About

Nicole joined the Belmont Forum as Executive Director of the Secretariat in July 2021. She comes to this role from the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), in Austria where she is External Relations Manager and is actively involved in developing and maintaining relationships between IIASA its national members.

Nicole has spent the bulk of her career at the international science interface, building and developing bilateral and multinational relationships and collaborations, and supporting relationships with international scientific organizations.

She has held several roles in Canada, including Senior Advisor, International Relations at the National Research Council Canada (NRC), Team Lead for the UK’s Science and Innovation Network (SIN) in Canada, and has worked as a research scientist in the Canadian biotech sector.

Nicole is passionate about science communication, science policy, evidence-informed decision-making, and science diplomacy. She holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Ottawa.

Kasan became a Program Officer at the office of Thailand Science Research and Innovation (TSRI) in 2019 after finishing his post-graduate degree in International Development Studies. He had previously worked at the Teachers’ Council of Thailand as a Foreign Affairs Officer, and at the secretariat office of Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO) on an internship program. He joined the Belmont Forum Secretariat on behalf of TSRI.

Charles has been working for the European Commission since January 1985, in various positions mainly in the financial sector and fraud investigations in the area of development aid worldwide. Currently assistant to the Director in DG Research and Innovation monitoring the financial aspects of a specific Framework Contract, budget and close contact with the Science Counsellors of our DG spread around the world. Member of IMA (International Management Assistants).

Constance (Connie) Bolte is an evolutionary biologist and environmental science educator with research and policy interests related to agriculture, ecosystem management and sustainable development. After earning a B.S. in Biology and a Master of Teaching from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Bolte started a nine-year career as a high school science educator. During these years, she served as Director of Sustainability and as a Curriculum Developer, promoting Project-Based Learning and student engagement in STEM. While her career in education was fulfilling on many
levels, her desire to engage in scientific research propelled a transition back to graduate school. In 2022, Bolte received her Ph.D. in Integrative Life Sciences at VCU. Her doctoral work integrated forest ecology, evolution, and species distribution modeling to study the effects of climate change to biodiversity. Prior to joining the Belmont Forum, Bolte spent two years as a Postdoctoral Scholar at Penn State University in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management. Bolte is currently an AAAS STP Fellow working with the National Science Foundation and the US Global
Change Research Program. She is excited to support transdisciplinary research and programs that aim to improve access to resources, education, and well-being in underserved, low-income communities.

Fany Ramos Quispe holds a B.S. in Environmental Engineering by the Polytechnic Institute of Mexico, and a MSc. in Environmental Change and International Development by the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom. She worked with a variety of private and public organizations at the national and international levels. She has experience on projects related to renewable energies, waste and water management, environmental education, climate change, inter and transdisciplinar research, among others. After her postgraduate studies, she joined the Bolivian government mainly to support the international affairs related to climate change at the Plurinational Authority of Mother Earth, afterwards she joined the Centre for Social Research of the Vicepresidency as Climate Change Specialist.

For several years now she combined academic and professional activities with side projects and activism for environmental and educational issues. She is founder and former chair (2019-2020) of the environmental engineers’ society of La Paz, and collaborates with different grassroots organizations.
Fany is committed to help in the seek of better relationships between humankind and earth.

Hilario Espinoza holds a B.S. in Biology from the University of Panama, a M.S. in Crop Protection from the University of Göttingen in Germany, and a M.S. in Project Management from the EUNCET Business School in Barcelona, Spain. He has more than a decade of research experience working at the interface of basic and applied science, with a focus on plant-fungi interactions. He also has expertise in science education and capacity-building and has worked with the government of the Republic of Panama to provide research and career opportunities for Panamanian students of all academic levels. Hilario joined the Belmont Forum secretariat through the IAI – STeP fellowship program.

Currently a Research Grants Management Officer at the National Research Fund- Kenya and a postgraduate student at the University of Nairobi (Masters of Research and Public Policy). With a deeper interest in Agricultural and Environmental Policies. He has a bachelor’s degree in Development Studies with Information Technology from Maseno University.
Emmanuel joined NRF-Kenya after 2 years in the banking sector, retail section.
He contributes to the research sphere at NRF-KE through grants management, monitoring and evaluation of funded research projects, carrying out impact assessment studies for completed projects and assisting in proposal development for resource mobilization from other development partners.

