Announcing the South Asian Blind River Dolphin Consortium

Prof Qasim and Prof Sadequr

Professor Qasim Ayub (left) and Professor Sadequr Rahman (right).

We are proud to announce that Professor Qasim Ayub and Professor Sadequr Rahman from School of Science, Monash University Malaysia, are coordinating the research strategy of the multinational South Asian Blind River Dolphin Consortium. The Consortium will contribute to and also complement the Vertebrate Genomes Project that is generating high quality reference genomes for extant vertebrates and is headed by Professor Erich Jarvis at Rockefeller University in New York.

Blind river dolphins are a unique class of mammals that navigate by echolocation. There are currently only three extant species, one in the Amazon and the other two in the Ganges and Indus Rivers and their tributaries in South Asia. The South Asian river dolphins are thought to be closely related and are critically endangered. The Consortium will use genomics to unravel their relationships. Findings from this Consortium should significantly benefit on-going conservation strategies in the region.

The Blind River Dolphin Consortium currently comprises 23 researchers from universities and research institutes in Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan and Qatar.

Bangladesh

  • Professor Altaf Hussain (Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Maritime University)
  • Professor Md Nazir Hossain (Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Maritime University)
  • Professor Manzoorul Kibria (Chittagong University)
  • Mr Abdullah Al-Asek (Chittagong University)
  • Professor AMAM Zonaed Siddiki, (Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Sciences University)
  • Dr Subrata Kumar Shil (Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Sciences University)
  • Professor Haseena Khan (Dhaka University)
  • Professor Riazul Islam, (Dhaka University)
  • Professor Lifat Rahi (Khulna University)
  • Dr Md. Salimullah (National Institute of Biotechnology)
  • Mr Tamim Ahsan (National Institute of Biotechnology)
  • Mr Ishtiaque Ahammad (National Institute of Biotechnology)

Malaysia

  • Professor Qasim Ayub (Monash University Malaysia)
  • Professor Sadequr Rahman (Monash University Malaysia)
  • Dr Aswini Leela (Monash University Malaysia)

Nepal

  • Associate Professor Sangeet Lamichhaney (currently affiliated with Kent State University, USA)
  • Dr Shambhu Paudel (Institute of Forestry, Pokhara Campus, Tribhuvan University, Nepal; also affiliated with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas, USA)
  • Dr Pankaj Koirala (Institute for Integrated Development Studies, Nepal; also affiliated with Kochi University of Technology, Japan)

Pakistan

  • Dr Farheena Iqbal (Centre for Applied Molecular Biology, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan)
  • Dr Tanveer Hussain (Virtual University of Pakistan, Lahore, Pakistan)
  • Mr Javed Ahmed Mahar (Conservator Wildlife, Sindh Wildlife Department, Pakistan)
  • Mr Mir Akhtar Hussain Talpur (Incharge Indus Blind River Centre Sukkur, Sindh Wildlife Department, Pakistan)

Qatar

  • Dr Farooq Al-Ajli (Qatar Falcon Genome Project)