Global
Philip Pardey
Dr. Philip Pardey's career exemplifies the “slow magic” of agricultural innovation that he has championed throughout his professional life. An Australian native who first came to Minnesota as a Ph.D. student in 1979, Dr. Pardey maintained a continuous connection with the University during his 18-year career in the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) as an adjunct faculty member before returning as a full professor in 2002.
Dr. Pardey's groundbreaking work has focused on meticulously evaluating and influencing investments in global agricultural research. His landmark publications—"Science Under Scarcity" and "Persistence Pays"—provide economic evidence that shaped agricultural R&D policy worldwide. Throughout his career, he has acted as major advisor for 17 international graduate students, encouraging their continued involvement in their home countries while building lasting global connections between established institutions and early-career researchers.
Recognizing the dramatic shift from public to private funding sources in agricultural R&D, Dr. Pardey has pioneered innovative strategies to bolster public-private partnerships across the entire spectrum of agri-food relevant domains, from genomics and plant pathology to economics and policy development. As founding director of the International Science and Technology Practice and Policy (InSTePP) Center and founding co-director of the GEMS Informatics Initiative, he built critical bridges between academia and global policymakers, transforming how agricultural research is conducted, evaluated, and applied. Most recently, with funding from the Gates Foundation, he launched the Agri-Food Innovation Intelligence (AFII) Initiative joint with the CGIAR, continuing his lifelong mission of building sustainable investment strategies for global food security.