| The ENB/Linkages Team |
The IISD Reporting Services team is a group of professionals that are either Ph.D. candidates, lawyers or Ph.Ds with experience in international environment and sustainable development negotiations. Although we maintain residences throughout the world, we stay in contact using some of the most up-to-date technologies. We invite you to find out a little more about us and to get in touch. |
| Soledad Aguilar, LL.M. |
| Argentina |
Soledad is the Thematic Expert on Trade, Finance and Investment for Sustainable Development. She has participated in more than fifty multilateral environmental negotiations, mostly on finance and trade and environment issues within the climate change, biodiversity, biosafety and chemicals conventions, working for the Earth Negotiations Bulletin as writer and team leader, and previously as a negotiator and diplomat for the Argentine Government. She has also worked as a consultant on international environmental law for the World Bank and the Food and Agriculture Organization on issues including a post-2012 climate change framework, pest and pesticide management, and biofuels. She is a regular contributor to specialized environmental policy and law journals, and holds an LLM degree from the London School of Economics and law degree from University of Buenos Aires.
| Tomilola Akanle Eni-ibukun, Ph.D. |
| Nigeria |
Tomi is a lawyer with a Ph.D. in law from the University of Dundee. She got her LL.B. from the University of Lagos in Nigeria and an LL.M. in international law from University College London. She currently works as a legal consultant and also teaches foundation courses in law at the University of St Andrews. Her expertise is in the areas of climate change law, including the clean development mechanism and low-carbon development, as well as sustainable development law. She enjoys baking, singing, reading, swimming, travelling and photography.
| Jennifer Allan |
| Canada |
Jennifer is pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of British Columbia and enjoying the outdoor adventures of Vancouver, Canada. Her focus is the political economy of forest carbon – how and why various states, NGOs and corporations attract and invest in projects and the implications for local communities. She holds an MA in international development where her research explored gender and community livelihood strategies in national parks. Between her MA and Ph.D., Jennifer facilitated consensus decision-making among government, NGO and industry representatives on air quality issues.
| Beate Antonich |
| Germany |
Beate is a writer and editor for the Earth Negotiations Bulletin, experienced in both multilateral trade as well as environmental negotiations. Her expertise lies in climate change and sustainable development as well as in international trade and investment law. Next to being a joyful mother of a teenage boy and a toddler girl, she is a Ph.D. candidate in international political economy and development at the University of Pittsburgh, where she also studied at the law school's center for international legal education. Her research investigates institutional factors that matter for environmental policy permissible outcomes in international trade and investment disputes. Living in San Francisco, Beate is most happy being with her family and out in nature.
| Karen Alvarenga Windham-Bellord, Ph.D. |
| Brazil |
Karen wrote her Ph.D. thesis on Climate Change and Distributive Justice at the University of Cambridge, England. She has a Law Degree from UFMG, Brazil, and two Masters of Laws in Environmental Law (Kent University, UK) and Tax Law (UFMG, Brazil). She also holds a Master of Philosophy in Land Economy from Cambridge University. She is currently a consultant for Clean Development Mechanisms in Belo Horizonte. When she is not rock climbing or visiting landfills, one can find her swimming with turtles in Fernando de Noronha.
| Asheline Appleton, LL.M. |
| Kenya |
Asheline holds an LL.M. degree from University College London and a law degree from the University of Nairobi. She has specialized in international environmental law, particularly biodiversity and climate change. Asheline worked as a State Counsel for the Attorney-General in the department of treaties and agreements, Kenya, as well as in private practice. She now consults for a number of international organizations and UN agencies on environmental issues. When not working, Asheline tries to find time to relax in the sun, or perversely on the dance floor. She also enjoys designing interiors, safaris, a good laugh and big city life.
| Melanie Ashton |
| Australia |
Melanie holds an MSc in Environment and Development from the London School of Economics. Her dissertation analyzed the relationship between International Financial Institutions and developing country Governments in a Principal-Agent framework. Originally from Melbourne, she also holds a Bachelor of Science in Earth Sciences from the University of Melbourne. Melanie first attended international environmental negotiations as a member of the WSSD Youth Caucus and later as a consultant in the area of Persistent Organic Pollutants. Her work focuses on implementing the Stockholm, Basel and Rotterdam Conventions, as well as the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management. She has worked extensively on chemical management and environmental issues in the field, throughout the South Pacific and Africa. In her spare time, you may find Melanie foraging in the woodlands of southwest France, cooking up a storm and messing up the kitchen, or updating her cooking blog www.segur-le-chateau.blogspot.com.
| Graeme Auld |
| Canada |
Graeme is a Ph.D. candidate at Yale’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. For nearly a decade he has studied the emergence and impacts of social and environmental certification initiatives in the forest sector. His dissertation compares these programs in the coffee, fishery and forest sectors. When not working, Graeme loves cooking with friends or hanging from rocks. He calls Vancouver, Canada home.
| Paula Barrios, Ph.D. |
| Colombia |
Paula has a Ph.D. in international environmental law from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. The focus of her research was the making and re-making of four multilateral environmental agreements on hazardous chemicals, i.e., the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions and the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM). She holds a masters degree in international law from UBC and a law degree from the University of Los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia. She has worked as an attorney at law in the private sector, as a legal adviser for the International Affairs Office of Colombia’s Ministry of Environment and as a freelance report writer for the United Nations Office in Nairobi. She is fluent in Spanish, English and French.
| Nienke Beintema |
| Netherlands |
Nienke holds an MSc in Biology (Ecology) from the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. She also obtained a certificate in Environmental Education from the University of Minnesota, US. Nienke is currently enjoying a bohemian life based in Haarlem (near Amsterdam), combining freelance science writing and consultancies for a variety of organizations. These include UNEP-AEWA, the Dutch Organization for Scientific Research and the Dutch national newspaper NRC. She has a passion for the outdoors and for Arctic adventures: whenever she can, she leaves her computer work behind and travels to Northern Norway to work as a whalewatching guide.
| Catherine Benson |
| United States of America |
Catherina holds a Master of Environmental Science from the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies at Yale University. Previously, she worked with the World Resources Institute, the Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment in Uganda, and the Papua New Guinea Mission to the UN. Catherine is currently completing her Ph.D. in environmental sciences at the University of Michigan. Her research explores how organizational strategies and individual decision-making influence marine conservation governance in Cambodia and Papua New Guinea. Catherine enjoys rock climbing, diving, hiking, and swimming.
| Dan Birchall |
| United States of America |
Dan serves as a Digital Editor and sometimes writer at meetings on oceans, forests and other topics. A graduate of Swinburne University in Australia, he has been published as a writer and photographer. His hobbies include cycling, hiking, skindiving, and travel.
| Alice Bisiaux |
| France |
Alice has a French and Anglo-American law degree from Nanterre Univeristy in Paris with a specialization in international law. She also holds a Masters in International Legal Studies from the New York University. Being a qualified lawyer in New York, England and Wales, Alice has worked in the Public International and Environmental law groups as an associate at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in London. She currently lives in Barcelona, Spain, where she teaches at ESADE University and works as freelance consultant on environmental law and law of the sea issues. She is responsible for the water, oceans and coasts section of IISD’s two publications the MEA Bulletin and Linkages Update.
| Robynne Boyd |
| South Africa |
Robynne holds a masters in journalism from New York University, and is an Editor and Manager for IISD RS’s “Your Meeting Bulletin.” When not poring over a Bulletin in search of misplaced commas, dates or acronyms, she can be found standing on her head in full lotus, strolling through a park, or exploring her new home - Atlanta, Georgia.
| Suzanne Carter |
| South Africa |
Suzanne holds a doctorate in Environmental and Geographical Science from the University of Cape Town, where she explored statistical techniques to reduce uncertainty in Global Climate Models over southern Africa. Her current interests are climate policy and the climate negotiations under the UNFCCC and IPCC. She is currently working for the British Consulate in Cape Town as a climate change policy officer, with occasional opportunities to write for ENB.
