Background
Alam was born on December 3, 1958 in Lahore, Pakistan; the son of Fateh Mohammed and Zubeda Begum Chaudhry.
Alam was born on December 3, 1958 in Lahore, Pakistan; the son of Fateh Mohammed and Zubeda Begum Chaudhry.
Alam received a Master of Science degree from the University of Punjab in 1980. Eight years later he was given a Master of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin. Also in 1991, he earned his Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Arizona.
Alam began his career as a lecturer at Punjab Government in 1982. Three years later he became a scientific officer of fisheries at Pakistan Agricultural Research Council, where he worked until 1990. Also Shawn served as a resource manager at Pyramid Lake Fisheries from 1992 to 1993.
In 1993, he took a position of a fishery biologist at Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and at the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in 1997. Since 2000 Alam has been a fish and wildlife biologist at the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
Alam is a member of the American Institute Fishery Research Biologists, North America Lake Management Society, American Fisheries Society, Society of Wetland Scientists, Native Fish Conservancy and Sigma Xi.
On September 16, 1989 Shawn Alam married Karyn Lynn Messner. They have 2 children.