Salman Qureshi
Dr Salman Qureshi is a Research Fellow at the School of Architecture. His research to date has been funded by the Fellowships awarded by the Leverhulme Trust UK and the Charles Wallace Trust UK. His research orbit is distinctly inter-disciplinary and focuses on the human dimensions of the effects of landscape pattern on urban ecosystem processes, urbanization and its ecological consequences on ecosystem services.
His research approaches combine theoretical and empirical methods, with emphasis on the use of modelling, spatial statistics, GIS and remote sensing for sustainability studies in urban landscapes.
Dr Qureshi is also a Visiting Fellow at the Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany. He also served as Assistant Professor of Geography at the University of Karachi Pakistan.
He did his PhD in Landscape Ecology from the University of Salzburg Austria and the research was funded by Austrian Agency for International Cooperation in Education and Research (ÖAD). His work was awarded as the Best Dissertation in Landscape Ecology Award by the International Association of Landscape Ecology Germany.
He served as the Vice President of the European Association of Geographers (EUROGEO) and currently the Secretary of the Society for Urban Ecology (SURE). He has participated in more than 40 international conferences and presented his multidisciplinary research. He serves at the editorial boards of several refereed journals and has produced more than 40 research papers in journals of high academic repute. Dr. Qureshi also serves as a referee and editorial board member for more than 25 research journals.
He has worked on a range of international and multilateral projects with participants across Europe and Asia. He has also served as consultant on a variety of applied research projects at several public and private sector organizations.
Dr. Qureshi has received many awards and fellowships in recognition to his service and research output including the Leverhulme Fellowship, Humboldt Fellowship Award, Charles Wallace Fellowship, OeAD Scholarship, NSF CHANS Fellowship and Special Achievement in GIS Award.
Current Activity
Salman's research orbit is distinctly inter-disciplinary and focuses on the human dimensions of the effects of landscape pattern on urban ecosystem processes, urbanization and its ecological consequences on ecosystem services. Research approaches combine theoretical and empirical methods, with emphasis on the use of modelling, spatial statistics, GIS and remote sensing for sustainability studies in urban landscapes.
His research addresses a wide range of questions investigating the social processes driving urban vegetation change (land change science in general) and the structure-function relationships of ecological systems in urban and peri-urban environments.
Salman has speculated on the modelling of urban structures, especially the urban green spaces; to seek new paradigms and management tools of urban nature conservation for social health and wellbeing. In his recent work, he used a set of unique ecological principles and fused them with social science techniques (including aspects of perception analyses and cognition) to solve the research questions. Salman has also used a multi-disciplinary methodology which led to a formulation of a simplified socio-ecological framework for studying urban ecosystem services.
Pluralism and scale-multiplicity form the cornerstone of Salman's research philosophy, where he is keen to develop the conceptual models for the dynamics of coupled natural and human systems (eg heat island studies, urban resilience and political ecology) to transgress the pure scientific research methods, by developing trans-disciplinary research frameworks adaptable to different physical and social conditions.
Memberships
Fellowships
- Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship
- Leverhulme Fellowship
- Charles Wallace Fellowship
- NSF CHANS Fellowship
- OeAD Scholarship.
Visiting Roles
- Visiting Research Fellow at the Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany.
Conference Chairing
- Session Chair: Modelling of urban ecosystems - new approaches. In: 1st Congress of the Society for Urban Ecology (SURE), 25 - 27 July 2013, Berlin, Germany
- Conference Secretary: 1st Congress of the Society for Urban Ecology (SURE), 25 - 27 July 2013, Berlin, Germany.
Editorial board membership
- Ecological Processes, Springer, 2013 - present (Associate Editor)
- Change and Adaptation in Socio-Ecological Systems, 2013 - present (Editorial Advisor)
- Urban Ecosystems, Springer, 2010 - present (Associate Editor)
- Journal of Geography & Natural Disasters, 2012 - present (Executive Editor)
- Review of International Geographical Education Online (RIGEO), 2011 - present
- Journal of Geography and Regional Planning, 2012 - present
- Journal of Geography and Geology, 2009 - 2012
- Journal of Sustainable Development, 2009 - 2012.
