AIRI Urban-Rural Sustainability Fellowship
Key Speakers
(In Alphabetical order by surname) |
Professor Mokbul M. AHMAD Head of Department of Development and Sustainability, Asian Institute of Technology Dr. Ahmad is a professor in Development Planning Management and Innovation at the Asian Institute of Technology. He teaches and researches on international development, NGOs, community development, human conflicts and adaptation to climate change. He has published many articles on his research areas in many journals and books. |
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Professor Shenglin Elijah CHANG Professor at Graduate Institute of Building and Planning, National Taiwan University Professor Chang received her Doctoral degree from UC Berkeley and had lived and taught in the United States for two decades (Cornell, UCB and UofMaryland). As a professor at National Taiwan University who also served as the director for the New Ruralism Research and Development Center, she has developed and implemented innovative approaches to public involvement in environmental issues. |
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Dr. I-Chen CHEN Researcher at National Chengchi University’s Outreach Office Founder of Yuan Tsui Culture Co., Ltd. Chief Strategy Officer at Together Eco-Design Co., Ltd. Dr. Chen, who is from the Amis tribe, obtained his Ph.D. in Ethnology from National Chengchi University. He is a researcher of the institution whose researches cover aboriginal history, ethnic education and policy, ethnic industry development. He has been assisting the implementation of various government-commissioned projects related to aboriginal culture and industry. |
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Ms. Katie CHICK Assistant Director, Centre for Civil Society and Governance, The University of Hong Kong Ms. Chick is actively involved and in-charge in various rural conservation and community development projects in which her dual expertise can be fully practiced. Her research interests include rural sustainability, eco-agriculture, cultural landscape, tree and natural resource management. |
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Professor Shiuh-Shen CHIEN Professor in Geography, Environment and Development Studies, Department of Geography and International Program of Climate Change and Sustainable Development, National Taiwan University Professor Chien, who obtained his PhD degree from London School of Economics and Political Science, is a professor at National Taiwan University. His research interests cover development policies and planning, especially critical smart eco urbanism, volume geography, and geoengineering in the Anthropocene context. In recent years, he has extended his research interest to environment and sustainability. |
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Ms. Sally CHUN Community Partnerships Coure Teacher, Academy for Sustainable Communities, Centre for Civil Society and Governance, The University of Hong Kong Ms. Chun has recently retired from her 26 years of NGO work, with 15 years dedicating to rural community development in Mainland China. She was the project coordinator of the rural programme with Partnerships for Community Development and is now living in a village and practicing sustainable living. |
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Dr. Rattikarn KHAMBUD Urban Planner, Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning, Ministry of Interior, Thailand Dr. Khambud is an urban planner of the Department of Public Works and Town & Country Planning, Ministry of Interior, Thailand. Her area of expertise includes tourism and urban landscape development with park & recreation areas, soil surveying, land and water management, and conservation and preservation of historical areas, and work in areas after natural disasters. |
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Associate Professor Amorn KRITSANAPHAN Urban and Regional Planning Program in King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL), Bangkok, Thailand Dr. Amorn’s current research interests include urban-rural interface, environmental management and governance, social and community development, disaster and multi-hazard, resilient and vulnerability. |
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Professor Wai-Fung LAM Director, Centre for Civil Society and Governance, The University of Hong Kong Professor Lam is an expert in common-pool resource management, institutional policy analysis, public policy process, public governance, and civil society. His research has focused on the design of efficient institutional arrangements for the governance and management of public resources, a core issue in public administration, sustainable development, and civil society. |
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Dr. Winnie LAW Deputy Director and Principal Lecturer, Centre for Civil Society and Governance, The University of Hong Kong Dr. Law teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses on sustainable development, community planning and environmental management. She also works with a team of researchers and conducts policy research, action research and knowledge exchange projects on rural revitalisation, social innovation, community engagement and corporate sustainability. |
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Ms. Xin LI Deputy Director-General, International Poverty Reduction Center in China Ms. Li graduated from China Foreign Affairs University and has worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for 10 years. She not only promoted China's poverty management plan, but also effectively promoted South-South cooperation in the field of international poverty reduction, contributing to the world's cause of poverty eradication. She now works with the International Poverty Reduction Center in China (IPRCC). |
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Assistant Professor Ping-Hsien LIN Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Sociology and Social Work, Chung Shan Medical University Dr. Lin, whose doctoral degree is in in Social Work (from Tunghai University) is currently an assistant professor at Chung Shan Medical University. His expertise includes international social work theory and practice, developmental social work placement, professional continuing education in social work, and child and youth social work. He has also been taking professionally-relevant management positions at government bodies and NGOs. |
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Dr. Maiko NISHI Research Fellow, Secretariat of the International Partnership for the Satoyama Initiative, United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability Dr. Nishi joined UNU-IAS as a Research Fellow for the International Satoyama Initiative in May 2019. Her area of research interest includes social-ecological system governance, local and regional planning, and agricultural land policy. She was engaged in several research and assessment activities as a coordinator to follow up the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, including a multi-stakeholder assessment on the interaction between humans and ecosystems in Japan. |
