Community Spotlights
Mariana Zafeirakopoulos is a Social Design Lecturer at the University of Sydney. Mariana is a transdisciplinary scholar-practitioner, who works with other researchers and practitioners, combining different disciplines - like Social Sciences: International Relations, and Public Policy, with Design - to create new knowledge for intervening in our ever-evolving and complex world.
Mariana’s research explores interconnections between global system issues such as national security, food security, human security and migration, and the environment; and explores uncommon combinations of disciplinary practices such as Design Thinking as an abductive and creative process as applied to analytic and reductive thinking modes.
Community Spotlight Catalogue
Mariana Zafeirakopoulos is a Social Design Lecturer at the University of Sydney. Mariana is a transdisciplinary scholar-practitioner, who works with other researchers and practitioners, combining different disciplines - like Social Sciences: International Relations, and Public Policy, with Design - to create new knowledge for intervening in our ever-evolving and complex world.
Etrit Shkreli is fascinated by how human beings frame their challenges, the assumptions they make, how this impacts their interactions, and the stories they tell about themselves, others, and their relationships. She studied psychology and politics.
Julianna Gwiszcz is a transdisciplinary, transboundary scholar-practitioner, activist, and transformations catalyst focused on sustainability, human rights, and global health. She's passionate about creating a just and sustainable future for all. Her work combines hands-on learning and leadership development to drive global change.
Julia Leventon leads the Department of Human Dimensions of Global Change at the Global Change Research Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences (CzechGlobe). The department as a whole looks at the responses of people, policy, and politics to global environmental change.
Blane Harvey is an Assistant Professor and William Dawson Scholar at McGill University’s Department for Integrated Studies in Education (Canada) where he leads the Leadership and Learning for Sustainability Lab.
Ignacio Gianelli is a Ph.D. student and Research Collaborator at the EqualSea Lab (Universidade de Santiago de Compostela) in Galicia, Spain. During his Ph.D., Ignacio is exploring, promoting, and communicating transformative pathways for small-scale fisheries.
Lakshmi has a B.Sc. in biology, two M.Sc. in environmental management, and a PhD in sustainability sciences. For the past twelve years, she has been involved in capacity-building projects related to wetland management & water governance.
Dr. Yiheyis Taddele Maru is a social-ecological systems research scientist at CSIRO. He started his profession as a veterinarian and now has a post-graduate diploma in rural & natural systems management and a Ph.D. in integrative systems research, modeling, and building resilience & sustainable development of rural communities.
Dr. Deborah O'Connell has unique expertise in ‘systems leadership’ – working across the system with a range of stakeholder groups, developing and applying new approaches to disaster risk reduction, vulnerability assessment, resilience building, systems-based strategy development, community engagement & facilitation.
Dr. Andrea Jimenez is a lecturer in Information Management at The University of Sheffield. She has a Ph.D. from Royal Holloway University of London's School of Management and a Masters's in Sustainable Development. Her research focuses on the role of digital & social innovation as well as entrepreneurship in socio-economic development.
Chukwuma Paul is a student at the African Leadership University, which is aims to serve 3 million ethical African leaders by 2030. Paul has made a significant impact on the spectrum of SDGs, ranging from climate change to healthcare.
Dr. Nepali is a professional in community-based natural resource management and conservation and a graduate of the University of Life Sciences, Norway.
Dr. Joel Onyango is the Applied Research Lead at the African Researchers Consortium (ARC), a network focused on research for inclusive sustainable innovation and enterprise development.
Paulina Aldunce was the host of the 2021 Transformations Conference. Paulina is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resources at the University of Chile