Who is Ali Riaz, the man appointed to lead Constitution Reform Commission

Renowned political analyst Ali Riaz has been appointed as head of the Constitution Reform Commission formed by the interim government.

Riaz, 66, is currently working as a distinguished professor at the Department of Politics and Government at Illinois State University where he joined in 2002.

He is also the president of the American Institute of Bangladesh Studies (AIBS) and a senior non-resident fellow of the Atlantic Council. 

In recognition of his national and international reputation as an expert on South Asian politics and Political Islam, Riaz was designated "University Professor" at Illinois State University in 2012 and he held the designation until 2018. 

In 2013 he served as a Public Policy Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars at Washington, DC. He testified at the US Congress on Bangladesh in 2013 and in 2015, and at the US Commission on International Religious Freedom in 2008. 

Prior to joining Illinois State University, he taught at Claflin University in South Carolina, and the University of Lincoln in England. 

In Bangladesh, Riaz was an assistant professor at the University of Dhaka between 1993 and 1995, and a lecturer between 1984 and 1987. 

Riaz earned his PhD in Political Science from the University of Hawai'i in 1993 under the East West Center fellowship. He also has MS in Communication and MS in Political Science earned in 1989 and 1991, respectively. He was awarded the 'East West Center Honor' Award in 1990. He was also a research fellow of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS), Singapore. 

Riaz has extensive experience in journalism. He worked for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) World Service for five years, as producer and senior broadcast journalist at London. 

He regularly contributes to Bangladeshi and international media on South Asian politics. He appeared on CNN, CNN​, BBC, Al-Jazeera English, Canadian TV​, CCTV America​ among other media. He served as consultant to various international agencies, and as the editor of the bi-annual journal, Studies on Asia, between 2010 and 2015.

Riaz has published in English and in Bengali. His publications in English include More than Meets the Eye; Religion and Politics in South Asia, Voting in Hybrid Regime: Explaining the 2018 Bangladeshi Election, Political Violence in South Asia, Lived Islam and Islamism in Banglades​h, Undying Issues: Critical Debates about Contemporary Challenges, Bangladesh: A Political History since Independence​, Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Bangladesh, How Did We Arrive Here, Islam and Identity Politics among British-Bangladeshis: A Leap of Faith, Inconvenient Truths About Bangladeshi Politics, Political Islam and Governance in Bangladesh, Religion and Politics in South Asia, (Re)reading Taslima Nasrin: contexts, contents & constructions, Faithful Education: Madrassahs in South Asia, Islamist Militancy in Bangladesh: A Complex Web, Paradise Lost? State Failure in Nepal, Unfolding State: The Transformation of Bangladesh, God Willing: The Politics of Islamism in Bangladesh, State, and Class and Military Rule: Political Economy of Martial Law in Bangladesh.