Jeff Sayer is a Professor in the Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences at the University of British Columbia (UBC) Faculty of Forestry . His research focuses on applied conservation science and the human dimensions of environmental change , with fieldwork spanning Indonesia, West and Central Africa, and Southeast Asia. Current projects include sustainable landscapes in Indonesia (since 2010), forest transitions in Ghana and the Congo Basin (since 2000), and new approaches to conservation science (since 2000). Research emphasizes integrated natural resource management, landscape-scale decision-making, and reconciling agriculture with biodiversity conservation. Key research themes: Integrated landscape approaches for multifunctional landscapes Forest governance and tenure conflicts Policy coherence for Sustainable Development Goals Human-environment interactions in tropical regions Recent publication trends show interdisciplinary focus on deforestation-free trade policies, agroforestry systems, forest governance challenges, and transdisciplinary science applications across tropical Asia, Africa, and Canada.
Ottmar Edenhofer serves as Director and Chief Economist of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Director of the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (2012-2024), Professor for The Economics and Politics of Climate Change at Technische Universität Berlin, and Chair of the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change (ESABCC) since 2022. His affiliations span leading European climate research institutions and academic bodies. Edenhofer's research focuses on climate change economics, particularly the impact of technological change on mitigation costs, public finance implications of climate policy, distributional effects of carbon pricing, and governance of global commons. His work bridges theoretical economic modeling with practical policy design, emphasizing equity considerations and institutional frameworks for effective climate action. He pioneered social science research at PIK, establishing rigorous methodologies for translating scientific findings into actionable policy advice. His publication record demonstrates consistent leadership in high-impact climate economics research, with seminal contributions to IPCC assessments (serving as Co-Chair of Working Group III for the Fifth Assessment Report) and influential analyses of carbon pricing mechanisms. Recent work increasingly addresses carbon dioxide removal governance, distributional justice in climate policy, and the integration of climate action with broader sustainable development goals. His research consistently appears in top journals including Nature, Science, and Nature Climate Change. Edenhofer has received numerous scientific honors including the Romano Guardini Prize (2018), Deutsche Umweltpreis (2020), and Arthur Burkhardt-Prize (2021). He belongs to the top 1% of most cited scientists globally (2018-2022) and was ranked among Germany's top 10 economists (2019-2020). His policy influence extends to serving as Vatican consultor for the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and advising EU institutions through ESABCC. As a science-policy interface leader, Edenhofer has shaped climate negotiations leading to the Paris Agreement and continues to advise European institutions on implementing climate neutrality targets. His work emphasizes the critical role of carbon pricing with equitable revenue recycling and the strategic sequencing of climate policies to maintain political feasibility while achieving deep decarbonization.
Markus Grillitsch is Professor in the Department of Human Geography at Lund University and Director of CIRCLE (Centre for Innovation, Research and Competence in the Learning Economy). His work spans EU member states, transition economies, and developing countries with focus on spatial transformation processes. His research interests include: Economic Geography and Innovation Studies Regional Development and Knowledge Institutions Place-Based Leadership and Institutional Entrepreneurship Network Analysis and Policy Implementation Recent publications demonstrate strong focus on energy justice transitions, innovation policy limitations, and multi-scale inequality analysis. His work connects theoretical frameworks with empirical studies of regional diversification and agency-structure dynamics. Key recurring themes include sustainable development pathways, capabilities approaches, and institutional transformation processes across diverse geographical contexts. Current research projects include: Multi-level learning journeys for green and just regional transformations (Vinnova-funded) Economic resilience through Swedish hidden champions study Circular value chains and policy dynamics research Klimatneutrala städer 2030 urban climate initiative Grillitsch's work actively contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals through research on economic growth, reduced inequalities, sustainable cities, and climate action. His fingerprint analysis shows strongest connections to Innovation (100%), Knowledge (93%), and Regional Development (66%) research domains.
