Shahbaz Khan (b. in Jhelum Pakistan) is an Australian climatologist and hydrologist. He is currently Chief of Section on Sustainable Water Resources Development and Management. His work at UNESCO includes the Water Education for Sustainable Development, Hydrology for Environment, Life and Policy (HELP)[1], Ecohydrology, Water and Ethics, Energy and Food Nexus within the International Hydrological Programme (IHP). He advises UN member states on environmental policies, review of curricula, and securing multilateral support for research and education projects especially in the Asia-Pacific and African regions.
Khan has been a proponent and champion of a range of innovative water management programs by working closely with the Australian government e.g. Australian Prime Minister’s 2007, $10 billion, 10 point, 10 year rural water security plan. He has played a vital role in bringing together multidisciplinary research programs; e.g., a new program aimed at combining irrigation, other competing uses and the environment together (System HarmonisationTM Program [2]) under the Australian Cooperative Research Centres initiative. This program brings together key researchers from 15 advanced research partners across Australia.
Khan was previously Professor of Hydrology and Director of International Centre of Water at the Charles Sturt University Australia and Research Leader/Director of Irrigated Systems and Rural Water Use areas of CSIRO Australia [3]. He was also part of the team who developed 1st computer based early warning system for floods in Pakistan known as Flood Early Warning System (FEWS [4]).
Khan has been a proponent of community driven research. Examples of his stakeholder initiatives include his Chairmanship of Irrigated Cropping Forum Australia and programme leadership of System Harmonisation through Regional Irrigation Business Partnerships for Cooperative Research Centre-Irrigation Futures. He was a member of the Australian Prime Minister’s Vision 2020 Team [5].
Khan has received the Australian Eureka Award [6], Australia-New Zealand Modelling and Simulation Society Biennial Medal [7], CSIRO Medal [8], Charles Sturt University’s Vice Chancellor’s Research Excellence Award 2006, CLW 2004, “Partner or Perish Award”, 2005 winning team Research Director, 2005 CSIRO Environmental Prize, CSIRO Land and Water (CLW) Division Year 2000 “Exceptional Achievements Award”. Khan has been featured in the Australian National media e.g. The Australian on water, environment and population issues [9].
Khan has developed SWAGMAN series of mathematical models of irrigation, drought management, groundwater flow and contaminant transport and surface-groundwater interactions [10].