Pam is trying to juggle motherhood, the Bulletin and an academic career. In addition to serving as co-founder and executive editor of the Bulletin, Pam has published articles on developing country capacity building for environmental negotiations, scientific uncertainty in negotiations, professional cultures in negotiations, desertification and the UNCCD, and various environmental treaties and negotiating processes. Her most recent book is: Global Environmental Politics, 5th edition (Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 2010). She was a Fulbright Senior Scholar in Wellington, New Zealand in 2007 and the results of her research have been published by the East-West Center: “Confronting Environmental Treaty Implementation Challenges in the Pacific Islands” Pam is also Director of International Studies and an Associate Professor of Government at Manhattan College in New York. Whatever other “spare” time exists is spent with her husband, Kimo, and two sons, Samuel and Kai.
| Qian Cheng |
| China |
Qian has worked as Policy Advisor on climate change and China at Germanwatch based in Bonn and Beijing, initially as a German Chancellor Fellow with the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. She also worked as Co-Chair of the Finance Working Group of the Climate Action Network at various UN climate change negotiations. Prior to her careers in Europe, she worked as Campaigner at Greenpeace in China and South-East Asia. She holds a B.A. in law from Capital University of Economics and Business in Beijing, and an MPhil in Environment Policy from the University of Cambridge. She is a native Chinese Mandarin speaker fluent in English and working to improve her German. Her current interests are in the post-2012 climate architecture, and the development of social entrepreneurship in China. She enjoys inviting friends to her Chinese cooking, and she is keen to practice more on her Nikon.
| Claudio Chiarolla, Ph.D. |
| Italy |
Since October 2007, Claudio has worked for IISD as a writer and editor of the Earth Negotiations Bulletin. Claudio is currently Research Fellow on International Governance of Biodiversity at the Institut du Développement Durable et des Relations Internationales (IDDRI), an independent, not-for profit think-tank based at Sciences Po in Paris. His research interests include: international environmental law, comparative law, international regulation of biotechnology, intellectual property law, open source systems of technology development and transfer, humanitarian licensing and genetic resources policy issues.
| Alexandra Conliffe, Ph.D. |
| Canada/United Kingdom |
Alex holds a doctorate in Geography from the University of Oxford, where she examined the impacts of political and environmental change on agricultural communities in Uzbekistan. She completed an M.Sc. in Environmental Change and Management at Oxford in 2005, focusing on watershed management in Iran, and a B.Eng. at McGill University in 2004. Currently, Alex is a Visiting Research Associate at the University of Oxford. Her research interests include the appropriateness of dominant approaches to climate change adaptation in post-Soviet contexts and the role of regime linking in improving the effectiveness of multilateral environmental agreements.
| Alexis Conrad |
| Canada |
After a couple of years enjoying the sun in Senegal, Alexis has recently returned to Ottawa, Canada, and is trying his hardest to live a sustainable life--in every sense of the word! When not busy on the family or work fronts, he can often be found running along Ottawa's spectacular pathways while dreaming of a return to more active ENB service.
| Jennifer Covert |
| United States of America |
While working towards her recently received master’s degree in International Environmental Policy Jennifer also acted as a voice for the endangered southern sea otters as Senior Program Manager for Friends of the Sea Otter in Monterey, California. She has since moved to New York City, where she worked for the Zeitz Foundation, developing a community participatory oriented agroforestry manual and assisting the communications advisor. She also volunteered for Panthera, a wild cat conservation organization, feeding her insurmountable adoration towards felines. When Jennifer is not working or volunteering, she’s most likely out in fancy shoes dancing tango.
| Deborah Davenport, Ph.D. |
| United States of America |
Debbie holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Emory University in Atlanta. She is Director of the MA Programme in Global Affairs and lecturer in international political economy at the University of Buckingham in the UK and author of Global Environmental Negotiations and US Interests (2006, Palgrave Macmillan). Her research covers global forest policy and other multilateral environmental negotiating processes. Formerly director of environmental work at the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta, she has covered numerous meetings related to forests, biodiversity, and climate change for IISD Reporting Services since 1996, including the completion of the Kyoto Protocol.
| Francis Dejon |
| Canada |
Francis Dejon is one of the ENB team’s Digital Editor. Taking cool pictures all over the world while working on our web site. Francis also has his own company on the Internet which he intends to develop into an internet powerhouse someday. His 18 hours a day of hard work at meetings justifies his 4 hours of “loud” sleep.
| Daniela Diz, Ph.D. |
| Brazil |
Daniela holds a Master of Marine Management degree from Dalhousie University in Canada and a Law degree from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. She did her Ph.D. on the Law of the Sea at the University of Edinburgh in the UK, focusing on the implementation of the ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management in marine areas beyond national jurisdiction. She loves yoga, meditation, hiking, cycling, sea kayaking and watching movies.
| Peter Doran, Ph.D. |
| Ireland |
Peter is a lecturer in sustainable development, environment and planning at the School of Law at Queens University in Belfast Committee. He now lives and works in Belfast, retreating to his native Donegal in the North West at every opportunity where he maintains a cottage in Quigleys Point. His research interests include consumerism, advertising, political culture and sustainable consumption. He has served on the Executives of the Green Party in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. He is married to Stephanie and has a son, Oisín.
| Joanna Dafoe |
| Canada |
Joanna received her BA in Peace and Conflict studies and Environmental Policy from the University of Toronto, where she focused her research on the role of non-state actors in the UNFCCC process. She has contributed her research on civil society influence to the Yale/UNITAR conference on Environmental Governance and Democracy and was a member of the Canadian Government Delegation to the 16th and 17th United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development as an NGO delegate. Joanna was the 2011 Pimlott Lecturer at the University of Toronto and continues to showcase creative perspectives on climate policy through her correspondence on CIUT 89.5 The Green Majority. Joanna is pleased to be joining the ENB reporting and IISD Knowledge Management Projects team.
| Ángeles Estrada |
| Argentina |
Ángeles became one of our Digital Editors at the end of 2006. She is Argentinian, but as a daughter of a diplomat was born in Austria and spent her childhood in Brazil, Argentina, Chile and China. She has a degree in Industrial Design from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she also teaches Design. Her work focuses on ecodesign, and her studio ‘MinimahUella’ designs products that minimize environmental impact by analyzing their life-cycle and using recycled materials. She loves reading the newspaper on Sunday mornings with her husband and her little dog Neron.
| Socorro Estrada |
| Argentina |
Socorro is our Spanish translator since October 2002. Socorro is doing her masters degree in Journalism at the University of San Andrés, which is also sponsored by the School of Journalism of the University of Columbia. Apart from that, she also works as a freelance journalist for different business magazines and for Clarín, an important Argentinean newspaper. Socorro has two sons, Mateo (4) and Manuel (3). In her spare time, she likes to travel and take pictures.
