Avais has six years of experience with development projects implemented by international nonprofit organizations. Avais has a Master’s degree in Business Administration, and Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from Iqra University Islamabad, Pakistan. In Avais’s most recent assignment with The Asia Foundation, he developed the organization capacity of civil society organizations partnering with USAID Citizens’ Voice Project. In his previous position with Winrock, Avais promoted renewable and alternate energy technologies including biogas and biomass. He worked with dairy farming communities, and advocated for the installation of biogas plants for energy generation. He successfully piloted eight medium size biogas plants for electricity generation. Avais also worked with medium size industries to identify biomass energy potential, and enabled two industries to obtain donor support for implementation of their renewable energy projects. While implementing renewable energy projects, Avais contributed towards highlighting environmental issues and promoting environment protection by identifying carbon financing opportunities available through the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).
Host Organization: Center for Environmental Health
Role at Host Organization: Avais will serve as the lead coordinator for CEH 2015 annual Fracking and Health Symposium which will bring together scientists, academia, and community members to share information on the effects of hydraulic fracturing on community health.