Co-Facilitator of the negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda and Permanent Representative of Kenya to the United Nations

Macharia Kamau is the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Kenyan Mission to the United Nations. Along with the Irish Ambassador to the United Nations, Mr. Kamau is the cofacilitator for the intergovernmental negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda and was the co-chair of the UN Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Executive Director Mauritius Research Council, Mauritius

Dr Arjoon Suddhoo was born on 11 November 1958 in Mauritius. He started his higher education in England where he completed his Engineering course with First Class Honours at the University of Manchester and pursued his PhD in Applied Computing and Mathematics at the same University. He is also holder of an MBA with Distinction from the University of Liverpool. After undertaking one year post-doctoral research at Manchester University, he was employed in 1986, as Research Scientist for Rolls-Royce Aerospace in UK. During his 8 years at Rolls-Royce, he was promoted to Principal Scientist and Research Manager, contributing significantly to the company R&D while working closely with responsible for company in-house and external Research and Development.

In 1993, Dr Suddhoo returned to Mauritius to be employed as Head of Research and Planning by the Tertiary Education Commission and subsequently, in 1998, he assumed the post of Executive Director of the Mauritius Research Council, where he is currently.

Dr Suddhoo has also been the Chairman of Air Mauritius, for the period 2001 to 2005 and he was re-appointed Chairman in March 2015. He is on the boards of several parastatal bodies as well as private organisations. He is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, Fellow of the Mauritius Institute of Directors and a Fellow (Secretary) of the Mauritius Academy of Sciences and Founder President of the Aeronautical Society of Mauritius.

Blue Water Metric, USA

Mr. Matthew Merighi is CEO and Executive Director of Blue Water Metrics, an NGO which builds partnerships and develops technology to crowdsource ocean health data gathering. Matthew is responsible for leading Blue Water Metrics through its founding and first technology pilot. He is the focal point for external relations, business operations, and fundraising. A graduate of Georgetown University and the Fletcher School at Tufts University, Matthew serves as Assistant Director of the Fletcher School’s Maritime Studies Program. In this role, he provides mentorship to maritime studies students, creates new programming, produces research on maritime security, and conducts fundraising. He also serves as Senior Producer of the Sea Control podcast for the Center for International Maritime Security.

President, Institute for Imagination and Ingenuity, Saudi Arabia (and TFM 10-Member Group)

Ms. Hayat Sindi is a leading biotechnologist and a champion of science and technology in the Middle East. She co-founded a non-profit organization with a team at Harvard called “Diagnostics For All” which creates innovative, inexpensive, point-of-care diagnostic devices for people in impoverished regions. She has invented a machine combining the effects of light and ultra-sound for use in biotechnology. Along with her scientific activities, she participated in numerous events aimed at raising the awareness of science amongst women, particularly in Saudi Arabia and the Muslim World. Further, at the heart of Ms. Sindi’s innovations is a passion to develop an entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Middle East that would transcend existing gaps between education and opportunity.

In 2011, she launched i2, the Institute for imagination and Ingenuity, to encourage innovation among young people, specifically scientists, technologists and engineers. Through fellowships, trainings and mentorships, i2 seeks to empower and inspire the next generation of innovators so that they may realize their dreams and ultimately contribute to Saudi Arabia’s growing economy. In 2013, Ms. Sindi was one of the first 30 women to be appointed to Saudi Arabia’s highest consultative body, the Shura Council, and she was one of the 25 global experts selected by former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to be a member of the UN Scientific Advisory Board which provides advice to UN’s leadership on science, technology and innovation for sustainable development. Ms. Sindi is also a Goodwill Ambassador for Sciences at UNESCO. In 2016, she was appointed by former UN secretary Ban Ki-moon to the Ten Members group to support the technological facilitation mechanism (TFM) for Sustainable Development Goals. Recently, Ms. Sindi was asked by Prime Minister of Malaysia to join his Science and Innovation advisory council to support the country vision 2020.

University of Kiel, Head of the Research Unit, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, Germany

Mr. Martin Visbeck is a professor at Kiel University and head of the research unit “Physical Oceanography” at GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Germany. Research interests of Martin Visbeck and his group revolve around the ocean’s role in the climate system with an emphasis on understanding climate change and climate variability. In the Subpolar North Atlantic, they maintain direct current measurements to document the variability and change of North Atlantic Deep Water formation. In the Tropical Atlantic, they examine ocean mixing with a focus on the dynamics of oxygen minimum zones.

To this end, Martin Visbeck and his group make use of research vessel based expeditions but also are increasingly using and advancing modern robotic platforms, including profiling floats and gliders. Mr. Visbeck’s interest in the development of integrated ocean observatories led to the launch of a large-scale EU project “AtlantOS” in 2015, set out to better coordinate the ongoing in-situ observations of the Atlantic Ocean with the participation of European and international partners. As the speaker of the German excellence initiative 'The Future Ocean' in Kiel, he is involved in integrated marine sciences bringing together different disciplines to work on marine issues.

More recently, he has been heavily engaged in the sustainable development of the ocean. He is member of the Joint Scientific Committee of the WCRP (World Climate Research Programme). He was appointed to the Leadership Council of the UN-SDSN (United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network). He serves on the ICSU (International Council for Science) Committee on Scientific Planning and Review. He is the chair of the German Committee Future Earth supported by DFG (German Research Foundation).