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Alec Zuo

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Alec Zuo

PhD, Professor

 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0425-4633
20082026

Research activity per year

Personal profile

Research Biography

I am a professor and ARC Future Fellow in the College of Business, Creative Arts, Law and Social Sciences (BCLS), Flinders University. I am affiliated with the Centre for Social Impact and the National Centre for Groundwater Research and Training at Flinders University. I am also a member of the Water, Environment and Food economics policy group in BCLS.

I am an applied economist specialising in agricultural, environmental, and resource economics. My research has addressed issues and questions that are fundamental to UN Sustainable Development Goals and Australian National Research Priorities.

 

Research Interests

  • Agricultural Economics
  • Climate change adaptation and mitigation
  • Drought impacts
  • Environmental and Resource Economics
  • Water Markets

Career Highlights

My research has contributed significantly to understanding the impact of climate change and resources on irrigation farming, farmer adaptation strategies, and market-based instruments for water resource management. My research has been published in leading international journals (e.g., Global Environment Change, American Journal of Agricultural Economics, European Review of Agricultural Economics, Energy Economics, etc.) and I have collaborated with researchers from over 20 organisations worldwide on agricultural, resource, environment and development issues across 11 countries in four continents. I have substantial experience in initiating and managing large research projects, funded by the Australian Research Council (currently an ARC Future Fellow), the Australian National Commission for UNESCO, the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility, the federal Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, the Australian Consumer & Competition Commission, and the Murray Darling Basin Authority.

My funding highlights include an ARC Future Fellowship (2023-2027) to quantify the economic and social impacts of drought in rural Australia, and a GRDC grant (2023-2027) to investigate sustainable farming strategies in southern Australia. Other key projects include an ARC Discovery (2022-2025) on water market reforms, a Federal Department of Agriculture project (2020-2023) evaluating agricultural export channels to China, and numerous ACIAR initiatives, enhancing smallholder incomes and agricultural systems in Vietnam, Africa, and the Indo-Gangetic Plains.

Team Members

Alec is a member of the newly-formed Water, Environment and Food economics policy group (WEF) in College of Bisiness, Creative Arts, Law and Social Sciences (BCLS) at Flinders University.

The team is comprised of eight distinguished environment and resource economists including award-winning Professor Sarah Wheeler, Professor Neville Crossman, and ARC Future Fellow Professor Alec Zuo, along with two PhD students. Their research aims to enhance the management and allocation of water in the Murray-Darling Basin, evaluate the impacts of water scarcity on regional and farming communities, develop water markets, promote sustainable farming practices, and assess the effects of drought and flooding.

Collaborating with industry and regional stakeholders and led by Professor Wheeler, the team aims to develop policies that tackle Australia's water challenges and the effects of climate change, with a strong commitment to real-world solutions and informing best practices for sustainable water management.

See Flinders News for more information. 

Education/Academic qualification

PhD, University of South Australia

External positions

Research Committee Member (School of Economics and Public Policy), University of Adelaide

2021 → 2024

Council member, Chinese Economics Society Australia

2017 → …

Treasurer, Australasian Agricultural & Resource Economics Society

2014 → …

Member, International Water Resource Economics Consortium (IWREC)

2013 → …

Supervision

  • Registered

Research Areas

  • Business
  • Ecology and conservation
  • Environmental health

Supervisory Interests

  • Agricultural Economics
  • Climate change adaptation and mitigation
  • Drought impacts
  • Environmental and Resource Economics
  • Water Markets

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  1. SDG 1 - No Poverty
    SDG 1 No Poverty
  2. SDG 2 - Zero Hunger
    SDG 2 Zero Hunger
  3. SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
    SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
  4. SDG 4 - Quality Education
    SDG 4 Quality Education
  5. SDG 5 - Gender Equality
    SDG 5 Gender Equality
  6. SDG 6 - Clean Water and Sanitation
    SDG 6 Clean Water and Sanitation
  7. SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy
    SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy
  8. SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth
    SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
  9. SDG 9 - Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
    SDG 9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
  10. SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities
    SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities
  11. SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities
    SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities
  12. SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production
    SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production
  13. SDG 13 - Climate Action
    SDG 13 Climate Action
  14. SDG 14 - Life Below Water
    SDG 14 Life Below Water
  15. SDG 15 - Life on Land
    SDG 15 Life on Land
  16. SDG 16 - Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
    SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
  17. SDG 17 - Partnerships for the Goals
    SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals

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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years

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