Amer Bazl Khan (Director, MaritimEA) is a Maritime Archaeologist with 20 years experience working in Pakistan, Australia, and the broader Asia-Pacific region. 

Prior to moving back to Pakistan, Amer was the Principal Archaeologist for the State of Queensland at the Department of Environment and Science, where he led the department’s maritime and terrestrial archaeology teams responsible for the administration of the State and Commonwealth heritage legislation. 

Amer has worked on numerous maritime archaeological projects in Pakistan, Australia and the Asia Pacific region, including working with UNESCO to develop regional capacity for the management of underwater cultural heritage. 

Amer has a Master of Arts Degree in Maritime Archaeology from Flinders University in Australia and a Bachelor of Science Degree from Yale University in the US. He is an expert member of the International Committee on the Underwater Cultural Heritage (ICUCH), an international scientific committee for the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) as well as a member of the ICOMOS Pakistan National Committee. Amer is the Indian Ocean regional representative for the Ocean Decade Heritage Network, a recognised partner of the UN’s Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030.

Muhammad Ahmed (Human Resources and Office Manager, MaritimEA), is an HR professional with an MBA in Human Resources from University of Wales, England. He has worked extensively in multinational companies, both internationally and domestically. Ahmed is a one-man machine proficient at managing the HR requirements and needs of a complex team that is both full time, in the field, working from home, and spread to different parts of the world.His role within MaritimEA is pivotal in ensuring the provision of efficient human resources to achieve the company’s goals and targets. 

Passionate about the mission and vision of MaritimEA, Ahmed finds fulfilment in contributing to the preservation of heritage and safeguarding it for future generations. Ahmed plays a vital role in helping realise the company’s commitment to safeguarding our natural and cultural legacies. 

Madeeha Syed (Project Manager, MaritimEA) is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, investigative journalist and radio correspondent based in Pakistan. She has over 18 years of experience in journalism and started her career with Dawn, Pakistan’s most widely-circulated and oldest English newspaper.

Madeeha has successfully managed projects for organisations such as Dawn, The Herald, BBC, Channel 4, HBO, Channel News Asia and Süddeutsche Zeitung among others. Throughout her career, she has coordinated large teams that work under intense pressure and short deadlines, often in high-risk environments, to be able to document, edit and produce factual stories.

Madeeha is a PADI Scuba Dive Master Trainee (DMT) and often volunteers her time to recover ghost nets that threaten local wildlife. Madeeha is a long-distance cyclist, hates heights but loves mountains, and is, by the end of most trips, a broke backpacker.

Shabib Asghar (Field Coordinator at MaritimEA) is a licensed PADI Dive Master with extensive experience organising and running complex field operations in Pakistan. He has a passion for conservation and is actively involved in marine conservation efforts across Pakistan. His work includes collecting marine debris and recovering ghost nets stranded in the sea that threaten our marine wildlife. 

Shabib has also worked extensively with local fishing or coastal communities training them in safe and sustainable fishing practices and sustainable ecotourism. He has trained local communities and conducted public awareness campaigns about coral propagation and monitoring to ensure sustainability. 

Shabib’s drive to push sustainable practices extends beyond the seas — he is actively involved in fostering awareness about urban farming, urban forest, rooftop gardening, aquaponic systems and maritime ecosystems.

Ramsha Siddiqui is a Research Associate with MaritimEA. She teaches history at the IBA (Institute of Business Administration) in Karachi where she teaches courses on gender in South Asia, Indian Ocean history, and Global History. 

Ramsha has completed her MA from Columbia University in South Asian Studies. Her research focuses on uncovering linkages between Sindh and the wider Indian Ocean world via archival materials and oral histories. At MaritimeEA she is researching histories of historical cities in the Indus Delta while exploring their ties to local communities.

In her free time, Ramsha enjoys writing poetry and reading fiction. 

Sahibzada Saadoon Hammad (GIS Developer at MaritimEA) is a Geo-informatics engineer with 4 years of experience in industry and academic research. He has completed his Bachelor in Geo-informatics from the National University of Sciences and Technology. He was awarded a fully funded scholarship for Erasmus Mundus Joint Master of Science in Geospatial Technologies from Universitat Jaume I, WWU Munster and Universidade NOVA de Lisboa. 

During his master’s thesis, he worked on activity recognition for mental health using machine learning techniques. He has worked as a Researcher at the University of Salamanca where his research Interests include machine learning, geospatial technologies, remote sensing, and photogrammetry.

Amal Hashim (Project Specialist, MaritimEA Research) is a researcher on architectural history, cultural heritage, and the vernacular religious traditions of South Asia. Her work looks at the tangible and intangible heritage of South Asia and the influence it has on the lived realities of people in the modern world.

She runs a podcast on the New Books Network where she talks with authors on their work on urban and social change, political thought, and the role of architecture in societal transformation, among other topics.