President
Caroline van Bers is president of TIAS since October 2021 and active in the association since 2004. She supports planning and implementing a range of research, networking and capacity development activities that promote Integrated Assessment at the science-policy-practice interface. She has been involved in environmental management with academic, governmental and non-governmental organizations for over thirty years, working mainly on interdisciplinary, applied research initiatives, as well as the development and implementation of education and training programmes in sustainable development, food security, climate change adaptation, water management, and integrated assessment. She has been with the Institute of Environmental Systems Research at Osnabrück University for many years. As of March 2022 she coordinates an interfaculty programme at the University of Twente, Resilience@UT which focuses on promoting transdisciplinary research in resilience in three sectors, climate, safety and health care.
Caroline holds a Masters degree in Regional Planning and Resource Management from the University of Waterloo in Canada. Building on her previous work in food production, policy and fair trade, a special focus is examining how changes in food consumption behaviour and patterns, particularly in the wealthier regions of the world can have a positive influence on global food security. A recent project focused on Osnabrück and region in Germany is profiled here.
Themes
- Climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction
- Adaptive water management
- Resource management in the water-energy-food nexus
- Sustainable food systems and food security
Methods
- Stakeholder involvement and participatory processes; scenario development and analysis; indicators; and environmental & social impact assessment
Activities
- Transdisciplinary applied research
- Capacity development and training
- Communication
Publications here
Contact: cvanbers[at]tias-web[dot]info