
  • Anthropology: Topics in Technology, Instructor: Prof. Harold Conklin

Employment

Columbia University Water Center/Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering, March 2021 to present.
Adjunct Senior Research Scientist

Foundation for Environment, Climate and Technology Inc. (FECT), 2010 to-date,
Principal Researcher – Registered as a 501(c)3 in New York, as a charitable non-profit company in Sri Lanka, as an NGO in Maldives and as non-profit company in Comoros. Led a program to support climate and environmental research, adaptation and capacity building focusing on the Indian Ocean Islands and littoral. Directly supervises 12 staffers in affiliated organizations across US, Sri Lanka and Maldives.

  • Foundation for Environment, Climate and Technology, Sri Lanka, 2002 to-date, Principal Researcher – A registered company.
  • Foundation for Environment, Climate and Technology, Male, Maldives, 2010 to- date, Principal Researcher – Registered as an NGO.
  • Fondation pour L’Environnment, le Climat et Technologie, Moroni, Comoros, 2014 to-date, Principal v, Registered as a non-profit Company.
  • Federation for Environment, Climate and Technology, Sri Lanka, 2020 to-date, Principal Researcher – Registered as a Charitable Trust

Tropical Climate, 2018 to-date, Works to Advance Climate Change, Biosystems and Ecosystems,
Principal Researcher

Disaster Services – Registered in Sri Lanka to Advance Disaster Risk Management.
Principal Researcher

Columbia University Water Center/Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering, June 2014 to May 2016,
Adjunct Associate Research Scientist

William C. Fulbright Scholarship Board, D.C., 2012 to 2014

  • Senior Scholar, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka and Maldives National University
  • Visiting Lecturer, Department of Economics, Faculty of Arts, and co-PI in setting up a Masters in Development Practice as part of the Global MDP network overseen by the Earth Institute – 2012-2014

Columbia University Earth Institute, 2002 to 2012
Associate Research Scientist, International Research Institute for Climate and Society, Climate, Climate Adaptation and Climate Applications, (Jan. 2002-to 2012)

University Consortium for Atmospheric Research, 2000 to 2001

  • Post-Doctoral Research Scientist, on Climate Application
  • Concurrent appointment to International Research Institute for Climate Prediction, Earth Institute at Columbia University.
  • Followed Graduate Courses at Columbia University on Atmospheric Sciences and Geophysical Data Analysis

Institute of Fundamental Studies, Sri Lanka, 1997 – 1999
Research Fellow and Project Leader, Computational Mathematics, Developed a program on climate and climate impacts research.

University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, 1995 – 1997
Senior Lecturer in Civil (Environmental) and Mechanical Engineering, 1995-1997

Yale University, U.S.A., 1993 – 1995
Tutor in Mathematics and Science, Jonathan Edwards College.

Sponsored Projects: Grants / Contracts

I have obtained and successfully overseen work on over $3 million of grant expenditure on climate and climate change adaptation-related work for 20 grants and contracts in Sri Lanka and the Maldives from diverse donors – USG Federal Agencies (NOAA, USAID), National Academy of Sciences, European Science Agencies, UN-related agencies – WHO, FAO, UNU, Bilateral Donors in Sri Lanka and Foundations.

