Department of Environmental Sciences

Introduction

The Department of Environmental Sciences was established in 2012 with the aim to provide prospective students with extensive knowledge, understanding and skills to preserve, protect and rehabilitate local and global environment and build a sustainable future. The program focuses to pioneer a new generation of research and teaching methods that understand the issues and arrive at solutions to pressing societal problems; prepares its graduates to understand environmental systems, predict environmental change, participate in the management of the environment, and contribute for the promotion of sustainable society. We believe that offering quality education in this discipline will not only help attract the most talented students to our department but also produce capable environmental scientists with sound know-how to solve environmental problems. Together with imparting top-notch education and research, the Department is also thriving to play its important and vital role in the protection, preservation and restoration of environment and sustainable development. The graduates are expected to play a critical role in coordinating multidisciplinary input to assure successful deployment that is necessary in meeting emerging environmental challenges in Pakistan, throughout the region and around the globe. The Department’s all-embracing goal is to make it a leading institution in Environmental Sciences based on the quality of graduates produced, number of research scholars, quality and production of scientific research, and services to the community and public sector in analyzing and managing environmental issues.

Vision

The Department focuses to pioneer a new generation of research and teaching methods that understand the fundamental processes which contribute to environmental pollution and natural resource degradation, and arrive at solutions to pressing societal problems; Moreover, to prepares graduates for understanding environmental systems, predicting environmental changes, participating in the management of the environment, and contributing for the promotion of sustainable society.

Mission

• To provide formal education and research in the field of Environmental and Conservation Sciences to bring the education standards up to the international level.
• To work for the conservation of natural resources, which is often characterized by amounts of biodiversity andgeo-diversity existent in various 
• To provide a good research environment for publishing research outcomes in the journals of international repute.
• To provide professional services such as special trainings, analyses, surveys and consultancies to the manufacturing and processing industries, NGOs, CBOs, engineering firms etc.

Career Prospects/Opportunities

The degree program would provide a broad foundation of science-based skills, equipping students for careers in the full range of environmental professions, particularly in areas relating to environmental protection and management. A degree holder from this department would be able to understand contemporary issues in environmental management, knowledge of the interactions between processes operating in the physical environment and ecosystems, together with an awareness of the legislative and ethical frame work within which environmental scientists operate.

Program Offered

• BS Environmental Sciences (04 Year)
• BS Disaster Preparedness and Climate Change: 4 Years
• Graduate Programme (MS/MPhil & PhD)
• Postgraduate Diploma (One Year) – Geomatics (GIS and RS)

In the Department of Environmental Sciences, basic, problem-oriented and solution-driven research is undertaken in overarching themes in environmental sciences, technology, resource management, ecology and sustainability. Expertise in the Department ranges from natural resource management, environmental pollution and control, water &wastewater treatment, solid waste management and biotechnology and toxicology to environmental economics, environmental assessment to climate change and a range of other areas. We are in the process of establishing our environmental lab for physicochemical and biological analysis, and GIS to support our interdisciplinary research work.

Group 1:

Group Name:

Group Members:

Forests, Water and Land Resources Management, GIS Mapping and RS LUC, Climate Change and Flood Hydrology; Biodiversity Conservation, Glacial Studies and GLOFs; Impacts of Climate Change on Agriculture

Group 2:

Group Members:

Muhammad Ayaz (MPhil in Environmental Biotechnology and Bioremediation)

Group Name: Environmental Remediation and Microbiology

The research focus of group is to develop bioremediation strategies for cleanup of contaminated environments. The group works on identification of local species of plants and microbes (Bacteria, Algae and Fungi) which are contaminant’s (organic and inorganic) tolerant and hyperaccumulators. The organic pollutant degraders identification by using modern molecular techniques.

Bioremediation; Biodegradation; Environmental Microbiology; Environmental Biotechnology; Anaerobic decomposition of Organic Waste; Biofuels; Endophytes; Allelopathy; Metabolic versatilities (Microbes and Plants) Environmental Resistomes; Metagenomics; Anti-biotic resistance genes.

• Ecological Risk Assessment and Environmental Management Group

• One year Diploma in Geomatics (GIS & RS)
• BS Environmental Sciences
• BS Climate Change
• MS/MPhil Environmental Sciences
• PhD Environmental Sciences

Environmental laboratory having facilities for indoor research and all kind of physical, chemical and biological analysis is under establishment. A GIS lab with state-of-the-art equipment and latest software is also planned to be setup. An up-to-date collection of books and related material has been instituted and available in the Central Library, Main Campus Charbagh.

Department of Environmental Sciences
Academic Block-A, University of Swat