Prof. Venkata Ramayya

Research Interests: Design and Simulation of Renewable Energy Systems, and Biochar-based Climate change Mitigation Strategies

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Venkata Ramayya is a professor of mechanical engineering and currently, the Sustainable Energy Engineering Chair and currently leads the Thermal Engineering research group in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Jimma University. His basic research interest is in the areas of renewable energy. He has successfully supervised 28 master’s thesis, 97 bachelor’s projects and 3 PhD’s (as external advisor) on topics relating to energy, biogas, hybrid systems and biomass pyrolysis. He has published more than 40 peer-reviewed publications, 100 conference proceedings and a book chapter in an international book publication on sustainable energy related issues. Venkata has investigated and co-investigated 30 projects (completed or ongoing) most of which are sponsored by international bodies such as the European Union, International Association of Universities, African Union and Development Innovation Fund (World Bank). He is a member of prestigious societies such as Society for Automotive Engineers, New York Academy of Sciences, American Chemical Society and the Ethiopian Society of Mechanical Engineers. He is also a life member of the Indian Society for Heat and Mass Transfer and the Indian Society for Technical Education.

Venkata has served on several committees and key positions which includes, amongst others, as Head of Center for Energy Studies, VIT-Deemed University, Vellore, India; Member, Board of Studies, Department of Mechanical Engineering for SCSVMV Deemed University, Kancheepuram; Students` Research Project Coordinator, Faculty of Technology, Jimma University, Ethiopia; Member Academic Commission, Faculty of Technology, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia among others. He has been a member of the International Advisory Committee of recognized international conferences including the International Conference on Green Energy technologies, 15th-16th April, Bahir Dra University, Ethiopia, 2016; and the International Conference on Emerging Research and Advances in Mechanical Engineering, VEC, India, March17-19, 2009.

Prof. Dr. Eng. Ahmed Hamza H. Ali

Research Interests: Solar Energy Technology,  Energy Audit and Energy Efficiency

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Ahmed Hamza H. Ali is a Professor of Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning at Assiut University, Egypt and a Certified Professional Consultant on Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency. He obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from Assiut University, Egypt in June, 1986 and December, 1992 respectively. Ahmed Hamza bagged a doctoral degree in engineering from Muroran Institute of Technology, Japan in 1999. He worked as a Professor of Energy Systems at Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Systems and Environmental Engineering, UMSICHT, Germany from March 2006 to April 2008, the Director of Research Excellence Center for Energy Resources and Management (Dean Level), the Chairperson of Energy Resources and Environmental Engineering Department, and a Professor of Renewable Energy Systems, all at the Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology (E-JUST) in Alexandria, Egypt from May 2010 to January 2015.

His areas of expertise include basic and applied research in Renewable Energy (Solar Energy Cooling and Heating Nocturnal Radiation Cooling, PV systems design and performance) Systems, energy and buildings (incl. HVAC) and Industrial Energy audit and energy efficiency. In 1994, he became a member of International Solar Energy Society (ISES) till date. Some of the awards to his credit include the Finland Government Award (June 1985 – September, 1985), Japanese Government (MONBUSHO) Scholarship), Japan (October, 1994 – March, 1998), Association of International Education Professional Honours, Japan (April 1998 – March, 1999), the distinguished scholar award from the Arab Fund Program, Kuwait, (March 2010 – February, 2011), and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Fellowship, Germany (March 2006 – April 2008). Ahmed Hamza has published more than 150 papers (over 65 in refereed International Journals, with H index 13), six books and five book chapters.

Prof. Ellen Morris

Research Interests: Energy Access, Energy Entrepreneurship, Gender and Energy, and Clean Energy Policies

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Ellen Morris, Ph.D., is a world-recognized expert on energy and international development, with a particular focus on policy analysis, research, strategy development, and writing on energy access, gender equality, and enterprise development. She teaches Energy and Development at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and is a Faculty Affiliate at the Center on Global Energy Policy. At Columbia, Ellen serves as a mentor in the Women’s International Leadership Program and is the faculty advisor for the Women in Energy student group at Columbia. Ellen is also an Ambassador for The Clean Energy Education and Empowerment Initiative that was launched by the Clean Energy Ministerial to close the gender gap in STEM fields and serves as a Technical Expert for the Clean Energy Solutions Center. In addition to her faculty appointment, Ellen is the President and Founder of Sustainable Energy Solutions, an international consulting services company that promotes the increased use and deployment of clean energy technologies and services as a means to support economic development and reduce poverty in developing countries. She has recently led pioneering work on gender and energy for the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to create the first ever Policy on Gender Mainstreaming for Energy Access along with a Legal Directive for gender assessments in energy projects. Ellen is also a Founding Partner of Embark, a social enterprise that is focused on radically increasing the scale of energy access by empowering thousands of clean energy entrepreneurs in low-income countries. Ellen was also the co-founder of Arc Finance, an NGO that promotes and expands access to end-user finance for modern energy.

Ellen serves as an advisor and Board Member for social enterprises focused on clean energy, including EnVenture (Uganda), Simpa Networks (India), Earth Spark International (Haiti), and Empowered by Light (Zambia) and is the Energy Program Advisor for the Clinton Global Initiative. She started her career in clean energy working for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, in the geothermal program. In the early part of her career, she worked as a Fellow on the Science, Space and Technology Committee of the U.S. Congress and was an exploration geophysicist for Texaco. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in geophysical engineering from the Colorado School of Mines and a doctoral degree in marine geophysics from the University of Rhode Island.

