Dr Shaher Abdullateef
Founder and researcher at the Academic Centre for Development and Peace Studies, Consultant at Cara Syria Programme
Shaher Abdullateef is an agronomist who graduated from Aleppo University in 2003. He gained his PhD in Hydroponics and Biotechnology from Humboldt University of Berlin in 2014. Since 2015, he has been based in Turkey and working on several issues related to Food Security and Higher Education. He was the local agricultural expert in the EU-funded “Governance project” for governance and strategic planning in Syria. He is the PI of studies on e-learning, capacity building, and food security, and a co-researcher in several studies related to higher education, and food security and livelihoods in Syria. He has collaborated with international researchers from Cambridge University, Kent University, Reading University, University College London and University of Edinburgh. He is a leader of the Syrian Food Security research group and a consultant researcher at Cara Syria Programme. He is involved and working in wide international academic networks and research e.g. the One Health FIELD Network, which includes several projects on food security and mental health, impact of COVID-19, water sources, and refugee labour in lockdown. Shaher coordinates field research and data collection for the One Health FIELD team.
Shaher has professional skills in interdisciplinary research approaches, e-learning, project management, and coaching of different agricultural engineers and farmer groups. He has established the Academic Centre for Development and Peace studies in Gaziantep/Turkey with a colleague (for all disciplines) and, as part of a University of Edinburgh-led project, started Syrian Academic Expertise for Agriculture and Food Security (SAE-AFS) to bring together agricultural experts who remain inside Syria and in exile. He has strong relationships with multi-stakeholder networks e.g. local communities, local and international NGOs and academics.