| Bo-Alex Fredvik |
| Brazil/Canada |
Having studied Environmental Biology at McGill (Canada) and at Uppsala University (Sweden), Bo completed his M.Sc. at the University of Quebec in Montreal (Canada). He has worked on forest policy while at World Conservation Union (IUCN) and at the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity. He speaks English, French, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish. He is presently researching the impacts of terrestrial carbon sinks on forest biodiversity. When not trekking in Amazonia scouting for new soya plantations, Bo can be found cross-country skiing in Montreal’s Mont Royal where he is based.
| Claudia Friedrich |
| Germany |
Claudia has a B.A. degree in intercultural studies which she achieved in Florence, Italy. Speaking fluent German, English, Italian, French, Spanish, and Portuguese, she has been working as a translator and in various other roles at numerous international events and conferences. As she loves travelling and meeting different cultures, she has joined the ENB Team as a Logistics Coordinator, based in Bonn, Germany. With her passion for sports and photography, she likes to spend lots of time outside at the fresh air.
| Mongi Gadhoum |
| Tunisia |
Mongi, our French language translator, lives in Tunis, although he can sometimes be found in Paris, where his daughters work..
| Sandra Gagnon |
| Canada |
Sandra is completing her Ph.D. at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland on environmental governance and conservation policies, with a focus on the participation of local communities in natural resources governance. She has worked on global conservation policy at IUCN and on the social impacts of environmental conventions and conservation policies (her Master thesis addressed CITES relation to sustainable development and livelihoods). She also has experience of biological control of cultural and forest pests (she holds a Master of biology/entomology on that issue), organic agriculture development and evaluation. Native from Québec, she’s currently living in North Argentina, where she enjoys running and trekking along impressive Andean landscape and mountain forest.
| Eréndira García |
| Mexico |
Eréndira got a degree on Biology in Mexico and an MSc on Marine and Fisheries Science in Scotland. Former Head of the Department of Wildlife International Agreements in the Mexican Environment Ministry, she moved in 2007 to Madrid and works now as freelance consultant. With a lifetime interest on marine stuff, she has recently written the book “Sharks: conservation, fishing and international trade".
| Johannes Gnann |
| Germany |
Having acquired degrees in Germany, Ireland and Spain, Johannes is currently working on his Ph.D. at the University of Tübingen. The focus of his research is on the role of the Convention on Biological Diversity in shaping international negotiation dynamics on access to genetic resources and benefit-sharing. He has previously served as Deputy Chief Editor for an online political science portal and worked as an intern for the UN Development Programme and Germany’s Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMU). He also has an abiding interest in pre-Colombian civilizations, the Spanish guitar and Latin American culture.
| Tasha Goldberg |
| United States of America |
Tasha lives in Hawaii where her passion for indigenous culture and the relationship between people and plants is a thriving reality. She founded Sustainable Solutions in 2004 with the goal of implementing strategic sustainability programs globally and maintaining an active voice in the ongoing planetary dialogue of sustainable development. Her efforts focus on empowering indigenous communities, adding value throughout supply chains, cultivating carbon awareness, and fostering the sustainable use of natural resources. Since receiving her degree in Ethnobotany, and working on her Certificate to become a GHG Accountant from the Greenhouse Gas Management Institute, Tasha has collaborated with businesses, governmental agencies, elders, scientists, and artists to bring these varied populations to action. She works with a colorful range of clients such as the World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF), the International Trade Center (ITC, a joint agency of United Nations and World Trade Organization), Estee Lauder, Aveda, Neill Corporation, ArXotica and others. Tasha is also the author of a number of publications on the topics of ethnobotany and sustainability, and recently presented her research at the Global Conference on Global Warming in Istanbul. She helped write the curriculum for the University of Alaska’s first Ethnobotany certificate program.
| Vicky Goodall |
| Canada |
Vicky is currently the Reporting Services Project Accountant for IISD. She holds a Diploma in Business Administration from Red River College and plans on pursuing either her CA or CGA designation. Vicky has worked in the Accounting field for 5 years and prior to that worked in the banking industry for another 5 years. Vicky currently is in the midst of moving into her first house w/ her Son of 12 years, Boyfriend and his son of 13 years. Vicky is also currently preparing for her Black Belt test in December in Tae Kwon Do.
| Leonie Gordon |
| United Kingdom |
Originally a law graduate from Durham University, Leonie worked as a lawyer in London and Brussels and then as an independent documentary film-maker in the UK, Israel and Palestine and New York. Returning to academia in 2003, through a Masters in the Anthropology of Development at the University of Sussex, she is now in her second year of a Ph.D. in Anthropology at the University of Kent, Canterbury. Her research focus is on international conservation policy through a case study of the UNEP/UNESCO Great Apes Survival Project, with fieldwork in Cameroon and Kenya. Leonie speaks French, Dutch and some Kiswahili..
| Langston James “Kimo” Goree VI |
| United States of America |
Kimo is the Vice-President of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), United Nations Liaison, Director of IISD Reporting Services and a founder of the Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB). He is responsible for the fundraising and overall coordination of the ENB, Linkages Update, the Linkages website, moderator of the IISD “L” lists (including CLIMATE-L) and all of IISD knowledge management products. Kimo was born in Hawaii and raised in Berkeley, California. From 1971 through 1988 he was an actor in films, television and radio (SAG/AFTRA), a stand-up comedian and professional clown while accumulating university degrees. In 1988 he moved to Brazil to work for UNDP in Brasília and later as the Director of IPHAE, an applied research institute in Porto Velho, Rondonia. He has lived in mid-town Manhattan since 1994 with Pamela Chasek and their two sons, Sam and Kai. Kimo is a former marathon runner (2:48) and now rides a Pinarello Dogma 60.1 road bike about 300 km a week in the rural areas of the Upper Hudson River Valley, north of Manhattan. When not on his bicycle, he can be found in his lounge-chair computer with multiple monitors and a fast internet connection. His personal website is http://www.kimogoree.com.
| María Gutiérrez, Ph.D. |
| Mexico |
María got her Ph.D. in Anthropology from the City University of New York with a dissertation on the creation of a market for sinks under the Kyoto Protocol. She has taught Human Ecology and Cultural Anthropology and often works with the UNFCCC secretariat on matters related to adaptation to climate change. She likes long walks, is a student of kyudo (Japanese archery), and has a strange fascination for all things LULUCF and for annotated agendas.
| Reem Hajjar |
| Lebanon/Canada |
Currently a Ph.D. student at the Faculty of Forestry of the University of British Columbia, Reem has an MA in Conservation Biology from Columbia University, and a BSc in Biology from McGill. Her research keeps taking her back to Latin America, and soon she'll be studying community forest management in Brazil, Bolivia and Mexico. She has recently worked as a consultant with the "Diversity for Livelihoods" programme at the International Plant Genetics Resources Institute (IPGRI) in Rome, Italy, and speaks English, Arabic, French, Spanish, and Portuguese. Besides trekking through tropical jungles, she enjoys cooking, swimming in oceans, and navigating through metropolises.