Prof. Donatien Njomo

Research Interests: Solar Energy Engineering, Rural Electrification, Climate Change Mitigation, GHG Emissions Inventory

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Professor Donatien Njomo holds the position of full Professor of Energy and Environment and Head of the Environmental Energy Technologies Laboratory at the University of Yaounde 1, Cameroon. He teaches graduate level courses including Solar Energy and Renewable Energy Technologies, Photovoltaic and Concentrating Solar Power Systems, Energy and Climate Change, Geopolitics of Energy, Energy Efficiency, Heat Transfer, Thermodynamics. Professor Njomo has already supervised 14 PhD dissertations and 60 Master theses dealing with solar energy and other renewable energy technologies. He has published more than 65 scientific papers dealing with solar energy and renewable energy technologies. He has carried out studies of solar radiation propagation and attenuation through tropical atmosphere and experimental ground based measurements of solar irradiation in Cameroon. He also used 5 km resolution Meteosat satellite imagery to extract solar radiation falling on the Cameroon territory. Professor Njomo has succeeded to develop a powerful non-linear model to simulate the functioning of the solar collectors in tropical areas. He has also developed solar stills to produce safe drinking water from brackish water. He has succeeded to map deforestation and the resultant carbon fluxes in the Congo Basin forest using SPOT-Vegetation satellite imagery for the years 2000 to 2004. In 2001, Professor Njomo received the prestigious Senior Associate Award, for the period 2001 – 2006, from the International Center for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) based in Italy, for his contribution to the advancement of non-conventional energy in Cameroon and other developing countries. Professor Njomo also holds a patent on an improved double combustion wood burning cookstove.

Prof. Jatin Nathwani

Research Interest: Sustainable Energy (Policy and Risk Management)

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Professor Nathwani is the founding Executive Director, Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy (WISE) and holds the prestigious Ontario Research Chair in Public Policy for Sustainable Energy. He is also the Co-Director, with Prof Joachim Knebel (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany), of the consortium ‘Affordable Energy for Humanity (AE4H); a Global Change Initiative’ comprising 150 energy access thought leaders, researchers and practitioners from 50 institutions in 22 countries. The overarching vision of AE4H is to drive the scientific, technological and social innovations required for a cleaner, low carbon energy system that also meets the challenge of universal energy access.

As WISE’s Executive Director, he leads the institute’s research and development efforts to foster the development of emerging technologies that includes the full range of emerging energy technologies including solar, wind, bioenergy, geothermal, integration of distributed energy systems with energy storage, ICT for smart grid and micro-grids for off grid supply. His current focus is on competitive energy policies to enable the innovations required for the transition of the global energy system to a lower carbon energy economy.

Prior to his appointment at the University in 2007, Professor Nathwani worked in a leadership capacity in the Canadian energy sector over a 30 year period. He brings a unique combination of academic perspectives with extensive experience in the business sector that includes corporate planning and strategy, energy sector policy developments, integration of environmental sustainability with in power system planning, regulatory affairs and research program management.

Prof. Nathwani serves on several boards at the provincial and national levels. He is the lead Scientific Advisor to the Waterloo Global Science Initiative, established by the Perimeter Institute and the University of Waterloo, and is the lead author of the Equinox Summit-Energy 2030 Blueprint. He is chair of the board of the Canadian University Network of Excellence in Nuclear Engineering; member of the Ontario Smart Grid Forum; board member of the Ontario Centre of Excellence; member of the Clean Tech Advisory Board (DFAIT), Council for Clean and Reliable Electricity; member of the Advisory Panel for the Science Media Centre of Canada; and Advisory Board Member of Sustainable Waterloo. Professor Nathwani has over 110 publications related to energy and risk management, including seven books and is a Registered Professional Engineer (PEO) in the Province of Ontario, Canada.

Prof. Evelia Rivera-Arriaga

Research Interests: Environmental Policy and Governance, and, Impact of Climate on Marine and Coastal Regions

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Evelia is a Professor and Researcher at the Institute of Ecology, Fisheries and Oceanography of the Gulf of Mexico at the University of Campeche, Mexico. Currently, she is in charge of the integrated coastal management and marine policy laboratory. She is a biologist with a Master and a PhD in Marine Policy from the University of Delaware, USA. As an expert in policy and governance for over 27years, she is passionate about the coastal areas and the oceans, especially on the American continent where she has done her studies and research. She is one of the pioneers in Mexico on coastal and marine management projects, and has lead several innovative projects on marine policy international agendas, the effects of climate change on coastal and marine zones, and coastal governance. She was the Minister of the Environment of her home state Campeche for the six years of a governmental term (2009-2015), in charge of the design and implementation of the state environmental policy for forests, climate change, air quality, water, coastal zones, solid waste, environmental education and natural protected areas. She also promoted cross cutting sectorial sustainable policies and building environmental governance. Evelia was the national coordinator for the 6th National Communication on climate change for the UNFCCC; and is currently involved as Lead Author for the Special Report on Oceans and Cryosphere for the IPCC. She is also the representative of Mexico at the Inter-American Institute for the Global Change Research; and developed the environmental policy agenda for the national policy commission.

Prof. Bipasha Baruah

Research Interests: Green Economy; Clean Energy and Gender, Construction, Manufacturing, Transportation

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Bipasha Baruah is the Canada Research Chair in Global Women’s Issues and a tenured full professor in the Department of Women’s Studies and Feminist Research at the University of Western Ontario. Prof. Baruah conducts interdisciplinary research on gender, development and globalization; women and work; and social, political and economic inequality. Her research on women and property ownership and women’s employment in renewable energy and resource efficiency has influenced policy within governments, financial institutions and non-governmental organizations. Dr. Baruah has 12 years of professional experience with organizations such as the United Nations Development Program, Asian Development Bank, World Resources Institute, The Energy and Resources Institute, Self-Employed Women’s Association, the Association for Women’s Rights in Development, the International Development Research Centre of Canada, Natural Resources Canada, and Global Affairs Canada. The Royal Society of Canada named Dr. Baruah to The College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists in 2015. “The College” is Canada’s only national system of multidisciplinary recognition for the emerging generation of Canadian intellectual leadership. Every year, it names individuals who have made exceptional professional contributions to Canada and the world within 15 years of completing their doctorates. Dr. Baruah’s current research program is aimed broadly at understanding how to ensure that a global green economy will be more gender equitable and socially just than its fossil-fuel based predecessor.

