Sayam Chowdhury wins Gates Cambridge Scholarship

December 28, 2020 — The Coordinator of ICFC's Spoon-billed Sandpiper Project, Sayam Chowdhury, has won a prestigious Gates Cambridge Scholarship. Established in 2000 with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, this program awards scholarships at the University of Cambridge to individuals who are both academically outstanding and show a strong commitment to improving the lives of others.

Sayam, who is from Bangladesh, will do a PhD in Zoology focused on migratory shorebirds in the coastal areas of Bangladesh. His work aims to identify the most effective long-term conservation measures for these species, ecosystems and the communities that depend on them.

Sayam has been working in conservation for the past 12 years, focusing on threatened coastal and riverine birds, including the spoon-billed sandpiper, which is the world's most endangered shorebird.

Congratulations, Sayam!