Colleges and universities
Guest lectures, research seminars, student conversations and practical workshops connecting environmental science with spatial methods.
PUBLIC SPEAKING & ACADEMIC EXCHANGE
Science, places
and people.
I speak about environmental change, climate resilience and the relationships between nature and human well-being, bringing Spatial Thinking and Intelligence into conversations with students, researchers and wider audiences.
FROM THE CLASSROOM TO INTERNATIONAL FORUMS
Sharing a spatial
understanding of our world.
My speaking experience includes UNCCD COP16 in Riyadh, a plenary keynote at the World Congress on Disaster Management, university guest lectures and school outreach in Japan, and environmental workshops in India.
Conferences and professional events
Keynotes, panels and discussions on climate resilience, ecosystem services, environmental management and the use of scientific evidence.
Schools and public audiences
Accessible conversations about how nature connects places, why environmental change matters and how communities can engage with it.
SELECTED SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
Conversations across
disciplines and places.
6 December 2024
Keynote presentationRiyadh, Saudi Arabia
UNCCD COP16
Technology, scenario analysis and nature-based solutions for drought, desertification and sustainable land management.
Lecture subject
Innovative Approaches to Combat Drought and Desertification: Utilizing Technology, Scenario Analysis, and Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for Sustainable Land Management
11 June 2024
Keynote lectureTokyo, Japan
Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
Spatial information sciences for watershed and ecosystem management, addressed to students and researchers.
Lecture subject
Harnessing Spatial Information Sciences for Integrated Watershed and Ecosystem Management
3 June 2024
Guest lectureTokyo, Japan
United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS)
Scenario analysis for land-system change, within a course on socio-ecological production landscapes and seascapes.
Lecture subject
Using 2 × 2 Scenario Matrix Technique for Projecting the Impact of Dynamic Land System Changes in the Indus Basin
30 November 2023
Plenary keynoteDehradun, India
6th World Congress on Disaster Management, Graphic Era University
The contribution of ecosystem services to disaster resilience and policy integration.
Lecture subject
Ecosystem Services: Enhancing Resilience in Disaster Management and Policy Integration
23 October 2023
Guest lecturesSapporo, Japan
Hokkaido University, Faculty of Environmental Earth Science
Lectures on satellite remote sensing, GIS and AI in climate and ecosystem-service studies, and on transboundary ecosystem services.
Lecture subject
Remote sensing, GIS and AI; transboundary ecosystem services
15 September 2023
School lectureSuwa, Japan
Nagano Prefectural Suwa Seiryo High School
An introduction to how nature connects places and communities across boundaries.
Lecture subject
Understanding Transboundary Ecosystem Services: How Nature Knows No Borders
23 March 2018
Invited talk and workshop coordinationSrinagar, India
Sri Pratap College, Cluster University Srinagar
An invited talk and coordination of a national workshop held with the Department of Ecology, Environment and Remote Sensing, Government of Jammu and Kashmir.
Lecture subject
Remote Sensing & GIS for Natural Resources and Environmental Management
TOPICS FOR YOUR EVENT
Subjects I can bring
to your audience.
Spatial Thinking and Intelligence
How geography connects environmental processes, economies, public health and decisions.
Nature beyond boundaries
Ecosystem services, connected river basins and the benefits that flow between places.
Climate resilience and disaster risk
Drought, floods, land degradation and the role of nature-based solutions in adaptation.
Environment, economies and well-being
Natural capital, environmental value and the consequences of environmental change for people.
Remote sensing, GIS and artificial intelligence
How spatial technologies help us observe and understand environmental change, with examples suited to the audience.
Learning through environmental analysis
Practical sessions in geospatial analysis, hydrological modelling, Python and Google Earth Engine for students and researchers.
TEACHING AND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT
Experience in learning
and knowledge exchange.
Centre for Climate Change and Water Research, Suresh Gyan Vihar University
Guest lecturer and postgraduate research mentor
Teaching and mentoring in remote sensing, GIS, environmental science, hydrological modelling, Python, R and Google Earth Engine.
S.P. College of Science, Cluster University
Guest lecturer
Lectures and practical sessions in remote sensing, GIS, hydrology, physical geography and environmental science.
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Kashmir
Guest lecturer
Teaching in remote sensing, climatology, hydrology, spatial modelling and geostatistics, alongside student research mentoring.
Green skills and community learning
Capacity-building and green-skills training under the Government of India’s Green Skill Development Programme, as documented during work with the Department of Ecology, Environment and Remote Sensing.
Disaster awareness and preparedness
Community engagement and risk communication in disaster-awareness programmes in the Jhelum Basin.
Selected past engagements and teaching experience are drawn from the supplied CV, March 2025.
SHORT BIOGRAPHY FOR ORGANISERS
Dr. Gowhar Meraj is an environmental scientist and Faculty Research Fellow at the American University of Sharjah, where he is a member of the Spatial Intelligence and Analytics Center. Previously a JSPS Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Tokyo, he works across climate adaptation, ecosystem services, environmental economics, water resources and public health. His speaking experience includes UNCCD COP16, the World Congress on Disaster Management, university lectures and school outreach.
INVITE ME TO SPEAK
Begin with your audience.
Share your event theme, audience, date, location or online format, and the contribution you have in mind. Lectures, keynotes, panels and workshops can be discussed around those needs.