FINDING PURPOSE IN CLIMATE ACTION: DR. KHALID HOSSAIN'S CAREER JOURNEY FROM BANGLADESH TO AUSTRALIA

Q. From engineering to trade diplomacy to climate health research? How would you describe this journey, and what motivated each shift and current focus?

Khalid Hossain: My career has always been driven by one central question: how can policy meaningfully improve people's lives, especially those who are most marginalised? I began in civil engineering because I was fascinated by systems, infrastructures, and how they shape communities. But I soon realised that development challenges are never purely technical; they are deeply political and social. This led me to study diplomacy and trade, and later into roles with Oxfam and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), where I worked on climate justice, environmental governance, and community resilience. Those years in the field exposed me to the profound inequalities intensified by climate change. My current focus on digital transformation and climate health at Monash University is a natural evolution of that journey, allowing me to bring together science, technology, policy, and community knowledge to address some of the most urgent global challenges of our time.

Q. Having significant working experiences in both Bangladesh and Australia, how do you compare the professional experiences and career opportunities in these two countries?

Khalid Hossain: Working in Bangladesh and Australia has given me two very different but complementary perspectives. Bangladesh taught me agility, how to work in complex systems, navigate limited resources, and innovate quickly in response to urgent community needs. It is an environment where impact is direct and personal, and where professional roles often demand versatility and deep community engagement. Australia, in contrast, offers structured pathways for research, policy influence, and long-term career development. The systems are more stable, but also more process-driven, with strong institutional support for interdisciplinary work. Both contexts have shaped me: Bangladesh grounded me in real-world development challenges, while Australia has given me the academic and policy platforms to scale those insights globally.

Q. What is your main research focus at Monash University?

Khalid Hossain: My research at Monash University focuses on digital transformation and the design of resilient systems that support health and wellbeing, particularly for marginalised and climate-vulnerable communities. A significant part of my work examines how climate change disrupts essential services, most notably maternal and child health, and how information systems, inclusive technologies, and evidence-based policy can strengthen communities' ability to prepare for, adapt to, and withstand these disruptions. Central to my approach is co-design: working directly with communities to ensure that the technologies, data systems, and policies developed are meaningful, accessible, and grounded in real lived experience.

Q. How does climate change impact global health, particularly maternal and child health? Could you share an example to help people better understand this impact?

Khalid Hossain: Climate change affects health through every pathway: heat, flooding, salinity, displacement, and food insecurity. Maternal and child health is especially vulnerable because it relies on consistent access to services, safe environments, and stable nutrition.

A clear example comes from our work in Bangladesh's coastal belt: during extreme heatwaves and tidal flooding, pregnancy check-ups and childhood immunisation sessions are often cancelled because clinics become inaccessible. Salinity intrusion also increases hypertension and pregnancy complications. These disruptions are not "future risks", they are happening now, to millions of people, and the impacts compound over time. It shows how climate change is ultimately a human health crisis, not just an environmental one.

Q. Is the global response to these health challenges sufficient? What areas do you think need more attention?

Khalid Hossain: The global response to climate-related health challenges is improving, but it is still far from sufficient. Most efforts remain reactive, fragmented, and heavily concentrated in emergency relief rather than long-term resilience. Maternal and child health is a clear example: while climate impacts are accelerating, investments in climate- resilient health systems, early warning infrastructure, and community-centred information services are not keeping pace.

We also see major gaps in integrating local knowledge into policy, ensuring digital connectivity in remote regions, and building data systems that allow governments to anticipate, not just respond to, health risks. What is urgently needed is a shift from short- term project thinking to sustained, multi-sector collaboration that links health, climate, technology, and social equity. Without this, vulnerable communities will continue to bear the greatest burden of climate-induced health inequities.

Q. What are three key skills the next generation of global health and climate activists should focus on developing?

Khalid Hossain: First, systems thinking, the ability to understand how climate, health, economics, and governance intersect. Second, evidence-based communication, because translating complex science into public understanding is critical. Third, collaborative leadership, which means working across cultures, disciplines, and sectors. The challenges we face cannot be solved by single actors; they require coalitions, empathy, and the ability to mobilise collective action.

Q. Who is your role model in professional life, and what about their work that inspires you most?

Khalid Hossain: I have been inspired by many people, but one constant role model is late Dr. Saleemul Huq, whose life's work on climate justice reshaped global thinking. What inspires me most is not just his scholarship, but his humility and unwavering commitment to frontline communities. He showed that real leadership is about amplifying voices that are rarely heard, and ensuring that global policy reflects the lived realities of those most affected.

Q. What book are you currently reading? What is one key insight you have taken from it?

Khalid Hossain: I have recently read 'The Age of AI: And Our Human Future'. The book argues that Artificial Intelligence will reshape how we produce knowledge, govern societies, and even define what it means to be human. One key insight I have taken from it is the urgency of building ethical and governance frameworks around AI, especially as it begins to mediate critical domains such as health, climate change adaptation, and social welfare. As someone working on climate resilience and community wellbeing, I find the authors' warning that AI's power must be matched by human responsibility and foresight. If we embed AI carelessly into decision-making systems without ensuring transparency, accountability, and inclusion, we risk exacerbating the inequalities we already fight against.

Q. Do you have a personal motto or mantra you live by?

Khalid Hossain: My personal motto is: Listen first, act second. So much of our development and policy work fails because we enter communities with pre-made solutions. Listening with humility not only builds trust; it leads to far more effective and sustainable outcomes.

Q. Do you see yourself returning to Bangladesh in the coming years, considering your current career abroad (Australia)?

Khalid Hossain: Bangladesh will always be home, and my work will continue to have deep roots there. I am committed to contributing to Bangladesh's development through research, partnerships, capacity building, and collaborative projects, regardless of where I am physically based. My aim is to build bridges between Australia and Bangladesh so that knowledge, resources, and opportunities flow both ways.