Dr. Fawad Shah
fawad90@yahoo.com
Dr. Fawad Shah brings nearly twenty-five years of strategic leadership in agriculture, seed systems, and international capacity building. He currently serves as Visiting Professor in the Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics at the University of Minnesota, where he developed and teaches the Seed Science, Technology and Society course. In parallel, he collaborates with researchers and NGOs to advance international agricultural development initiatives.
Most recently, Dr. Shah served as President and CEO of the Minnesota Crop Improvement Association (MCIA), where he led enterprise-wide delivery of seed certification, seed testing, organic certification, identity-preserved grain inspections, and foundation seed services. Under his leadership, MCIA strengthened its operational excellence, regulatory credibility, and service footprint across specialty and conventional crop systems.
Dr. Shah’s career spans senior leadership roles in seed quality assurance, regulatory oversight, intellectual property protection, germplasm licensing, and global seed system harmonization. He previously served as Director of the USDA AMS Seed Regulatory and Testing Division and represented the United States as Designated Authority and Voting Delegate to the OECD Seed Schemes. Notably, he chaired the 2014 OECD Seed Schemes Annual Meeting in Zagreb, Croatia, and served on international evaluation missions that expanded global participation in the Seed Schemes.
His capacity-building work has had measurable impact across Taiwan and Pakistan, with collaborative engagements in Somalia, Zimbabwe, India, and Croatia. He has also represented the United States at major international forums, including the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) Congress and the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV).
A native of Pakistan, Dr. Shah holds a B.S. and M.S. in Plant Breeding & Genetics from the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, an MBA, and a Ph.D. in Seed Technology from Mississippi State University. His career reflects a consistent focus on building resilient seed systems, strengthening institutions, and aligning science, policy, and markets for sustainable agricultural growth.