DEGREES - Key Persons
Amar leads operational strategy and planning for Degrees. He is responsible for financial management including programmatic grant funding processes, board governance, and the management of the organisation's HR and IT functions. Amar brings over fifteen years of broad-ranging business experience across financial services, startups and nonprofits. Before working for Degrees, he led the finance and operations functions at several small impact-focused organisations dedicated to social change, including in the international development space. He has a degree in Economics from Cambridge University and a Master's in Global Studies from Gothenburg University.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Architect of Degrees / the SRM Governance Initiative
Andy has been the main architect of Degrees/the SRM Governance Initiative since its launch in 2010, responsible for the focus on the Global South, the programme of engagement workshops, and the creation of the Degrees Modelling Fund. His background is in climate policy and he began working on geoengineering in 2008 when he led the production of the Royal Society's Geoengineering the climate report. He moved into academia to research SRM governance at the Harvard Kennedy School and the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies, Potsdam. Andy was a member of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity's expert working group on geoengineering and is currently a mentor for the Anant Fellowships for Climate Action and an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the University of Bristol, UK.
Anna is responsible for the administrative and organisational aspects of the programmes. She has an extensive background in education, which has included work on refugee resettlement programmes, youth public engagement and NGO policy analysis. These thematic issues have allowed her to live in Palestine, Jordan and Vietnam. Anna holds a Master's Degree in International Development from Massey University, New Zealand, where she explored community-based inter-faith dialogue initiatives and their contribution towards peacebuilding efforts. She holds particular interest in the future of governance within SRM research.
Adolfo has specialized in tropical cyclones, their formation, how they intensify, and what their impacts are. He did a PhD in Atmospheric Science at the University at Albany, conducting numerical simulations using the WRF model to reveal the contributions of mountain gap winds in southern Mexico to the formation of tropical cyclones in the Eastern Pacific. Previously, Adolfo studied convection patterns in tropical cyclones proxied by lightning and the impacts of tropical cyclones in northwest Mexico as his Master's and Undergraduate thesis topics, respectively, both done at UNAM. Currently, he is interested in assessing how extreme events may respond to a changing climate.
Akhmad Faqih is a lecturer and researcher in climate variability, climate change, and climate modelling. He has a PhD from the University of Southern Queensland, Australia, and has extensive experience in conducting climate studies in Indonesia and its neighbouring countries.
Job Titles:
- Associate Researcher at the IRHOB
Alina Nathanaël Dossa is an associate researcher at the IRHOB. He holds a PhD in the physical oceanography of near-surface ocean dynamics off Northeast Brazil, and coastal sea surface salinity gradients in the world's oceans, from the Federal University of Pernambuco in Brazil. He is also an associated researcher at the International Chair in Mathematical Physics and Applications (ICMPA-UNESCO Chair) of the Abomey-Calavi University (Benin). Alina has carried out diverse research projects using observational, remote sensing, and modelling data looking at the barrier layer in the Gulf of Guinea, western boundary circulation, and coastal surface salinity gradients around the world.
Job Titles:
- Researcher in the Atmospheric Sciences Department of the Institute of Atmospheric Science
Constantino is a researcher in the Atmospheric Sciences Department of the Institute of Atmospheric Science and Climate Change at UNAM. He is a Biologist and holds PhD in biological sciences from UNAM. His research interests are eco-epidemiology of infectious diseases and global change at different spatial and temporal scales, spatial epidemiology and development of data mining techniques and analysis of complex networks for the study of zoonotic diseases and climate change.
Job Titles:
- Senior Researcher at the Institute for Atmospheric Sciences
Francisco is a Senior Researcher at the Institute for Atmospheric Sciences and Climate Change (ICAyCC) at UNAM and a visiting researcher at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. He was the head of the Department of Atmospheric Sciences of ICAyCC. He is also head of the research group Climate and Society and is currently the Coordinator of UNAM's Climate Change Research Program.