Reviewer
- AMBIO, A journal of Human Environment, Springer
- African Journal of Agricultural Research
- Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering, Springer
- Atmospheric Environment, Elsevier
- Atmospheric Research, Elsevier
- British Journal of Environment and Climate Change
- City, Culture and Society, Elsevier
- Environmental Engineering and Management Journal
- European Journal of Geography: The official journal of EUROGEO
- Human Ecology, Springer
- International Journal of Image and Data Fusion, Taylor and Francis
- International Journal of Remote Sensing, Taylor and Francis
- International Journal of Water Resources and Environmental Engineering
- ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Elsevier
- Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences
- Journal of Geography and Geology
- Journal of Geography and Natural Disasters
- Journal of Geography and Regional Planning
- Journal of Sustainable Development
- Landscape and Urban Planning, Elsevier
- Landscape Ecology, Springer
- Open Journal of Ecology
- Open Journal of Forestry
- Review of International Geographical Education Online
- Social Indicators Research, Springer
- Urban Ecosystems, Springer
- Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, Elsevier.
Editorships
- Ecological Processes, Springer, 2013 - present (Associate Editor)
- Urban Ecosystems, Springer, 2010 - present (Associate Editor)
Prizes
- 2013 European Young Urban Forester of the Year 2013, awarded by the European Forum on Urban Forestry
- 2012 Foreign Scholar Award (FSTA), the United States Regional Association of the International Association for Landscape Ecology (US-IALE)
- 2012—2014, Humboldt Fellowship (under Georg Forster Research Fellowship Program), Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Germany
- 2011—2012, Leverhulme Fellowship, The Leverhulme Trust England
- 2011 Charles Wallace Fellowship, Charles Wallace Trust England
- 2010 NSF CHANS Fellowship, International Network of Research on Coupled Human and Natural Systems (CHANS-Net), supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation and Michigan State University, USA
- 2010 Award for the Best PhD Dissertation in Landscape Ecology, International Association for Landscape Ecology, Germany (IALE-D)
- 2009 Erasmus Scholarship under Education and Culture, Lifelong Learning Program (LLP) of European Commission
- 2009—2011, Vice President, European Association of Geographers (EUROGEO)
- 2008 Special Achievement in GIS Award, Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI, Inc.), Redlands, USA
- 2006—2009, North-South Dialogue Scholarship (for PhD), Austrian Agency for International Cooperation in Education and Research (ÖAD); funded by the Austrian Development Cooperation, Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Culture and the EU
- 2006 Overseas Scholarship, Higher Education Commission (HEC) Pakistan, for PhD in Austria. (Withdrawn for ÖAD Scholarship)
Research
Research Projects
2012—2014, Spatial land-use changes and their ecological impacts in megacities exemplified at Karachi - A challenge for investigating socio-environmental flows (EcoFlow). Funded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Germany. (PI)
2012—2013, Urban development in fast growing Asian megacities: evaluating ecosystem services to provide urban comfort and to reduce risks. Funded by the Eurasia-Pacific Uninet. (Co-PI)
2012—2013, Spatial perspective to sustainable regeneration: The dynamics of future scenarios of ecosystem services for wellbeing. Funded by the Leverhulme Trust, UK. (PI)
2010—2011, Landscape ecology and dynamics of urban ecosystems. Funded by the Higher Education Commission, Pakistan.
2010—2011, A study on the role of spatial technology in sustainable management of land resources in Pakistan. Funded by the UNDP and Ministry of Environment, Pakistan.
2006—2009, Geo-ecological modelling of green landscape in Karachi through Remote Sensing and GIS techniques. Funded by the Austrian Development Cooperation, Ministry of Science and Education Austria and European Union. Grant for research project leading to PhD at the University of Salzburg, Austria.
Teaching specialisms
- Landscape ecology
- Socio-ecological modelling in megacities
- Landscape perception
- Urban biodiversity and ecosystem services
- Health and wellbeing
- Urban resilience and sustainability
- Remote sensing and GIScience
PhD Examination
Université de Strasbourg, France
Publications
Book and special issues of journals
Qureshi, S and Haase, D. (Guest Editors) (in progress). 'Special Issue: Modelling urban ecosystems - new approaches to resilience and sustainability'. Ecological Indicators (Elsevier Ltd.)
Qureshi, S., and Haase, D. (Guest Editors) (in progress). 'Special Issue: Urban Landscapes - From Patterns to Processes'. Ecological Processes (Springer, USA)
Kazmi, S.J., Qureshi, S., Shaikh, S. (2013). 'Role of Spatial Technology in Sustainable Management of Land Resources'. SLMP, Ministry of Environment, Government of Pakistan. 98 pp.
