Biography

I am an Environmental Scientist and Climate Change Impact Modeler specializing in species distribution modelling, climate risk assessment, geospatial analysis, and higher education teaching. I am recognized among the Stanford/Elsevier Top 2% of Scientists (2022–2025), with over 90 peer-reviewed publications in Q1/Q2 journals and 5,930 citations (h-index: 38; i10-index: 67).

I serve as a course coordinator for multiple undergraduate courses, teach several postgraduate units, and coordinate and assess Program Learning Outcomes (PLO) to ensure high-quality curriculum delivery and student achievement. My research portfolio includes the development and application of advanced environmental modelling frameworks and the successful acquisition of USD 3M in competitive research grants (USD 850,000 as Lead Principal Investigator; USD 2.1M as Principal Investigator). I actively mentor students from undergraduate to PhD levels and collaborate internationally across Australia, the Middle East, Europe, and South America.

Courses Taught

Undergraduate

  • GEOG 242 – Weather & Climate
  • BIOL 221 – Basic Ecology + Lab
  • BIOL 496 – Senior Project

Postgraduate

  • BIOL 501 – Earth Systems
  • BIOL 502 – GIS and Databases
  • BIOL 505 – Graduate Seminar in Environmental Science
  • BIOL 530 – Graduate Research and Thesis
  • BIOL 600 – Advanced Graduate Seminar
  • BIOL 602 – Lab Rotation
  • BIOL 613 – Geospatial Methods
  • BIOL 616 – Biodiversity
  • BIOL 617 – Earth Systems Modeling (Special Topic)

Academic and Research Appointments

I am currently an Adjunct Research Fellow at Flinders University in the field of Environmental Modelling and Climate Change.

Prior to moving to Qatar, I held four research postdoctoral fellowships across Australian universities—University of New England, Macquarie University, and Flinders University — and worked for two government agencies:

  • Biosecurity Queensland, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, and
  • NSW Department of Regional NSW – Primary Industries.

I completed my PhD in Environmental Science, Environmental Modelling, and Climate Change at the University of New England, Australia.

Editorial Roles

I currently serve as an Academic Editor for multiple journals, including:

  • Journal of Biogeography
  • Ecology and Evolution
  • PeerJ

Major Research Projects

ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH) – Global Ecology Lab

In 2018, I joined the Global Ecology Lab as an Associate Investigator in palaeo-ecological vegetation modelling for the ARC CABAH (AUD 46M). My work involved applying advanced global dynamic vegetation models (including LPJ-GUESS) and bioclimatic envelope models to reconstruct and simulate vegetation dynamics over the past 200,000 years. This research explores how historical and future climate change influences Australia’s vegetation and biodiversity. One of my current palaeo-climate studies (under review) suggests potential shifts in forest distribution driven by warming, increased wildfire frequency, and rising CO₂, while accounting for uncertainties associated with human-driven fires, landscape modification, and invasive species.

Which Plant Where Project (AUD 12M)

I contributed to the Which Plant Where project, where I modelled climate suitability for ~2,500 plant species and helped develop online decision-support tools that guide plant selection for Australian urban landscapes under current and future climates. The project was funded by Hort Frontiers Green Cities Fund with co-investment from major universities and government agencies.
I also contributed to WEED FUTURES, a nationally significant project assessing current and future weed threats in Australia.

University of New England & National Climate Projects

From 2016–2018, I was a Postdoctoral Fellow at UNE, teaching GIS, Remote Sensing, and Image Analysis (EM334/534, EM432/532), and co-supervised PhD students. I also served as a GIS specialist for the Commonwealth Department of Environment Pacific Climate Change Project, a national initiative run through UNE (2013–2014).

Research Interests

  • Vegetation modelling
  • Climate change impacts on biodiversity and plant species
  • Species distribution modelling and risk assessment
  • GIS and spatial analysis
  • Biodiversity conservation
  • Big data analysis
  • Soil erosion and land degradation

Professional Service and Recognition

I have served as a grant reviewer for the Marsden Fund Council (2019) and have been recognized with multiple academic awards, including:

  • Chancellor’s Doctoral Research Medal, University of New England
  • International Postgraduate Research Scholarship (IPRS)
  • Keith and Dorothy Mackay Travelling Scholarship

I can be reached via email at fshabani@qu.edu.qa, AND farzin.shabani@flinders.edu.au.

EcoSpatialLab: link

ORCID: link  

Scopus ID: link  

Google Scholar: link  

Publons: link  

ResearchGate: link

ECOSPATIALLAB