Job Titles:
- Senior Scientist at the Institute for Atmospheric Sciences
Graciela is a Senior Scientist at the Institute for Atmospheric Sciences and Climate Change at UNAM. She graduated in Meteorology at the University of Buenos Aires and obtained a PhD in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Washington. Her research covers aerosol and cloud processes, synoptic and climate phenomena, and short-lived climate forcers, reported in about 120 peer-reviewed publications. She was a Lead Author in WGI AR4 of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. She received the Award for International Cooperation in Science, Technology and Innovation "RAICES" for Argentine personalities abroad, from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation of Argentina. Graciela is also Co-Chair of the Regional Assessment of Short-Lived Climate Pollutants in Latin America and the Caribbean, sponsored by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition and UN Environment (UNEP), and is currently Lead Author in the UNEP Global Environmental Outlook report. She is also Chief Editor of the Atmósfera journal and Section Editor of PLOS-Climate.
Hendri Hendri holds a doctorate from Hiroshima University and is currently teaching at the University of Papua. His research interests include modelling related to hydrometeorological disasters and the Regional Environmental Simulator (RES), environmental modelling approach which uses complex interactions between land surfaces, the atmosphere, wind, waves, the ocean, and estuaries. He has collaborated with a range of institutions, including international NGOs, government agencies, private organisations and universities, to jointly build a framework and models for climate change mitigation and adaptation in small islands and sustainable smart development.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
- Trustee
- Executive Director of the Network of African Science Academies
Jackie is the executive director of the Network of African Science Academies which she helped found in 2001. She specialises in project planning and management for policy interventions and also trains on good financial management for research and development projects. She serves as a member of several committees in Kenya and internationally.
Jesse Reynolds is an expert in international environmental policy, particularly regarding emerging technologies. He has worked extensively on the governance of solar radiation modification and carbon dioxide removal and is the author of The Governance of Solar Geoengineering: Managing Climate Change in the Anthropocene (Cambridge University Press, 2019). Prior to working at Degrees, he was executive secretary of the Climate Overshoot Commission, an independent group of eminent global leaders, and an Emmett / Frankel Fellow in Environmental Law and Policy at the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Reynolds has degrees from Tilburg University, The Netherlands (partially as a Fulbright Fellow, US Department of State), the University of California, Berkeley (as a US Environmental Protection Agency Science-to-Achieve Results Fellow), and Hampshire College.
Job Titles:
- Researcher at the Institute for Atmospheric Sciences
Julián is a full researcher at the Institute for Atmospheric Sciences and Climate Change at UNAM. He was born in Colombia, where he spent most of my life, but has lived in Mexico for the last 12 years. Julián migrated to Mexico to pursue a PhD at UNAM. He is passionate about amphibians and reptiles, particularly Anolis lizards, which motivates him to evaluate the impacts of climate change on biodiversity in general. His research aims to understand how current and past climate dynamics shape biodiversity, including phenotypic diversity, at several spatial scales and how future climate change scenarios might distort these geographical patterns.
Kwesi Quagraine is a Lecturer and climate research scientist at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. He holds a PhD from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, and is currently investigating climate variability and change using machine learning approaches. This research includes looking at the co-behaviour of large-scale climate processes and their influences on regional climate by developing methodologies that accommodate possible nonlinear interactions of these large-scale processes, and help investigate the drivers of rainfall extremes over West Africa.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor at the University of La Frontera
Marcelo Somos-Valenzuela is an associate professor at the University of La Frontera in Chile. He has extensive experience of working on adaptation to climate change associated with mountain environments in diverse regions such as the Himalayas (Nepal), the Cordillera Blanca (Peru), continental US, and Patagonia (Chile). His areas of expertise include hydro-climatology, field observations and regional modelling, water management, social vulnerability, and climate change. He has collaborated on international projects funded by the UN, USAID, IDB, National Geographic, and the governments of Chile, Peru, and Nepal. He has a PhD in water resources from the University of Texas at Austin.
Natália Machado Crespo has a background in meteorology and has carried out research in the Ozone Laboratory of the National Institute for Space Research (INPE). Her research focuses on the dynamical and climatological aspects of cyclones over South America and its surrounding regions. Since 2019, she has undertaken post-doctoral research for the Western South Atlantic Climate Experiment (WeSACEx), becoming involved in regional climate modelling, evaluating the current climate and projections of extreme winds and cyclones over eastern South America, under different climate change scenarios.