Breuste, J., Qureshi, S., and Li, J.(Guest Editors) (2013). 'Special Issue: Urban Ecology for Sustainable Urban Environment'. Urban Ecosystems (Springer, USA).
Books and chapters
Qureshi, S. and Breuste, J.H. (2010). Prospects of biodiversity in the mega city Karachi, Pakistan: Potentials, constraints and implications. In: Müller, N., Werner, P. and Kelcey, J. (eds.). 'Urban Biodiversity and Design - Implementing the Convention on Biological Diversity in Towns and Cities'. Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford, pp. 497 - 517.
Journal articles
Li, Y., Shi, Y, Qureshi, S., Bruns, A., Ai, J., Zhu, X. (in prep). Applying the concept of spatial resilience to socio-ecological systems at the interface of urban-wetlands: A case study of the Taihu Lake Watershed, China. 'Ecological Indicators' (Elsevier Science Ltd., UK).
Karim, Z., Qureshi, B.A., Mumtaz, M., and Qureshi, S. (2013). Heavy metal content in urban soils as an indicator of anthropogenic and natural influences on landscape of Karachi - probing spatio-temporal variations using multivariate analysis. 'Ecological Indicators' (Elsevier Science Ltd., UK), in press.
Qureshi, S., Haase, D., and Coles, R. (2013). Theorized Urban Gradient (TUG) method - a parameterized conceptual framework for socio-ecological sampling in complex urban agglomeration. 'Ecological Indicators' (Elsevier Science Ltd., UK), in press.
Breuste, J.H., Qureshi, S., and Li, J. (2013). Scaling down the ecosystem services at local level for urban parks of three megacities. 'Hercynia N. F.' (Halle, Germany), Vol. 46, in press.
Shaikh, S., Kami, J.H., and Qureshi, S. (2013). Monitoring the diversity of malaria/dengue vector in Karachi - studying genera and sub-genus of mosquitoes under different ecological conditions. 'Pakistan Journal of Zoology' (Zoological Society of Pakistan), in press.
Qureshi, S., Breuste, J.H. and Jim, C.Y. (2013). Differential community and the perception of urban green spaces and their contents in the megacity of Karachi, Pakistan. 'Urban Ecosystems' (Springer, USA). DOI 10.1007/s11252-012-0285-9. pp. 1 - 18.
Blaschke, T., Donert, K., Gossette, F., Kienberger, S., Marani, M., Qureshi, S., and Tiede, D. (2012). Virtual globes: serving Science and society. 'Information', Vol. 3, pp. 372 - 390.
Breuste, J.H. and Qureshi, S. (2011). Urban sustainability, urban ecology, and Society for Urban Ecology (SURE). 'Urban Ecosystems' (Springer, USA), Vol. 14, Issue 3, pp: 313 - 317.
Qureshi, S. (2011). On the multidisciplinary perspectives to address environmental issues in a regional context. 'Landscape Ecology' (Springer, the Netherlands), Vol. 26, Issue 6, pp. 891 - 892.
Alam K., Qureshi, S. and Blaschke, T. (2011). Monitoring spatio-temporal aerosol patterns over Pakistan based on MODIS, TOMS and MISR satellite data and a HYSPLIT model. 'Atmospheric Environment' (Elsevier, Ltd., UK), Vol. 45, Issue 27, pp. 4641 - 4651.
Qureshi, S. (2011). Boundary crossing by transregional practice of governance to address sustainability issues. 'Landscape Ecology' (Springer, the Netherlands), Vol. 26, Issue 3, pp. 455 -456.
Sadiq, N. and Qureshi, S. (2010). Content analysis versus level of objectivity: Nuclear proliferation issue in Pakistan and its coverage by leading newspapers. 'The International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences' (CG Publisher, USA), Vol. 5, Issue 5, pp. 241 - 253.
Alam, K., Iqbal, M.J., Blaschke, T., Qureshi, S. and Khan, G. (2010). Monitoring the spatio-temporal variations in aerosols and aerosol-cloud interactions over Pakistan using MODIS data. 'Advances in Space Research' (Elsevier, the Netherlands), Vol. 46, Issue 9, pp. 1162 - 1176.
Qureshi, S. (2010). The fast growing megacity Karachi as a frontier of environmental challenges: Urbanization and contemporary urbanism issues. 'Journal of Geography and Regional Planning' (Academic Journal Publishers), Volume 3, Issue 11, pp. 306 - 321.
