Named Executive Director of Policy and Global Affairs, USA

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine are pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Vaughan C. Turekian to be the Executive Director of the Policy and Global Affairs Division (PGA), effective May 12, 2018.

Dr. Turekian is currently serving a joint appointment as Senior Director of the Program on Science and Technology for Sustainability (STS), a program within PGA for which he was hired August of 2017. Prior to joining the STS program, Dr. Turekian served as the fifth Science and Technology Advisor to the U.S. Secretary of State. In this capacity, he advised the Secretary of State and other senior State Department officials on international environment, science, technology, and health matters affecting the foreign policy of the United States. From 2016 to 2017, he served as a country co-chair, along with the Kenyan Ambassador to the United Nations, for the Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology, and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals, a high-level discussion at the United Nations designed to accelerate progress toward globally agreed upon development targets. In 2018, Dr. Turekian was appointed by the U.N. Secretary General as one of the ten international members to promote the role of science, technology, and innovation for achieving for the 17 SDGs.

Dr. Turekian drew upon his background in atmospheric chemistry and extensive policy experience to promote science, technology, and engineering as integral components of U.S. diplomacy. Previously, he was Chief International Officer for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the Director of AAAS's Center for Science Diplomacy (2006 - 2015). In this capacity, he worked to build bridges between nations based on shared scientific goals, placing special emphasis on regions where traditional political relationships are strained or do not exist. As Editor-in-Chief of Science & Diplomacy, an online quarterly publication, he published original policy pieces that have served to inform international science policy recommendations. In addition, Dr. Turekian worked at the State Department as a Special Assistant and Advisor to the Under Secretary for Global Affairs (2002 - 2006) on issues related to sustainable development, climate change, environment, energy, science, technology, and health. He also served as Program Director for the Committee on Global Change Research at the National Research Council (2000 - 2002), where he was study director for a White House report on climate change science.

Dr. Turekian holds a B.S. in Geology and Geophysics and International Studies from Yale University and a M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Virginia where he focused on the transport and chemistry of atmospheric aerosols in marine environments. Dr. Turekian not only brings both technical expertise and over 15 years of policy experience to the position, but also a decorated track-record and steadfast commitment to utilizing our nation's capital science and technology innovation to advance the long-term sustainability and U.S. diplomacy.

DPR of Mexico Mission, Vice President of ECOSOC and Former Co-Chair of the STI Forum

Ambassador Juan Sandoval-Mendiolea has been Deputy Permanent Representative of Mexico to the United Nations since February 2015. He was appointed co/chair of the Science Technology and Innovation Forum by the President of ECOIOC in December 2017. He was a co-chair with Japan for the 2018 STI Forum. Prior to this assignment, he served as Director General for United Nations Affairs. In this capacity, he was promoted to the rank of Ambassador of Mexico in October 2014.

Ambassador Sandoval served as Legal and Human Rights Counselor at the Mexican Embassy in France, and as Deputy and Interim Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States (OAS) from 2001 until 2006, where he oversaw legal issues and hemispheric security, including drug enforcement, transnational organized crime, terrorism and corruption. In the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he has also been Deputy Director General of the Directorate for Inter-American Regional Organisms and Mechanisms (2006-2007), and during this time he also served as Deputy National Organizer of Summits. He was Director of Cabinet of the Under-Secretary of Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights from 2007 until 2013. He led the process for Mexico’s admission to the Wassenaar Arrangement, the Australia Group and the Nuclear Supplier's Group.

Deputy Minister of Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights of Mexico

H.E. Miguel Ruiz Cabañas is a career diplomat. He entered the Mexican Foreign Service in January 1979 and became Ambassador in June 1998. He was appointed Undersecretary of Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico on September, 15th, 2015.

In his current position he has been a fervent advocate of the discussion of the impact of rapid technological change in multilateral fora. Under his lead, Mexico presented the resolution “Impact of rapid technological change on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals”, adopted by consensus during the 72nd General Assembly.