  • 2021: Promoting Climate Literacy Among Youth in Sri Lanka and Support for Renewable Energy Transition in Sri Lanka, Grant in support of Preparations for COP26 in Glasgow, British High Commission, Sri Lanka, PI, 10 K $.
  • 2018-2020: STEM Education and Capacity Building for Resources and Risk Management in Remote Outposts capitalizing on PEER projects on water, drought, and hazards: Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll in Southern Maldives, US National Academy of Sciences / USAID, PI, 25K$.
  • 2019- 2021: Developing Dengue Risk Predictions from Environmental, Entomological, and societal information to aid public health management in Sri Lanka, from the US National Academy of Sciences / USAID (PI – Dr. P.H.D. Kusumawathie, US National Academy of Sciences), $180K (Investigator)
  • 2018 -2020: Climate Impacts on Tea Plantations in Sri Lanka, Dilmah Tea Company, $70K, PI.
  • 2015-2019: Can drought, flood and landslide hazard be skillfully assessed at fine spatial resolution from combining constrained streams of observed, remotely sensed and model predicted data in Sri Lanka and Maldives? from the US National Academy of Sciences (PI) – P. Wickramagamage, L. Zubair, Zahid, National Academy of Sciences, $240K
  • 2015: El Nino Ready Nations, Case Study for Sri Lanka and Maldives from the Center for Capacity Building, University of Colorado, from a USAID Natural Hazards Grant, Dr. Mickey Glantz (PI), Completed.
  • 2014-2017: Developing monitoring tools for managing drought risk and addressing the riddle of increased drought tendency amidst the wetter climate change projections for Sri Lanka and the Maldives, National Academy of Sciences, $180K (PI)
  • 2012-2014: Modeling the impacts of a variable and changing climate on rice and sugarcane agricultural systems in Sri Lanka, Agricultural Model Inter-comparison and Improvement
    Project (AgMIP), Joint DfID, USDA, Columbia University, $400K, (PI)
  • 2012-2015: Intra-Seasonal Climate Prediction for Sri Lanka and Maldives for Water Resources Management, Peer Program of the National Academy of Sciences / USAID, $150K (PI)
  • 2011-2012: Climate change impacts on seasonally and intermittently open tidal inlets in Sri Lanka and Thailand (CC-SIOTI), UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education. Subcontract
    $20K (co-PI).
  • 2009-2013: Launching a Masters in Sustainable Development Practice at the University of Peradeniya with a focus on Sri Lanka and Maldives, MacArthur Foundation, $200K, (co-PI)
  • 2003 to 2008: Early Warning Systems for Malaria risk with the Anti-Malaria Campaign, the International Water Management Institute and several partners. NOAA Climate Variability and Human Health Program, Project Completed. $390K (PI).
  • 2002 to 2003: A case study on Sri Lanka for the Global Disaster Hotspots project, World Bank/ Earth Institute at Columbia University, sub-contract, $25K (PI).
  • 2002 to 2005: Adaptation and Climate Change in Sri Lanka, in collaboration with Sri Lanka Department of Meteorology, Coconut Research Institute, Tea Research Institute, Adaptation to and Impact Assessment of Climate Change, START, Washington, D.C., $233K total, Completed. (Co-PI).
  • 2001 to 2003: Climate Impacts on Wildlife was developed in collaboration with CIESIN and CERC. IRI/Earth Institute at Columbia University, $50K, Work completed. (PI).
  • 2000 to 2003: Developing Seasonal Climate Predictions to Aid in River Basin Management in the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lank. IRI/Earth Institute at Columbia University, $25K, Work completed. (PI).
  • 1998-99: Developing a Bibliography on Climate, its Impacts and Adaptation in Sri Lanka, National Science Foundation, Sri Lanka, Rs. 90K.

Publications

40 publications in indexed journals such as Journal of Climate, Monthly Weather Review, Physics of Fluids, International Journal of Climatology, Theoretical and Applied Physics and book chapters. List available at www.lareef.net

Editorial and Review Service

Editor: Associate Editor: ASCE Journal of Energy Engineering – 2007 to 2012
Reviewer: Geophysical Research Letters, Journal of Geophysical Research, Water Resources Research, Environmental Science and Technology, Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science, Hydrological Processes, Climatic Research, International Journal of Climatology, Journal of Climate, Journal of Hydrology, Journal of Hydrometeorology, Pure and Applied Geophysics

Fellowships 

  • Fulbright Senior Fellowship, Sri Lanka and Maldives, 2012-2014.
  • Botswana Meteorological Service, Gaborone, Botswana, February 2007.
  • Frontier Research System for Global Change, Yokohama, Japan, 2002.
  • Visiting Eminent Scientist, Ministry of Science and Technology, Sri Lanka, 2002.
  • Indian Institute for Tropical Meteorology, Pune, India, December 1999.
  • International Institute for Theoretical and Applied Physics, Ames, Iowa, 1998.
  • International Center for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy, June 1998.
  • Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research and Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India, March 1997.
  • NSF Pittsburgh Supercomputing Centre, Course on parallel programming for supercomputing, 1991.

