Tazeen Khan
Profile
Biography
Tazeen is pursuing her PhD on soil science particularly on soil biogeochemistry under the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Program sponsored by the Department for International Development (DFID). She is being supervised by Professor Mark Hodson and Dr. Karen Louise Thorpe. She completed her BSc at the Department of Soil, Water and Environment, University of Dhaka where she was awarded the Dean’s Award for her BSc results. After that, she obtained her MSc degree in Environmental Science from the same institution. Her MSc. dissertation was conducted in collaboration with the Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR) and funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of Bangladesh. The research focused on exploring the relationship between microbial soil health and biochar. She worked with different strains of soil bacteria to make a comparative study of biomass and biochar in relation to soil quality. She received National Science and Technology Fellowship, National Merit Scholarship, BRAC Bank Merit Scholarship, Hamida Khatun Gold Medal, etc. for her high academic note.
Tazeen started her early career in Centre for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS) which is a government research organization under the Ministry of Water Resources, Government of Bangladesh. Then she joined the University of Dhaka, one of the leading public universities in Bangladesh in order to get more involved in research. Also, she was a former intern at iDE-B which is a renowned international non-profit organization working in the areas of agriculture, climate and food security.
Tazeen started her PhD journey in 2018. Her PhD will focus on how microplastics affect components of the terrestrial ecosystem, with a particular emphasis on the soil biogeochemical cycles acting within the system.
Research
Overview
PhD Title: Impacts of microplastics on the terrestrial ecosystem
Supervisors: Prof. Mark Hodson and Dr. Karen Louise Thorpe
Funding: Commonwealth Scholarship Commission and University of York
Description of Thesis
Microplastics contamination has been termed as one of the most serious environmental disasters in recent years and recognized as a global concern. Both local and imported products containing microbeads are now available in Bangladeshi markets. The microbeads are washed down the drainage systems and accumulate in both the terrestrial and aquatic environment. Microplastics can adsorb chemicals and host diverse microbial communities. Most work to date has focused on the aquatic environment, however the majority of microplastics initially accumulate in soils – either through the disposal of treated sewage or the use of microplastic-contaminated, irrigation water, prompting concerns that they could alter the delivery of soil-derived ecosystem services through disrupting carbon stocks and nutrient cycling.
There is a growing realization globally that sewage treatment works are not well equipped to deal with the tiny particles of microplastics. These particles will end up either in 1) the solid residue produced in treatment works which is usually applied to agricultural land or 2) the treated waters which are often used for irrigating agricultural land. In either case microplastics will accumulate in agricultural land prior to possible transport via movement through the soil to streams, rivers and ultimately the oceans. Currently there is a scarcity of research into the impacts of microplastics on the functioning of soil and their potential impact on food security. This PhD "Impacts of microplastics on the terrestrial ecosystem" aims to assess microplastic-chemical interactions in soils and their influence on nutrient cycling and soil biogeochemical cycles. The present study is, thus, of great environmental significance and should lead to further research around this topic.
Publications
Selected publications
Tazeen Fatima Khan, Mst Ummay Salma, Shahid Akhtar Hossain. 2018. Impacts of different sources of biochar on plant growth characteristics. Amer. J. Plant Sci.9: 1922-1934.
Tazeen Fatima Khan, Mohammed Waji Ullah, Shah Muhammad Imamul Huq. 2016. Heavy metal contents of different wastes used for compost. J. Minerals & Materials Characterization & Engineering (JMMCE). 4: 241-249.
Tazeen Fatima Khan, Monzur Morshed Ahmed, Shah Muhammad Imamul Huq. 2014. Effects of biochar on the abundance of three agriculturally important soil bacteria. J. Agric. Chem. Environ. 3: 31-39.
