Shahida Khanom, PhD was born and brought up in Bangladesh. She holds an undergraduate degree in Environmental Science from Khulna University, Bangladesh. After completing her undergraduate, she began her career as a Research Associate at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Bangladesh. Later, she was offered a scholarship for a Master's in Natural Resources Management at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Thailand.


Following her postgraduation, she engaged as a Culture Specialist at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Bangladesh for about seven years. She was responsible for the planning and implementation of natural and cultural strategy for the Paharpur World Heritage, Mosque City of Bagerhat, and Sundarbans Natural Heritage with the Academic, Government and NGO.

In 2016, She was offered a postgraduate scholarship at Griffith University, Australia, and left UNESCO. Her area of Doctoral Research was Tourism, Culture, and Heritage. She joined as a Natural and Cultural Heritage Coordinator at UNESCO-designated Fundy Biosphere Region in 2024. Her function was to plan and implement the strategy for biodiversity conservation, sustainable tourism, cultural preservation, and community participation. She is a member and volunteer of IUCN and Biosphere Ecocity Canada.