Gabriella is a Project Coordinator at Santa Catarina Research Foundation (FAPESC). She has studied Journalism and holds a degree in Marketing from the University of Itajaí (Univali), where she conducted research on the communication of SDGs practices across Higher Education Institutions in Brazil. Currently pursuing an MSc. in Business at the same institution, she focuses her study on Sustainability Transitions, knowledge communication, and Agri-Food systems in the Global South. As an active member of the Sustainability and Management Study Group (GESeG-Univali), she contributes to multidisciplinary discussions on sustainability. With over a decade of experience as a consultant in communication and marketing, she specializes in media strategies and cross-media content related to sustainability. Passionate about generating relevant research for more sustainable outcomes, she aims to leverage her expertise to create a positive impact on the world.

Daniella holds a PhD from the Political Science and International Relations Program at the University of Minho in Portugal. Her areas of research include European Union foreign policy, South Atlantic studies and maritime security. She has consulting experience in the internationalization of higher education institutions and in fundraising for national and international resources. She participates as a member of Erasmus+ projects with coordinators from Finland, Romania, Portugal and Paraguay, as well as nationally funded projects. Daniella graduated in International Relations from the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo in 2015 and has a master’s degree in international relations from the San Tiago Dantas Interinstitutional Graduate Program in International Relations (UNESP, UNICAMP and PUC-SP) since 2018. Daniella works as a Project Coordinator at FAPESC in Florianopolis (Brazil), especially in the portfolio of International Relations and scientific diplomacy in articulation with key national and international partners.

Laurent is a liaison officer for European and international cooperation at the Institute of Ecology and Environment of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS). He holds a bachelor’s degree in English (University of Toulouse) and a master’s degree in European and International Studies (Institut National Universitaire d’Albi) where he specialized in cultural relations and cooperation. Before joining the CNRS and the Belmont Forum Secretariat, he worked in the cultural field, participating in and managing international, intercultural and socially inclusive projects, both in France and abroad. His interest in philanthropy and contemporary global issues, particularly global climate change, led him to join the fascinating world of international scientific cooperation.

Yiwei has been working for NSFC as a Program Officer since 2019. In this role, she’s mainly responsible for communicating with partners on bilateral and multilateral programs and supporting other activities related to international organizations. Prior to her work at NSFC, Yiwei has obtained a double Master’s degree in Translation and Interpreting from Southeast University and Monash University. During her internship, Yiwei worked for the UNAIDS China office and assisted Strategic Information Adviser in collecting and disseminating information on national and provincial AIDS epidemic situation and supporting the work of UNAIDS in collaboration with national partners.

Regina holds an M.S. in Biology from California State University and is a PhD Candidate at Northern Illinois University. Her research focuses on nature-based solutions to climate change, restoration ecology, biodiversity-ecosystem function, and environmental justice. She is passionate about transdisciplinary global change research that is aimed at addressing climate change, while also protecting and prioritizing the health and well-being of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. She will start as an NSF INTERN at Belmont Forum in the summer of 2024 and will be working to produce capacity-building and communication materials on data management and planning that advances the equitability of open access data for researchers, policymakers, non-governmental organizations, and all societal partners. She will co-develop educational curricula to present open data guidance and principles that not only are FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) but also abide by CARE principles (Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, and Ethics) that center and prioritize the rights of marginalized BIPOC groups to open data.

Alex is a student in the master’s Program in International Relations at Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina in Brazil. Currently is researching about transnational/multinational companies from Canada and Norway in the Brazilian Electricity Market. He has more than 10 years working in business administrative routine in the areas of Supply Chain and Electricity Market. Alex received his bachelor’s degree in international relations from Universidade Tuiuti do Paraná in 2012, in the following years he received a Specialization degree in Marketing Management (in 2013 from Universidade Positivo), MBA degree in Financial Controllership (in 2018 from UNINTER), and an MBE degree in Renewable Energy (in 2020 from UNINTER). Alex works as a Project Coordinator at FAPESC in Florianópolis (Brazil) working with foreign policy, transnational companies, international institutions, science diplomacy and ocean multilateral agenda.

Megan holds a PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Western Ontario and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of New Brunswick. During graduate school, she developed a love for science communication and science policy initiatives. She worked as an editor at a science communication publication and currently chairs a committee within the Canadian Science Policy Centre (CSPC) where she studies the use of science in policymaking. Her aspirations to apply her training as a scientist to promote and develop science and tackle today’s top issues led her to join NSERC as a Mitacs Canadian Science Policy Fellow in 2022. At NSERC, she has been working to promote parliamentary engagement and international collaboration.

