![Honorary Professor Saleem Ali](/sites/default/files/profiles/2846.jpeg)
Overview
Background
Prof. Saleem Ali served as the Director of the Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining (CSRM) from 2012 to 2014 and is currently Blue and Gold Distinguished Professor of Energy and the Environment at the University of Delaware (USA). He retains an affiliate research professorship at UQ and has also held the Chair in Sustainable Resource Development at UQ's Sustainable Minerals Institute. As an environmental planner, his research and practice is highly interdisciplinary and aims to inform social management with rigorous science.
Former Professional Experience
Prof. Ali was a Professor of Environmental Studies at the University of Vermont's Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources from 2002 to 2012 and the founding Director of the Institute for Environmental Diplomacy and Security at UVM's James Jeffords Center for Policy Research. He was also on the adjunct faculty of Brown University’s Watson Institute for International Studies and the visiting faculty for the United Nations mandated University for Peace (Costa Rica).
Before embarking on an academic career, Prof. Ali worked as an environmental health and safety professional at General Electric (based at GE headquarters in Fairfield, CT, and at silicone resin manufacturing sites in New York). He has served as a consultant for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Health Canada. He has also been an Associate at the Boston-based consulting firm Industrial Economics Inc. Some of his pro bono projects include a mining impact prospectus for the Crowe Tribe of Montana and research assistance to Cultural Survival (an indigenous rights NGO).
Past Research
Prof. Ali's primary research interests have been in the causes and consequences of environmental conflicts in the research sector, and the process of using ecological factors to promote peace. Some of Prof. Ali’s former research appointments include a visiting fellowship at the Brookings Institution's research center in Doha, Qatar; a Public Policy Fellowship at Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia, a Baker Foundation Research Fellowship at Harvard Business School and a parliamentary internship at the U.K. House of Commons. Dr Ali has teaching experience in courses on environmental planning, conflict resolution, industrial ecology, research methods and technical writing.
Publications
Prof. Ali’s books include the Treasures of the Earth: Need, Greed and a Sustainable Future (Yale University Press, 2010) which received a cover endorsement from Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus for providing a "welcome link between environmental behaviour and poverty alleviation." Among his earlier works is the acclaimed comparative case-based research book Mining, the Environment and Indigenous Development Conflicts (University of Arizona Press). Prof. Ali has served as an editor in many publications including Earth Matters: Indigenous Peoples, The Extractive Industries and Corporate Social Responsibility (edited with Ciaran O'Fairchellaegh) and the widely acclaimed volume Peace Parks: Conservation and Conflict Resolution (MIT Press, September, 2007), which has received cover endorsements from environmental scientists E.O. Wilson, George Schaller and UNEP executive director Achim Steiner, and a foreword by IUCN Director General Julia Marton-Lefevre. He has also published in a wide range of peer-reveiwed journals including Nature, Science, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Resources Policy and Journal of Cleaner Production. A full list of publications can be found in the publication interface of thsi page or in Google Scholar.
Awards and Recognition
The World Economic Forum chose Prof. Ali as a "Young Global Leader" in 2011. He has also been selected by the National Geographic Society as an "Emerging Explorer" and was profiled in "Forbes magazine" in September, 2009 in an article titled "The Alchemist."
Other Interests and positions
Prof. Ali is a member of the World Commission on Protected Areas and the IUCN Taskforce on Transboundary Conservation. He is also a professional mediator and has conducted workshops on consensus-building for private and public interests. He has assisted in the peer review process for research publications with the World Bank, the International Institute for Sustainable Development, The Woodrow Wilson Center, the Journal of Environmental Management, the Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, the Natural Resources Forum and Yale University Press.
Prof. Ali is involved in numerous non-profit organizations to promote environmental peace-building. He currently serves on the board of The DMZ Forum for Peace and Nature Conservation and International Peace Park Expeditions in the United States and on the board of governors for LEAD-Pakistan. He has also been involved in promoting environmental education in madrassahs (Islamic religious schools) and using techniques from environmental planning to study the rise of these institutions in his ethnic homeland, Pakistan. This prompted Prof. Ali to publish a sole-authored book in January 2009 titled Islam and Education: Conflict and Conformity in Pakistan's Madrassahs (Oxford University Press)
Professor Ali received his doctorate in Environmental Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), an M.E.S. in environmental law and policy from Yale University, and his Bachelors in Chemistry from Tufts University (summa cum laude).
