Lian Biar Kuoirot Deng

Lian Biar is an agricultural engineer from South Sudan and a Mastercard Foundation Scholar pursuing an MSc in Water Science, Policy and Management at the University of Oxford. She is a member of Kellogg College and is committed to strengthening climate-resilient agricultural systems and advancing sustainable rural development across Africa.

Before joining Oxford, she worked as a Program Support Intern with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, contributing to a US$46 million African Development Bank-funded programme. Her work included supporting feasibility studies for the revitalisation of the Aweil Rice Scheme and the development of agricultural value chains in South Sudan.

Lian graduated with honours in Agricultural Sciences from EARTH University, Costa Rica, where she received the Distinguished Student Award in 2022, 2023 and 2025. Her commitment to youth leadership and agricultural development has led her to serve as a Next Generation Ag Impact Network Ambassador, a CIVICUS Youth Action Team member and voting member of the CIVICUS World Alliance for Citizen Participation, inaugural Speaker of the South Sudan Youth National Parliament, and Mastercard Foundation Scholars Representative at EARTH University. She has represented young people at international forums including the World Seed Congress, where she delivered a keynote address, the World Food Forum, the IFAMA World Conference, and the World Bank Youth Summit. She is also a 2024 United Nations Institute for Training and Research Fellow.

Lian is the founder of KushAgro, an early-stage agritech startup connecting livestock farmers and traders with markets and agricultural services. At Oxford, she hopes to strengthen the link between water policy and food systems and, after graduation, contribute to evidence-based policymaking that strengthens food security, climate resilience and sustainable development.