Dr Pete Irvine is responsible for advising the CEO and programmes team on key scientific matters in relation to Degree's work. Applying his expertise in SRM research, Pete helps to guide Degrees future planning by mapping out scientific developments within the field. He also supports Degrees work as a research collaborator. Pete is a Lecturer at UCL Earth Sciences, and previously Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences working in Prof. David Keith's group. Dr Irvine conducts research on the climate and broader impacts of solar geoengineering and works to put those findings into perspective with the risks posed by climate change.
Ratunku Gabriel Lekalakala is Head of Directorate, and a Specialist Scientist responsible for climate change analysis, at the Department of Water and Sanitation. Also a council member of the South African Hydrological Society, and Chairperson of the Adaptation Network Steering Committee, Ratunku has extensive experience in research and science for policy and development, gained from years of working in various public sectors, including the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa. His research and development areas of interest are in climate change, climate-related risk and mitigation, prevention and response, and the use of systems approaches for addressing complex problems.
Job Titles:
- Junior Researcher With the ACDI
Romaric Odoulami is a junior researcher with the ACDI, which is an interdisciplinary research and training institute situated within the University of Cape Town. His research focuses on understanding climate change risks in Africa. He aims to improve African communities' understanding and management of climate risks and to reduce their vulnerabilities by quantifying weather and climate extreme risks, their implications for human communities, and identifying ways to manage these risks. Romaric's vision is to assess climate change risks from the perspective of those dealing with risk, by working collaboratively with practitioners to provide policymakers with robust tools to influence policy and practice.
François is leading the team responsible for the organisation's outreach, capacity building, and community building activities. Prior to this role, he served as Transition Manager, responsible for setting up business operations as the initiative became an independent UK entity, while ensuring the continuity of programmes and communications, and supporting the CEO and Board of Trustees. He has extensive experience in non-profit management, entrepreneurship and corporate sustainability, as well as a keen interest in innovative ventures seeking to make a positive impact in the realms of climate or ocean protection. He holds master's degrees in geopolitics and international relations as well as in ocean and atmospheric science.
Frédéric K. Bonou is a researcher at the IRHOB, and a lecturer at the Benin National University of Sciences, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics of Abomey (UNSTIM). He was involved in an earlier Degrees Modelling Fund project in Benin, where he analysed the impacts of SRM on the West African monsoon, and ocean circulation. Frédéric has a PhD in Physical Oceanography from the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFP) in Brazil, and has research interests in marine biogeochemistry, coastal erosion, sea level rise, and ocean and atmosphere interactions. He teaches a Masters course on "Climatological Data Analysis: Statistical Tools", and co-supervises students' internships.
Lyndsey leads communications for Degrees, managing the team's day-to-day outputs and working closely with programmes colleagues to grow awareness of Degrees-funded projects around the world, while connecting with collaborators, scientists, journalists, and other stakeholders across the sector. She has several years of experience working with NGOs - most recently with WWF Scotland from 2018-2023 - and she has led policy, advocacy, and communications projects on a diverse range of climate policy areas, including on Scotland's world-leading climate change legislation. She holds an MLitt in Peace and Conflict Studies, and has expertise and interest in various areas including international affairs, climate change, biodiversity, and energy policy. Lyndsey is also an author and occasional magazine editor, and enjoys using her skills in advocacy and storytelling at Degrees to ensure that those most affected by climate change are central to the conversation around SRM.
Job Titles:
- Honorary Treasurer
- Member of the Board of Trustees
Mark is Degrees' honorary treasurer and a management consultant. He has over 30 years of experience in strategy, leadership and operations. Mark holds Masters' degrees in Global Development Management and Accounting and Financial Management, and is also a trustee of the British Institute of Human Rights.
Job Titles:
- Strategic Communications Adviser
Mark Turner is a creative strategic communicator on complex global challenges, who has shaped messages and information products on issues from climate change and sustainability to conflict and humanitarian aid. He has worked as a speechwriter and strategic communicator for numerous international organisations and initiatives, including the Carnegie Climate Governance Initiative, where he hosts a podcast with global thought leaders on climate-altering technologies. Before moving into communications, he was a foreign correspondent for the Financial Times.
