faizanburney

This is Dr Syed Faizan Iftikhar. Currently, I am working as a Senior Research Economist/Associate Prof. at the Applied Economics Research Centre, University Karachi. I completed my PhD in Economics from the University of Leicester-England in 2013. Since then, I have been teaching at the postgraduate level and conducting contract and academic research as well. I have been teaching different disciplines of Economics including Micro, Macro, Managerial Economics, International Trade and Finance and Mathematics last many years. I have sound research skills and also supervised more than twenty-five students at M.Phil and PhD levels.

Overall, I have 19 years of professional experience as a researcher and a lecturer in Economics since January 2006. Apart from the teaching responsibility, I have worked on both in-house research projects and projects funded by National and International agencies. Specifically, I was the co-project leader on three projects. One was on the Assessment of Child Labor in the Urban Informal Sector (Funded by USAID and implemented by IFPRI) and Survey Supervisor on a Project Pakistan Fisheries Value Chain Assessment for its Improvement in the Year 2022 – 2023 funded by the World Bank. The other was on Prospects for the Development of Solid Waste Management System: A Case Study of Metropolitan City Karachi and Household Energy Poverty in Pakistan (Funded under the RASTA-PIDE Competitive Grant Program). I was also assisted in the preparation of a chapter for the thematic research report of AERC on Urbanization.

After briefing my professional experience, I would like to pay your attention towards my research area. Since, I have a doctorate in Economics (Thesis title: “Essays on Financial Liberalization and Banking Supervision Policies in Developed and Developing Economies.” https://lra.le.ac.uk/handle/2381/27770 ) therefore the area of my research is primarily related to the investigation of financial variables which bring variations on macro, micro and household level. Up till now, I have worked on the variables affecting banking and corporate sectors such as BASEL, shares and equities, particularly on financial inclusion, remittances and digital financial inclusion. In future, I would like to explore the potential link between digital financial inclusion and the achievement of sustainable development goals. The SDGs are the most aspiring and widely accepted goals to transform every human’s well–being by bringing them out of their vulnerable situations. Subsequently, the previous literature presents clear evidence of the association between access to digital financial services and the successful attainment of the SDGs. Hence, the fast evolution of digital technologies can contribute ruthlessly to achieving these milestones. Therefore, my research particularly focuses on the need to increase the outreach of digital financial inclusion as there has been a strong and significant impact on sustainable economic development. My research would contribute to the economy and human well-being as we are facing new challenges time by time.

As a professional and researcher, it is evident from my track record that I have made, and will continue to make, substantial contributions to the economy. I am very keen to work in a reputable organization as an Economist with Financial and international research institutes where researchers and social scientists are always required to combat new challenges.

Moreover, the modern era and current funding situation in the social sciences require researchers to demonstrate entrepreneurial skills. I can provide services to research-oriented organizations in handling complex data sets and using their findings to provide financial advice to businesses. As an economist, I would research and monitor economic trends and create statistical models to predict future economic developments. I feel like I have been promised to work in a promising land, and I believe in my expertise.