Prof. Marta Molinas

Research Interests: Rural Electrification (Technology), Microgrids and Energy Poverty

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Marta Molinas works with access to electricity and solutions to energy poverty, focusing on development of microgrids in remote areas. She is a professor at the Department of Engineering Cybernetics of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and supervises Master and PhD students in topics related to electricity access in remote areas. She is also co-founder of the non-for-profit organization, RenPeace (www.renpeace.org) that works in collaboration with students and professors around the world in the development of microgrid projects in the field (e.g. microgrids).

Marta Molinas holds a Dr. Eng. Degree in Electrical Engineering from Tokyo Institute of Technology. She is currently remotely supervising Master and PhD students in Africa, South America and Asia. She is associated as remote supervisor for University of the People (https://www.uopeople.edu ). She works in collaboration with Engineers Without Borders and the IEEE Empowering a Billion Lives (http://empowerabillionlives.org/) initiative, that focuses on solutions to energy poverty and technologies for humanity.

Prof. Akiça Bahri

Areas of Expertise: Water Resources Management, Water Reuse, Agriculture Use of Biosolids (​in nexus with Energy, Environment and Climate Change)

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Akiça Bahri is currently Professor at the National Agricultural Institute of Tunisia. Previously, she worked as Coordinator of the African Water Facility (AWF) at the African Development Bank from 2010-2015; as Director for Africa at the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) from 2005-2010; and as Director of Research at the National Research Institute for Agricultural Engineering, Water, and Forestry (INRGREF) in Tunis, Tunisia. She has academic and professional experience in water resources management and the agricultural use of marginal waters and biosolids and their impacts on the environment. She has also been involved in policy and legislative issues regarding water reuse and land application of sewage sludge. She has authored numerous papers and reports. She is a member of different international scientific committees and has received international honors from the Guinness Foundation (1984), the International Foundation for Science (1993), the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (1996), and the 2009 "Prof. C.N.R. Rao Prize for Scientific Research". She was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of California at Davis from January to June 2005. She holds an Agricultural Engineer degree from the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Agronomie de Toulouse, France, a Doctor-Engineer degree from the Institut National Polytechnique de Toulouse (France) and a Ph.D. in Water Resources Engineering from Lund University (Sweden).

Dr. Michael MacCracken

Research Interests: Climate Change Impact and Mitigation, Climate Engineering and Global Warming

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Dr. Michael MacCracken is a climate change and impacts scientist who has been volunteering as Chief Scientist for Climate Change Programs with the Climate Institute in Washington DC since retiring from the University of California in October 2002. His current research interests include human-induced climate change and consequent impacts, climate engineering, and the near-term beneficial effects of limiting emissions of non-CO2 greenhouse gases. From 1968-93 he led studies at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory using computer models to evaluate the climatic effects of volcanic aerosols, land-cover change, nuclear war, and the increasing CO2 concentration. From 1993-97, he served as the first executive director of the interagency Office of the U.S. Global Change Research Program, responsible for encouraging scientific cooperation among nearly a dozen federal agencies, and then from 1997-2002 as senior scientist and executive director of the National Assessment Coordination Office for the first national U.S assessment of the impacts of climate variability and change. Since retiring, in addition to his activities with the Climate Institute (www.climate.org), Dr. MacCracken has also served as President of the International Association of Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences (2003-07); as the international atmospheric representatives to the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (2003-11); and as a member of the Synthesis Team for the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (2002-04). In addition, Dr. MacCracken has prepared roughly a dozen legal declarations in support of lawsuits seeking to encourage efforts to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.

Dr. MacCracken earned his B. S. in Engineering from Princeton University in 1964 and his Ph.D. in Applied Science from the University of California Davis/Livermore in 1968. His dissertation involved developing one of the world’s first global climate models and then using it to evaluate the physical consistency of several hypotheses for explaining the causes of Pleistocene ice age cycling.

Dr. Ioannis L. Tsipouridis

Research Interests: Renewable Energy Engineering Applications, Climate Change Mitigation

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Dr. Ioannis L. Tsipouridis is a renewable energy engineer with over 40years experience in the renewable energy field and he is currently the Chairman and CEO of R.E.D. PRO Consultants, which he set up after leaving PPC S.A., a consultancy active in the fields of renewable energy and climate change. He holds a PhD in Solar Energy, master’s degree in Fuel and Energy (both funded by Science Research Council Grant) and Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering (funded by Local Education Authourity Grant); all form the University of Leeds, United Kingdom.

Starting with his M.Sc. thesis, he has worked all his life, for the development of Renewable Energy Sources (R.E.S.), as an energy engineer. Simultaneously he has been active in promoting R.E.S. development policies as Chairman of Hellenic Wind Energy Association (ELETAEN). He has served in numerous roles on various projects. ……….. served as the CEO of Public Power Corporation Renewables (PPCR S.A.), Greece (2010- 2013); Director, Office of Deputy Minister for Energy Yannis Maniatis, in the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change (YPEKA), in charge (mainly) for renewable energy matters (2009-2010) and a member, of the Board of Directors of the the Center of Renewable Energy Sources of Greece (2010-2013). Dr. Tsipouridis also worked as a Regional Energy Expert of a European Union PHARE programme where coordinated by the Energy Policy Unit of the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), Bulgaria; headed the Athens branch of an Energy equipment company, specializing in solar water heaters and energy stoves and sewage treatment unit’s installaions and also served as a Consultant and Editor to “Energy Point”, a commercial energy magaizine.