Availability
- Honorary Professor Saleem Ali is:
- Available for supervision
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Research impacts
Based on the impact of Professor Ali's research he was asked to serve on the Global Future Council on Advanced Materials convemed by the World economic Forum from 2016 to 2018 and he is also an expert advisor to the United Nations' Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. In addition he is serving on the Governance Task Force of the United Nations' International Resource Panel.
Works
Search Professor Saleem Ali’s works on UQ eSpace
2024
Journal Article
Deep-sea mining opponents: there’s no free lunch when it comes to clean energy
Ali, Saleem H. (2024). Deep-sea mining opponents: there’s no free lunch when it comes to clean energy. Nature, 626 (7999), 480-480. doi: 10.1038/d41586-024-00404-1
2024
Journal Article
Material conflicts <b>The War Below</b> <i>Ernest Scheyder</i> One Signal Publishers/Atria, 2024. 384 pp
Ali, Saleem H. (2024). Material conflicts The War Below Ernest Scheyder One Signal Publishers/Atria, 2024. 384 pp. Science, 383 (6681), 374-374. doi: 10.1126/science.adk9387
2024
Journal Article
Editorial: Transboundary conservation
Wang, Lin, Ali, Saleem H., Thornton, Daniel H. and Farhadinia, Mohammad S. (2024). Editorial: Transboundary conservation. Frontiers in Conservation Science, 5 1363427. doi: 10.3389/fcosc.2024.1363427
2024
Book Chapter
Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus and the SDGs in Central and South Asia
Akram, Humayoun, Mohazzam, Sardar and Ali, Saleem H. (2024). Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus and the SDGs in Central and South Asia. Water Security in a New World. (pp. 191-205) Cham: Springer International Publishing. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-29035-0_10
2023
Journal Article
SDG 12 needs an oceanic interface: sand mining, saltwater intrusion (SWI) and coastal sustainability
Sarupria, Manan, Sultana, Naznin Nahar and Ali, Saleem H. (2023). SDG 12 needs an oceanic interface: sand mining, saltwater intrusion (SWI) and coastal sustainability. Sustainable Earth Reviews, 6 (1) 14, 1-14. doi: 10.1186/s42055-023-00061-8
2023
Journal Article
In Africa, “climate‐smart” conservation must be coupled with poverty alleviation
Ali, Saleem H., Diallo, Penda, Kameni, Apoli Bertrand, Le Billon, Philippe, Oromeng, Kopo, Davis, Kyle Frankel and Carr, Edward R. (2023). In Africa, “climate‐smart” conservation must be coupled with poverty alleviation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 120 (44) e2309279120, 1-5. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2309279120
2023
Book
Soil to foil: aluminum and the quest for industrial sustainability
Ali, Saleem H. (2023). Soil to foil: aluminum and the quest for industrial sustainability. New York, NY United States: Columbia University Press.
2023
Journal Article
There's no free lunch in clean energy
Ali, Saleem H. (2023). There's no free lunch in clean energy. Nature, 615 (7953), 563-563.
2023
Journal Article
The US should get serious about mining critical minerals for clean energy
Ali, Saleem H. (2023). The US should get serious about mining critical minerals for clean energy. Nature, 615 (7953), 563-563. doi: 10.1038/d41586-023-00790-y
2023
Journal Article
Land and deep-sea mining: the challenges of comparing biodiversity impacts
Katona, Steven, Paulikas, Daina, Ali, Saleem, Clarke, Michael, Ilves, Erika, Lovejoy, Thomas E., Madin, Laurence P. and Stone, Gregory S. (2023). Land and deep-sea mining: the challenges of comparing biodiversity impacts. Biodiversity and Conservation, 32 (4), 1125-1164. doi: 10.1007/s10531-023-02558-2
2023
Journal Article
Natural resources modulate the nexus between environmental shocks and human mobility
Brottrager, Michael, Crespo Cuaresma, Jesus, Kniveton, Dominic and Ali, Saleem H. (2023). Natural resources modulate the nexus between environmental shocks and human mobility. Nature Communications, 14 (1) 1393, 1-8. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-37074-y
2023
Journal Article
Carbon-adjusted efficiency and technology gaps in gold mining
Ahmad, Shabbir, Steen, John, Ali, Saleem and Valenta, Rick (2023). Carbon-adjusted efficiency and technology gaps in gold mining. Resources Policy, 81 103327, 1-12. doi: 10.1016/j.resourpol.2023.103327
2023
Conference Publication
Resource allocation and environmental productivity: evidence from global aluminium smelting
Ahmad, Shabbir, Steen, John, ,Ali, Saleem and Zajac, Tomasz (2023). Resource allocation and environmental productivity: evidence from global aluminium smelting. AARES, Christchurch, New Zealand, 7-10 February 2023.
