Curriculum vitae
Md. Obaidullah
Research interests
International relations; conflict and security; foreign policy; great-power competition; international political economy; borders and territorial politics; migration and refugees.
Methods: causal inference, generalized linear models, survey experiments, text-as-data, machine learning/NLP, process tracing, and mixed methods.
Education
University of Virginia
PhD in Politics, beginning Fall 2026.
University of Southern Mississippi
MA in Political Science, 2024–2026.
Thesis: Diversionary Repression in Electoral Autocracies: Crisis Onset, Loss-Domain Conditions, and State Escalation.
Committee: Joe Weinberg (Chair), Marek Steedman, and Maggie K. Martin.
University of Barishal
MSS and BSS in Public Administration.
Journal articles
- 2026
Delivering Attraction? How BRI Implementation Shapes China’s Soft Power in Bangladesh and Pakistan
Obaidullah, M.
China Report
- 2026
Choosing not to choose: Qatar’s hedging in the U.S.–China rivalry
Obaidullah, M.
Journal of Countries Studies, 4(2), 335–371
- 2025
Assessing geopolitical and socio-economic consequences of India-Bangladesh water disputes
Obaidullah, M., & Howlader, M. R.
Discover Global Society, 3
- 2025
Beyond borders: Mapping out the difficulties, stress, and coping strategies in transnational irregular (illegal) labor migration from Bangladesh
Sohel, M. S., Sifullah, M. K., Zaman, N. T., Hossain, B., & Obaidullah, M.
International Journal of Community Well-Being
- 2025
WASH service accessibility and satisfaction among street informal workers in Dhaka City: A cross-sectional study
Sifullah, M. K., Sohel, M. S., Jamil, S., Ahmad, B., Hossain, M. A., Obaidullah, M., Zaman, N. T., Faruk, O., Islam, M. T., & Ali, N.
Discover Social Science and Health, 5, 45
- 2024
From humanitarian crisis to burden: understanding the Rohingya refugee crisis in Bangladesh
Obaidullah, M., Hossain, M., Raihan, M. S., & Hossen, M. S.
SN Social Sciences, 4(8)
- 2024
Exploring risky health behaviors and vulnerability to sexually transmitted diseases among transnational undocumented labor migrants from Bangladesh: a qualitative study
Sohel, M. S., Sifullah, M. K., Hossain, B., Sarker, M. F. H., Zaman, N. T., & Obaidullah, M.
BMC Public Health, 24, 1261
- 2024
Navigating vulnerabilities: The untold story of informal households in Dhaka, Bangladesh during the COVID-19 pandemic
Begum Mamy, M. M., Obaidullah, M., Zaman, N. T., Saifullah, M. K., Sohel, M. S., Hossen, M., & Horaira, G. A.
New Zealand Journal of Asian Studies, 26(2), 75–98
- 2024
Exploring the multifaceted vulnerabilities of female street child labor in the capital city of Bangladesh
Sohel, M. S., Alam, S., Rahman, M. M., Obaidullah, M., Towhidul, A. A. S. M., Hossain, M. B., & Hossain, M. A.
Heliyon, e37302
- 2024
Healthcare challenges in disaster-prone riverine islands: A study of Sirajgonj, Bangladesh
Sohel, M. S., Jamil, S., Obaidullah, M., Hossain, B., Ali, H. M., Hossen, M. S., Uddin, M. S., Ahsan, T., & Eva, N. F.
International Journal of Community Well-Being
- 2024
Is e-business breaking down barriers for Bangladesh’s young female entrepreneurs during the COVID-19 pandemic? A qualitative study
Sarker, M. F. H., Ahmed, S. F., Kawser, U., Hossen, M. S., Obaidullah, M., Khan, S., Sifullah, M. K., & Sohel, M. S.
SN Social Sciences, 4(6)
- 2023
Unusual increase of cesarean section delivery in Bangladesh: correspondence
Jamil, S., Obaidullah, M., & Alam, M.
Annals of Medicine and Surgery, 85(5), 2242
- 2023
Burning up: How heatwaves pose a threat to public health
Obaidullah, M., Jamil, S., Mohammad A. H., & Akhter, A.
International Journal of Surgery – Short Report, 8(3)
- 2023
Factors shaping Bangladeshi students’ migration decision using push–pull theory: a focus group study
Zaman, N. T., Sohel, M. S., Obaidullah, M., Hossen, M. S., Rahman, M. T., Sifullah, M. K., & Sarker, M. F. H.
