2017 Beahrs Environmental Leadership Program (Beahrs ELP) alumnus Dr. S.M. Abdul-Awal has been selected to speak at the 2019 Global Food Summit. Dr. Awal earned his Ph.D. in Plant Sciences from the University of Cambridge, and he is currently working as a postdoctoral researcher (Fulbright Fellow) at the Plant Gene Expression Center in the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley. In Bangladesh, he works as an associate professor at Khulna University, whose mission is to create a transformative educational experience for students, focusing on poverty eradication, food and nutritional security, environmental sustainability, socio-economic wellbeing, and climate resilient development.

Bangladesh is recognized worldwide as one of the most vulnerable countries to the impacts of climate change. Over the years Dr. Awal has established himself as an independent researcher with the long-term objective of instigating and continuing innovative and cutting-edge works in the plant sciences, in order to form individual research groups in Bangladesh and to establish collaborations with renowned research groups in the scientific community all over the world. His experience with modern technology and plant science in Bangladesh will contribute greatly to the conversations regarding conventional versus high-tech farming.

The Global Food Summit will take place in Munich on March 20-21, 2019.