Science Advisory Committee
Professor Jim Hall is the fourth SAC Chair, succeeding Professor Mary Scholes of the Wits University.
The SAC was established in 2002 by the IIASA Council – the governing body of the Institute with the main task to ensure that IIASA’s work continues to meet highest standards in both scientific merit and policy relevance.
The Science Advisory Committee is an advisory structure constituted of independent scientists appointed by the IIASA Council with the task of providing scientific guidance and a research assurance function for IIASA. SAC has a dual reporting line. SAC directly reports to the IIASA Deputy Director General for Science and engages with the Director General, and indirectly to the Research and Engagement Committee of Council.
SAC members are appointed by the Council to 3-year terms (and maximum 6 years), from a list of nominations solicited from IIASA’s National Member Organizations, staff, and IIASA's scientific network. Members are selected based on their scientific and policy experience in the areas of IIASA's research, with attention to balance regarding scientific disciplines, world regions, gender, and experience in global science policy activities.
The Committee meets approximately once per year, or more often if required, and the SAC Chair is invited to attend Council meetings as a guest.
Current SAC members are:
Chair from 1 January 2020 to 31 May 2021
Professor Dr. Jim HALL
Professor of Climate and Environmental Risks in the School of
Geography and the Environment, Senior Research Fellow in the Department
of Engineering Science, Oxford University
Oxford, UK
Member from August 2017 to August 2023
Dr. John R. BIRGE
The University of Chicago Booth School of Business
Chicago, IL, USA
Member from August 2017 to August 2023
Professor Dr. Ruth DEFRIES
Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology
Columbia University
New York, NY, USA
Member from January 2017 to December 2022
Professor Dr. Bojie FU
Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences
Chinese Academy of Sciences
Beijing, P.R. China
Member from January 2017 until December 2022
Dr. Youba SOKONA
The South Centre and the University of Surrey
Geneva, Switzerland
Member from January 2016 to December 2021
Professor Dr. Mari Elka PANGESTU
Managing Director of Development Policy and Partnerships
The World Bank, USA
Member from January 2016 to December 2021
Professor Dr. Silvia E. GIORGULI SAUCEDO
El Colegio de Mexico, Mexico
Member from July 2020 to June 2023
Professor Elke U. WEBER
Gerhard R. Andlinger Professor in Energy and the Environment
Professor of Psychology and Public Affairs
Princeton University, USA
Member from July 2020 to June 2023
Dr. Olga KORDAS
Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Sciences and Engineering
Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Sweden
Member from July 2020 to June 2023
Professor Dr. Christoph MEINEL
Internet Technologies and Systems
Hasso-Plattner-Institute, University of Potsdam, Germany
