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Mehzeb Chowdhury

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Mehzeb Chowdhury
মেহযেব চৌধুরী
Born (1987-01-31) January 31, 1987 (age 37)
NationalityBangladeshi
Alma mater
  • University of London
  • Northumbria University
  • Durham University
Occupation(s)Researcher, inventor, painter, filmmaker, musician, author
Notable workMABMAT (rover)

Mehzeb Rahman Chowdhury (born January 31, 1987) is a Bangladeshi author, inventor, instructor, journalist, criminologist, criminal law barrister, social sciences researcher and filmmaker.[1][2][3][4] His journalism works are featured in various international publications such as the Daily Mail, The Independent, The Conversation, Forensic Magazine, Sci-Fi Generation, Space.com, and Netzpiloten Magazin.[5][6][7][8] He is also known for his invention of the MABMAT Crime Scene Imaging Rover.[9]

Biography

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Early life

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Mehzeb Chowdhury was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh on 31 January 1987. He is the only son of journalists Matiur Rahman Chowdhury, and Mahbuba Chowdhury.[4]

Education

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In 2009, he completed his LLB (Hons) from the University of London. He did his postgraduate diploma in Law (PGDL) from Northumbria University in 2010. He came to the UK to take the bar exam in 2010, and then went back to Bangladesh to work at a law firm for two years. In 2020, he earned a Ph.D. in Applied Social Sciences from Durham University.[10]

Career

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Chowdhury was a correspondent for Goal.com from 2007 to 2009. During that period, he also worked as a staff writer for The Daily New Age. He worked for ESPN and served as an editor for Vital Football Newcastle till 2010. Then he was a lecturer at the University of London (External Programmes), a teaching associate at Durham University, senior lecturer at UWE Bristol. He currently works as an assistant professor of Policing at Northumbria University. He is a member of the Bar Council of England and Wales and Bangladesh Bar Council.[10]

Chowdhury's research has been published in various countries and languages and has been featured in museum exhibits, including at the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford, and the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester.[11][12][13] Chowdhury's published works in crime scene investigation include the definition and roles of scene investigators,[14] examination of crime scene quality control,[15] freedom of information and data freedom mechanisms within UK police forces, and extrapolations of the future of police, policing and advanced AI systems.[16]

In addition to his work in forensic science and crime scene analysis, Chowdhury is also a cinematographer. He worked in this profession for the feature film Redemption in 2017, directed by Edward Collier.[2] His other award-winning films have screened at over fifty international festivals,[11] and he has been a member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Crew and Connect programmes since 2018.[17] Chowdhury is also a Founding Director of the South Asian Film, Television, and Arts Collective (SAFTAC), a community of South Asian talents who help each other.[citation needed] Mehzeb is currently writing the screenplay for his debut feature film.[18] He is also an actor, last appearing in the music video for UK-based rock band Martha.[19]

Chowdhury was a seminal speaker at the World Police Summit 2022[20] and often a participant in technology conferences and live events in the UK.[21]

Chowdhury's invention of the MABMAT, a Mars rover-like device that aids in crime scene analysis, was developed in 2016 and has been recognized for modernizing the field of forensic science.[22][23] It has been featured in many major media outlets such as The Atlantic, the Discovery Channel, Business Insider, Huffington Post, Wired, and CNN.[1][24][25] Despite not having any engineering experience, Chowdhury was inspired by the Mars rover, which he saw on a NASA channel, and was struck by the idea that a similar device could be used in crime scenes.[1] The name MABMAT was created using the acronyms of his parents' initials.[9]

Among Mehzeb Chowdhury's other inventions includes a holographic projection system called Augmented Reality Testimony System for Vulnerable Witnesses (ARTS), which facilitates victims of sexual abuse to remotely appear in the witness box without having to ever enter the courtroom. This technology shields vulnerable witnesses from the stress of giving testimony in person while ensuring that the jury sees the most realistic projection of the testimony.[26] He has also theorized use of video game technologies such as Xbox Kinect to scan evidential artefacts and preserve a visual record of objects found at crime scenes.[27]

Chowdhury has worked on the effects of isolation in space, and the characteristics and challenges of crime scenes on space-bound vessels and orbital crafts.[28] His poetry has been published in anthologies in different parts of the world, most recently in Poems of Hope by Jessica Clark and Stephanie Hanson.[29][30]

In 2023, he was appointed as a member of Newcastle United's Independent Advisory Group.[31]

Music

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Chowdhury formed the rock band Megalithic with long-term collaborator Alex McDonnell in 2014.[1] Megalithic would go on to release their first studio album The Unnamed in February 2018, receiving positive feedbacks.[32][33]