| Kate Harris |
| Canada |
Kate is a scientist by training, a writer by compulsion, and a wilderness pilgrim by passion. She hails from rural Ontario but these days mostly calls a tent "home." She has a B.Sc. in biology from UNC-Chapel Hill, an M.Sc. in geology from MIT, and an M.Phil. in the history of science from Oxford, where she wrote her thesis on the relationship between transboundary protected areas (TBPAs) and conflict resolution. More details here: http://www.kateharris.ca/
| Camellia Ibrahim |
| Kenya/United States of America/Canada |
Camellia holds a MA in geography from McGill University where her research focused on the political ecology of forest cover change and rural livelihoods in the Neotropics. She has previously worked for the Organization of American States and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Born and raised in Kenya to Egyptian and US parents, she currently resides in a national park in Newfoundland where she works as a freelance consultant. In her free time, you can find her behind a camera or hiking, kayaking, and backcountry skiing.
| Lagipoiva Cherelle Jackson |
| Samoa |
Lagipoiva Cherelle Jackson is an environmental journalist and communications consultant from Samoa. She is currently the Editor of Environment Weekly, and a consultant for the United Nations Development Programme for Samoa, Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau. As a journalist she has worked for the Wall Street Journal, Al Jazeera, Agence French Press and other international and regional publications. She studied climate change journalism and communicating the science at the University of Oxford, where her thesis 'Staying Afloat in Paradise' on climate change coverage in the Pacific was published by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (RISJ). Lagipoiva has won numerous awards for her writings on developmental and environmental issues. She currently lives in the village of Vaoala, on the island of Upolu in Samoa where she likes to jump off waterfalls and explore undiscovered caves.
| Sikina Jinnah, Ph.D. |
| United States of America/Canada |
Sikina is an Assistant Professor of International Relations at American University’s the School of International Service in Washington DC. She completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International Studies, and holds a doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley in International Environmental Politics. She also holds an M.S. from the University of Montana in Environmental Studies and a BA from U.C. Berkeley in Environmental Science. Her current research interests include the role secretariats in the politics of inter-regime cooperation, the role of developing countries in WTO sustainable development negotiations and, strategic linkages between climate change politics and other areas of international relations.
| Stefan Jungcurt, Ph.D. |
| Germany |
Stefan has worked for IISD as project officer on the negotiations on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries (REDD) and as associate working in the areas of sustainable agriculture, genetic resources for food and agriculture, and linkages between international regulation on biodiversity conservation and other issue areas such as trade and climate change. He completed his Ph.D. on institutional interplay in global environmental governance at Humboldt University, Berlin in 2007. Originally from Germany, Stefan is currently based in Gatineau, Québec, where he spends his free time exploring the great Canadian outdoors.
| Hal Kane |
| United States of America |
Hal has consulted and written for dozens of sustainable development NGOs and foundations, beginning a long time ago by publishing an 80-page summary of the Brundtland Report. He co-launched the annual Vital Signs book (W.W. Norton & Co.) at the Worldwatch Institute, and has published a handful of other books and many articles about sustainable development, hunger, refugee issues, and environmental economics, and spoken often on the radio, TV, and at universities and conferences around the world. He loves hiking in the hills around San Francisco, where he lives.
| Resson Kantai |
| Kenya |
Resson is 22 years old and is currently completing a general science degree with a double major in Zoology and Botany at the University of Nairobi. Having enjoyed every minute of her zoology and ecology classes, she plans to do a Masters in Marine Biology. She is captivated by the world of marketing and has worked to facilitate local events for several universities around the world.
| Tallash Kantai |
| Kenya/Tanzania |
Tallash studied International Relations and minored in Environmental Studies at undergraduate level at the United States International University. She is currently seeking to better understand the concept of sustainable development from both the political angle and at the practical level, and hopes to do her Masters in Environmental Policy. When not the “hybrid” team member for IISD RS, she can be found mentoring teenage girls, practising photography, reading, or working with women’s groups in and around Nairobi.
| Pia M. Kohler, Ph.D. |
| Switzerland |
Pia has been writing for the Earth Negotiations Bulletin since 2002. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Environmental Policy at Williams College in Western Massachusetts, having previously taught at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Her research interests include the incorporation of science advice in multilateral environmental agreements and global chemicals governance. She holds a PhD in International Environmental Policy from MIT, a Masters in environmental sciences from Yale's School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, and a B.Sc. in Geography and Environmental Science from McGill University.
| Elena Kosolapova |
| Russia/Netherlands |
Raised by a Russian mother and Dutch step-father, Elena grew up in an international multilingual environment. She has lived in Moscow, Washington DC, Ulan Bator and Amsterdam. Elena holds a Master's degree in linguistics, an LL M in international law from Utrecht University and is currently completing her PhD dissertation on interstate liability for climate change at the Amsterdam Centre for Environmental Law and Sustainability (ACELS), University of Amsterdam. Elena has done legal work for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, and International Criminal Court. Elena's area of expertise is public international law, including international environmental law, climate law, the law of the sea, and the law of state responsibility. Elena enjoys fishing, horse-riding, a good game of squash and, most of all, lazying on the couch with her husband Chris and their two felines Cumin and Pomodoro.
| Khemaros “Pui” Kuhasantisuk |
| Thailand |
Pui was born and raised in Bangkok. She received a bachelor degree in education in 1986 and taught outside of Bangkok for 7 years. After returning to Bangkok, she worked as a cashier at the Landmark Hotel for a year, received a tourist guide certificate in 1990 and worked as an English language tourist guide for several years. Her previous job was an executive secretary for the managing director of ChevronTexaco in Thailand in 2000. She has since been traveling and freelancing as a Thai-English instructor and interpreter. She enjoys traveling, learning, and speaking many languages. In addition to Thai, she speaks English and some German and Chinese. She is currently studying horoscope and Feng Shui (the Chinese balance energy).
| Kati Kulovesi, Ph.D. |
| Finland |
Kati is a lawyer with a Ph.D. in Law from the London School of Economics. She is currently working as an independent legal consultant and pursuing post-doc research on climate change and the WTO at the Erik Castrén Institute of International Law and Human Rights. She has several years of experience on the carbon markets, climate policy and the UNFCCC negotiations.
| Alexandra Lefevre |
| Colombia/France |
Alex is native French and Spanish, with degrees in Public Law and Public Administration, a Postgraduate Degree in Communications, Conflicts and Peace, and a Master’s Degree in International Law and Sustainable Development. She has been working as a legal translator since 2002, specialized in International matters and Environmental Diplomacy. She has also been a consultant and a volunteer for a series of NGOs in Bogotá, Paris, New Orleans and Barcelona, mostly dedicated to defending civil and environmental rights, monitoring environmental offenses, crafting and managing development projects, and community relief in general.
| Jennifer Lenhart |
| United States of America/Sweden |
Jennifer is a Ph.D. candidate at Wageningen University’s Environmental Policy Group, the Netherlands. She has a BA in Development Studies from University of Washington, and an MSc in Environmental Science, Policy & Management, jointly provided by four European universities (MESPOM.eu). Her research and passion centre on urban environments. A wanderer since childhood, Jennifer grew up across the United States (Seattle, Honolulu and Boston), often traveling to Europe to visit family. She has lived in Malmö and Lund, Sweden; Budapest, Hungary; Khon Kaen, Thailand; Les Cayes, Haiti; and Nairobi, Kenya – working with NGOs, local governments, UN-Habitat and research institutions. Jennifer’s love of cities builds from a conviction that compact mixed-use urban planning provides a high quality of life, while reducing sprawl, ensuring open and natural spaces can endure. She loves the outdoors, in any facet possible: hiking, biking, skiing and camping as well as her balcony in Amsterdam – perfect for a small garden or sleeping outside on warm summer nights.
