Iskandar Abdullaev

Country Representative - Pakistan

Dr. Abdullaev has intensive training and education programmes in Israel (1996-1997), the USA (1999), the Netherlands (2000), and Switzerland (2002). Dr. Iskandar Abdullaev has over 25 years of experience in water management, water institutions, and environmental activities in Afghanistan and five Central Asian countries. Dr. Iskandar Abdullaev recently joined the International Water Management Institute as a country Representative for the Pakistan office. From 2023-2024, he worked as a Professor at the Centre for International Development and Environmental Research (ZEU), Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany. Before joining ZEU, Dr. Abdullaev worked as Deputy Director of Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) from 2019-2023. From 2013 to 2019, Dr. Abdullaev worked as an Executive Director of the Regional Environmental Center (CAREC) for Central Asia. Before joining CAREC in 2009-2013, Dr. Abdullaev worked as a Regional Advisor for Germany’s Berlin Initiative- Transboundary Water Management in Central Asia (Programme) at the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ). During 2007-2009, he worked as a Senior Researcher at the ZEF Centre for Development Research University of Bonn (Germany) and conducted research in Central Asia and Afghanistan. From 2001 to 2007, Dr. Abdullaev worked as a regional researcher at the International Water Management Institute (Headquartered in Sri Lanka). His research focus included Central Asia, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the Caucasus. Dr Abdullaev’s research interests include water sector developments and transformations, socio-technical aspects of water management, water history, water saving, and climate change. Dr. Abdullaev is very well linked with research and scientific societies of the region and worldwide. He is a member of the International Water Resources Association (IWRA) and a member of the editorial boards of a few internationally peer-reviewed journals.

Recent publications