Mehdi Savaghebi is a Professor in Power Electronics-Enabled Power Systems and Head of the Energy Technology and Computer Science Section at the Department of Engineering Technology, Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Ballerup, Denmark. He has previously held academic positions as Associate Professor at Aalborg University and the University of Southern Denmark, where he also served as a Research Team Leader. He is currently accepting PhD students and is actively involved in research, supervision, and editorial work. His research interests focus on modern power systems enabled by power electronics, particularly in the domains of renewable energy integration, microgrids, smart grids, and Power-to-X technologies. His expertise lies in control strategies for inverters, power quality improvement, harmonic mitigation, and protection of distributed energy systems. He is deeply engaged in advancing grid-forming and grid-following inverter technologies, energy islands, and sector coupling for sustainable development. The recent publications highlight a strong trend in advanced control methodologies for power electronic converters, particularly in microgrid applications. His work emphasizes active damping, capacitor voltage decoupling, disturbance rejection, and dynamic performance enhancement in both grid-following and grid-forming inverters. These efforts support broader goals in renewable integration, industrial energy efficiency, and resilient low-carbon grids. Mehdi Savaghebi serves as Editor for IET Smart Grid . He is a member of review committees at Tallinn University of Technology and Nanyang Technological University. He has delivered guest lectures at international institutions, including Tallinn University of Technology. As a main supervisor, he advises PhD student A. July on the project 'Coordinated control of energy storage units and grid-forming converters in energy islands'. He leads multiple research projects, including GRACE (Grid Capacity-Aware Investment Roadmap for Eco-Industrial Clusters) and Communication Technologies for Control of Microgrids. His lab and research team focus on power electronics, microgrid control, and energy system integration, working on real-world applications such as the CLA-µGrid for the Alcântara Launch Center in Brazil and electric weed control in agriculture.
Michaël Aklin is an Associate Professor of Economics and Management of Innovation at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), holding the Chair of Public Policy and Sustainability since joining in 2023. He co-directs the Enterprise for Society (E4S), a joint initiative with IMD and the University of Lausanne. Previously, he was an Associate Professor at the University of Pittsburgh, with a PhD from New York University and postdoctoral work at the University of Pennsylvania. Education: PhD in Economics, New York University MA in Politics, University of Essex BSc in International Studies, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies Research Interests: Focuses on the political and economic dimensions of sustainable development, energy policy, and climate change. His work bridges environmental economics, public policy analysis, and political economy, with emphasis on just transition policies, renewable energy adoption, and equitable energy access. Recent projects include studies on coal-dependent communities, just transition frameworks in national climate plans, and socio-economic impacts of clean energy transitions. Key Roles: Head of Enterprise for Society (E4S) Member of CDM Management and Doctoral Program Committee (EDMT-GE) Teaching responsibilities include courses on sustainability, technology policy, and econometrics Advising & Grants: Supervises four doctoral students (Bataillard, Fernandez, Touré, Zollner). His research has been supported through grants analyzing energy transitions, policy effectiveness, and socio-economic impacts of green initiatives. Labs & Initiatives: Leads E4S, a multidisciplinary center addressing societal challenges through business and technology innovation. Collaborates on global projects assessing climate policies, energy access disparities, and just transition strategies.
Rafael Pérez-Escamilla is a Professor of Public Health (Social and Behavioral Sciences) and serves as Director of the Office of Public Health Practice, the Global Health Concentration, and the Maternal and Child Health Promotion Track at the Yale School of Public Health. He leads the Yale-Griffin CDC Prevention Research Center with over $70 million in extramural funding, focusing on improving breastfeeding outcomes, maternal-child nutrition, food security, and early childhood development through community health worker interventions. He holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from Universidad Iberoamericana (Mexico City), an MS in Food Science, and a PhD in Nutrition from the University of California, Davis. His postdoctoral training at UC Davis explored the link between nutrition and early childhood development. His research interests emphasize breastfeeding promotion , maternal and child health equity , food security measurement , and implementation science . He co-leads studies in vulnerable communities, including U.S. communities of color, and has published over 340 articles, three books, and numerous technical reports. Key publications from 2024–2025 highlight innovations in addressing food insecurity, hypertension disparities, and the evaluation of global nutrition programs. His work bridges research and practice, advocating for scalable interventions. Awards: Lifetime Achievements Award in Global Nutrition (2020) Elected to U.S. National Academy of Medicine (2019) Doctor Honoris Causa from Universidad de Guadalajara (2016) Patricia Martens Award for Excellence in Breastfeeding Research (2015) As a senior advisor to WHO, UNICEF, and U.S. federal agencies, he collaborates on global nutrition policies and measurement frameworks. His grants fund programs like the FOOD4MOMS initiative and the Criança Feliz Program in Brazil. He mentors students through the Maternal and Child Health Promotion Track and oversees Yale’s Global Health and Public Health Practice initiatives. Active in interdisciplinary teams such as the Becoming Breastfeeding Friendly (BBF) initiative and the Center for Methods in Implementation and Prevention Science (CMIPS), he promotes collaboration between academia, communities, and policymakers.
