Fabian Wagner to lead capacity development activities at IIASA

The CDAT Dean heads the IIASA capacity development and training team, and is responsible for coordinating, expanding, and overseeing the overall capacity development strategy of the institute.

Wagner has been at IIASA since 2004, and is currently a senior research scholar in the IIASA Air Quality and Greenhouse Gases Program, a role which he will continue in addition to the new appointment. He is also an associate faculty at the Complexity Science Hub and the Technical University in Vienna. Before joining IIASA Wagner was a researcher with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) at the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) in Hayama, Japan, and between 2014 and 2016 he was the Gerhard R. Andlinger '52 Professor for Energy and the Environment at Princeton University's Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment and the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

Wagner has a PhD in theoretical physics, a master's degree in mathematics, and a master’s degree in the history and philosophy of science, all from Cambridge University.

“This is a tremendous opportunity, and I am excited about this new role,” said Wagner. “IIASA is the world-leading one-stop destination for systems analysis, and part of its mission is to give others access to our methods and thinking, and to train the next generation of system thinkers and analysts. I see huge potential for strategically enhancing the institute’s capacity development activities and I am looking forward to working with everyone who shares my enthusiasm.”

IIASA Deputy Director General for Science Leena Srivastava commented: “Fabian is highly regarded as a researcher and we are delighted that he will bring his vision and expertise to help shape IIASA’s capacity development and training. Developing systems analysis capability globally is an imperative part of the IIASA mission, and his experience academically and internationally will be a great asset.”

Wagner will work closely with the IIASA executive team and program directors as well as the institute’s National Member Organizations (NMOs) to strengthen formal and informal academic networks and affiliations by developing capacity in systems analysis in member countries.