Between 2003-2010 and 22013-2015; Dr. Tsipouridis served as the President of the Hellenic Wind Energy Association (HWEA), which he cofounded in 1990 and has served as Secretary General (1991-2001) and Vice President (2001-2003 and 2010-2013). For his contribution to ELETAEN and to the development of wind energy in Greece, in 2011 the Hellenic Wind Energy Association awarded him the “AIOLOS” prize. He is creator and Editor of “Anemologia” (1999 – to date), the official Journal of the Hellenic Wind Energy Association. He has participated in numerous conferences including the historic COP21, as well as COP22 and COP23.

Gregory Leng

Research Interests: Sustainable Energy and Climate Change

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Gregory J. Leng is the creator and Director of the RETScreen Clean Energy Management Software at Natural Resources Canada’s CanmetENERGY research centre in Varennes, Quebec. The RETScreen Software is the world’s leading clean energy decision-support tool and is available in 36 languages coverings 2/3rds the Earth’s population. RETScreen is used by more than 560,000+ energy professionals and decision-makers in every country, as well as by professors at 1,000+ universities and colleges for teaching and research.

Greg’s career is focused on the clean energy market, technology and finance interface and he has been working in the renewable energy and energy efficiency fields since 1987. Prior to joining NRCan, he was based in Hyderabad, India as the India Country Manager (dLA Consultant) for the International Fund for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (IFREE). He obtained a Master of Science degree from the University of Massachusetts Lowell in Energy Engineering (Solar Energy Engineering) and a Bachelor of Commerce degree (Marketing and International Business) from McGill University.

Dr. Athanasios Dagoumas

Research Interests: Sustainable Energy Policy, Economics, Markets and Planning

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Dr. Athanasios Dagoumas is an Assistant Professor in Energy and Resource Economics and the Director of the Energy and Environmental Policy Laboratory and at the University of Piraeus. He holds a Diploma in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Aristotle University in Thessaloniki, where he elaborated his PhD in Energy Economics. He has more than 10 years of work and research experience in energy related issues, including working as a Senior Researcher at the University of Cambridge and as a Senior Energy Analyst at the Transmission System Operator and at the Electricity Market Operator in Greece. Moreover he was enrolled as a Special Advisor to the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change in Greece. His extensive experience builds his capacity for an in-depth understanding of multidisciplinary aspects of the energy sector: economic, engineering, environmental and policy. He is keen on developing models for the energy system, the economic-energy-environment (E3) systems and the real energy markets.

Kirsty Hamilton

Research Interests: Renewable Energy – Policy, Investment and Finance

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Kirsty has 27 years’ experience in international climate and energy policy. Since 2004 she has led an initiative, via affiliation as Associate Fellow at Chatham House, on ‘investment grade’ policy: conditions to enable private investment into renewables/low carbon energy. This has been evidence-based work with a central foundation of direct engagement with leading mainstream renewable energy financiers and senior policymakers. From 2010-2015 she was Policy Head of the Low Carbon Finance Group, a first-of-kind, financier- led group of senior finance practitioners established to factually assist policymakers’ understanding of conditions to mobilise capital at greater scale. The Group’s 5-year span largely focused on the UK’s Electricity Market Reform process. Prior to that she published synthesis work on ‘investment grade’ policy, as well as financier perspectives on emerging markets renewables investment (research sessions 2008-2010) and MENA region. In addition, she coordinated private investor input to an early development phase of what became the Green Climate Fund (2011). In 2016 she published the ‘Finance Guide for Policymakers’, for factual reference tool on who does what in finance and why, relevant for renewables and ‘green infrastructure’, published by BNEF with Chatham House and UNEP’s Frankfurt School centre. She is currently focused on how to create effective institutional engagement with private financiers. In 2015-2016 Kirsty was a Specialist Advisor to a UK Parliamentary Inquiry into Investor Confidence in the UK electricity sector. She has held several invited international advisory roles including World Economic Forum, UNEP Finance Initiative and has been a reviewer and contributing author to the IPCC.

Dr. William Blyth

Research Interests: Renewable Energy and Climate Change Policy, Emissions Trading and Energy Efficiency

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William Blyth has worked for over 20 years in the analysis of energy security, climate change and sustainable development. He is Director of Oxford Energy Associates, an independent energy research company, and works part-time as a Senior Research Fellow at DFID (UK government’s aid department). In addition, he holds Associate Fellow positions at Chatham House (one of the world’s top think tanks), and at Imperial College London, supporting research on sustainable energy issues. He is an expert in energy sector economics and policies specialising in transitions to a low-carbon economy and energy access in developed and developing countries.

Dr. Blyth is currently leading a team to develop Botswana’s sustainable energy strategy under their SE4All initiative. He carried out a similar role in Rwanda leading a team within the Ministry of Infrastructure, and developed Rwanda’s investment plan for $50m under the SREP. In recent years, he has worked with the World Bank, AfDB, and EBRD reviewing financial flows and the investment needs of the energy sector in general, and mechanisms to support business models that address access to energy for the poorest in particular. He has recently worked with a wide range of international organisations including the World Bank, African Development Bank, International Renewable Energy Agency, OECD, International Energy Agency, the Electric Power Research Institute, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, International Institute of Sustainable Development, as well as many UK government departments and institutions. He has published widely on a range of topics related to climate and energy security, and is the author of over 20 peer reviewed papers and books. William previously worked at the International Energy Agency in Paris, the European Environment Agency in Copenhagen and for AEA Technology Environment. He has a DPhil in Physics from Oxford University.

Dr. Kirsten Davies

Research Interests: Human Rights and the Environment, Climate Law, Community Engagement, Sustainable Development

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Dr Kirsten Davies is an academic at Macquarie University’s Law School (Sydney Australia). She has extensive education, policy, governance, management, marketing and board experience. In her career she has held senior management, directorship and chair roles. As CEO of a consultancy business, and through roles with corporate, government and university sectors, Kirsten has worked with expert teams in a diverse range of international and Australian projects and partnerships. Her depth of experience includes leading cultural institutions and community access programs in rural and urban localities.