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Assistant Professor Thi Phuoc Lai NGUYEN Program Chair of Development Planning Management and Innovation, Department of Development and Sustainability, Asian Institute of Technology Dr. Nguyen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Development and Sustainability, School of Environment, Resources and Development, Asian Institute of Technology, and Associate Faculty of Ostrom Center for the Advanced Study in Natural Resource Governance. She is an environmental sociologist with research interests centring upon coupled human-environment complex systems, social dimensions of technological, environmental, and climate change, sustainable environmental governance, and education for sustainable development. |
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Ms. Billie WANG Former Chairwoman of Fushan Community Development Association, Wulai District, New Taipei City Ms. Wang, with Bengah Tana as her tribal name, is the daughter of Tana Tosa, the tribal general chief of Wulai District. Growing up in Tranan Tribe of Fushan, she learnt tribal history, culture, language and crafts naturally throughout her upbringing. She currently teaches tribal knowledge at primary school and works in some cultural projects to promote the local Atayal culture. |
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Mr. Qabay (aka Longxing WANG) Founder and Leader of Tranan Aboriginal Culture Camp Mr. Ｗang, known in Atayal language as Qabay, inherited the Atayal cultural heritage from his father and the elderly in his tribe, and the ancestral land from his mother. With the hope to pass on tribal cultural practice to the next generation, he organises a Tranan Aboriginal Culture Camp in Tranan tribe in Wulai, through practical operation and guided tours, to introduce the Atayal hunting knowledge. |
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Professor Yahua WANG Associate Dean, School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University Executive President, China Institute for Rural Studies, Tsinghua University Professor Wang is the National Coordinator China of the IASC, Editor-in-Chief of World Development Sustainability and the Editorial Board Member of International Journal of the Commons. He devotes himself to promoting the innovative research on commons governance and rural revitalisation in China. |
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Dr. Jessica WILLIAMS Post-doctoral Fellow, Centre for Civil Society and Governance, The University of Hong Kong Dr. Williams’ research interests lie in environmental policy, collaborative governance and sustainability. Her doctoral research focused on the transboundary water security issues in South and Southeast Asia, in particular, the governance and management of the major river systems originating from the Tibetan Plateau. Her current focus is on the governance of rural areas and communities, with a focus on sustainability issues. |
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Dr. Jessica SLATER Department of Environment and Geography, Stockholm Environment Institute Dr. Slater works with multiple countries to help develop their clean air and climate action plans. This involves developing historic emission inventories and assessing the mitigation potential of policies for reducing air pollution and mitigating against climate change, as well as assessing the potential health co-benefits of various mitigation strategies. |
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Ms. Heidi SPURRELL CEO, Food Made Good - Hong Kong Ms. Spurrell, CEO of Food Made Good HK, has a diverse background in marketing, analysis, food policy, and foodservice. She is passionate about supporting the Hong Kong F&B and retail sector in its food sustainability journey and accelerating the pace of change. Food Made Good is the world's largest sustainability programme for foodservice. She has a Masters in Food Policy from City University London and a Post Graduate Diploma in Research Methods from University College London (UCL). |
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Professor Ching-Ping TANG Vice President for International Cooperation, National Chengchi University Director, University Outreach Office, National Chengchi University Professor Tang is now the Vice President for International Cooperation, Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Director of University Outreach Office. He has long been engaged in training and consultation for governmental and civil organisations. His research interests include environmental protection, social entrepreneurship, and alternative development. He adventures in the engaged scholarship to promote just development in the neighbouring communities of the campus. |
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Mr. Wade TSAI Head of JustPinglin and Pumpkinno03 A turn of fate brought Mr. Tsai who is originated from Yunlin to Pinglin in 2013. As an “outsider” youth, he chose to take root in the tea village, trying to connect the local cultural, industrial and natural resources, integrating the aesthetics of life into the "local food culture" and "tea mountain cultural experience" for creating a brand-new tea village style. |
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Assistant Professor Salvatore VIRDIS Assistant Professor, Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems, Asian Institute of Technology Dr. Virdis is an Assistant Professor at the Asian Institute of Technology. His formal background is in applied geological sciences and remote sensing. His research interests are broadly in Geo-Information and Earth Observation Science, with particular interest in the use of remote sensing approaches for environmental problems. His research integrates field-based, remote/proximal sensing techniques and advanced geospatial modelling on a variety of spatial and temporal scales. |
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Professor Chengzhi YIN Associate Dean and Tenured Associate Professor, School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University Professor Yin is a Member of the Regional and Urban Planning Committee of the China Association of Regional Sciences, a Youth Member of the Urban Planning Society of China – International Urban Planning Academic Committee, as well as a member of the China-Germany Friendship Association. He also serves as a co-chair of the Steering Committee of the Global Network of Master’s in Development Practice, and a member of the Academic Advisory Committee of the UN-SDSN SDG Academy. |
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Professor Zhenqing ZHENG Associate Professor, School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University Dr. Zheng is specialising in social development and governance research and East Asia studies. He has been conducting social survey across East Asia and published two books on Singapore and Chinese Taiwan as well as a good many of papers in peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Zheng received his PhD degree from Peking University and served as visiting scholars in the National Taiwan University, National University of Singapore, etc. |