UNU Experts

Expert Senior Research Associate

Dr. Stella Shumba

Stella Shumba is a Senior Research Associate, who is committed to evaluating climate risk insurance demand and impact across diverse regions, with a focus on integrating gender perspectives.

Expert Policy Research Associate

Thandazile Sibindi

Thandazile Sibindi is a nurse educator, midwife, and policy research associate working at the intersection of climate justice and health.

Expert Youth Fellow, Training and Capacity Building

Alizeh Siddiqui

Alizeh Siddiqui is a Youth Fellow in Training and Capacity Building at UNU-INWEH.

Expert Professor

Prof. Dr. Melissa Siegel

Melissa Siegel is a Professor of Migration Studies at UNU-MERIT and Maastricht University and Head of Migration Studies at UNU-MERIT.

Expert Adjunct Assistant Professor

João Marco Silva is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the United Nations University (UNU-EGOV) and an Assistant Professor at the University of Minho's Department of Informatics. He is also a Senior Researcher at INESC TEC’s High Assurance Software Laboratory (HASLab), specializing in information security, network security, and energy-aware networking.

Expert Associate Expert

Dr. Gareth Beresford Simpson

Gareth is an environmental engineer who specialises in Resource Nexus analyses, the WEF Nexus Index, and integrated mine closure and transition planning, studies, and execution.

Expert Professorial Fellow

Prof. Dr. Ronald Skeldon

Prof. Ronald Skeldon is a Professorial Fellow in the Department of Geography at the School of Global Studies at the University of Sussex.

Expert Assistant Professor

Dr. Tatiana Skripka

Tatiana Skripka is an Assistant Professor in Governance at UNU-MERIT and Maastricht University

Expert Financial consultant

Ralph Sleijpen

Ralph Sleijpen is Financial consultant at UNU-MERIT

Expert Executive Co-Director, UNU Hub on Engineering to Face Climate Change

Prof. Irina Smirnova

Prof. Irina Smirnova is a distinguished chemical engineer and academic leader conducting research on sustainable process engineering - particularly in the development of bio-based materials and green technologies.

Expert Professorial Fellow

Stefaan Smis

Stefaan Smis has collaborated with UNU-CRIS for many years focusing his work on regional integration in Africa.

Expert Public Engagement Liaison and Personal Assistant to the Director

William Smyth

Mr. William Smyth is an Outreach and Partnership Assistant with experience in advancing the fundamental rights of Indigenous peoples, stakeholder engagement, and community service.

Expert Director of UNU-EGOV

Delfina Soares

Dr. Delfina Soares is the Director (D1) of the United Nations University Operating Unit on Policy-Driven Electronic Governance (UNU-EGOV) since 2015.

Expert Associate Research Fellow

Fredrik Söderbaum

Fredrik Söderbaum is an Associate Research Fellow at UNU-CRIS

Expert Emeritus Professor

Prof. Dr. Luc Soete

Until September 2016 Luc Soete (15 September 1950, Brussels) was Rector Magnificus of Maastricht University. Before that he was Director of the United Nations University research and training institute: UNU-MERIT located in Maastricht, The Netherlands and Professor of International Economic Relations and Director-Dean of the Maastricht Graduate School of Governance (MGSoG) at Maastricht University. He is a member of the Advisory Council for Science and Technology Policy (AWT) and the Royal Dutch Academy of Science (KNAW).

Expert PhD Fellow

Rashid Sohail Khan

Rashid Sohail Khan is a PhD Fellow at Ghent University and at UNU-CRIS within the Migration and Social Policy Cluster

Expert Visiting Scientist

Maria Sol Saliva

Expert Visiting Scientist

Dr. Anoosh Soltani

Dr. Anoosh Soltani is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), affiliated with the Department of Business and Management and the SDU Climate Cluster’s PACA Centre. Her research explores nature-based foodscapes, community-oriented farming, collective governance and relational well-being in ecovillages from a post-anthropocentric perspective.

Expert Student Assistant

Katyayini Sood

Katyayini is a young climate enthusiast willing to contribute in the fields of climate change and disaster risk reduction.

Expert PhD Fellow

Ebenezer Sosu

Ebenezer Sosu is currently a Research Intern at UNU-CRIS