A committed educationalist and researcher, Dr Davies is widely published and has authored and presented papers at many conferences. At the centre of her work is the engagement of communities. She is the architect of Intergenerational Democracy, a method of whole-of-community engagement and capacity building and the subject of her (2012) book, Intergenerational Democracy, rethinking sustainable development. Kirsten has recently developed an online course on community engagement.

Kirsten holds a Master’s Degree (USyd) ,PhD (USyd) in Sustainable Management and is currently undertaking a second PhD in Law (MQU) . She was awarded a Winston Churchill Fellowship to conduct research in USA, UK and Japan (2002) and was the recipient of the University of Sydney Agri-Management Scholarship for post graduate research (2005). Kirsten was awarded an Australian Government, Endeavour Award - Research Fellowship to undertake sustainability research in Vanuatu (2009) and maintains a close relationship with the South Pacific Region. She was appointed as an Expert Adviser and Lead Author to the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) in 2014 (onwards). This role continues to expand her international networks and activities. Kirsten is a member of the Global Network for the Study of Human Rights and one of the drafting authors of the recent Declaration on Human Rights and Climate Change.

Dr. Hisham Zerriffi

Research Interests: Energy Access, Energy and Development, Policy, Regulation, Energy Systems

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Hisham Zerriffi is an Associate Professor in Forest Resources Management at the University of British Columbia (UBC). He was previously an Assistant Professor and the Ivan Head South/North Research Chair in the Liu Institute for Global Issues at UBC. Dr. Zerriffi’s research is at the intersection of technology, energy and the environment, with a particular focus on rural areas of the developing world. Much of his research focuses on institutional factors impacting the diffusion of new technology, determinants and patterns of household energy choice and welfare implications of rural energy use. He is the author of one book and over two dozen articles and book chapters. He was a Lead Author for the Global Energy Assessment’s chapter on Energy for Development and a member of the World Health Organization’s Indoor Air Quality Guidelines Development Group. Prior to joining the UBC Faculty, Dr. Zerriffi was a Postdoctoral Fellow with the Program on Energy and Sustainable Development, Stanford University. Dr. Zerriffi holds a Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University in Engineering and Public Policy.

Dr. Huong Ha

Research Interest: Climate Change (Policy)

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Dr. Huong Ha is currently affiliated with School of Business, Singapore University of Social Sciences. She has been affiliated with UON Singapore and University of Newcastle, Australia. Her previous positions include Dean, Director of Research and Development, Deputy Course Director, Chief Editor, Executive Director, Business Development manager, etc. She holds a PhD from Monash University (Australia) and a Master’s degree from National University of Singapore. She was a recipient of a PhD scholarship (Monash University), Temasek scholarship (National University of Singapore), and a scholarship awarded by the United Nations University/International Leadership Academy, and many other scholarships, professional and academic awards, and research related grants.

She has authored or co-edited a number of books including Ha, Huong (2014). Change Management for Sustainability. USA: Business Expert Press, Ha, Huong (2014). Land and Disaster Management Strategies in Asia. H. Ha (Ed.), Springer; and; Ha, Huong & Dhakal, T. N. (2013). Governance Approaches to Mitigation of and Adaptation to Climate Change in Asia. H. Ha, & T. N. Dhakal (Eds.), Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan; and Ha, Huong; Fernando, Lalitha and Mahmood, Amir (2015), Strategic Disaster Risk Management in Asia, Springer. She has produced about 75 journal articles, book chapters, conference papers and articles in Encyclopedias. She has been an invited member of the international editorial boards of many international journals/book projects; the scientific and/or technical committees of several international conferences in many countries; and international advisory board of many associations. She has also been a reviewer of many international journals and international conferences.

Ashley Cooper

Areas of Interest: Environmental and Climate Change Photography

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Ashley Cooper has spent the last 13 years travelling to every continent on the planet to document the impacts of climate change and the rise of renewable energy. In that time he has probably seen at first hand more climate change impacts than anyone else. He has documented extreme weather, floods, drought, permafrost melt, glacial retreat, sea level rise, desertification, coral bleaching, emissions, biofuel, tar sands, fossil fuels, coastal erosion, deforestation, fracking, forest fires, sea ice, water resource and every type of renewable energy. As an environmental photographer Ashley has shone a light on the most important issue of our times and his images appear in newspapers, magazines and books around the world, including in his own book, “Images From a Warming Planet”. Ashley lectures widely on his work and works with organisations like World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and Climate Outreach to try to get the message out there of the urgency to tackle climate change. Ashley runs two websites www.globalwarmingimages.net and www.imagesfromawarmingplanet.net

Dr. Pradipta Halder

Areas of Interest: Energy, Climate change, Education

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Pradipta Halder holds a doctoral degree in forestry from the University of Eastern Finland (UEF) and is currently affiliated with the Business School (UEF) as a Senior Researcher. He is also an Adjunct Professor in Social Sustainability and Bioeconomy with the Department of Historical and Geographical Studies at the UEF. Pradipta is leading a project on consumer adoption wood-based eco-innovations in Finland, India and the Netherlands. He has over ten years of research and professional experiences in the fields of forestry, bioenergy, climate change and bioeconomy from policy and social sciences perspectives.