Prof. Dr. Fabian Sting is a Full Professor and Director of the Department of Supply Chain Management – Strategy and Innovation at the University of Cologne, Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences. He also holds a part-time Chaired Professorship of Digital Supply Chain Innovation at Rotterdam School of Management (RSM), Erasmus University, where he previously served as Associate and Assistant Professor. He has been a visiting professor at Singapore Management University and IESE Business School, and held a postdoctoral fellowship at INSEAD. Education: Doctorate in Production Management (Dr. rer. pol., summa cum laude), WHU-Otto Beisheim School of Management M.Sc. in Mathematics - Methods and Models, University of Hagen Diploma in Management Science, Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt Exchange studies at University of Melbourne His research centers on digital innovation, Industry 4.0, strategy implementation, and employee-driven innovation in operations and supply chains. He investigates how organizations innovate processes, manage change, and harness front-line employee ideas. His work integrates behavioral and strategic perspectives in operations management. His recent publications in MIS Quarterly , Management Science , Academy of Management Journal , and Harvard Business Review reflect a strong trend toward digital transformation, idea evaluation biases, and collaborative innovation mechanisms. The articles emphasize knowledge transfer, learning-by-doing, and the behavioral aspects of digital change. Scientific Awards: Richard Beckhard Memorial Prize, MIT Sloan Management Review Jürgen Hausschildt Award for Innovation Management, VHB Top Academic Article Award, ERIM Fabian Sting serves as Associate Editor for Management Science and Senior Editor for Production and Operations Management . He has received multiple teaching awards for courses such as "Operations Management" and "Primaire Processen." He is Academic Director of the Industrial Excellence Award in Europe, in collaboration with IESE, INSEAD, and WHU. His work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to innovation and sustainable industrialization. There is no mention of specific labs or research teams in the provided texts.
Lily Hsueh is an Associate Professor of Economics and Public Policy (with tenure) at the School of Public Affairs, Arizona State University (ASU), and a Visiting Scholar at the Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University. She is affiliated with multiple research centers, including the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, the Center for Environmental Economics and Sustainability Policy, the Center for Organization Research and Design, and the Political Economy Working Group at ASU. She earned her Ph.D. in Public Policy and Management from the University of Washington, an M.S. in Economics from University College London, and a B.A. in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to her academic career, she worked as a Senior Analyst at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. Dr. Hsueh’s research focuses on the intersection of economics, politics, and governance in environmental policy. She investigates how alternative governance systems—such as voluntary programs and market-based mechanisms—affect policy outcomes in areas like climate change, toxic chemicals, and marine resources. Her work emphasizes the role of firms, institutions, and governments in shaping environmental governance and social equity. Her recent publications explore trends in corporate climate disclosure, sustainable public procurement, participatory budgeting, and the health impacts of environmental disasters. These studies employ rigorous econometric methods and contribute to both academic and policy debates on sustainability and governance. Recipient of the 2020–21 AAUW American Fellowship Two-time winner of the Distinguished Teaching Award at ASU (2016–17, 2021–22) Recipient of the 2023 Professor of Impact award (student-initiated) Elected to the APPAM Policy Council (2024–2028) Editorial board member of PLOS Climate Dr. Hsueh has secured research funding from NOAA, the V. Kann Rasmussen Foundation, and ASU. She actively mentors students and junior scholars and is currently completing a book with MIT Press titled Corporations at Climate Crossroads . She also leads curriculum development in economics and public policy at ASU and teaches across undergraduate, master’s, and Ph.D. levels. She is involved in several research teams and initiatives, including the Political Economy Working Group and the Sustainable Procurement Research Group at ASU, and collaborates with interdisciplinary teams at Stanford on climate governance research.