| Faye Leone |
| United States of America |
Faye recently joined IISD RS after four years at the World Federalist Movement - Institute for Global Policy, where she ran the UNelections Campaign and ReformtheUN.org. Faye has a Masters in International Affairs with a concentration in trade and sustainable development. Her experience includes community organizing in Boston, refugee advocacy in Washington, DC, human rights fact-finding and conflict transformation with Burmese communities in Thailand, and international institutions and governance in New York.
| Aaron Leopold |
| United States of America |
Aaron is a Team Leader and the Energy Content Editor for IISD RS's multiple Sustainable Policy & Practice websites. He writes and lectures on renewable energy, energy access and energy poverty issues and is also co-founder and Director of Environment and Sustainable Development at the Global Governance Institute, an independent Brussels-based think tank devising, strengthening and furthering forward-looking approaches to global governance. Aaron holds a masters degree in Global Political Economy from the University of Kassel in Germany. When not busy with the ENB or reading and writing about renewable energy, he enjoys: rock climbing; photography; cycling; playing the blues; jogging in inclement weather; sleeping under the stars; and the smell of woodsmoke on sweaters.
| Kate Louw |
| South Africa |
Kate is currently completing her masters in energy, poverty and development at the University of Cape Town. Her areas of expertise are low-income energy usage within developing countries and the economic framework surrounding energy usage decisions. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, music and changing her hair color.
| Suzi Malan |
| South Africa |
Suzi is doing a Ph.D. at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver in forest resource management. Her focus is global environmental governance as observed in the peace parks of Southern Africa. Her background is in nature conservation, rural development and land use planning, with a pinch of agronomy thrown into the mix. She is also a teacher of English, and has spent some time in the UAE participating in English education reform programs. She has lived in 5 countries on 4 continents, but calls South Africa home, which she loves passionately. She loves camping, hiking, music, cycling (for fun!), dancing, reading and most of all, her family in South Africa.
| Jonathan Manley |
| South Africa |
Jon is doing an MSc in Energy and Development at the University of Cape Town, with particular interests in energy and climate change. His background is in electrical engineering and he has worked extensively on mobile networks and in energy efficiency projects. He loves basketball, art and traveling, and speaks and sings some Chinese.
| Leila Mead |
| United States of America |
Leila is our Worldwide recognized photographer who takes stunning pictures of delegates from any angle. Being the official photographer from the last UN Climate Change Conference - Poznań 2008, Leila continues living in San Francisco with her Nikon. Leila is also a writer and sometimes team leader for ENB teams. Leila received a Master in International Affairs from Columbia University.
| Alice Miller |
| United Kingdom |
Ali is a Ph.D. student at University College London, focusing on international marine conservation and governance. She completed her Masters in Environment, Development and Politics at the University of Sussex in 2007 where the subject of her thesis was the use of community-run no-take zones for promoting sustainable octopus fisheries in Southwest Madagascar. Ali has since worked in Bangladesh with the WorldFish Center and at the University of Leeds in the Sustainability Research Institute. When not working, Ali enjoys visiting new places and when she can afford it diving in tropical seas looking for the elusive dugong.
| Chad Monfreda |
| United States of America |
Chad is pursuing a Ph.D. in the Human and Social Dimensions of Science and Technology at Arizona State University's Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes (CSPO). His work in the field of science and technology studies (STS) looks at the connections between science and democracy, with a focus on international expert institutions that produce, validate, and contest knowledge about the global environment. Prior to arriving in the Arizona desert, Chad completed an M.S. mapping global land use at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. In addition to wearing these academic hats, he enjoys penning the occasional sustainability-themed freelance piece and has worked in the non-profit world calculating ecological footprints for Redefining Progress and the Global Footprint Network.
| Elisa Morgera, Ph.D. |
| Italy |
Elisa specializes in international, European and comparative environmental law. Elisa is a Lecturer in European Environmental Law at the University of Edinburgh, UK, and a regular contributor to the Yearbook of International Environmental Law, the Review of European Community and International Environmental Law, and the Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law. She previously worked for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN and the UN Development Programme.
| Aki Mori |
| Japan |
Aki has been working as Japanese translator for IISD in climate change reporting services. As a child, she has lived in Paris and fostered a dream to immerse herself in art world. The dream came true when she moved to New York to study art. She enjoys learning Chinese and Korean languages in her spare time. She holds a B.A., Summa Cum Laude in Art History as well as B.A. in international relations and sociolody.
| Wangu Mwangi |
| Kenya |
Wangu lives with her family in Maastricht, the Netherlands. After a five-year stint with United Nations University, she moved back to full-time consulting in 2008. She is co-founder of a small consultancy, Learning for Development, as a Development Communications. Wangu is currently working hard to re-establish her roots in Kenya.
| Laurel Neme, Ph.D. |
| United States of America |
Laurel is an environmental consultant and writer, as well as a trained economist. She has worked for US Treasury Department, USAID, NGOs and others on natural resource management and policy in Africa and elsewhere. She is currently writing a narrative non-fiction book on wildlife trade and forensics. Laurel lives with her husband and son in Vermont and holds a Ph.D. from Princeton University and an MPP from University of Michigan.
| Kate Neville |
| Canada |
Kate holds a Master of Environmental Science from the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies at Yale University, where she studied public-private partnerships in the water sector in the Philippines for her thesis. She chased after birds, measured plants, and sampled lake sediment in Costa Rica, Mississippi, British Columbia, and Nebraska, as a biologist, before heading into the policy side of environmental work. She worked with the UN Diplomatic Mission from Fiji, and was fascinated by the insight into political negotiations. When she is not immersed in the challenges of a new Ph.D. program in political science at the University of British Columbia, you can find her exploring the trails and coastlines of Vancouver.
| Diego Noguera |
| Colombia |
Diego is the Digital Manager for IISD Reporting Services. He is a good example of the new generation of online jobs, working mostly from Bogotá, Colombia, while solving the technical and digital problems of staff and consultants in New York, Geneva, Winnipeg and two dozen other cities worldwide. Diego has a degree in Computer Science and a postgraduate degree in Networking and E-business. He enjoys playing soccer and watching movies.
| Dorothy Wanja Nyingi, Ph.D. |
| Kenya |
Dorothy (also known as Wanja) lives in Nairobi and works as an ichthyologist with the National Museums of Kenya. She acquired a Ph.D. in the University of Montpellier II in France studying morphological and genetic diversity of Nile tilapia of Africa. She’s involved in various biodiversity projects and has special interest in interactions of local communities with biodiversity, especially in the application of indigenous knowledge in species conservation. She enjoys the cultural experiences from traveling and meeting new people, snorkeling, nature walks and game drives.
| Olivia Pasini |
| Italy/Switzerland/United Kingdom |
Olivia is an environmental communications consultant, operating from a medieval village in Tuscany. She is from English and Italian parents but grew up in Switzerland before roaming the world following her passion for travel and nature. She holds a degree in Biology and a Masters in Pollution and Environmental Control. Having worked for the World Conservation Union (IUCN), WWF, and other international organisations, she is now getting her teeth into the Italian environmental sector. When not in front of a computer, she can be found dashing around the countryside capturing the essence of rural life on camera.
