Leena Srivastava appointed IIASA Deputy Director General for Science

Srivastava brings extensive experience to the new position that will provide interdisciplinary scientific leadership to the institute and ensure that IIASA research stays at the forefront of scientific endeavor. She has been Vice Chancellor of the TERI School of Advanced Studies, New Delhi – an inter-disciplinary higher education institution focused on sustainable development – since 2012. Prior to this, she worked for over three decades on research in the areas of energy, environment, and climate change policies at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), including nearly nine years as Executive Director.

“We are thrilled that Leena Srivastava will become the first IIASA Deputy Director General for Science,” said IIASA Council Chair Michael Clegg, who announced the appointment today. “She is an award-winning researcher who brings to IIASA wide-ranging experience in the fields of energy, environment, and economics along with leadership in research and academic training activities. On behalf of the IIASA Council, which represents the interests of science academies and national research funders in 22 nations from around the world, I am proud to welcome her to IIASA.”

IIASA is an international scientific institute that conducts research into the critical issues of global environmental, economic, technological, and social change that we face in the twenty-first century. It is funded by National Member Organizations—typically national academies or national research funders. The institute’s research findings provide valuable options to policymakers to shape the future of our changing world.

In addition to her research leadership positions at TERI, Srivastava has been highly engaged in climate and sustainable development issues through participation on various boards and committees, and in advisory roles in international organizations, research institutions, and the corporate sector. For example, she is an independent and non-executive director on the boards of Bharti Infratel Ltd. and Shree Cement Ltd. in India. She is also on the sustainable development advisory board of Caterpillar Inc., USA, as well as the advisory boards of Cairn Energy, Vedanta Resources, and Consocia Advisory, India. At an international level, she is a co-chair of the science advisory group to the UN Secretary General’s 2019 Climate Action Summit; Co-chair of Future Earth; and a member of the president's advisory group on climate change and sustainable development of the Asian Development Bank and the international advisory panel of the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment, and Energy in Germany among other positions.

“I am delighted to take up this new role to further strengthen IIASA research,” commented Srivastava. “IIASA has an impressive record of excellence in science, and I am looking forward to working with IIASA researchers and the institute’s research network to achieve its ambitious strategic research goals and maximize the impact of its science.”

Srivastava will join Director General and CEO Albert van Jaarsveld as part of the executive team responsible for leading IIASA in the coming years.

“Leena Srivastava has made a significant contribution to research into climate change and sustainable development during her career as well as providing remarkable scientific leadership to The Energy and Resources Institute, and the TERI School of Advanced Studies. I look forward to working with her as we develop and embark on a new IIASA strategy,” concluded Van Jaarsveld.

Last edited: 30 January 2020