Who We Are

UNU Council Member UNU Council Member; Executive Director, African Leadership Centre

Ms. Shuvai Busuman Nyoni

Ms. Shuvai Busuman Nyoni is Executive Director of the African Leadership Centre (ALC) and a gender, peace and security practitioner and researcher.

Expert Senior Scientist

Dr. Jack O'Connor

Dr. Jack O’Connor is a senior scientist in the Environmental Vulnerability and Ecosystem Services (EVES) section of UNU-EHS.

Expert Associate Academic Officer

Dr. Robert Oakes works in the Environment and Migration: Interactions and Choices (EMIC) Division. He researches the reasons for, and outcomes of mobility including evacuation, displacement, voluntary migration, planned relocation in addition to those who are unwilling, or unable to move.

Expert Professorial Fellow

Sebastian Oberthür

Sebastian Oberthür is a part-time Professorial Fellow at UNU-CRIS where he was involved in the project “Parliamentary Deliberation in Inter-Regional Relations: an Analysis of Climate Change Debates in the EU’s Parliamentary Assemblies with the ACP, the Mediterranean, Latin America and the Eastern Neighbourhood Regions” (PADIRE).

Expert Research Fellow, Urban and Interdependent Infrastructure Systems

Dr. Renee Obringer

Dr. Renee Obringer’s research interests focus on understanding and evaluating the impact of climate change on urban systems, with an emphasis on water and energy.

Expert Research Fellow, Society, Development and Governance

Dr. Alesia D. Ofori

Dr. Alesia D. Ofori works at the intersection of governance, society, and sustainable development, investigating how political, economic, and socio-cultural processes across local, meso, and global levels shape the governance of natural resources and development outcomes.

Staff Legal Affairs Associate

Sharon Ogwindo

Sharon Ogwindo is a Legal Affairs Associate in the Office of the Rector.

Expert Project Associate, Climate Risk Finance & Policy

Serin Oh

Serin is a Project Associate within the Munich Climate Insurance Initiative (MCII), specializing in Climate Risk Finance and Policy.

Expert Capacity Development Coordinator

Salpy Ohanis

Salpy Ohanis is the Programme Coordinator for the Capacity Development Office (CDO) at United Nations University-MERIT and Maastricht University.

Expert Senior Researcher

Dr. Sanae Okamoto

Dr. Sanae Okamoto is a psychologist and behavioural scientist with background in Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience, and Behavioural Economics. She has an expertise in both industry and academia by applying psychology and behavioural science insights towards diverse objectives such as Circular Economy, Climate Resilience, Mental Health and Well-being from multiple angles such as Gender, Youth, Water, Disasters, Plastics, Digitalisation, AI, and Business. She also provides workshops and seminars for practitioners in public and private sectors. She is co-lead of the triinstitutional initiative of UNU-Climate Reslience Initiative.