Who we are
Members
The Belmont Forum’s Members are national and international organizations that directly support Belmont Forum CRAs through the provision of resources (funding). Members also play a key governance role in the Forum through the biannual Plenary meetings.
Members also identify and lead call development and delivery, engage in ad-hoc committees and working groups to help develop and support operations, and actively participate as members of the Belmont Forum Steering Committee and Co-chairs.
Through these activities, Members play a crucial role in supporting transdisciplinary, transnational research aimed at understanding, mitigating, and adapting to global environmental change.
Americas
Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI)
Principal: Anna Stewart Ibarra
Principal’s Representative: Marcella Ohira
Argentina
Jefadura de Gabinete de Ministros, Innovacion, Ciencia y Tecnologia (JGM-ICT)
Principal: Sofia Mormandi
Principal’s Representative: Maria Alejandra Davidziuk & Sebastián D’agrosa Okita
Austria
The Austrian Science Fund (FWF)
Principal: Georg Kaser
Principal’s Representative: Reinhard Belocky
Brazil
National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq)
Principal: Lelio Fellows
Principal’s Representative: Dileine Cunha
São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)
Principal: Jean Ometto & Alexandre Roccatto
Santa Catarina Research Foundation (FAPESC)
Principal: Fabio Pinto
Principal’s Representative: Marcos Oliveira
Canada
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)
Principal: Katie Wallace
China
National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)
Principal: Sheng YU
Principal’s Representative: Wencong LI
Chinese Taipei
National Science and Technology Council (NSTC)
Principal: Minn-Tsong Lin
Principal’s Representative: Yue-Gau Chen
Academia Sinica
Principal: Yue-Gau Chen
Principal’s Representative: Candice S.C. Lung
France
French Environmental Research Programming Agencies (AllEnvi)
Principal: François Jacq
Principal’s Representatives: Stéphanie Thiébault; Stéphane Blanc
French National Agency for Research (ANR)
Principal: Anne-Hélène Prieur-Richard
Germany
Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
Principal: Andreas Schmidt
Principal’s Representative: Viktoria Arnold and Sabine Korte
India
Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES)
Principal: M. Ravichandran
Principal’s Representative: Prashant Srivastava
Italy
National Research Council (CNR)
Principal: Francesco Petracchini
Principal’s Representative: Annalisa Iadanza
Côte d’Ivoire
Fonds pour la science, la technologie et l’innovation (FONSTI)
Principal: Annette Ouattawa
Japan
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)
Principal: Hiroshi Ikukawa
Principal’s Representative: Risa Yasui
Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)
Principal: Shigeo Morimoto
Kenya
National Research Fund Kenya (NRF-Kenya)
Principal: Prof. Chrispin Kowenje
Mexico
National Council for Sciences, Technology and Humanities (CONAHCYT) – *Observer*
Norway
Research Council of Norway (RCN)
Principal: Ida Ulleberg Jensen
Principal’s Representative:
Qatar
Qatar Research Development and Innovation Council (QRDIC)
Principal: Omar Boukhris
Republic of the Congo
United Network for Climate Inclusivity Advocacy Livelihoods, Inherent Utilization and Mobilization (UNCIALIUM)
Principal: Kades Ben Mabiala
South Africa
National Research Foundation (NRF)
Principal: Fulufhelo Nelwamondo
Principal’s Representative: Michael Nxumalo
Sweden
Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences, and Spatial Planning (Formas)
Principal: Britta Fängström
Swedish Research Council (VR)
Principal: Kim von Hackwitz
Principal’s Representative: Justiina Dahl
Switzerland
Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)
Principal: Laure Ognois
Principal’s Representative: Dominique Lazo-Flores
Thailand
Thailand Science Research and Innovation (TSRI)
Principal: Pongpan Kaewtatip
Türkiye
The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK)
Principal: Teslime Gurel
United Kingdom
Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
Principal: Duncan Wingham
Principal’s Representative: Sarah Webb
Partner Organizations
The Belmont Forum Partners are organizations whose mission aligns with and supports the Belmont Challenge but do not provide resources (funding) for research.. Partners contribute to the Belmont Forum mission in various ways, including sharing expertise, capacity development and training support, collaborating on projects, and facilitating knowledge exchange.
Educational Partnerships for Innovation in Communities Network Inc. (EPIC-N)
Principal: Joel Rogers
Adaptation Research Alliance (ARA)
Principal: Jesse Demaria-Kinney
Group on Earth Observations (GEO)
Principal: Yana Gevorgyan
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
Principal: Albert van Jaarsveld
Mountain Research Initiative (MRI)
Principal: Carolina Adler
Secretariat
The Belmont Forum Secretariat serves as the administrative arm of the Belmont Forum and is responsible for implementing the decisions made during Plenary meetings. Hosted at the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research in Panama City, Panama, the Secretariat consists of secretariat staff, policy fellows, and in-kind secretariat members and is led by the Executive Director.
Nicole Arbour
Executive Director
Open BIO
Dr. Nicole Arbour 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 Aksornthong
TSRI, Thailand
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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.