Rebecca (Becca) Barnes joins the Belmont Forum as an AAAS Fellow working with the National Science Foundation and US Global Change Research Program. She earned her PhD in Forestry and Environmental Studies from Yale University and Masters’ degrees in Environmental Science and Public Affairs from Indiana University’s O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. During her tenure at Colorado College, her research centered at the intersection of society, hydrology, and geochemistry. As a biogeochemist she is interested in understanding how ecosystems process nitrogen and carbon and unraveling how disturbance (e.g., fire, land use change, warming) affects these critical global elemental cycles. Barnes was recognized for her work in 2019 with the Sulzman Award for Excellence in Education and Mentoring from the American Geophysical Union and an NSF CAREER Award in 2020. As part of her roles on the leadership of 500 Women Scientists and as co-PI of the PROGRESS mentoring program and the ADVANCEGeo Partnership, she develops, and implements, evidence-based trainings that aim to broaden equity and inclusion in STEM.

As a trained neuroscientist and immunologist, Brian Leung’s professional interest include domestic and global biosecurity and biotechnology. He received his B.S. in Chemistry from Drexel University and his PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Southern California. Furthermore, he has received additional training in Immunology at the University of Zurich and continued his post-doctoral work on disease genetics in Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Given his global experience, pandemic-related issues remain as one of his many biosecurity interests, however his short-term goals are to specialize on the intersection of climate change, human health, and science diplomacy. By filling in this knowledge gap as an AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow and Belmont Forum Secretariat, Brian hopes to develop a more comprehensive overview and foster interorganizational collaboration on issues related to science diplomacy, biosecurity, and climate change in our ever-changing world.

Jihye Hwang completed her Master’s program at Tsinghua University in China. She joined the Belmont Forum Secretariat as an intern through Global Environmental Leaders Program hosted by the Ministry of Environment of Korea and the Korea Environment Corporation.

Camellia Kodia is a student from the Ivory Coast. She graduated from the University of Ottawa with a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Economics and Public Policy. She decided to continue her studies at the same university by pursuing a Master’s degree in Geography with a specialization in Anthropocene. Later, she joined the Belmont Forum as an intern in order to develop her skills and build her professional experience. In addition, she is involved in non-profit organizations and wants to make Africa more aware of the challenges of climate change.

Amanda is an ecosystem geographic scientist with a transdisciplinary focus on water sustainability, industrial processes, and community vulnerability. She completed her Ph.D. training in 2017 at Colorado State University studying strategies for reducing water use and environmental contamination in the oil and gas sector. For her Post-Doctoral work, she functioned as the Program Manager for the Secondary Cities Initiative, a Dept. of State and Colorado State University collaboration focused on geospatial mapping and analysis of resources in rapidly expanding, resource-limited cities around the world. As a AAAS S&TP Fellow and a Belmont Forum Secretariat member, Amanda hopes to foster interorganizational collaboration and coproduction research principles that address water security and environmental challenges.

Shweta joined NSERC as a Mitacs Canadian Science Policy Fellow in 2020. She has since been working on a broad range of policy priorities at NSERC, as well as taking on key international files including the European Union and Germany. Before joining NSERC, Shweta was Program Manager at the Canadian Science Policy Centre (CSPC) where she led several projects, including a workshop program for capacity building in science policy, creating a membership model to engage stakeholder organizations, and managing the operations of 60+ volunteers to execute CSPC’s annual conferences in 2019 and 2020. From 2017 to 2019, Shweta was a Research Scientist at a Maryland based biotech start-up, SD Nanosciences, developing a low-cost, easy to assemble, surfactant-based vaccine platform. Shweta holds a PhD in Organic and Analytical Chemistry from University of Maryland, USA and a Master’s and Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi, India.

After graduating in 2007 as a historian in the Netherlands, Roel worked as a teacher in Türkiye, Ghana, and Belgium until beginning to work for the European Commission in 2015. Roel works as an administrative agent for the Research and Innovation Department in Brussels where he contributes to the logistics and governance of the Belmont Forum.

Meagan received her B.S. in Biomedical Sciences from Central Michigan University in 2012 and her Ph.D. in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology from Vanderbilt University in 2019. During graduate school, Meagan developed a passion for science education and STEM outreach at the K-12 level. She became involved with several local non-profits where she helped develop workshops and activities to foster excitement about science and an understanding of potential STEM career paths. This community involvement led to an interest in science policy and Meagan became involved in advocacy at the state level supporting heart and Alzheimer’s research. She was a AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the NSF where she was a contributing member of the Belmont Forum Secretariat.

