Ainsley Archer's research interests are in the application of information and knowledge to facilitate decision making. He has applied these interests mainly in domain of agriculture and ecological systems. He has a PhD from McGill University in Information Systems and Decision Support Tools in Animal Breeding and a M.Sc. in Animal Breeding and Genetics. He has over 10 years research experience in agricultural and ecological systems modelling and decision support tools development. This included stints in Australia with the Commonwealth Science and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) using complex systems models to create decision support tools for agricultural value chains and sustainable resource use in Northern Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef Region. Before returning to Canada, he spent a year as Research Director at the Ministry of Agriculture in Jamaica.
He currently works for the Ontario government in various roles as a champion for the application of information and performance measurement frameworks as effective information system tools. Currently, he works in the Farm Finance Branch, where he supports Business Risk Management programs and policies. He has been implementing the Ministry’s BRM performance measurement framework and seeks to use this platform for innovation in the policy decision-making space.