Meet the Team

I am a principal climate scientist with over twenty years’ experience. I co-lead CGIAR’s FOCUS
team on climate security, overseeing research and advocacy to tie together leading climate science with security. Over the course of my career, I have published over 70 books, articles, and chapters.
I also co-lead a CGIAR initiative on Fragility, Conflict and Migration. I have an MSc in
Geography and a PhD in Tropical Agriculture (summa cum laude). In my free time, I like to bike,
read and spend time with my family.

I am a senior economist with over fifteen years of research experience in assessing drivers of food insecurity and poverty in agricultural settings. I co-lead the CGIAR FOCUS Climate Security team. My current research interest lies in evaluating the impact of climate on common drivers of conflict and fragility, such as food and nutrition insecurity, poverty, forced migration and displacement, gender, and other structural inequalities. Over the course of my career, I have published more than 60 peer-review articles, briefs and book sections. I have a PhD in Economics from the University of Sussex. Outside of work, I like watching movies and playing with my cats.

I co-lead the digital innovations thematic area of CGIAR FOCUS Climate Security, where my
team focuses on the application of digital methods, natural language processing and social network analysis to explore the discourses and dynamics of food insecurity, human mobility, and the climate, peace and security nexus. I am a multi-disciplinary social scientist with over 20 years’ experience in communications and international development, focusing on managing information systems, critically assessing data, and developing innovative research strategies. I hold a Joint Major Communication and Latin American Studies from Simon Fraser University, Canada, with a specialisation in Social Policy Management from Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Brazil and a MSc Social Policy and Development from London School of Economics, UK. I am currently a PhD Sociology candidate at the University of Coimbra, Portugal. In my free time, I am a sports coach and athlete, and a community organiser.

I am a bioclimatologist with the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT. My research
focuses on the intersection of climate change, plant physiology, complexity analysis, and global
environmental change. As part of this work, I lead a team developing innovative tools and
approaches to address these complex challenges. I’m increasingly interested in how global
environmental change impacts humans, mobility, and security, and how we can build resilience in these areas. I’m an affiliate member of the World Climate Research Program (WCRP) and a
Visiting Researcher at the Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research in Norway.

I lead the MENA Regional Climate Security Hub for CGIAR's CWANA Region, based in Cairo, Egypt. Besides that, I am engaged in the Climate Security Governance and Gender Workstreams of the Climate Security Team and lead the Gender and Social Inclusion Research Agenda of the Alliance's Lever 3 Climate Action Leadership Team. I have over 20 years of experience in research and development with a focus on water and resource management, participatory community development, climate change, sustainable agriculture, and gender equality. I hold a PhD in Human Geography from the Australian National University, as well as a Diploma in Geography from Frankfurt University, an MA in Southeast Asian Studies from Frankfurt University, and a BA (Hons) in Geography from the University of Tasmania. I teach university courses in Sociology and Biology, am a Design Thinking coach and certified yoga instructor, and lead community initiatives for water and environmental conservation across rural Egypt.

I am the regional and qualitative research team lead for the climate security team in the Southern African Climate Security Hub. I am a social scientist with over 15 years of experience conducting qualitative research in the region on migration and families, forced migration, displacement, refugee protection, and their intersection with the crosscutting themes of livelihoods and gender. I hold a PhD in in Development Studies from the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa, and an MA in Development Studies, majoring in Local and Regional Development from the International Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University Rotterdam (ISS) in The Hague,The Netherlands, and a BSc honours in Sociology from the University of Zimbabwe. I am also the co-founder of the Southern Women Academics Network (SWAN) aimed at making academia a viable career choice for women.

I am an agricultural economist and Senior Scientist with over 20 years of experience in agricultural research for development at both national and international levels. I lead the climate information services and climate security agenda across West and Central Africa. My expertise includes agricultural and environmental economics, climate-smart agriculture (CSA), climate information services (CIS), and project management. I have published 45 peer-reviewed journal articles on natural resource management, climate change, agriculture, and food security. I hold an engineering degree in agricultural economics, a MSc. in development and environmental studies, and a PhD in Economics.

I am a Migration and Climate Security Specialist and Regional Lead for East Africa. I am a
qualitative research specialist with experience in migration, displacement and climate change, with a particular focus on the nexus between climate change, migration, human mobility and security. Previously, I have worked for the International Organization for Migration (IOM) under the migration governance and development unit, working on policy initiatives and programme
implementation that focused on promoting understanding of the climate change and migration
nexus, promoting evidence for policy making through migration data strategies, promoting safe
and regular migration pathways, enhancing migrants social protection, engaging the diaspora for national development and operationalizing migration policies. I hold a PhD in Migration and
Displacement from the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa and a Masters in Social
Development from the same university. In my free time, I enjoy reading books and taking nature walks.

I have joined the Alliance as Senior Economist in the Climate Security Team, where I lead
econometric research mainly on migration and climate security issues in fragile and conflict-
affected contexts. Before joining the Alliance, I worked at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations on issues concerning self-reliance, climate security and environmental sustainability. My research experience includes assessing the effectiveness of climate smart agricultural practices; exploring the interrelationships between commercial agriculture, human migration and deforestation; evaluating social assistance programs in emergency contexts. I have also worked as a researcher at Princeton University, where I explored the relationships between climate change, agricultural land use and migration patterns. I hold a Ph.D. in Economics and an M.Sc. in Development Economics.

I focus on climate-related mobility, natural resource management, climate-smart agriculture, and local-level adaptation, with a specialization in participatory research methods. I have extensive experience in mixed-methods data collection in rural areas affected by both climate and conflict hazards. Currently, I am a PhD candidate at Humboldt University of Berlin, where my research examines social-ecological systems in displacement contexts across South Asia. I've co-authored several peer-reviewed articles and reports and hold an MSc with Distinction in Development
Administration and Planning from University College London, as well as a BA in Political Science from SUNY - Purchase College. Prior to research, I spent ten years in private sector management, focusing on business development, partnerships, and scaling.

I am a climate, peace and security specialist leading the work of the team in Latin America and the Caribbean. I am currently based in Cali (Colombia). I hold a double BA in International Relations and Economics from the Rey Juan Carlos University of Madrid and an MA with Distinction in Conflict, Governance and Development from the University of York.