Category Archives: Current Team Members

Mohammad Khurram Qureshi

Mohammad Khurram Qureshi is a passionate advocate for civil, political, and socio-economic rights. He is driven by the conviction that law is a powerful tool for fostering justice and equality. As a licensed attorney from Kashmir, Khurram has dedicated his career to legal aid and social litigation, beginning his advocacy journey during law school. His commitment to human rights and public accountability has seen him collaborate with prominent organizations such as the J&K Right to Information Movement, focused on social justice. 

Khurram is the serving President of the Young Lawyers Forum, a non-profit legal organization dedicated to promoting legal awareness and social advocacy in Kashmir. He holds an integrated Bachelor in Arts and Law degree from the Central University of Kashmir. During his law school tenure, he demonstrated exceptional leadership as the Vice President of the Law Society. He is an admitted LL.M. candidate at the University of Wisconsin Law School and will begin his studies there in fall 2024. Khurram’s unwavering dedication to social advocacy continues to inspire his work, making him a formidable force in the pursuit of justice. In his free time, he likes to go hiking, camping, and kayaking.

Saad Mustafa Shonthu

Saad Mustafa Shonthu is interested in critical discourse, and the intersection of culture, politics, and religion. He works as a Disinformation Advisor for Médecins Sans Frontières, alternatively known as Doctors Without Borders. He also works as a Country Analyst for a UK Government program managed by Ecorys. He has a Master’s degree in Media in Development from SOAS University of London, and a Bachelor’s degree in Business and Management from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He loves the mountains. He treks, travels, and reads non-fiction.

Maheen Akram

Maheen Akram holds a Bachelor’s degree from Wellesley College, where she successfully pursued a double major in Economics and Political Science, setting the foundation for her academic and professional pursuits. Immediately after graduating from Wellesley, Maheen spent three years working at Goldman Sachs, Ayco Financial Management. Her experience at Goldman provided her with valuable insights into the complexities and inequities of the financial world and its impact on individuals and communities. Driven by a strong desire to contribute to the advancement of financial literacy and inclusion, Maheen aspires to pursue a Ph.D. to delve into the impact of financial education on individuals’ investment decisions. Her research interests focus on how targeted financial education initiatives can empower underserved communities and lead to improved financial decision-making. Currently, Maheen is serving as a board member and the Secretary for the Kashmir Education Initiative, a 503c non-profit organization that plays a crucial role in providing educational opportunities to underserved students in Kashmir. Her dedication to promoting education and empowerment underscores her strong belief in the transformative power of knowledge. Maheen enjoys camping, cooking, and playing team sports in her free time.

 

Mashood Ahmad Farooqi

Mashood Ahmad Farooqi is interested in the role of social and environmental determinants on physical and mental health clinical outcomes. As a trained physician, he is also interested in how medical students are trained in understanding the role of social and environmental determinants on clinical outcomes. In the Food Lab, Mashood is working with a team to explore the impact of structural determinants on mental health disorders and substance abuse.                                                      Prior to joining the UB Food Lab as a research fellow, Mashood completed his Bachelors in Medicine and Bachelors in Surgery (MBBS) from Government Medical College, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir.

Mashood is an avid football fan. In his spare time, Mashood enjoys reading fantasy and history, and spending time in the gym and in the wilderness.

Kate Hays

Kate Hays is a planner and researcher interested in the impacts of the built environment on community health, particularly at the intersection of climate justice and racial equity. She holds master’s degrees in urban planning and public health from the University at Buffalo, where she specialized in community health and food systems planning. Previously, she worked as a medical case manager for newly arrived refugees in Buffalo, NY, and as an instructor at an adult literacy program in Chelsea, MA. 

Touseef Yousuf Mir

Touseef Yousuf Mir is a Faculty at the Department of Development Studies, SOAS, University of London. He is an award-winning political ethnographer, decolonial scholar and public engagement advocate. Building on a decade plus research and activism experience, his work sits at the intersection of comparative politics, conflict and development studies. Touseef remains committed to community engagement and social justice advocacy bridging university and community spaces through North-South and South-South collaborations.  He’s the founder/lead of the online Kashmiri educational platform – Pe’nd Online. He also serves as the trustee and governing council member of Development Studies Association, UK (DSA) as well as task-group member for decolonising knowledge for development initiative of the European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI). Apart from other awards, Touseef recently received the Mary-Tasker Award for Excellence in Teaching (2024) and the Vice-Chancellor’s Outreach Award (2024) from the University of Bath.


                

 

 

Kahad Adamu

A doctoral student in urban and regional planning, Kahad Adamu is interested in the political ecology of gold mining in Sub-Saharan Africa and managing natural resources (land and water), land management and administration, and affordable housing. 

At the Food Lab, Kahad works on a variety of analytical projects. He is currently investigating the racial disparities in the spatial distribution of retail food destinations in Erie County. He is also involved in the Healthy Corner Store Initiative (HCSI) project.  

Before joining UB, Kahad earned an MSc in Urban Development Planning from University College London (UCL) and a BSc (Hons) in Land Economy from KNUST in Ghana. Kahad previously worked as an adjunct lecturer at Kumasi Technical University in Kumasi, Ghana, where he taught courses such as Land Use Planning and Administration and Property Rating and Taxation. He also worked with the Land Resources and Management Center (LRMC) on projects that examined urban governance and informal settlement in Ghana’s capital city.

Zane Longwell

Zane Longwell is a current Master of Urban Planning student at the University at Buffalo investigating how the City of Buffalo can support locally-owned food retail. He is interested in food systems equity, urban agriculture, climate justice, and affordable housing. He was recognized for his advocacy work as the Faculty Liaison with the Graduate Planning Student Association by receiving a Master of Urban Planning Service Award and was also nominated for a Pillars of Leadership Student Organization Officer of the Year award. In 2022, he completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Architectural Studies at Kent State University. Outside of school, Zane enjoys watching reality TV, reading, going to coffee shops, and hiking.

 

Insha Akram

Insha Akram is interested in understanding the experiences of women smallholder farmers living in the conflict setting of Kashmir valley in the Himalayan region within their communities’ food systems and creating equitable spaces for women. Her research interests include gender discrimination, women’s equity within traditional markets, and food sovereignty in occupied regions. In the Lab, Insha’s work focuses on smallholder farmers growing indigenous collard greens in Srinagar city of Jammu and Kashmir and coordinates all of the lab’s team.  Insha is currently pursuing a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning with a specialization in Community Health and Food Systems.
Before pursuing graduate studies at the University at Buffalo, Insha trained in biological sciences and business management. She has worked in the IT industry and food retail industries. During her work in the retail industry, her perspectives changed while working with differently-abled/disabled employees, reinforcing her focus on creating equitable systems. Outside the lab, she enjoys reading novels, horse riding, and eating sweets. She is a nature lover.