SN Social Sciences, 4(1)
- 2020
Rule of Law in Bangladesh: Illusion or Reality
Obaidullah, M.
Electronic Research Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2(2), 1–15
Book chapters
- 2025
China’s Soft Power Strategy in the Middle East and East Asia: A Comparative Analysis
Obaidullah, M., & Hossain, M.
Handbook of Migration, International Relations and Security in Asia. Springer
- 2025
The Rohingya Crisis and Its Effect on Bangladesh-Myanmar Bilateral Relations: A Historical Analysis
Obaidullah, M., & Begum, R.
Handbook of Migration, International Relations and Security in Asia. Springer
- 2025
China’s Diplomatic Approach to the Rohingya Crisis: Balancing Economic Interests and Humanitarian Concerns
Hossain, M., & Obaidullah, M.
Handbook of Migration, International Relations and Security in Asia. Springer
- 2025
Bangladeshi Undocumented Migration Crisis in Europe: Implications of Security, Human Rights, and Policy
Sohel, M. S., Hossain, M. A., Sarker, M. F. H., Sifullah, M. K., Obaidullah, M., & Ullah, A. A.
Handbook of Migration, International Relations and Security in Asia. Springer
- 2025
Security questions explained: Irregular migrants to Europe
Sohel, M. S., Sifullah, M. K., Sarker, M. F. H., Hossain, M. A., & Obaidullah, M.
Handbook of Migration, International Relations and Security in Asia. Springer
- 2024
Major Powers’ Approaches to the Rohingya Crisis and Their Impact on Bangladesh
Obaidullah, M., & Hossain, M.
Handbook of Migration, International Relations and Security in Asia. Springer
- 2024
Soft Power Competition: A Comparative Analysis of China and the US in South Asia
Obaidullah, M., & Raihan, M. S.
Soft Power and Diplomatic Strategies in Asia and the Middle East. IGI Global, pp. 197–226
Book reviews
- 2025
Power of Bonding and Non-Western Soft Power Strategy in Iran: Comparing China and India’s Engagement
Hossain, M., & Obaidullah, M.
Contemporary South Asia, 33(1), 145–146
- 2024
We had the Watches. They had the Time: A Witness Account of the War in Afghanistan
Hossain, M., & Obaidullah, M.
Small Wars & Insurgencies
- 2023
Rohingya Refugee Crisis in Myanmar: Ethnic Conflict and Resolution
Obaidullah, M., & Hossain, M.
Society and Culture in South Asia
Teaching
University of Southern Mississippi — Teaching Assistant, 2024–2026
- PS 380: Introduction to Law in American Society; PS 480: US Constitutional Law; SSGS 400: Research Methods. Fall 2025, with Troy Gibson.
- PS 101: American Government; PS 306: Race & Ethnic Politics; PS 453: Politics & Protests. Fall 2024–Spring 2025, with Bob Press.
Daffodil International University — Lecturer (tenure track), 2024
Introduction to Bangladesh Studies, Spring 2024.
Research, editorial & policy experience
- E-International Relations — Commissioning Editor, 2024–2025.
- BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health — Research Assistant, 2022–2023.
- Centre for Advanced Research — Research Assistant, 2021–2022.
- Bangladesh High Commission to the Maldives — Public Affairs & Consular Intern, beginning 2025.
- Youth Policy Forum — Policy Research Intern, 2021.
Conferences & scholarly service
Midwest Political Science Association Annual Conference, 2025 and 2026.
Reviewer for SN Social Sciences, International Journal of Community Well-Being, PLOS ONE, International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, Southeast Asia: A Multidisciplinary Journal, International Journal of Water Resources Development, and BMC Public Health.
Awards & training
- Outstanding Graduate Student in Political Science, University of Southern Mississippi, 2024–2025.
- CZM Genius Scholarship, Center for Zakat Management, 2018.
- Data Analytics with R for Data Science, Statistical Research Consultants in Bangladesh, 2024.
- Qualitative Data Analysis Using NVivo, Centre for Advanced Research, 2021.
Skills & languages
R/RStudio, SPSS, NVivo, LaTeX, Zotero, Mendeley, and BibTeX.
Bangla (native), English (fluent), Hindi (conversational), Arabic (basic).
Selected public writing
- 2025
- 2024
How does China leverage soft power in South Asia?
The Geopolitics
- 2024
- 2024
Border of blood
New Age
- 2024
Gen Z Revolution: End of 15-Year autocracy in Bangladesh
Modern Diplomacy
- 2023
Heatwaves for the Poor: How can Bangladesh deal with it?
South Asia @ LSE
References available upon request.