Personal life

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Chowdhury resides in the United Kingdom. He marks Leonardo da Vinci as his inspiration.[4] In an interview with The Daily Star, he stated: “I idolised Leonardo da Vinci, who was an inventor, painter, sculptor, and an engineer. I was fascinated by all his talents, and a few years later, I worked on my repertoire of skills".[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "He modernised crime scene investigation, making movies and music along the way". The Business Standard. 2022-09-01. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  2. ^ a b c Rakshanda Rahman Misha (2022-10-21). "Mehzeb Chowdhury – pioneer in criminology, savant in films". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  3. ^ "Mehzeb Chowdhury, Actor, Durham". www.mandy.com. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  4. ^ a b c সাইফুল্লাহ, মো (28 November 2022). "যুক্তরাজ্যের পুলিশের ক্লাসও নেন মেহযেব". Prothomalo (in Bengali). Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  5. ^ "Articles by Mehzeb Chowdhury's Profile | Daily Mail, The Independent, The Conversation Journalist". muckrack.com. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  6. ^ "How augmented reality could find its way to the courtroom". The Independent. 2017-03-02. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  7. ^ "Why CSI: Space Will Be a Far Greater Challenge Than Forensic Science on Earth". Space.com. 2016-12-12. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  8. ^ "Mehzeb Chowdhury, Autor bei Netzpiloten Magazin". Netzpiloten Magazin (in German). Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  9. ^ a b Bridge, Mark. "Robots will create virtual crime scenes for juries". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  10. ^ a b "Mehzeb Chowdhury". The Conversation. 31 May 2015. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  11. ^ a b "Dr Mehzeb Chowdhury". www.northumbria.ac.uk. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  12. ^ "Mehzeb Chowdhury". scholar.google.com. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  13. ^ "Dr. Mehzeb Chowdhury". World Police Summit. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  14. ^ Chowdhury, Mehzeb (2022-10-01). ""The house always wins" - empirical reflections on UK Freedom of Information legislation for policing research". Salus Journal. 10 (2): 51–71.
  15. ^ Chowdhury, Mehzeb (2021-09-01). "A broken system? Examining the perilous state of quality assurance in crime scene practice". Science & Justice. 61 (5): 564–572. doi:10.1016/j.scijus.2021.07.001. ISSN 1355-0306. PMID 34482936.
  16. ^ Johnston, Ed; Marsh, Sophie (2022-08-22). Contemporary Issues in Global Criminal Justice. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-7936-3734-5.
  17. ^ "Crew Directory 2019-20". BAFTA. 2019-07-30. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  18. ^ Raisa, Antara (2023-02-15). "Working behind the scenes in Hollywood". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  19. ^ "Martha Share New Song "Baby, Does Your Heart Sink?": Listen". Stereogum. 2022-08-16. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
  20. ^ "The World Police Summit speaker line up | shaping the future of policing - Security On Screen by The Security Industry Group". 2022-01-11. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
  21. ^ "AI, Technology & Humankind: Aniara". Tyneside Cinema. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
  22. ^ "Jurors Can Explore VR Crime Scenes Thanks To NASA-Inspired Robot". Digital Trends. 2016-08-29. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  23. ^ Silverberg, David (2016-11-22). "How VR Could Change Courtrooms (And Why There Might Be Resistance)". uploadvr.com. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  24. ^ "5 Industries Being Transformed By Virtual Reality". HuffPost. 2016-12-01. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  25. ^ "Crimes of the future will be solved by robo-CSIs, smell and VR". Wired UK. ISSN 1357-0978. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  26. ^ "Augmented reality – how the technology behind Pokemon Go could find its way to the courtroom". uk.news.yahoo.com. 28 February 2017. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
  27. ^ Chowdhury, Mehzeb (17 October 2016). "How gaming technology could hack crime scene investigations". The Conversation. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
  28. ^ "Space will be a far greater challenge than forensic science on Earth". The Independent. 2016-11-17. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
  29. ^ "POEMS OF HOPE by Jessica Clark and Stephanie Hanson". Good Press — good books & more. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
  30. ^ Stephanie, Jess Clark (2019-12-02). Poems of Hope. Blurb, Incorporated. ISBN 978-0-464-65690-6.
  31. ^ Report, Star Sports (2023-07-12). "Chowdhury appointed into advisory group of Newcastle Utd". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2023-07-12.
  32. ^ "Megalithic to unearth 'The Unnamed' on February 23". Dhaka Tribune. 2018-02-20. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
  33. ^ "In the News". Megalithic. Retrieved 2023-02-23.