| Delia Paul |
| Malaysia |
Delia started out as a journalist at a Malaysian daily paper, The Star, and went on to work on environment and development programmes with agencies including World Vision and the Australian Conservation Foundation in her adopted home of Melbourne. She has worked in the Mekong region for many years, formerly managing corporate communications for the secretariat of a multilateral organization, the Mekong River Commission. Since completing an MA in Public Policy and Management at the University of York (UK) in 2008, she has been working as a researcher and writer with NGOs and multilateral organizations in Southeast Asia. The Living Mekong, a picture book she co-authored with the photographer, was released last year by Silkworm Books and the University of Washington Press. Her Master’s research on public participation in river basin management was published in late 2010 by the University of York, and she is currently pursuing her interest in environmental decision making through assignments with Oxfam Australia and other agencies. Her household in Bangkok includes a busy husband, three children, the occasional humanitarian aid worker, and a small cat.
| Nicole de Paula Domingos |
| Brazil |
Nicole de Paula Domingos is a Brazilian PhD candidate in International Relations at Sciences Po Paris and currently a visiting fellow at the Johns Hopkins University (SAIS), Washington D.C. In 2010, she was awarded a fellowship to study at the London School of Economics and Political Science as part of the Global Public Policy Network (GPPN). Prior to joining the IISD, she worked for the International Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (Iddri), as well as for the UN Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity. At SCBD, she assisted the Principal Officer of the Implementation and technical Support Division to advance the Business and Biodiversity Program. She holds two M.A degrees in International relations, one from the Pontificia Universidade Catolica de Sao Paulo (PUC-SP) and the other from Sciences Po Paris. Her research focuses on global environmental governance (climate change and biodiversity), multilateral trade negotiations, international organizations and foreign policies of Brazil, European Union and United States.
| Teya Penniman |
| United States of America |
Teya lives in Hawaii where she practices law and works on a water use plan for Maui. After life as a seabird biologist, she obtained an MBA, J.D. and Dispute Resolution Certificate from Willamette University, focusing on resource economics, and domestic and international environmental law. Teya worked on biodiversity issues for ENB from 1996 to 1998 and after a hiatus as an Oregon assistant attorney general has returned to the ENB fold.
| Elizabeth Press |
| United States of America |
Elizabeth is a media-maker and educator based in New York City. She joined the IISD Reporting Services team as a Digital Editor in January 2013. For the past five years her video work focused on documenting smart transportation design and policy around the world for the blog Streetfilms.org. Before she focused her work on the environment and alternative transportation, she mainly worked at alternative media outlets. Elizabeth produced for the independent TV/Radio program, Democracy Now!, edited for Worldfocus on PBS and freelanced for Grit TV with Laura Flanders.
| Eugenia Recio |
| Argentina/Spain |
Eugenia is a lawyer specialized in environmental law and a relentless traveler. She studied in Argentina (UBA), Spain, UK and Belgium (UCL) obtaining her Masters on Environmental Law instruments from the Complutense University, Madrid, where she is currently a PhD candidate. Her curiosity for cultural experiences has taken her to Panama City, where she is working as a consultant for UNEP/ROLAC. She has worked many years in consultancies on environmental law and policies, in both Europe and Latin America, with the private sector, NGOs, European institutions and the Spanish Ministry of Environment. When she was younger she organized UN models in Argentina. While not working, you can find her taking pictures along the beach or in the forest, or asking how to get to the nearest place playing good tango, salsa or Brazilian samba.
| Stefan Renckens |
| Belgium |
Stefan is pursuing a Ph.D. in environmental politics at Yale University. His research deals with the interaction between public and private environmental regulation, focusing on several issue areas such as biofuels, fisheries, electronic waste, fair trade, and organics. He holds an MA in Political Science (2002), a Complementary Degree in Economics (2003), and an MA in Peace and Conflict Studies (2005), all from the University of Leuven (Belgium). Between 2003 and 2008 he worked as a researcher and teaching assistant at the Political Science department of the University of Leuven.
| Keith Ripley |
| United States of America |
Keith has an MS in Foreign Service from Georgetown University. He founded Temas Actuales LLC, a specialized consultancy focused principally on environmental/health law/policy issues in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), and writes The Temas Blog on these issues. He authored the “International Organizations Regulatory Guidebook” 1982-95, and “Solid Wastes and Recycling in Latin America & the Caribbean: Trends & Policies” in 1998 and 2002. Keith moderates the Environment Forum on DR1.com, and leads a “team blog” on Dominican environment issues. He is fluent in English, Portuguese and Spanish
| Nathalie Risse, Ph.D. |
| Switzerland/Canada/Belgium |
Nathalie holds a Ph.D. in environmental management (with a focus on public policy) from the Free University of Brussels (ULB) and a Master in environmental sciences from the University of Quebec in Montreal. Based in New York, she is currently a visiting researcher at the Center for research and expertise in evaluation (CREXE) of the National School of Public Administration (ENAP) in Canada. She also does consulting in environment and has worked for various international organizations (e.g. UNDP, UNDESA, IIED for the OECD and the European Commission) as well as Governments (e.g. Brussels Capital Region, Belgium, Quebec and Canada). Her work interests include strategic environmental assessment, climate change adaptation and sustainable consumption and production.
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| Tanya Rosen |
| Italy/Yugoslavia/USA |
When not on ENB duty, Tanya is the Snow Leopard Programme Coordinator in Tajikistan for PANTHERA, a US NGO dedicated to the conservation of wild cats. She lives in Khorog, close to the border with Afghanistan, and hopes to make a positive difference for the conservation of snow leopards and their prey, the markhor and argali sheep. Her fearless daughter Bianca joins her often in research and outreach activities. Prior to her move to Central Asia, she lived and worked in Europe and the US (New York and Montana), where after many years as an international lawyer, she studied brown bears and wolves and worked on human-carnivore conflicts. Tanya holds degrees in science and international law from Milano, Yale, Harvard and Bard.
| Laura Russo |
| Italy |
Laura has worked with FAO of the UN in various roles from 1990 to 2008, in the fields of international forestry, environment and development. She is now a freelance consultant. She has degrees in agricultural science, tropical and sub-tropical forestry, watershed management and applied environmental economics. She is a trained facilitator. She speaks Italian, English, French, Spanish and Portuguese. She lives in Rome where her 3 children tend to fill all her free time.
| Renata Rubian |
| Brazil |
Renata lives in Sri Lanka, working as a Programme Analyst at the UNDP Asia Pacific Centre, developing the Regional Human Development Report series. Previously, she was a researcher at the Ecosystem and Livelihoods Group of the IUCN and at the UNEP - Convention on Biological Diversity. Her career with the UN system started at the UNDP in Brazil, intercalated by a year’s break to work for the Canadian Government in Ottawa. She holds a MA in Political Science from McGill University and a BA in International Relations from the University of Brasilia. She was a co-founder of the first UN Simulation Model in Brazil – the 1997 Americas Model UN.
| Rishikesh Ram Bhandary |
| Nepal |
Rishi , born and raised in Kathmandu, Nepal, is currently a doctoral student at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy where he is specializing in climate change policy and negotiations. He entered the world of climate negotiations as a youth delegate in Bali and has never left. He has worked on forest carbon issues for the Nepali Ministry of Forests and the World Bank. He is training for the Boston Marathon 2013!
| Annalisa Savaresi |
| Italy |
Annalisa specializes in international and comparative environmental law. She currently is visiting researcher at International Center for Climate Governance, Venice, Italy, and Ph.D. Candidate at the Faculty of Law, University of Copenhagen. Her areas of interest include climate change, forestry, biodiversity and environmental rights. Annalisa is a member of IUCN Commission on Environmental Law, and in the fall of 2012 she will join the School of Law, University of Edinburgh, as a teaching and research fellow.