Professional Associations and Service

Member: American Geophysical Union, American Society of Civil Engineers, American Association of Environmental Engineering Professors, American Meteorological Society, Agronomy Society of America, International Association for Ecology & Health.
Social Science Committee of the Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science.
Founder: Sri Lanka Meteorology, Oceanography and Hydrology Network.
Life Member: Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science, Indian Meteorological Society.
Associate Member: Institute of Engineers of Sri Lanka, since 1987.
Chartered Engineer after Professional Review: Institute of Engineers of Sri Lanka, since 2019.

Advisory and Capacity Building Programs 
  • Invited Expert, Comoros Ministry of Fisheries and Hairu Fisheries Development Project (Comoros), To develop climate research and its applications, Comoros. February 2014.
  • Invited Expert, Small Earth Nepal, and Center for Capacity Building, University of Colorado, Program for young scientists.
  • Invited Adviser, Ministry of Environment, Male, Maldives, To Develop a Program of Climate Research and Services, August 2008, with follow up programs in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012.
  • UNDP Totken Fellowship, for Developing a Masters in Sustainable Development Practice, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka and Maldives National University, Maldives. 2009
  • Trainer on Developing Climate Outlooks, Pretoria, South Africa and Gaborone, Botswana, 2008.
  • Invited Expert, International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy, Physics of Tsunami and its Impacts.
  • Invited Expert, for Climate Diagnostics and Impacts on Malaria Transmission, Botswana Meteorological Service, 2008
  • Invited Expert under Expatriate Scientist Program, Ministry of Science and Technology, Sri Lanka, Capacity Building at the Department of Meteorology and Conducted Course on Climate Diagnostics for Masters Students in Dynamical Meteorology at University of Colombo. January-February 2002.

Projects

  • 2012-2015, Developing monitoring tools for managing drought risk and addressing the riddle of increased drought tendency amidst the wetter climate change projections for Sri Lanka and the Maldives, National Academy of Sciences, Ongoing, $150K, (PI)
  • 2012-2014, Modeling the impacts of a variable and changing climate on rice and sugarcane agricultural systems in Sri Lanka, Agricultural Model Inter-comparison Project,   $400K, (PI)
  • 2012-2015, Intra-Seasonal Climate Prediction for Sri Lanka and Maldives for Water Resources Management, National Academy of Sciences, Ongoing, $150K, (PI)
  • 2009-2015, Launching a Masters in Sustainable Development Practice at the University of Peradeniya with a focus on Sri Lanka and Maldives, MacArthur Foundation, $200K, (co-PI)
  • 2011-2012: Climate change impacts on seasonally and intermittently open tidal inlets in Sri Lanka and Thailand (CC-SIOTI), UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education. Subcontract $20K, (I)
  • 2010: The Impacts of El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Events on Cereal Production Area and Yield in South and South-East Asia FAO-SEARO, $12K, (I)
  • 2009-2013: Launching a Masters in Sustainable Development Practice at the University of Peradeniya with a focus on Sri Lanka and Maldives, MacArthur Foundation, $200K, (co-PI)
  • 2003 to 2008: Early Warning Systems for Malaria risk with the Anti-Malaria Campaign, the International Water Management Institute and several partners. NOAA Climate Variability and Human Health Program,  Project Completed. $390K total, (PI).
  • 2002 to 2003: A case study on Sri Lanka for the Global Disaster Hotspots project, World Bank/ Earth Institute at Columbia University, sub-contract, $25K (PI).
  • 2002 to 2005: Adaptation and Climate Change in Sri Lanka, with Sri Lanka Department of Meteorology, Coconut Research Institute, Tea Research Institute, Adaptation to and Impact Assessment of Climate Change,  START, Washington, D.C., $233K total, Completed. (co-PI).
  • 2001 to 2003: Climate Impacts on Wildlife was developed in collaboration with CEISIN and CERC. IRI/Earth Institute at Columbia University, $50K, Work completed. (PI).