Professor Adel Beshai holds an M.A. degree in Economics from Stanford University, USA and a D.Phil. Degree in Economics from Oxford University in the United Kingdom.  Professor Beshai has been on the teaching faculty of the American University in Cairo since 1967 and is currently Professor of International Economics and Director of the Graduate Program in this University.

Professor Beshai is specialized in Macro Economics, International Economics, and Food and Agriculture Economics.
He is the author of the most reputed book on the Sudanese Economy published in England, and has written scores of articles in different aspects of economics.  He lectured in England, University of Bologna, University of Rome, Bocconi University, Durham University. 

He served as a Senator in the Egyptian upper house of Parliament from 1998 to 2004.  Has done many consultancies.
His magnum opus outside the university is his work as Assistant Secretary General of the UN World Food Conference held in Rome in June 1974 and his subsequent work in creating the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in Rome, the creation of which he announced in Rome in May 1976.   He did the negotiations with OPEC countries and DAC countries to create that Fund with a capital of $1 billion and $12 million, the first international institution specialized in Agriculture which had two thirds of the voting power with developing countries.