He has conducted research in Finland, Germany, Croatia, Serbia, India and China. He was a visiting scholar to the Fudan Tyndall Centre in Shanghai and the Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University in Yangling (China). Pradipta has published widely in reputed international journals in the field of energy and environment. Pradipta is also affiliated with the journals such as Biofuels, Energy, Sustainability and Society, and Energy and Environment Research. His current publications can be seen from here: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=_YSmtJUAAAAJ&hl=en

David Gibson

Research Interests: Energy Access (Market) and Utility Energy Efficiency

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David Gibson has 32 years’ experience in energy access, utility energy efficiency programs, and facility design and construction. He serves as a Senior Consultant for NRECA International and is the President/Chief Innovation Officer for a consultancy known as Next Grid Collaborative. He holds a master of Liberal Arts Degree in Sustainability and Environmental Management from the Harvard Extension School where he received the Dean’s Academic Achievement Award based on his academic performance. David’s thesis was entitled “Taming a Wicked Problem – Energy Access Planning from an Energy-Poor Perspective. “ His thesis research proposed an enhanced GIS-based energy access decision tool which explores institutional barriers (such as energy consumption subsidies) and enabling environment conditions (such as the “energy addressable market” of households with mobile phones but no access to electricity) in an effort to scale up the market penetration of Solar Home Systems in the ECOWAS region. In an effort to translate his thesis research into practical applications, David is currently working with an off-grid technology service provider to assess the “ease of doing business” among their target countries for initial market rollout. He is also working with the developer of the existing Open Source Spatial Electrification Tool (onSSET) to develop a number of expansion modules to support the initial market rollout of this technology service provider.

David’s experience in Africa energy landscape includes energy access/rural electrification projects in Ghana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda, including Haiti and Philippines which are also developing economies. Some of the projects handled include improved energy access for street markets in Ghana, developing a framework for private investment in rural off-grid electrification projects in Ethiopia, and the development of mini-grid standards and specifications in Tanzania. The clients for these projects include the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), the United States Agency for International Development – Power Africa Program (USAID), the Government of Kenya (GoK), and the International Finance Corporation (IFC). Mr. Gibson has also served as a Teaching Assistant and Research Assistant to Dr. Robert Pojasek in support of his Organisational Sustainability course. He has recently been selected to serve a two-year term on the Student Advisory Committee for Harvard’s Sustainability and Environmental Management Program.

Dr. Alexandre Strapasson

Research Interests: Energy and Climate Change Mitigation, Bioenergy, and Sustainable Land Use

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Alexandre Strapasson is an Honorary Research Fellow at Imperial College London and a Visiting Lecturer at IFP Energies Nouvelles in Paris. He also works as an international consultant. He currently lives in Brazil. Until recently, he worked at Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University in the United States. He has been working on energy and environmental sciences, with an emphasis on the global dynamics of energy, carbon and land use, and the sustainable development goals.

Prior to these experiences, Alexandre was Director and Head of Department of Bioenergy at the Ministry of Agriculture of Brazil, working on international collaborations and capacity development programmes with several nations, including African countries. He was also Consultant of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for energy and climate change affairs at the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment, participating in UNFCCC negotiations. He is an Agricultural Engineer, holding a Master in Energy from the University of São Paulo (USP), and Ph.D. degree in Environmental Research from Imperial College London, with a Postdoc in Sustainability Science from Harvard.

Xavier VALLVÉ

Research Interests: Microgrid Technology, Demand Side Management, Community Development, Integrated Energy Strategies.

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Xavier Vallvé is co-founder and director of the engineering and consultancy firm TTA in Barcelona, Spain. He holds engineering and master’s degrees from the University of Waterloo in Canada and has more than 25 years of experience in rural electrification with renewable energy and distributed generation projects, autonomous as well as grid tied, renewable energy hybrid technology for islands and isolated villages. This involves complementary interdisciplinary activities in economic, social and management aspects as well as engineering in renewable energy generation and storage. Autonomous off-grid electrification needs to address the needs of potential beneficiaries, from basic access to power to develop income generating activities. Within a village, this can be done with microgrids, individual PV stations or a combination of both but involving the community and establishing an adequate business model for long term sustainable operation.

Xavier is well-experienced in distributed generation and micro grids. He has been involved in research, feasibility studies, engineering, project management and commissioning of many PV rural micro grids in isolated villages in Africa, Asia and South America. He is also an active member in international codes and standards committees on this subject. He has been project director or lead consultant for private and government clients and also for projects by United Nations Development programme (UNDP), United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), World Bank (WB), European Commission (EC), International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), among others. He is director and lecturer of the Master degree “Master en Ingeniería y Gestión de las Energías Renovables” at IL3 (University of Barcelona). He is a member of ARE (Alliance for Rural Electrification), and also member of the Board of Secartys.

George Charley Granvorka

Research Interests: Climate Change, Ecosystems Services, Disaster and Risk Reduction

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Charley G. Granvorka is an Economist mainly working within the field of Development and Environment with a particular focus on the Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Her first works initially related to development concerns in the context of the Plantation Economy by comparing the economic performance of Haiti and the Dominican Republic from 1960 to 2015 owing to self-builder data bases.She evolved towards Environmental Economics by analyzing the impacts of natural hazards on the domestic economy at the macro and micro levels using tools such as the Cost-Benefit Analysis and Data processing.

Some of her works are exemplified by a Cost-Benefit Analysis of an Integrated Disaster & Risk Management including a Flood Early Warning System and Temporary multifunction shelters in Haiti under the Umbrella of the Copenhagen Consensus Centre. She contributed to the design of an Eco system based development Master Plan for Andros, the Bahamas upon request of the Inter American Development Bank. As a winner of a national bid of the National Agency for Research, France, she also assessed the social and economical costs of the earthquake and hurricane Dean that occurred in Martinique for 2007 in the fields of agriculture, housing and health.

She has authored papers in collective books or peer-reviewed journals on various topics related to environment, tourism, poverty, risk management, sea governance or urban revitalization, all SIDS specific indexed on www.academia.edu.org. She monitored thesis at the Master 2 level and occasionally reviews blinded papers in environmental Journals (Israel, Romania, United States of America, Algeria). She acts as both an Independent Consultant and teacher and is a member of various Economist Associations and Les Expertes France, which is a network specially dedicated to women created by the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie.

She has been invited-speaker at various high level international meetings; UNEP, New York, Ecole Polytechnique, France, ProEcoServ, Trinidad and Tobago, COP21, Paris, France, UNDP/University of Baranquilla, Columbia.