Furthermore, the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs has hosted two expert Group Meetings about the implications of automation and artificial intelligence in the SDGs. Its recommendations contributed to the findings, mandated by Resolution 72/242, to be presented at the STI Forum.

Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of Japan to the UN, Co-Chair of the Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) for the Sustainable Development Goals

His Excellency Dr. Toshiya Hoshino is presently Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations in New York. Previous to his current position, Ambassador Hoshino was on the faculty at the Osaka School of International Public Policy, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan, serving as Dean from 2011 to 2014, before being appointed Vice-President for Global Engagement of the University from 2014 to 2016.

From August 2006 to August 2008, he served as a Minister-Counselor in charge of political affairs at the Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations. He was then a principal advisor to the Chair of the UN Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) when Japan assumed its chairmanship. He graduated from Sophia University, Japan, completed a Master’s at the University of Tokyo, and received his PhD from Osaka University.

His previous positions have included, among others: Senior Research Fellow at the Japan Institute of International Affairs; Guest Scholar at the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University; Visiting Fellow, Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University; Adjunct Professor at Inner Mongolia University in China and Kyung Hee University in Korea as well as Special Assistant (Political Affairs) at the Embassy of Japan to the United States. He is a specialist in UN multilateral diplomacy with particular emphasis on human security perspective.

Chief Economist, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

Carsten Fink is the Chief Economist of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) based in Geneva. Before joining WIPO, he was Professor of International Economics at the University of St.Gallen. He also held the positions of Visiting Professor at the Fondation Nationale des Sciences Politiques (Sciences Po) in Paris and Visiting Senior Fellow at the Group d’Économie Mondiale, a research institute at Sciences Po. Prior to his academic appointments, Mr. Fink worked for more than 10 years at the World Bank. Among other positions, he was a Senior Economist in the International Trade Team of the World Bank Institute, working out of the World Bank’s office in Geneva and an Economist in the Trade Division of the World Bank’s research department, based in Washington, DC. Mr. Fink’s research work has been published in academic journals and books. He holds a doctorate degree in economics from the University of Heidelberg in Germany and a Master of Science degree in economics from the University of Oregon in the United States.

Deputy Director of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis

Prof. Dr. Nebojsa Nakicenovic is Deputy Director General and Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), and former Professor of Energy Economics at the Vienna University of Technology in Austria. He is a world renowned energy economist and computer scientist with degrees from Princeton University and the University of Vienna, as well as a Honoris Causa Doctorate in engineering from the Russian Academy of Sciences. He has authored more than 300 publications and is Editorial Board Member of several scientific journals. He is one of the leading experts on technology change and future scenarios, especially with regard to infrastructures, energy and environmental technologies, and climate change. Prof. Nakicenovic has held many science-policy and advisory positions, including as member of the Advisory Council of the German Government on Global Change (WBGU); the International Council for Science (ICSU) Committee on Scientific Planning and Review, and Co-Chair of the Global Carbon Project; United Nations Secretary General High-Level Technical Group on Sustainable for Energy for All Initiative; Board, Climate Change Centre Austria (CCCA); Working Group of the Austrian Panel on Climate Change (AG-APCC); Panel on Socioeconomic Scenarios for Climate Change Impact and Response Assessments; Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21) Steering Committee; International Advisory Board of the Helmholtz Programme on Technology, and the Earth League. Prof. Nakicenovic has been engaged in the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in various roles over the past 25 years. In particular, he was Convening Lead Author of the IPCC Special Report on Emissions Scenarios, the Third Assessment Report, and the Fourth Assessment Report. He was director of the Global Energy Assessment (GEA); Coordinating Lead Author of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment; director of Global Energy Perspectives, World Energy Council, 1993 to 1998, Convening Lead Author of the World Energy Assessment: Energy and the Challenge of Sustainability, 1999 to 2000, Member of the International Science Panel on Renewable Energies (ISPRE), 2006 to 2008, and Guest Professor at the Technical University of Graz, 1993–2003. He also served as member of the UN Secretary General Advisory Group on Energy and Climate Change.