Danish Ather

Mr. Danish Ather is an interactive environmental scientist, a passionate researcher, and a humble resource person, with professional experience of over four (4) years in the development and environmental sector. He is currently working as a PhD scholar in the State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Science and his research area includes but not limited to subsurface water contamination, marine debris, microplastic contamination in riverine, estuarine and shoreline environment, and health risks associated with microplastic retention/ groundwater contamination. He has a few publications in international journals on groundwater, microplastics, soils, etc, and explored issues such as dental fluorosis, osteoporosis, methemoglobinemia. He has continued his career with various NGOs and INGOs, including Green Squad (Environmental Consultant), Islamic Relief Pakistan, Human Resource Learning Center, EcoPal Consultancy Network, Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency, WWF-Pakistan, Ministry of Climate Change, and Pakistan Red Crescent Society. He possesses extensive experience in both infield research and laboratory work, focusing on environmental sustainability. With extensive experience in various software applications, including ODK, KOBO, R Programming, and ArcGIS, he has conducted numerous studies, such as need assessments, Baseline/KAP, Midline and Endline project reviews, evaluations, environmental impact assessments, as well as initial environmental examination reports. He has conducted various professional training sessions for officials of NGOs and INGOs and served as a moderator for several research conferences i.e., the Second International Conference on Sustainable Utilization of Natural Resources, etc. He was one of the panelists in a panel discussion on the “role of youth in tackling climate change” at Ecotourism Summit 2020. His work encompasses Natural Hazards, Climate Change, Environmental Geochemistry and Health, and the use of modern lab instrumentations for water quality testing. He has expertise in modern laboratory instrumentation, including ICPMS, UV Visible, RAD 7, XRD, for water and soil analysis. He further co-founded the youth-based organization DREAM Pakistan during his university days, involving students from Islamabad/Rawalpindi-based universities in leadership and youth-oriented activities. He won the youth4climate competition at the Federal Conclave, NUST, by presenting an idea to mitigate climate change and enhance forest/green cover. He holds an MPhil in Environmental Geosciences and a Bachelor's (BS) degree in Environmental Sciences.