Hi, I’m Faiaz - a public servant, an economist, public policy enthusiast, and community builder based in Edmonton, Alberta. At the heart of my work is a simple goal: taking complex economic and political challenges and turning them into opportunities or practical policies that genuinely help people. My defining values are curiosity, collaboration, and compassion. Currently, I serve as a Senior Intergovernmental Officer with the Government of Alberta, where I work on advancing Alberta's international interests by leading government-to-government relations and strategic engagement across Europe, Africa and central Asia. Before stepping into this role, I spent time shaping economic development policies and First Nations engagement as a Policy Analyst in the Ministry of Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration. 

I graduated from the School of Global Policy and Strategy at University of California San Diego (UCSD) with a Master's in Public Policy (MPP) degree as a Dean's fellow and a merit fellowship (full scholarship) recipient. I was awarded the Academic Achievement award for attaining the highest GPA in the graduating MPP class. I also served as the Vice-President of Academic Affairs for the Graduate and Professional Students Association (GPSA) representing all the graduate and professional students at UCSD. I received my undergraduate degree from University of British Columbia (UBC) as a recipient of the International Leader of Tomorrow (ILOT) award.

After my graduate degree, I worked as a Pre-doctoral fellow at the Development Data Lab that uses cutting edge data tools and large data sources to produce relevant research and help people in poverty around the world reach their full potential. I am primarily working on replication of the "In-group bias in the Indian judiciary" project. Prior to this, I  worked as the Graduate Teaching Assistant in two core first year graduate courses at UCSD: Policymaking Processes and Public Finance. In the summer of 2023, I worked as a summer intern at the Development Impact Evaluation (DIME) unit in the Research Group of the World Bank, where I worked under the gender unit and was involved with several RCTs designed to evaluate the effectiveness of different interventions to stop sexual harassment on public transport vehicles in developing countries.  Previously in UCSD, I worked as a Graduate Student Researcher at the Center for Gender Equity and Health where I worked primarily in the EMERGE project funded by the Gates Foundation, which is one of the largest repositories of measures and resources for survey researchers and practitioners. I have co-authored several research and policy briefs for different government and multi-lateral organizations, including Afrobarometer. Before coming to UCSD, I worked in public sector consulting and for different public sector organizations, including the United Nations and a municipal government in Canada. I believe in the vital role that public and non-profit organizations play in defining the quality of life for people in our communities.

Having lived and worked in three continents, I enjoy meeting new people, visiting novel places and learning about diverse cultures and their histories. Outside of work, you can find me catching up with friends, reading voraciously, listening to podcasts, running long distances, playing cricket, or writing for my blog.

(Last Updated: September 2026)