Luca Petrarulo

Research Interests: Climate Change and Environment Nexus, Sustainable Energy (Policy and Economics)

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Luca Petrarulo is a Consultant with 10 years of experience in international environmental projects and research. He holds a Master of Science in Environmental Change and Management from Oxford University and a Master of Arts in Conflict Resolution from Lancaster University. His technical expertise is multi-disciplinary and focuses on climate change (adaptation and mitigation), environment and sustainable development, governance and aid effectiveness (harmonization of donor interventions, regional and international cooperation for instance), renewable energy, transport, and monitoring and evaluation (M&E). He has special interest on projects that links impacts of climate change to environmental changes. This has been mainly developed at the international level working for a variety of clients including the EC, GIZ, DFID, AFD, CDKN, UK DECC, UK FCO. Luca has worked on many high-profile international projects, mainly in Asia and Latin America. For instance, he was one of the key technical experts in preparing the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) of Bangladesh and Nigeria for the global climate Paris Agreement. He also recently led the climate change, energy, and environmental assessment of the EU development assistance to the Pacific region covering 19 countries and territories. Luca is fluent in English, Spanish and Italian.

Steven von Eije

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Steven von Eije has an extensive background in renewable energy with a passion for sustainable development. Steven recently joined Enclude as consultant sustainable business practices to implement and expand the clean energy portfolio. Steven has over 8 years of work experience in the renewable energy sector. At the Energy Delta Institute in the Netherlands Steven developed a strong training background while he gained extensive knowledge on the energy sector in developing countries. Steven gained experience in the development sector while working for Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV) in Vietnam. He worked on projects to support the development of local enterprises that delivered clean energy products and services using result based finance mechanisms. Steven acted as Chief Technical Advisor to the award winning Biogas Programme for the Animal husbandry sector of Vietnam. Additionally, he designed the result-based finance incentive option auction in order to accelerate the development of the advanced clean cookstove sector. As sector leader renewable energy he was responsible for the management of a team of national and international experts which supported the Vietnamese government in their ambition to develop renewable energy.

As Energy Analyst for the Energy Delta Institute, an international energy business school in the Netherlands, Steven has developed and improved executive energy education programs. Furthermore he has acted as a lecturer in several courses on renewable energy and energy transition related topics. He has also consulted for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and Energising Development ,Climate and Clean Air Coalition,RVO,SNN (Northern provinces of the Netherlands) EU and Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation, among other organisations on various topics such as on renewable energy investment and financial analysis, biogas energy programme, sales of carbon credit, reversed auction for result based finance incentive options for improved cookstove, among others. Steve speaks Dutch, English, French and German languages.

Joanne Lee

Areas of Interest: Renewable Energy Finance and Environmental Policy

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Joanne Jungmin Lee brings a combination of academic and professional experience in environmental policy, renewable energy, corporate sustainability and climate finance. As of February 2018 Joanne is working for World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) as a Technical Specialist in the Finance Practice Core Team, based in Hong Kong.

Prior to WWF, Joanne worked at the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in Abu Dhabi as Associate Programme Officer – Renewable Energy Finance, specializing in public finance, risk mitigation and institutional investment. Before moving to the United Arab Emirates, she worked for the United Nations Environment Programme, Wharton Small Business Development Center, Meister Consultants Group, Ceres and GreenWorld Capital in the US. Joanne also worked as a financial analyst at Hewlett Packard in Seoul. She has a Master’s degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Ewha Womans University in South Korea.

Peter Dauenhauer

Research Interests: Off-grid Electrification and Project Development, Business Model Design and Implementation

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Peter Dauenhauer has a combined background in economics and sustainability of off-grid energy projects. He holds a BA Economics from University of Washington, MSc Economics from University of Amsterdam. His past work has included the design of off-grid projects in developing countries, management of the Malawi Renewable Energy Acceleration Programme (MREAP), sustainability evaluations and feasibility studies for energy access projects. These projects have been conducted in Malawi, Gambia, Kenya and Zambia. He has served as chair and co-chair of the IEEE Power and Energy Society Working Group: Sustainable Energy Systems for Developing Communities (SESDC) since 2014 and leads the Energy Use Task Force. He actively volunteers with Kilowatts for Humanities (KWH) (business model design, data acquisition system, and research support) and with IEEE Smart Village (Malawi development Liaison).

Peter is currently completing his PhD at the University of Strathclyde in Energy for Development. He works at Seattle University as a Faculty Adviser for senior design projects involving data acquisition systems. His current publications are available here: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=MKE7M3QAAAAJ&hl=en

Francois Le Scornet

Research Interests: Low-Carbon Energy Markets, Policies and Technologies

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Francois Le Scornet has nearly 15 years of international experience in the low-carbon power generation sector (hydropower, fuel cells, solar, nuclear power in particular). Specialized in market analysis, business development and product management, François has a deep understanding of the policies, strategies and technologies that define the activities of private actors working in the low-carbon energy sector. During his career, françois worked on numerous projects for emerging markets, in Africa and South East Asia in particular. François holds a Master in Chemistry from ECPM (France) and a Specialized Master in International business from HEC Paris.

In 2017, Francois created Carbonexit Consulting. Based in France, he supports companies, public bodies and associations to better prepare and benefit from the ecological transition. Carbonexit Consulting provides accredited greenhouse gas emissions audits for regulatory reportings as well as strategic studies and product marketing analysis to support low-carbon energy technology applications (Emerging technologies, solar, nuclear, hydropower, hydrogen, storage etc.).

Prior to this, Francois served at GE Renewable between 2013 to 2016 in corporate Marketing/strategy as well as product management for the hydropower and solar industry. Previously, Francois has served at AREVA (2004-2013) and the US Department of Energy (2001-2002) and CEPN (2003). During this period, François mostly worked on business development and marketing for products and services targeting the existing nuclear plants (maintenance and modernization, safety and performance improvements, radiation detection, uranium mining) as well as the development of fuel cells for portable power applications.