Sylvie has a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry and a Master of Science degree in Microbiology from Université de Montréal. She obtained a Ph.D. in Oceanography from Université du Québec in Rimouski in 1999. Her research interests are mostly in the fields of biological and chemical oceanography. She has gained research experience in university and government settings through work as a post-doctoral student within the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) across Canada, at the Maurice Lamontagne Institute and the Bedford Institute of Oceanography. In 2003, she joined the Canadian ‘Surface Ocean Lower Atmosphere Study’ (C-SOLAS) secretariat at Dalhousie University (Halifax, Canada) and served as Cruise Coordinator, Executive Director and Data Manager. In 2005, Sylvie won the Executive Director position for the International Project Office (IPO) of the Integrated Marine Biogeochemistry and Ecosystems Research (IMBER) located in Brest, France. She was responsible for implementation of Scientific Steering Committee (SSC) decisions, planning and organization of international scientific meetings, seeking and managing funds to support project offices and program related scientific activities. She liaised and assured good collaboration with advisory bodies, international projects, international partners and non-governmental organizations. Since her return to Canada in 2009, she has joined the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) in Ottawa, Canada. She serves as a Program Officer and manages pograms involving international collaborations.

Erica joined the Belmont Forum as Executive Director of the Secretariat in June 2015. She currently serves as a Senior Advisor. She leads membership and strategic development for the Belmont Forum, building connections between funders and organizations invested in global change research. She forges these new connections to ensure that the Belmont Forum Challenge–which focuses on advancement of interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and multilateral scientific research to inform human action–is met and the value-added of this approach is demonstrated. Erica draws on her experience as a program director at the U.S. National Science Foundation, interagency agreements lead, and a global change researcher to elevate Belmont Forum activities through transparent communication, flexible partnering, and active engagement with the international research and data communities.

Judit is a AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow at the US National Science Foundation’s Directorate for Geosciences. She is an ecologist by training, with expertise in aspects of biodiversity research and avian biology in tropical habitats. She studied birds in the Peruvian Amazon region combining both lab- and field-based techniques and received her Ph.D. in Zoology with a certificate and concentration in Tropical Conservation and Development at the University of Florida. She also worked as a postdoctoral scholar at the National Zoo of the Smithsonian Institute, addressing conservation issues in agroecosystems in Colombia. She is involved in local capacity building and community outreach both in the USA and Latin America. Within the Belmont Forum, she is working on supporting the secretariat’s activities, communication, outreach, partnership building, organizing scoping workshops and drafting call texts for various upcoming CRA’s and continuing the efforts of existing teams.

Makyba is a AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow in the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Geosciences Directorate. She received her Ph.D. in Public Health with a concentration in Environmental and Global Health and certification in One Health techniques. Her expertise lies in her resilience work with vulnerable populations and communities before and during both natural and anthropogenic environmental disasters in the Gulf and Southeast United States regions. She will be working closely with the Transdisciplinary Science for Oceans Research CRA as well as the upcoming CRAs – Disaster Risk, Resilience and Reduction and Climate, Environment and Health. She is also part of the core team shaping the SRI2020 marquis event and the forums’ participation at the UN Environment Assembly and Science Policy Business Forum. She hopes to widen the forums’ outreach and has started in this effort by facilitating a townhall about transdisciplinary research at the AGU 2018 fall meeting and hopes to work with NSF-C and CARICOM in this same vein. She is also working with the e-I&DM Enabling Fair Data Project to determine metrics to assess the Data and Digital Outputs Management Plan. Makyba is very interested in engaging in even more projects that promote the use of transdisciplinary research and drive the vision of the forum forward.

Susanna Ehlers is the Science-Policy Program Officer with the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) in Montevideo, Uruguay, and currently acts as the IAI representative to the Belmont Forum on CRA activities.   She is a Physical Geographer with experience working in research, industry, education, and government.  Susanna started her career as an Air Quality Scientist for the US Forest Service.  She pivoted from scientist to science-policy while working in the International and Integrated Activities within the Geosciences Directorate of the National Science Foundation (NSF).  While at NSF, Susanna served as the Communications Officer for the Belmont Forum Secretariat from 2016-2018, where she oversaw the website redesign and enhanced internal and external communications through social media and outreach materials, including training videos.   Susanna was instrumental in assisting the NSF with its contributions and commitments to various CRAs, acting as the Thematic Program Office (TPO) for the Food-Water-Energy Nexus / Sustainable Urbanisation Global Initiative (SUGI) and Transformations 2 Sustainability CRAs.  Susanna is now working to advance the IAI’s policy-oriented science throughout Latin American and the Caribbean.  Susanna holds a Master of Science in Environmental Science and Management from Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor of Science with Honors in Physical Geography from University of Wisconsin – Madison.