M Ejaz Qureshi
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About
Dr M Ejaz Qureshi is an Honorary Associate Professor at the Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, where he contributes to teaching and supervision related to natural resource management, and agricultural and environmental policy. Dr Qureshi is also the Assistant Director in the First Nations Policy Branch in the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF). Previously, as Acting Director of the Strategic Indigenous Policy Division at DAFF, he led a small team in the development of the First Nations Platform to formulate and implement relevant policies and programmes. Additionally, in his role at DAFF, he led a team working with jurisdictions across Australia to pilot the preparedness of Australia’s biosecurity system and develop a performance evaluation framework to assess the effectiveness of the biosecurity system against pests and diseases. He is an experienced applied economist and a successful research programme manager with the capacity to manage multiple, often multidisciplinary projects. He has led research teams and overseen the progress of research projects in areas such as water resource management, agriculture and land use policy, forest policy, food and nutrition security, and climate change policy. Dr Qureshi has held research, academic, and consultancy positions at the University of Queensland, James Cook University, ABARES, CSIRO, ACIAR, and the FAO of the United Nations. While at FAO, he reviewed food security policies and programmes in Pakistan and developed action plans and budgets for a newly formulated agriculture policy in Sindh province. Prior to joining FAO, he was the Research Programme Manager of the Agricultural Development Policy programme at ACIAR, where he built teams for about 25 research-for-development projects across a dozen countries in Asia and the Pacific. Earlier, at CSIRO, ABARES, JCU, and UQ, he analysed natural resource management policies and managed projects on riparian vegetation, pesticide regulations, water resource management, climate change, and food security. While at ABARES, he also coordinated and administered research projects, managed programmes, and provided Ministerial and House of Representatives briefings on water resource management, economics, and public policy. Dr Qureshi has contributed as Guest Editor for the Food Security special issue: "Feeding 9 Billion by 2050"; Associate Editor for the Journal of Hydrology; and Guest Editor for the Hydrogeology Journal special issue: "Integrating Economics and Hydrology in Groundwater Management". Dr Qureshi has published around 100 articles, including journal articles, book chapters, technical reports, and policy briefs.
Affiliations
Research interests
Dr M Ejaz Qureshi is experienced agriculture & resource economist with strong quantitative and qualitative skills and has been a successful program manager with the ability to manage multiple research projects often multidisciplinary in nature and policy focussed. Currently he is Assistant Director of Biosecurity Policy and Evaluation in the Department of Agriculture, Water & Environment and is coordinating and conducting performance evalaution of the Australia's Biosecurity System by working with all the Australian jurisdictions.
Erlier, he worked as a Food Security Policy Consultant in the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations where he reviewed food security policies and programs in Pakistan and developed action plans and budgets of a newly approved Agriculture Policy in its Sindh province. Prior to the FAO role, he worked for five years as the Research Program Manager of the Agriculture Development Policy program in the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and built teams of about 25 research for development projects projects including in the areas of water resources management, water policy, land use management, agriculture and land use policy, forest policy, food security and climate change policy in about a dozen countries in Asia and the Pacific.
Earlier he worked as a Senior Economist and Policy Analyst in CSIRO and analysed water resources management policies and managed projects and programs and showed economic leadership and developed a reputation both within and outside the organisation for managing and delivering quality economic and policy outcomes. He has been associated with the Fenner School of Environment & Society at ANU since 2007 first as Adjunct Fellow and since 2018 as an Honorary Associate Professor. He also has been associated as a Research Associate in the Crawford School of Public Policy also at ANU where he deliveres lectures and supervises honours, masters and Ph.D. students.
Before joining CSIRO, he worked as a Principal Research Economist in ABARES and carried out research and administrative responsibilities varying from economic analyses to project and program management. At ABARES he also coordinated and administered Commonwealth of Australia funded projects and managed programs including ‘National Action Plan for Salinity and Water Quality’ and ‘Market Based Instruments for Natural Resources Management’ and provided the Ministerial and House of Representatives briefings on water resources management, economics and public policy.
Dr Qureshi has authored or co-authored about 100 scientific articles including about 40 refereed journals, six book chapters; 11 research reports; three discussion papers and more than 40 Conference and other papers and policy briefs. Dr Qureshi was Guest Editor, Food Security Special issue: Feeding 9 billion by 2050; Associate Editor, Journal of Hydrology and Guest Editor Hydrogeology Journal Special issue: Integrating Economics and Hydrology in Groundwater Management.
Projects
- Activating the Indigenous Estate – Baseline Study of Agricultural Capacity , Researcher
- ONE BASIN CRC PhD program, Supervisor