Job Titles:
- Trustee
- Environmental Scientist
Mohammed Mofizur is a Bangladesh-born environmental scientist and an educator. He has studied Biodiversity, Ecology, Environment and Sustainable Development. He is currently working as a scientist at Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Germany on climate change and health. Before joining at PIK, he was an Alexander Von Humboldt International Climate Protection Fellow. He has wide ranges of research interest such as climate change impacts and potential solutions.
Job Titles:
- Programmes and Communications Officer
Nick is a communications professional with experience in research institutes, international organisations and NGOs. He is responsible for implementing the initiative's programmes and communications, increasing awareness of our achievements, and helping to build connections across our growing global community. He holds an MA in International Political Economy and has experience working in emerging technologies, climate governance and development research across Latin America and the Caribbean. As part of this, he has extensively explored the governance aspects of geoengineering with a particular focus on the Global South. He is passionate about utilising his interdisciplinary background to ensure that those set to be most affected by climate change can play an active role in the global conversation on SRM.
Odilon Joël Houndegnonto is a post-doctoral fellow at LOPS, with a PhD in physical oceanography from the Université de Brestagne Occidentale (France). His research focuses on ocean physics with links to societal needs, including the response of the ocean to climate change through air-sea interactions at regional to global scales, and freshwater plume dynamics (rivers, sea-ice melting and precipitation). He has used in situ and remote sensing observations, combined with numerical model simulation outputs.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
- Chairman of the Trustees
Oliver is an author and a senior editor at The Economist. As a journalist he has covered solar geoengineering for almost two decades, including as the author of the 2016 book "The Planet Remade". He has extensive experience as an advisory-board member and is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
- Trustee
- Co - Founder of the World Benchmarking Alliance
A co-founder of the World Benchmarking Alliance, Pauliina leads the organisation's advocacy and outreach, to ensure that the private sector is both incentivised and held accountable for the role it plays in delivering the Sustainable Development Goals and meeting the needs of people and planet. Pauliina joined WBA from Aviva, a global insurance company and asset manager, where she was head of international government engagement. At Aviva, Pauliina drove forward international policy development and advocacy campaigns on sustainable finance and trade and investment, working closely with multi-lateral institutions such as the UN, G7 and G20. Pauliina is a member of the Paris Peace Forum's Scaling-Up Committee where she supports new initiatives to realise their potential and maximise their impact.
Pepi is responsible for the administration side of the organisation and brings over 20 years experience of working in the charitable sector to Degrees. Pepi has worked in The Gambia, South Africa and Cameroon attending Commonwealth People's Forums and running workshops for linked communities between the Global North and the Global South in collaboration with the BBC, Commonweath Foundation, Eden Project and the Fairtrade Foundation amongst others.
John served as chair of Degrees' board of trustees between 2020 - 2023 and was a co-chair of the initiative since 2010. He is an Emeritus Professor of Earth System Science at the University of Southampton and chaired the Royal Society's seminal 2009 Geoengineering the climate report. He served as deputy director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research from 2001 to 2010.
The late Saleem was the director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) in Dhaka between 2009 and 2023. He was an IPCC lead author multiple times and a senior fellow at the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED). In 2022 he was listed as one of the twenty most influential people working on climate change around the world.
Rachel has been advising the Degrees Initiative since 2021. Her background is in environment and climate policy; after working on international biodiversity policy for the UK JNCC, Rachel led the UK Royal Society's work on environment and climate change. It was here she first worked on the geoengineering issue - co-leading the production of the Society's 2008 geoengineering the climate report with Andy. Since then, she has raised a family and worked on international development and climate change issues at Save the Children UK and on pesticide and international biodiversity policy for the European Academies Advisory Council (EASAC) Environment programme.
Job Titles:
- Researcher at the Climate Change Research Laboratory
Thierry C. Fotso-Nguemo is a researcher at the Climate Change Research Laboratory (CCRL) of the National Institute of Cartography (NIC) in Yaoundé, Cameroon, which is a multidisciplinary research institute under the authority of the Ministry of Scientific Research and Innovation. His research focuses on the use of global and/or regional climate models to investigate the impact of anthropogenic global warming on climate variability, including extreme weather events, and their implications on socio-economic development sectors. He is a member of the CORDEX Central Africa analysis group, as well as an associate member of the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP). He holds a PhD in atmospheric sciences from the University of Yaoundé.
Job Titles:
- Researcher at the Climate Change Research Laboratory