Matt Ratto is a full Professor in the Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto , where he also serves as Associate Dean, Research . He is a faculty affiliate of the Climate Positive Energy Institute , the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society , and an SDG Fellow with the Sustainable Development Goals Institute . His work bridges critical theory and digital innovation , focusing on the social production of knowledge through emerging technologies. His research explores critical making and socio-technical systems , with applications in 3D-printed prosthetics (deployed in Cambodia, Tanzania, and Uganda), AI-driven healthcare solutions , and climate justice in computing . He has received over $6 million in funding, including two Canada Grand Challenge grants , and founded organizations advancing equitable technology access. Ontario Minister of College and Universities’ Award of Excellence (2020) Bell Canada Usability Labs Chair in Human-Computer Interaction (2018–2023) He supervises students such as Olivia Doggett and Sarah Gram , with past advisees including Brian Sutherland and Dan Southwick . His Critical Making Lab fosters interdisciplinary collaboration, and he teaches courses like INF2241: Critical Making and INF351: Information Design Studio .
Fritz Brugger is a Lecturer at the Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences at ETH Zürich and serves as the executive director of NADEL (Network for African-Ethiopian Development Linkages). He holds a PhD in Development Studies from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva. His research focuses on the developmental impacts of natural resource extraction, extractive industries' corporate roles, and governance challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa. Key areas include health impacts of mining, illicit financial flows, and policy interventions in resource-dependent economies. Prior to joining ETH Zürich, Brugger worked at Helvetas for eight years, later becoming a consultant on governance issues in water management, agriculture, and corporate responsibility. He designed an index-based agricultural insurance system and a mobile-tech platform for smallholder farmers' market access. His work spans diverse regions, with a focus on Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Mozambique. His publications emphasize interdisciplinary approaches, such as Q-methodology for policy engagement, and address topics like mercury use in artisanal mining, corporate due diligence, and the energy transition's impact on social licenses. He contributes to global debates on illicit financial flows, tax evasion, and sustainable development goals implementation through multilateral institutions. Brugger's advisory and grant work includes projects on health impact assessments in mining communities, policy coherence in development aid, and the nexus of extractive industries and conflict. He collaborates with NGOs, governments, and private sector entities to bridge research and policy, particularly in fragile contexts.
Dr. Margaret Elizabeth Kruk is a Professor of Health Systems at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, part of Harvard University. She previously held roles as Associate Professor at Columbia University and Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on improving health system quality in low-income countries, using implementation science and econometric methods to evaluate large-scale reforms. She chairs the Lancet Global Health Commission on High Quality Health Systems in the SDG Era and directs the QuEST Network, a multi-country initiative to enhance health systems globally. Education: MD from McMaster University, MPH from Harvard University. Affiliations: Director of QuEST Centers and Network, former roles at UNDP and McKinsey & Company. Her research interests span healthcare quality measurement, maternal and newborn health, and policy solutions for systemic deficits. Key projects include the People’s Voice Survey on health system performance and mobile phone eCohorts for tracking care quality in LMICs. Publications highlight maternal health outcomes, vaccination decision-making, and health system confidence across countries. Grants include NIH funding for maternal-newborn health integration with HIV programs in Tanzania. Twitter: @mkruk
Professor John Eu-Li Wong serves as Senior Vice President (Health Innovation & Translation) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Senior Advisor to the National University Health System (NUHS). Previously, he held pivotal roles including Dean of NUS's Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (2003-2011), Senior Vice President (Health Affairs), and Director of the National University Cancer Institute. His leadership has been instrumental in developing Singapore's Health and Biomedical Sciences initiative through strategic international partnerships. His educational background includes an MBBS from NUS, residency and fellowship at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center (where he served as Chief Resident in Medicine), and specialized training at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. He maintains active clinical expertise as a medical oncologist-haematologist. Professor Wong's research spans comprehensive cancer centers , healthy longevity initiatives , and value-based healthcare systems . His work focuses on translating biomedical research into national health strategies, with particular emphasis on global health security , academic health system integration , and cancer clinical trials infrastructure . He champions multinational collaborations to address transnational health challenges through frameworks like the Cancer Therapeutics Research Group. His scholarly output demonstrates consistent leadership in global health policy and translational medicine , with recent publications addressing pandemic response systems (2020), genomic medicine implementation (2015), and sustainable healthcare models (2021-2022). The work reveals a strategic shift toward healthy longevity roadmaps and value-based healthcare ecosystems while maintaining foundational focus on cancer therapeutics. International Member, US National Academy of Medicine (2019) Doctor Philosophiae Honoris Causa, Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2019) President’s Science & Technology Medal, Singapore (2014) Public Administration Medal (Gold), Singapore National Day Awards (2016) Fellow of Royal Colleges of Physicians (London, Edinburgh) and American College of Physicians Professor Wong co-founded the multinational Cancer Therapeutics Research Group (nine institutions) and serves on editorial boards for JAMA and American Journal of Medicine. His grant leadership includes directing Singapore's National University Cancer Institute and spearheading the Global Genomic Medicine Collaborative. Current initiatives focus on the National Academy of Medicine's Healthy Longevity Roadmap and Qatar's Academic Medicine Advisory Board. He established the Cancer Therapeutics Research Group and maintains strategic partnerships with Karolinska Institute, University of Cambridge, Harvard, and Stanford. His leadership extends to the M8 Alliance of Academic Health Centers (past World Health Summit President) and Global Genomic Medicine Collaborative Steering Committee, driving transnational research infrastructure.
