In a testament to his leading role in assessing future directions for irrigation in Australia and overseas, Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Professor Shahbaz Khan will take up a prestigious new role with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). Professor Khan is currently Director of CSU’s International Centre for WATER (IC WATER) and Regional Coordinator of the Asia-Pacific office of UNESCO IHP-HELP. His extensive work has impacted on landholders across inland Australia, the irrigation industry, national water policy in Australia and the international scientific community. In the last few years, Professor Shahbaz and his team, based at CSU’s Wagga Wagga Campus, have received a number of prestigious awards, including the national 2007 Eureka Prize and CSIRO’s Medal for Research Achievement. Professor Khan will also continue to supervise post graduate students at CSU. Professor Khan will join UNESCO as chief of its section on Sustainable Water Resources Development and Management in Paris, France.