2023
Conference Publication
Resource allocation and environmental productivity: evidence from global aluminium smelting
Ahmad, Shabbir, Steen, John, Ali, Saleem and Zajac, Tomasz (2023). Resource allocation and environmental productivity: evidence from global aluminium smelting. Australian Agriculture and Resource Economics Society Conference, Christchurch, New Zealand, 7-10 February 2023.
2023
Journal Article
Transnational agricultural land acquisitions threaten biodiversity in the Global South
Davis, Kyle Frankel, Müller, Marc F, Rulli, Maria Cristina, Tatlhego, Mokganedi, Ali, Saleem, Baggio, Jacopo A, Dell’Angelo, Jampel, Jung, Suhyun, Kehoe, Laura, Niles, Meredith T and Eckert, Sandra (2023). Transnational agricultural land acquisitions threaten biodiversity in the Global South. Environmental Research Letters, 18 (2) 024014, 1-16. doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/acb2de
2023
Book
Adaptive Governance to Manage Human Mobility and Natural Resource Stress
Ali, Saleem H., Clifford, Martin, Kniveton, Dominic, Zickgraf, Caroline and Ayeb-Karlsson, Sonja (2023). Adaptive Governance to Manage Human Mobility and Natural Resource Stress. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1017/9781009357708
2023
Journal Article
ALUMINUM FOR ALL The Invention of a Household Metal
Ali, Saleem H. (2023). ALUMINUM FOR ALL The Invention of a Household Metal. Soil to Foil, 145-+.
2023
Journal Article
EPILOGUE Governing Our Planet's Elemental Resources
Ali, Saleem H. (2023). EPILOGUE Governing Our Planet's Elemental Resources. Soil to Foil, 245-+.
2023
Book Chapter
The social conundrum of eco-centric activism against oceanic minerals
Ali, Saleem H. (2023). The social conundrum of eco-centric activism against oceanic minerals. Critical minerals, the climate crisis and the tech imperium. (pp. 167-178) edited by Kalantzakos, Sophia. Cham, Switzerland: Springer Nature Switzerland. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-25577-9_9
2023
Journal Article
ELEMENTAL ORIGINS AND THE INVENTION OF NEED
Ali, Saleem H. (2023). ELEMENTAL ORIGINS AND THE INVENTION OF NEED. Soil to Foil, 3-+.
Supervision
Availability
- Honorary Professor Saleem Ali is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
Supervision history
Completed supervision
-
2021
Doctor Philosophy
Environmental rights and extractive industries in Canada and Argentina: a comparative constitutional analysis
Principal Advisor
-
2020
Doctor Philosophy
An Inquiry into the Economic Commonwealth of Mineral Resources: Does Ownership Matter?
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Shabbir Ahmad, Associate Professor Kathryn Sturman
-
2017
Doctor Philosophy
Transnational Energy Projects as Mechanisms of Regional Cooperation in South Asia: Addressing Political, Security and Environmental Challenges
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Matt McDonald
-
2020
Doctor Philosophy
Opportunities and challenges for women's empowerment in the gemstone value chain in Madagascar and Thailand
Joint Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Peter Liesch, Professor Martie-Louise Verreynne, Associate Professor Kathryn Sturman
-
2024
Doctor Philosophy
Urban Mining and Circular Economy Transition in African Cities: The case of Luanda
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Lynda Lawson
-
2014
Doctor Philosophy
Government-managed Resettlement in Vietnam: Structure, Participation and Impoverishment Risks in the Case of the Thach Khe Iron Ore Mine
Associate Advisor
Media
Enquiries
For media enquiries about Honorary Professor Saleem Ali's areas of expertise, story ideas and help finding experts, contact our Media team: