Dr. Rash Bihari Ghosh

Dr. Rash Bihari Ghosh was born in Bajitpur Kishore Ganj and studied at Dhaka University on a soccer scholarship, beginning his career as a chemistry tutor at Jagannath University College (now Jagannath University). After his participation in the Bangladeshi freedom movement and the murder of Bangabandhu, he left Bangladesh and completed his PhD in Hydrology at Salford Univeristy in Manchester, England. Dr. Ghosh wrote his Dissertation on mitigating pollution in Liverpool's Mersey Estuary. 

Dr. Ghosh served as acting General Secretary of the Bangladesh Teachers Association in Majib Nagar during the presidency of A. R. Mullick. Dr. Ghosh replaced Dr. Anisuzaman, who was recalled by Prime minister Tajuddin Ahmed. Shortly after, Dr. Ghosh was recalled by acting president Sayed Nazrul Islam, being replaced by Dr. Ajoy Roy.

Dr. Ghosh was a British Council Scholar, and his Fellowship was blocked by the Military Government of Bangladesh due to his close association with founding father Sheik Majibur Rahman.

 Dr. Ghosh’s outstanding doctoral dissertation opened the door for his future career. His investigation of the River Mersey Estuary in greater Manchester and Liverpool Bay, which at the time, was the most polluted in Europe, got the attention of British Environment Agency. He went on to assist the Northwest Water Authority and the British government in the Mersey estuary cleanup.

He was a lecturer of Water Science and Technology at University of Salford in Manchester. He then moved to California and worked as a scientist at Stanford, conducting research on canopy chemistry, nutrient cycling, and climate change. At Stanford, Dr. Ghosh prepared one of the largest datasets on canopy chemistry in the world, supported by NASA.

Dr. Ghosh has resolved several local and international environmental disputes. In late 1980s, he worked with CalEPA, being chosen for his international experience in estuarine and brackish water science. During this time, he resolved long term disputes involving South Bay Dischargers, San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board, and Citizens for Better Environment. During one of these disputes, Dr. Ghosh reviewed 5 volumes of technical reports prepared for South Bay Dischargers. His findings were accepted by all parties, and the long standing problem was resolved out of court.

Dr. Ghosh worked at the California Department of Health Services and California Environmental Protection Agency for 14 years, overseeing several superfund toxic waste sites and successfully completing various cleanup projects. Along with Nobel Laureates Dr. Charles Townes, Dr. Glenn Seborg, and Dr. Doulas Osheroff,  Dr. Ghosh co-founded the International Institute of Bengal and Himalayan Basins (IIBHB) to advocate for access to clean drinking water in developing countries.

Dr. Ghosh was invited by the Chinese Engineering Professional Association to present his Hydrogrameen technology at an international conference in Burlingame Ca in July 2014. The Hydrogrameen technology injects fresh water into depleted aquifers. Dr. Ghosh funded the Hydrogrameen project with his own resources. 

 Dr. Ghosh was a civil rights plaintiff in a case against his employer, Cal EPA, in May 2000 for age discrimination. He also lost two houses in Berkeley and a large cash deposit in a zoning case against the City of Berkeley. The case was appealed to the California Supreme Court, as well as to the US Supreme Court.