Md. Jainal Abedin is a Country Coordinator for the CGIAR Research Initiative on Sustainable Healthy Diets through Food Systems Transformation (SHiFT), based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. He has more than 25 years of experience in program planning, implementation, and monitoring and evaluating in both rural and urban contexts, with a focus on food systems transformation and multistakeholder partnerships. Before joining IFPRI, Abedin worked with FAO, UNDP, CARE Bangladesh, Handicap International, and RDRS Bangladesh, where he had managerial and technical roles in strategic areas, including urban food systems transformation, extreme poverty reduction, action research, nutrition and food security, governance, climate adaptation, livelihoods, disability inclusion, women’s empowerment, policy advocacy, and capacity building.

Jainal holds a master's in Business Administration from Southeast University, Bangladesh, and a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics from Bangladesh Agricultural University.