With over 26 years of professional and teaching experience, Dr Sharif Shams Imon is an expert in urban heritage management and heritage tourism. His educational background includes degrees in architecture, urban planning, and business administration, as well as a PhD in Urban Conservation, with advanced training in Integrated Territorial and Urban Conservation. Currently teaching Heritage Management at the Macao Institute for Tourism Studies, Dr Imon's research focus on community engagement in heritage management, heritage impact assessment, heritage interpretation, and sustainable tourism in historic cities.
Dr Imon is the president of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) Bangladesh, as well as an expert member of the International Committee of Historic Towns and Villages (CIVVIH) and ICOMOS International Cultural Tourism Committee (ICTC). Since 2005, he has conducted UNESCO World Heritage technical evaluation, reactive monitoring, and impact assessment missions. Dr Imon has also served as a consultant in ICCROM, ICOMOS, UNESCO, UNESCAP, and government projects on heritage and tourism management in more than 16 countries.