Pauliet, S., Breuste, J., Qureshi, S. and Sauerwein, M. (2010). Transformation of rural-urban cultural landscapes in Europe: Integrating approaches from ecological socio-economic and planning perspectives. 'Landscape Online' (The official journal of IALE-D, Germany), Vol.20, pp.1-10.
Qureshi, S., Breuste, J.H., and Lindley, S.J. (2010). Green space functionality along an urban gradient in Karachi, Pakistan: A socio-ecological study. 'Human Ecology' (Springer, USA), Vol. 38, Issue 2, pp. 283 - 294.
Qureshi, S., Kazmi, S.J.H. and Breuste, J.H. (2010). Ecological disturbances due to high cutback in the green infrastructure of Karachi: Analyses of public perception about associated health problems. 'Urban Forestry and Urban Greening' (Elsevier, Germany), Vol. 9, Issue 3, pp. 187 - 198.
Conference presentations
Multitemporal image analyses for monitoring the dynamics of urban vegetation in response to rapid urbanization in Karachi. EARSeL Workshop on Temporal Analysis of Satellite Images, 24 - 25 May, 2012, Mykonos, Greece.
Regression analysis of land surface temperature, air temperature and gaseous air pollutants: a combined approach of using Landsat TM imageries and ground data. EARSeL Workshop on Temporal Analysis of Satellite Images, 24 - 25 May, 2012, Mykonos, Greece, pp. 16.
Land-use changes and their impacts in megacities exemplified at Karachi: an integrated modelling approach investigating socio-environmental flows. USIALE Annual Symposium, 8 - 12 April 2012, Newport, Rhodes Island, USA.
Multi-functionality of landscapes derives the structural matrix of urban mosaic: An anthropocentric approach to ecological assessment. 8th IALE World Congress, 18 - 23 August 2011, Beijing, China.
Modelling urban nature in a megacity: A systematized application of urban gradient for ecological investigations. 10th Annual Conference of the International Association of Landscape Ecology (German Chapter), 22 - 25 September 2010, Nürtingen, Germany. (Invited address at the IALE-D award ceremony, being the winner of best dissertation award)
Content analysis versus level of objectivity: the nuclear proliferation issue in Pakistan and its coverage by leading newspapers. 5th International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, 2 - 5 August 2010, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
Assessing the ecosystem services by urban forest structures in mega-city Karachi using a transdisciplinary framework for coupled human and natural systems. 23rd IUFRO Congress, 23 - 28 August 2010, Seoul, Korea.
Exurban development and planning ecological networks at peri-urban interfaces: An unexploited opportunity of urban design for adaptation to climate change. International Conference on Urban Biodiversity and Design (URBIO 2010) - Urban Biodiversity in the Ecological Network, 18 - 21 May 2010, Nagoya, Japan.
Epitomizing the simplicity in complexity of socio-ecological field sampling using an integrated spatial model of complex mosaic of urbanization. US-IALE 25th Annual Symposium: Is What Humans Do Natural? 5 - 9 April 2010, Athens, Georgia, USA.
Ecosystem services in megacity of Karachi, Pakistan: An evaluation using the urban gradient model. International Conference on Megacities: Risk, Vulnerability and Sustainable development”, 7 - 9 September, 2009, Leipzig, Germany.
Systematizing MODIS, TOMS and MISR satellite datasets with HYSPLIT model for monitoring regional pattern of aerosol and its seasonal variability in Pakistan. European Aerosol Conference, 6 - 11 Sep. 2009, Karlsruhe, Germany.
International symposium on “Identifying challenges for urban ecological research and urban ecosystem management - international perspectives”. 17 July 2009, Salzburg, Austria.
Shades of forested landscape in a megacity of developing world: Synthesizing structural and functional patterns. Presented at the HERODOT Conference: Celebrating Geographical Diversity. 28 - 31 May 2009, Ayvalik, Turkey.
Indicators of urban sustainable development: A geographical review of urban regeneration projects in Karachi, Pakistan. Presented at the HERODOT Conference: Celebrating Geographical Diversity. 28 - 31 May 2009, Ayvalik, Turkey.
Ecological disturbances due to high cutback in the green infrastructure of Karachi: Analyses of public perception about associated health problems. 13th All Pakistan Geographical Conference, University of Karachi, 21 - 23 December 2008.