Soheil Rastan

Functional Title: Statistician
Institution: ESCWA - Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
Email Address: soheil.rastan@un.org
Phone Number: +961 81 622 819

Bio
Soheil Rastan, Ph.D., P. Eng., MBA, M. Eng., M. Arch.
One should see no box; let alone thinking outside of it.
Fact or myth is not the question; the probability of each is the question.
ESCWA Project Coordinator: Leave No Location Behind Canvas - Managing the Geo-Statistical Laboratory at ESCWA-Statistics
Environmental sustainability indicators, socioeconomic indicators, engineering and urban planning.
Public-private partnerships, scientific research collaboration.
Leadership, management, coaching, and mentoring.
Interdisciplinary: Professional Engineer, National Accounts, Environment Statistics, Air Quality,
Faculty Member (Canada, China, Vietnam, Cambodia), Senior Fellow (NUS, Singapore), Regional
Adviser (UN-ESCAP, Thailand)
Lead for the conceptual development of Water-Energy Nexus, Statistics Canada, 2019-2020
Divisional Lead for the integration of the New Dissemination Model, Statistics Canada, 2015-2018
Project lead for the collation of sources, concepts and methods, Canadian System for Environmental Economic
Accounting, Statistics Canada, 2014 – 2016
Working committee member: Measuring ecosystem goods and services, Statistics Canada, 2012 – 2013
Foreign international expert delegate invited by the Chinese Government, Air Quality Indicators, 2011
Senior Advisor: Environmental Sustainability Metrics, Energy Sector, Government of Canada, 2009
Senior Advisor: Canadian Urban Energy Mapping, Government of Canada, 2009
Scientific Advisor: Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators, 2005 - 2010
Scientific Advisor: Canadian Health Measure Survey, Statistics Canada, 2005
Recipient of Statistics Canada's Tom Symons Research Award for outstanding contribution on
Measuring Ecosystem Goods and Services Project, Government of Canada, 2013
Recipient of a Departmental R&D Grant (CAD $1.2 million), Statistics Canada. 2009
Recipient of the Deputy Minister’s Special Recognition Merit Award, Statistics Canada, 2007
Recipient of the Director General's Employee Recognition Award for exceptional and distinguished
contribution to the effectiveness of Statistics Canada, 2007
Recipient of Innovation and Solutions R&D grants (CAD $500K), 2004
Recipient of a Federal House In-Order Research and Demonstration grant (CAD $350K), 200

Technology and Data

Years of experience 15+ Years
Technology and Data field: SDG Monitoring, Statistics
Additional fields of expertise: UN SNA, UN SEEA. Integrating Social, Economic, and Environemtal Data. Spatial-Temporal Analysis

Environment

Years of experience 15+ Years
Additional fields of expertise: Energy-Water-Economy Nexus

Urbanization

Years of experience 15+ Years
Urbanization field: 1
Additional fields of expertise: Neighbourhood Theory: Socio-Cultural factors influencing the Physical form of Neighbourhoods.

Years of experience 15+ Years
Social field: Health
Additional fields of expertise: Population Weighted Exposure to Air Quality.

Economic

Years of experience 15+ Years
Economic field: Trade
Additional fields of expertise: Virtual Energy, Water, and Land in Trade

SDGs Expertise:
GOAL 1: No Poverty
GOAL 2: Zero Hunger
GOAL 5: Gender Equality
GOAL 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
GOAL 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
GOAL 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
GOAL 15: Life on Land
GOAL 17: Partnerships to achieve the Goal


Countries of Expertise:
Arab region


  • Capacity building
  • Communication
  • Data analysis
  • Project management
  • Strategic planning
  • Team management
Degree Title University Graduation Date
PhD McGill Univ. Canada 2005-07-15
Title Completion Date
Professional Engineer, Ontario, Canada, P. Eng. License no: 1 000 55497 2006-01-01
Title URL Author/Co-Author
Rastan, S, and Larocque, H, 2015, ‘Development and validation of an ecosystem sustainability indicator for metropolitan areas: a case study’, The Handbook of Clean Energy Systems, John Wiley Author
Velascoa, E, and Rastan, S, 2015, ‘Air quality in Singapore during the 2013 smoke-haze episode over the Strait of Malacca: Lessons learned’, Sustainable Cities and Society, 17 (2015) 122–131 Co-Author
Bordt, M, and Rastan, S, 2015, ‘Role of national agencies as honest brokers between science and policy: case studies on statistics and environmental indicators’, The Handbook of Clean Energy Systems, John Wiley Co-Author
Yerushalmi, L, Rastan, S, 2014, ‘Evaporative Losses from Retail Gasoline Outlets and Their Potential Impact on Ambient and Indoor Air Quality’, Proceedings of the 8th International Symposium on Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning, Volume 1: Indoor Co-Author
Rastan, S, (2013), ‘Human Activity and the Environment: Measuring ecosystem goods and services in Canada’, contributor to the conceptual, technical and statistical development, verification and editing, Statistics Canada Co-Author