Assoc. Prof. Dr. Md. Kamrul Islam | Transportation Engineering and Planning | Best Researcher Award

Associate Professor at King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia

Md. Kamrul Islam is an accomplished academic and transportation engineer specializing in public transit systems, sustainable pavement technologies, and transportation safety analytics. Currently an Associate Professor at King Faisal University (KFU) in Saudi Arabia, he is actively engaged in collaborative international research and multidisciplinary projects addressing key challenges in civil and environmental engineering. With over two decades of academic, consultancy, and research experience, Dr. Islam has contributed significantly to transportation planning, traffic safety, and infrastructure development across Asia, Australia, and the Middle East.

Profile

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Education

Dr. Islam received his PhD in Transportation Engineering from the University of New South Wales, Australia, in 2014. His doctoral dissertation focused on stochastic modeling to evaluate the impacts of headway variability on public transit systems, providing a foundation for his expertise in computational and analytical modeling. He completed his Master’s in Engineering with a major in Transportation Planning at the University of Tokyo, Japan, in 2006. There, he developed transport network simulations for Japanese cities and explored regional systems through data analysis. His undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering was earned at Dhaka University of Engineering and Technology (DUET), Bangladesh, in 2002, and later assessed by Engineers Australia for recognition as a professional engineer.

Experience

Professionally, Dr. Islam has built an extensive and diverse career. He joined King Faisal University in 2015 as an Assistant Professor and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2024. At KFU, he leads several research projects under the Saudi Aramco Chair on Asphalt Pavement and has been instrumental in establishing international collaborations with prominent institutions such as the University of Illinois, Texas A&M University, and the University of Texas at Austin. His work focuses on sulfur-extended asphalt, pavement life-cycle assessments, and material performance. Prior to his role at KFU, he served as an Assistant Professor and Lecturer at DUET, where he taught and supervised students in transportation and civil engineering disciplines. He also worked as a consultant at Pacific Consultant International in Japan, and briefly held a governmental position in Bangladesh overseeing infrastructure development for disaster-prone regions.

Research Interest

Dr. Islam’s research spans multiple facets of transportation and civil engineering. His interests include transit reliability modeling, traffic safety analysis using machine learning, sustainable road materials, and climate-resilient infrastructure planning. His recent work integrates deep learning techniques to analyze pedestrian and vehicular crash data, optimizes road safety strategies, and evaluates environmental risks associated with pavement and urban development. Additionally, he has contributed to flood and drought vulnerability studies, public health assessments related to traffic noise, and simulation-based urban planning.

Awards

Dr. Islam has been recognized for his academic excellence throughout his career. He received the prestigious “Furuichi Kimitake Prize” from the University of Tokyo in 2006 for exceptional academic performance and the “Institute Gold Medal” from DUET in 2002 in recognition of his undergraduate achievements. His ability to secure more than 50 research grants through the Deanship of Scientific Research at KFU reflects his commitment to high-impact academic inquiry and innovation.

Publications

Dr. Islam has authored over 70 peer-reviewed articles in leading journals.

• Rehman, Z. U., Chaozhe, J., Jamal, A., Almarhabi, Y., Wang, C., Alam, E., & Md Kamrul Islam. (2025). Unveiling pedestrian injury severity risk factors: A comparative analysis of machine learning and deep learning methods. Transportation Engineering, 2025, 100352. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.treng.2025.100352

• Alfawzan, M. S., Jamal, A., Md Kamrul Islam, Minhas, K. S., & Aftab, A. (2025). Advancing urban mobility: A microsimulation-based approach for assessing the impact of intersection improvement strategies in Qatif, Saudi Arabia. ZKG International. https://doi.org/10.63386/617359

• Rahman, M. M., Shobuj, I. A., Santo, M. M. H., Ali, H. M., Hossain, M. T., Alam, E., & Md Kamrul Islam. (2025). Knowledge, attitude, and practices towards lightning among vulnerable group: A case study on Agri farmers and fishermen. Sustainable Environment, 11(1), 2464373. Taylor & Francis.

• Islam, A. R. M. T., Mia, M. U., Nova, N. A., Chakrabortty, R., Khan, M. S. I., Ghose, B., Pal, S. C., Bari, A. B. M., Alam, E., & Md Kamrul Islam. (2025). Enhancing flood susceptibility mapping in Meghna River basin by introducing ensemble Naive Bayes with stacking algorithms. Geomatics, Natural Hazards and Risk, 16(1), 2464049. Taylor & Francis.

• Das, B. C., Islam, A., Mahammad, S., Alam, E., Islam, A. R. M. T., Sarkar, B., Barman, S. D., Pal, S. C., & Md Kamrul Islam. (2025). Examining the complexity of discharge-suspended sediment behaviour of a tropical monsoon-dominated river, India. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, 59, 102335. Elsevier.

• Mukherjee, S., Alam, E., Mondal, M., Haldar, S., Bhattacharya, S., Md Kamrul Islam, & Paul, S. (2025). Long term and short term spatio‐temporal characterisation of rainfall variability and dynamicity over the westernmost part of West Bengal, India using modified Mann‐Kendall test and innovative trend analysis. Geological Journal, 60(5), 1065–1092. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

• Magalingam, S., Radhakrishnan, S., Karuppannan, S., Alam, E., & Md Kamrul Islam. (2025). Demarcating paleoflood repositories using documentary evidence and flood geomorphic landforms. Quaternary Science Advances, 18, 100281. Elsevier.

• Saha, A., Pal, S. C., Islam, A., Islam, A. R. M. T., Pande, C. B., Alam, E., & Md Kamrul Islam. (2025). Climate change induced extreme meteorological conditions over sub-tropical environment: Pathways towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Discover Sustainability, 6(1), 317. Springer International Publishing.

Conclusion

Md. Kamrul Islam represents a dynamic and highly productive figure in transportation engineering. His work continues to impact public safety, infrastructure sustainability, and environmental resilience across regions. Through his leadership in international collaborations, multidisciplinary research, and mentoring of young engineers, Dr. Islam remains a key contributor to the advancement of civil and transportation engineering on a global scale. His dedication to academic excellence and applied innovation ensures that his contributions will continue to address pressing societal challenges in transportation and urban systems.