As the world’s population continues to expand, so does the need for a secure, sustainable food supply.
To meet this challenge and adapt to the rapidly changing field of agricultural research, the University of Minnesota’s College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Science (CFANS) recently named Philip Pardey, Ph.D., its first director of global research strategy. Pardey earned his Ph.D. at the U of M and has been a professor in the Department of Applied Economics since 2002.
In the newly established CFANS position, Pardey will work internationally to create new opportunities and partnerships between the U and private companies, commodity organizations and non-governmental organizations. He will also bring together researchers from different disciplines and those at partner universities and research agencies to find solutions to complex bio-physical and economic challenges.
Pardey’s expertise will expand on the U’s role as an international leader in agricultural and environmental research. U.S. News and World Report ranked three of the college’s research areas in the top 20 of their fields globally.
“The university and college were central to the Green Revolution of the 20th century, and now we’re seeking to lead the 21st century in an economically savvy, more environmentally sustainable, more inclusive and more collaborative push to end global hunger and restore our natural resources,” said Brian Buhr, Ph.D., dean of the college. “Phil Pardey’s expertise and experience make him the perfect fit for leading this effort.”
Pardey also serves as faculty leader in the Global Food Ventures initiative in MnDRIVE (Minnesota’s Discovery, Research and InnoVation Economy), a $36 million biennial investment from the Minnesota Legislature aimed at addressing some of the greatest societal challenges in Minnesota and around the world. Through public-private partnerships between the U and Minnesota industry, Global Food Ventures aims to develop sustainable solutions for securing the global food supply.
“I’m delighted to be given the opportunity to help forge the new partnerships with leading public and private research and related agencies here at home and abroad that will enable CFANS to once again play a leading role in addressing these global challenges,” Pardey said.