Mihye Won is an Associate Professor at Monash University’s Faculty of Education, specializing in innovative science education strategies. Her research integrates dialogic teaching, student-generated diagrams, immersive Virtual Reality (VR), and generative AI to enhance scientific understanding and creativity. She has secured Australian Research Council (ARC) funding for projects like Using Immersive Virtual Reality to Enhance Science Visualisation (2019–2025) and Drawing Science Diagrams to Enhance Scientific Creativity (2018–2025). Her work supports students, teachers, and early-career researchers, aligning with the UN Sustainable Development Goal for Education. PhD, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: Inquiry-based science education via Dewey’s theory of inquiry Her research focuses on: Dialogic teaching to foster student reasoning Student-generated diagrams for conceptual understanding VR for visualizing complex science topics Generative AI in science learning Creative and critical thinking in science education Recent articles span VR applications, AI in physics education, collaborative drawing techniques, and curriculum-aligned creative pedagogy. Awards include the Most Valuable Paper Award 2024 for her work on enzyme-substrate interactions in VR. She serves on the advisory board for Chemistry Education Research and Practice and the editorial board of the International Journal of Science Education .
Christopher Findlay is an Honorary Professor at the Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University (ANU). He previously served as Executive Dean of the Faculty of the Professions at the University of Adelaide (2011–2018) and Head of the School of Economics at the University of Adelaide (2005–2011). His academic career includes roles as Professor of Economics at ANU’s Asia Pacific School of Economics and Government (1999–2005). He holds a BEc (Hons) from the University of Adelaide (1974), MEc from ANU (1977), and PhD in Economics from ANU (1982). His research focuses on international economics, Australia’s economic relationships with Asia, rural transformation, and climate change adaptation. He has led projects for the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) on farmer adaptation to climate change and rural transformation. He is a contributor to the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) and has advised APEC and ASEAN Secretariats. Findlay is Vice-Chair of the Australian Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation (AUSPECC) and has been involved in the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC) since its founding in 1980. His awards include membership in the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (2002) and the Order of Australia (AM, 2007). His work bridges academia and policy, emphasizing regional economic integration, trade policy, and sustainable development. Key contributions include analyses of services trade, global value chains, and structural reforms in Asia-Pacific economies.
Angel Saz Carranza is a Professor and Associate Professor at the Department of Strategy and General Management in the Esade Business School, Ramon Llull University. His research focuses on global governance, intergovernmental organizations, regulatory networks, and public-private partnerships. He contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goals through his work on institutional frameworks and policy design. He leads research projects funded by the EU and Spanish Ministry of Science, including 'EU-VALUES' (2023-2026) and 'LegitGov' (2022-2025). His work explores accountability mechanisms in EU regulatory networks and governance structures of intergovernmental organizations under the UN system. Key research outputs analyze board design in intergovernmental organizations, network tasks in regulatory frameworks, and determinants of public-private partnership policies. His projects often involve semantic big data analysis and configurational approaches. He is part of the Grup de Recerca en Lideratge i Innovación en la Gestión Pública (GLIGP), a research group focusing on public management innovation. Current and past projects address global governance legitimacy, strategic foresight for Spain's foreign policy, and regulatory network governance.