Anne-Teresa Birthwright
Jamaica
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Dr. Anne-Teresa Birthwright holds a PhD in Geography from the University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica with experience in rural livelihood, climate change vulnerability and adaptation. She is a former Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) Science, Technology and Policy (STeP) Fellow where she supported the development of the regional Science Diplomacy Center to strengthen science diplomacy on global environmental change across the Americas. She has worked with various local and regional multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary projects focused on reducing risk to climate change and improving the livelihoods of rural communities. She has an interest in action-oriented research where solutions are developed to reduce vulnerability, shape policy, and encourage sustainable livelihoods. This interest led her to being the recipient of the 2017 Prime Minister’s Youth Award for Excellence in International Achievement. As a research consultant, Anne-Teresa has also collaborated to produce several national documents including Jamaica’s first Climate Change Research Agenda which champions the role of science in solving societal problems, as well as supports the achievement of climate change targets identified in national policy frameworks. Similarly, she co-authored Jamaica’s first Adaptation Communication (AdCom). As an inaugural document, the development of Jamaica’s AdCom was crucial in the negotiation process at the United Nations 26th Conference of Parties on Climate Change (COP26) held in Glasgow, Scotland. She is also the Vice President for the Jamaican Women in Coffee (JAWiC) ― the national chapter of the International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA) Global which focuses on women’s empowerment within the island’s coffee industry. Recently, she successfully co-designed and co-managed the JAWiC’s first two major grant funding from the 2020/2021 and 2022/2023 Canadian Funds for Local Initiatives (CFLI) under the project “Strengthening the Capacity of Women Coffee Farmers through Training”, receiving a ‘Big Impact Award’ at their inaugural 2023 Gender Equity Awards ceremony.
Charles Nieuwkamp
European Commission
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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 Bolte
AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow, USA
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Dr. 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.
Elisabeth Ervin-Blankenheim
AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellow, USA
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Dr. Elisabeth Ervin-Blankenheim joins the NSF Office of Research, Innovation, Synergies and Education as the Belmont Forum International Global Research Fellow working with the Global Change Research Program. She earned her doctorate in scientific and geologic literacy in educational studies at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia, with her research focused on experiential learning and methods of teaching foundational ideas in geology. Her master’s degree was from Binghamton University in geology and her bachelor’s, double major in geology and anthropology from Dickinson College.
Dr. Ervin-Blankenheim previously worked for the U.S. Geological Survey and is a licensed professional geologist and author of “Song of the Earth: Understanding Geology and Why it Matters” (Oxford, 2021). This book was inspired by her Front Range Community College students’ desire to know more about the story of geology, Earth’s long biography, and implications for the future, especially climate change, after taking her classes and led to her fellowship journey. Song of the Earth was awarded an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation grant to complete the manuscript. She brings a passion for promoting the understanding of science and its implications for the problems, especially global climate change, the world is facing to her work as a fellow.
Fany Ramos Quispe
Fellow at Belmont Forum
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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
Fellow at Belmont Forum
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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.
Emmanuel Chitechi Lutomia
Kenya
Open BIO
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 Servi
Brazil
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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 da Silva Nogueira de Melo (Daniella Melo)
Brazil
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Dr. Daniella da Silva Nogueira de Melo 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 Bernadou
France
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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.
Larisse Faroni
Brazil
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Larisse coordinates the ocean-related agenda, supports Steering Committee Meetings, and assists the Executive Director with strategic engagements and multilateral affairs.Before joining the IAI STeP Program and the Belmont Forum Secretariat, she received international training in Climate Change, Ocean Governance, Geoethics, Scenarios and Modeling for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, as well as Innovation and Science Diplomacy.
She served as Executive Secretary for the Brazilian Marine-Coastal Diagnosis (BPBES), worked as a university professor and researcher on climate change and ocean projects, and founded the Instituto Geração Oceano X. Based in Brazil, Larisse has also lived in Canada, France and Spain. She is a biologist with a specialization in Environmental Sciences, holds a MSc in Zoology and a Ph.D. in Ecology.
Yiwei Zhang
NSFC, China
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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.
Steering Committee
The Steering Committee (SC) is one of the Belmont Forum’s main governing bodies. The SC makes decisions about the direction of the Belmont Forum in intersessional periods and supports and advises on the delivery of decisions made at the biannual Plenary meetings. The Belmont Forum SC is populated by elected representatives of Belmont Forum Member organizations. It is led by Belmont Forum Co-chairs, who are elected by the membership for three-year terms. Since 2015, it has been mandatory for co-chairs to first serve on the Steering Committee before being eligible for the co-chair position.
Anna Stewart Ibarra
Co-chair, IAI (Americas)
Anne-Hélène Prieur-Richard
Co-chair, ANR (France)
Minn-Tsong Lin
NSTC (Chinese Taipei)
José Antonio Puppim de Oliveira
FAPESP (Brazil)
Fulufhelo Nelwamondo
NRF (South Africa)
Şiir Kılkış
TUBITAK (Türkiye)
Ida Ulleberg Jensen
RCN (Norway)