On it free time, supported an electrification project with Electricians Without Borders in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Dr Xavier Lemaire

Research Interests: Sociology of energy access, Social imaginary of renewable energy, Clean energy policies, Energy Justice

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Dr Xavier Lemaire is a senior research associate at the University College London - Institute for Sustainable Resources / Energy Institute (2011-today). Previously he was a research fellow at the Centre for Management under Regulation - Warwick Business School (2005-2011) and a European Union Marie Curie Research Fellow at the Centre for Research in Ethnic Relations - University of Warwick (2003-2004). Dr Xavier Lemaire is a sociologist and a socio-economist who has been working as a practitioner and a researcher on energy and environmental issues in the Global South for the last 20 years. He has lead international research projects on energy access and energy transition in developing countries (2013-today); he coordinated an international network of energy regulators promoting clean energy (2005-2013); he worked as an independent consultant on territorial development and as a programme manager on rural electrification (1992-1997). He was a lecturer and a visiting lecturer in management, socio-economics and sociology in French Universities (1998-2002). He holds a MSc in Management (Paris - Sorbonne, 1988); a Master in Organisation Studies/Policy Analysis (Paris - Dauphine, 1989), a postgraduate degree in Development Studies (Paris - Sorbonne, 1990) and a PhD in sociology (Paris - Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, 2000).

Dr. Debora Ley

Research Interests: Rural Electrification, Renewable Energy Technology and Policy, and Climate Change

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Debora Ley is a Lead Author in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) special report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 °C. She has a PhD in Environmental Change from the Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment of the University of Oxford. Her dissertation topic analyzed if rural renewable energy projects can simultaneously meet the multiple goals of sustainable development, climate change mitigation and climate change adaptation and if so, under what conditions, focusing on Guatemala and Nicaragua. She has a MSc in Civil Engineering, with a focus on energy systems, from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a BSc in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering. Dr. Ley worked at Mexico’s National Energy Savings Commission in the Cogeneration and Renewable Energy departments before joining Sandia National Laboratories, where she was the Program Manager for the Central America and Mexico Clean Energy and Environment Program, jointly funded by the US DoE and US AID. She later worked at the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean and the InterAmerican Development Bank, focusing mainly on regional energy integration in Central America. Among the main outcomes of her time at UN were strategies for sustainable energy in the region, and of the inclusion of energy within the Millennium Development Goals. She has also worked as a consultant for the Latin America Energy Organization focusing on rural electrification in Nicaragua, for the World Bank evaluating its rural solar energy programs in Nicaragua and Honduras, and for Chemonics doing strategic planning for Low Emissions Development in Mexico. She is a volunteer with Engineers Without Borders, Johns Hopkins chapter and has published diverse articles on topics of rural renewable electrification, especially technical codes and standards, and diverse topics linking renewable energy, climate change and sustainable development.

Dr. Giovanni Palmisano

Research Interests: Photocatalysis, Water and Air Remediation, Modelling and Kinetics of Photoreactors

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Dr. Giovanni Palmisano earned his MSc in Chemical Engineering and his PhD in Chemical and Materials Engineering from the University of Palermo, Italy. Before joining Khalifa University (Masdar Campus), Dr. Palmisano’s research activities were mainly developed in Italy and Spain and concern photo-catalytic processes for organic chemistry, hydrogen production, water and air remediation, and self-cleaning coatings, with a special attention to materials characterization, kinetics, modelling of photo-reactors and radiant fluxes. From 2009 to 2012, he was administrator, chief engineer and safety manager at Hedera Engineering Srl – an Italian company operating in design and construction of photovoltaic plants in Italy. From 2008 to 2013 he has held free-lance consulting activity for private companies and Italian municipalities. Dr. Palmisano has co-authored ca. 90 highly cited papers in peer-reviewed international journals, and he has to his record seven patents, six books and six invited book chapters. He is regularly invited to offer lectures and serve as chair-person at international conferences and workshops. He is member of the editorial board of three international journals and he has guest-edited three special issues of international journals. He has been main advisor of 4 PhD students and advisor or coadvisor of 6 MSc students, one of whom won the best thesis award in Chemical Engineering and the outstanding thesis award in Masdar Institute.

Abdelkader Allali

Areas of Interest: Green Economy, Environment and Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation

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Engr. Abdelkader Allali is a Nobel Peace Prize co-winner and a former IPCC WG II Vice Chair AR4. He is a Principal Chief Engineer, Agronomist and Geographer Specialist, acting as the International Expert in Green Economy, Environment and Climate Change Adaptation /Mitigation. He has more than 20 years' experience in Development Cooperation in the fields, designing and/or implementing development project of agriculture, rural development, water resources, local government institutional development, civil society organisations, leading monitoring and evaluation of EU development cooperation programmes Europe-Africa, leading EU funding interventions for the operalisation of Mali Climate Fund and Green Economy Strategy and Implementation Plan. In addition, he has experience in several countries across Africa such as Algeria, Tunisia, Niger, South Africa, Ethiopia among others.

Abdelkader is well versed in designing, implementing and assessing climate change and mitigation actions as well as in development of climate change adaptation and mitigation projects. He contributes and teaches a number of courses related to climate change and agricultural/impact assessment and evaluation. In 2001 he was a contributing lead author with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Switzerland, drafting the report on Good Practice Guidance and Uncertainty Management in National greenhouse Gas Inventories related to Land-Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry.

He is a member of a number of professional bodies in Morocco focused on the environment and climate change and has contributed to numerous global projects including the UNFCCC Joint Implementation Evaluation Team for accreditation (2007-2008), the National Scientific and Technical Committee on Climate Change (Morocco) (2001-2002), the IPCC Bureau (Vice chair of the WGII: Monitoring and evaluation of Impacts, Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change) (2002-2008), the Moroccan CDM Assessment Team on monitoring and evaluation projects (2006-2007-2008). In addition, he founded the National Association on Climatology (ANACLIM) in Morocco and served as the General Secretary (1993-1996).