| Nicole Schabus |
| Austria |
Nicole trained with ENB during the Working Group on Traditional Knowledge in Montreal. She is volunteering for indigenous peoples from the Interior of British Columbia while writing her Doctorate in Law and Economics with a scholarship of the Austrian Academy of Science. Good that international meetings start late, because Nicole is always 5 minutes late.
| Maja Schmidt-Thomé |
| Germany |
Maja joined IISD RS in 2007 while based in New Jersey/New York. She holds an applied linguistics degree from the University of Saarland, in Germany, and is a qualified translator and conference Interpreter for Spanish and English. She has several years of experience in event management and coordination. Her main focus of work has always been Sustainable Development, Environmental Politics and Waste Management. She is currently based out of Germany but is looking forward to move to different countries around the world as she has done all her life. She loves swimming and reading but her greatest hobby is cooking and enjoying food that makes her happy.
| Mark Schulman |
| United States of America |
Mark received a Master’s degree in International Affairs and Environmental Policy Studies from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). Making his debut with ENB in 1999, he has covered numerous multilateral conferences, with a particular focus on CITES and the CCD. In his younger days, Mark was a backcountry ranger with the US Forest Service and worked at the United Nations. He has also served as Managing Editor at WWF International and an Editor at the World Economic Forum. When not living the good life as a diplomatic spouse – with postings in Senegal, Australia, Israel and Switzerland – he continues to work as a freelance writer and editor on international environmental, economic and development issues.
| Anna Schulz, LL.M. |
| United States of America |
Anna is a doctoral student at the Fletcher School, Tufts University, focusing on international environmental and negotiation and conflict resolution. Her research addresses the legal frameworks governing transboundary watercourses she is particularly interested in how the evolution and structure of water law norms affects efforts to build adaptive capacity into transboundary water regimes. She holds a LL.M. in International and Comparative Water Law and Policy from the University of Dundee, Scotland, a Masters of Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School, Tufts University and a B.A. in International Relations and Political Science from Wheaton College in Massachusetts. When not working she enjoys traveling, cooking, hiking and spending time at the beach.
| Natacha Schvartz |
| Argentina |
Natacha studied Social Communication and then she spent 10 years working as journalist in newspapers and lifestyle magazines. She holds a Masters Degree in Journalism from Clarin Group (a joint academia project from University of San Andrés and Clarin Group, sponsored by the School of Journalism of the University of Columbia). Since 2003 she works for cultural and academia NGOs, developing and implementing communications and media strategy.
| Mihaela Secrieru |
| Romania |
Mihaela holds Masters degrees in International Relations from both the University of Florence and the London School of Economics and Political Science, where her thesis analyzed the determinants of Brazil’s position across different climate-related negotiating tables from Rio to Kyoto. She is fascinated by multilateral negotiations and has been involved in the UNFCCC process during the past two years, focusing on discussions pertaining to REDD+. Hailing from Mangalia, she has lived in Florence, Madrid, London, Bonn, Cairo, and Rome, and is always ready to add to her extensive passport stamp collection. When not sipping jet streams for work, she likes going dancing, sailing and snorkeling, spending time with friends and family, and basking in the sun with a long cappuccino on Sunday mornings.
| Ari Shapiro |
| United States of America |
Ari tells stories about science through radio and multimedia. He’s trained seals in Scotland, tagged killer whales in Norway and currently lives in Boston. Ari bikes and bakes with abandon. He won the most contagious smile in the fifth grade. He’s delighted to be a part of the ENB.
| Anju Sharma |
| India |
Anju started her career working for the Centre for Science and Environment in India, researching, writing and campaigning on a range of national and global issues including natural resource management, pollution and good governance. She has since worked for UNEP as editor of the Global Environmental Outlook Yearbook, and at Oxfam as senior policy adviser on climate change adaptation. As a consultant, she has carried out projects for a number of organizations, including the UNFCCC Secretariat, UNDP, GIZ (the German Institute for technical cooperation) and the Oxford University Centre for the Environment..
| Sabrina Shaw |
| Canada |
Sabrina is an Associate with IISD coordinating research to undertake Rapid Trade and Environment Assessments in the Mekong region. She teaches a graduate course in environmental policy and politics at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok and serves as the Director of the Regional Office for Southeast Asia of the G8 Research Group. Sabrina has lived in Mexico and Geneva, where she worked for over a decade in the World Trade Organization, including as Secretary to the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment and to various dispute settlement panels. She holds an undergraduate degree from University College, University of Toronto and Masters degrees in international relations from the Institut Universitaire de Hautes Etudes Internationales, Geneva, and the University of Ottawa. Sabrina lives in Bangkok, where her husband, Francisco, is posted as a diplomat with the Brazilian Foreign Service. She has two sons, Benjamin (born in 2001) and Gabriel (born in 2002). She is a passionate multilateralist who enjoys doing ENBs.
| Matthew Sommerville |
| United States of America |
Matt is a Ph.D. candidate at Imperial College London examining the theory and implementation of payments for ecosystem services in Madagascar. Matt has coordinated scientific research for a marine conservation NGO, and directed a small international school in Switzerland. He is interested in science communication to individuals of all ages, especially to his year old son. He has an MSc in Environmental Change and Management from the University of Oxford and an BA in biology from Middlebury College, VT.
| Daniela Tarizzo |
| Italy |
The “Eternal City” of Rome gave Daniela's birth some four decades ago, making her instinctively appreciative of bright sun, flush nature, good food, savory wine and smiling people.
After concentrating her studies precisely on populations and natural environment, graduating in Languages & Literature and Anthropology, she has specialized in development, humanitarian assistance and environmental protection, with two Masters Degrees and various post-graduate courses from different international institutions – a tireless learner, with a passion for people and for nature.
Field work in various continents since 1991 has complemented this preparation by providing exposure to a broad range of enriching experiences, traveling around the globe and interacting with local communities, in particular youth and indigenous peoples, in rural and urban areas while working for NGOs, CBOs and the UN, both as a professional and as a volunteer.
Reading is the best part of her free time, the gym for the brain to be never renounced to, together with music that also plays an important catalyst role in accompanying her professional and personal life.
Two eleven-year old cats have been traveling along all over and are part of Daniela’s life, family, luggage.
| Elsa Tsioumani, LL.M. |
| Greece |
Elsa lives in Thessaloniki, trying to finish her Ph.D. on European biosafety legislation and practice for her piano diploma. She holds a Law Degree and a Master in Public Law and Political Science from the University of Thessaloniki, and an LL.M. in European Law from the College of Europe in Belgium. She loves remote islands, Latin american literature, tiramisu, London, Radiohead, Almodovar, yoghurt with honey, book-shoping, and coffee and newspaper on a Sunday morning.
| Jessica Templeton, Ph.D. |
| United States of America/United Kingdom |
Jessica teaches and conducts research on global environmental governance issues at the London School of Economics (LSE). Jessica is particularly interested in global regulation of hazardous substances, and has worked with ENB’s chemicals team since 2008. Jessica has a Ph.D. in Government (LSE), an MSc in Public Policy and Public Administration (LSE), and an A.B. in Political Science and Sociology/Anthropology (Guilford College).
