Sheriff Aliu is a sustainability and food systems scholar whose work examines equity, governance, and sustainability dimensions of food production systems. He is completing his PhD in Biological and Environmental Sciences at the University of Rhode Island, where his research focuses on controlled environment agriculture, urban agriculture, food justice, and the social and environmental tradeoffs of emerging food system technologies. He holds an MSc in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security from Newcastle University, United Kingdom, where he studied as a Commonwealth Scholar.

His work combines sustainability assessment, qualitative research, policy analysis, and stakeholder engagement to understand how food systems can be designed to serve communities more equitably while responding to climate and environmental challenges. Sheriff has conducted research across the United States, the United Kingdom, Nigeria, and Ireland, with projects spanning urban food governance, food system equity, life cycle sustainability assessment, and climate related sustainability reporting.

Sheriff is interested in the intersections between food systems, ocean governance, blue economies, and equity. His current interests include sustainable seaweed value chains, coastal livelihoods, and the role of justice centered governance in shaping more inclusive and resilient food and ocean systems.