| James Van Alstine |
| United States of America |
James is working towards his Ph.D. at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) where he studies the evolution of corporate environmentalism in developing countries. Originally from Maine, he holds a BA in Philosophy from Northwestern University and an MSc in Environmental Assessment and Evaluation from the LSE. In addition to his research at the LSE, he works as tutorial fellow and teaches masters and undergraduate seminars on sustainable development. James spent a decade teaching outdoor education at Outward Bound in the US, and worked for a dot-com start-up in San Francisco. In his spare time, James can be found telemarking in the Alps, rock climbing in Britain, or sailing his 30-foot sloop around Europe.
| Cecilia Vaverka |
| Sweden |
Cecilia holds a Master in Political Science and International Relations from Uppsala University, Sweden. Professionally, her work has primarily focused on UN-related policy formulation and advocacy, as well as multilateral negotiations, during her tenure at, among others, the Swedish Mission to the UN and the UN Secretariat. Having exchanged skyscrapers for pyramids, Cecilia currently lives in Cairo, where she works as an environmental consultant and has the benefit of gaining practical experience of development cooperation in various environmental fields at country-level. While enjoying yet another city that never sleeps, she has also become hooked on windsurfing in the Red Sea.
| Andrey Vavilov, Ph.D. |
| Russia |
Andrey has been a career diplomat at the Russian Foreign Ministry for a long time. He started as an interpreter and note-taker. After postings in Delhi and London, he focused on multilateral negotiations at the UN, in particular on arms control and sustainable development issues. He wrote a book on the environmental effects of the arms race and the negotiating history of the Environmental Modification Convention. He worked for Maurice F.Strong as Head of External Relations of the UNCED Secretariat, which prepared the Rio Earth Summit, in 1992. After serving as Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to UNEP and HABITAT in Nairobi from 1995 to 2000, he joined the Diplomatic Academy, Moscow, as Senior Researcher. Andrey holds a Ph.D. (History). He lectures occasionally for young Russian diplomats, but has been devoting more time to building extensions to his log cabin, hidden in a forest along the river Volga.
| Brad Vincelette |
| Canada |
Brad has been architecting web software from the very start of his career (10+ yrs) using several different languages and frameworks. He specializes in data-driven web programming specifically in the development of “smarter” search engines, web/data performance tuning, process automation, and search engine/content optimization. In his spare time and when requested, Brad has been doing presentations for small business startups on variety of computer topics covering areas on: how to properly manage your computer desktop/files/data, how to effectively purchase hardware and software, how to troubleshoot your computer, internet searching techniques, and what you really need to know when starting up a web site.
| Antto Vihma |
| Finland |
Antto has completed his Ph.D. at the University of Helsinki, Faculty of Social Sciences, analyzing effectiveness and legitimacy of international agreements. He currently works as a research fellow in the Global Security Research Programme at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, Helsinki, conducting academic research and consulting governments and NGOs on UN climate talks. Before becoming a climate process aficionado, Antto studied beekeeping in Ghana and Madagascar, and worked as a hotel animator singing ABBA songs and schlagers in Cyprus.
| Ingrid Visseren-Hamakers, Ph.D. |
| Netherlands |
Ingrid is combining writing for IISD with her position as assistant professor at the Forest and Nature Conservation Policy Group at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. Her research focuses on international forest and biodiversity governance issues. Ingrid holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Studies from Utrecht University. In her dissertation, she analyzed the role of partnerships in biodiversity governance, including assessments of forest, fisheries, and conservation partnerships, and partnerships working on the interlinkages between biodiversity and climate change. She holds MSc degrees in Business Administration and Environmental Studies, and has previously worked for Greenpeace as a forest campaigner.
| Lynn Wagner, Ph.D. |
| United States of America |
Lynn began writing for Earth Negotiations Bulletin in 1994 and is currently the editor for MEA Bulletin and Linkages Update. She received her Ph.D. in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), where she examined the relationship between negotiation processes and outcomes. Her research is now published in Problem-Solving and Bargaining in International Negotiations (2008, Brill). She is the issue cluster expert for the Commission on Sustainable Development and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, but also has attended CBD sessions, the 1995 World Summit on Social Development, the Fourth World Conference on Women and Habitat II.
| Hugh Wilkins, LL.M. |
| Canada |
When not reporting for ENB, Hugh lives in Toronto, Canada, where he works as a lawyer and as Managing Editor of the Review of European Community and International Environmental Law (RECIEL). After completing an LL.M. at the London School of Economics, he worked at the Foundation for International Environmental Law and Development (FIELD) in London as a climate change researcher focusing on the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism.
| Liz Willetts |
| United States of America |
Liz studied Ecology and Physiology at the University of Pennsylvania and then spent 2 years building community nutrition programs and urban gardens with public school students in Philadelphia. Then, after working in rural towns across Latin America, she went to Duke University to study Environmental Economics and Policy. There she wrote a Master’s thesis on the feasibility of watershed payment schemes as a means for climate change adaptation in Rwanda. Liz has since worked with the UCS Food & Agriculture, IISD Climate & Energy, and IUCN Climate Change & Ecosystem Management teams. In her other clothes, Liz trains for elite Ultimate Frisbee tournaments. She brings running shoes wherever she goes.
| Nancy Williams |
| United States of America |
Nancy has taught Spanish for 31 years in a small mountain town in Idaho. Contrary to what some people think, working with teenagers brings joy, laughter and lots of understanding. Her son and his family live in Kauai and playing with her granddaughter keeps her sharp. She enjoys hiking, skiing, gardening, and practicing yoga. Full moon gazing keeps her serene and learning to dance the tango is a new passion.
| Peter Wood, Ph.D. |
| Canada |
Peter is from Vancouver, Canada, and has a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto, where he did research on the influence of international environmental regimes on forest conservation and management. Prior to this, he was a forest policy advisor at a non-profit environmental law firm, and took part in drafting Forest Stewardship Council certification standards for British Columbia. He has also been a policy advisor to the British Columbia government's Trade and Sustainable Development department. When time permits, he enjoys playing guitar and practicing photography. A Vancouverite through and through, Peter feels most at home when climbing in the mountains or kayaking on the coast. He loves to travel, but secretly yearns for the day where he will be geographically stable enough to have a dog.
| Sean Wu |
| Taiwan (R.O.C) |
Sean lives in Taiwan and owns a Chinese-literature degree. He is the IISD-RS digital assistance responsible for the digital editing and for managing the distribution of Earth Negotiations Bulletin issues to readers worldwide. In his leisure, he loves to play music, see the movies and travel abroad.
| Kunbao Xia |
| China |
Kunbao has worked in the field of environmental diplomacy since 1985. He was Director and then Director General, National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA), China from 1985 to 1996 in charge of international cooperation. He was posted in Nairobi as China�s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and acted as Vice Chairman, Committee of Permanent Representatives of UNEP between October 1996 to May 1999. He worked with UNEP as a senior staff member between May 1999 and July 2004.
| Yulia Yamineva, Ph.D. |
| Russia |
Yulia has completed her Ph.D. at the University of Cambridge, Department of Politics and International Studies, researching the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. She also holds an MPhil in Environmental Policy from the University of Cambridge and a BA Hons in Law from South Ural State University in her hometown of Chelyabinsk, Russia. In 2010-2011, Yulia worked for the Secretariat of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change on climate finance issues. Previously, she also worked for academic institutions, including Stanford University, and for environmental NGOs in Russia. She is currently consulting for the private sector in South-East Asia and conducting research on international climate policy. When she was a child, Yulia had a world map hanging above the bed and always knew she would be a world traveller.
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