Prof. Roland Fuchs, Emeritus
Roland Fuchs has held various positions within academia and international organizations. Prior to joining START he served as Professor of Geography and Department Chair at the University of Hawaii and later Vice-Rector of the United Nations University in Japan. He has also served as President of the International Geographical Union (IGU) and Secretary-General of the Pacific Science Association (PSA). During his career he has been associated with a number of institutions, including Moscow State University, Tribhuvan University, Nepal, National Taiwan University, Clark University, Ohio State University, and the East-West Center. His research has focused on urbanization and global change.
Email: fuchsr@eastwestcenter.org
Tribute to Roland

Dr. Hassan Virji, Executive Director
Hassan Virji has served as the Executive Secretary of the U.S. Interagency Subcommittee on Global Change Research while based at the U.S. National Science Foundation; as the Deputy Executive Director of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme based at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm; and as the Associate Program Director for the Climate Dynamics Program of the U.S. National Science Foundation. He has also held academic and research positions at the University of Nairobi and the University of Wisconsin. Hassan obtained his Ph.D. in meteorology from the University of Wisconsin.
Email: hvirji@start.org

Jon Padgham, Program Director
Jon Padgham joined in September 2008 as the Director of START’s Risk, Vulnerability, and Adaptation program. Prior to joining START, Jon worked at the World Bank and the US Agency for International Development on climate change adaptation initiatives. At the World Bank, he developed a study detailing where Bank investments are needed to build adaptive capacity in the agriculture sector. At USAID he managed adaption projects and helped to develop a guidance manual on climate change adaptation for that agency’s field operations. Jon received a PhD in soil science from Cornell University.
Email: jpadgham@start.org

Clark Seipt, Program Coordinator
Clark joined START in August 2007. She is primarily responsible for managing the African Climate Change Fellowship Program and for guiding engagement of the International Secretariat in the Asian Cities at Risk initiative. In addition, Clark helps to facilitate the START Grants for GEC Research in Africa Program and contributes to development and implementation of activities under START’s Risk Management, Vulnerability and Adaptation Portfolio. She also coordinates day-to-day activities of program staff. Clark holds a Master of Science in geography from Penn State University and a Bachelor of Science in environmental science and Spanish from the University of Virginia. Prior to joining START, Clark was a Research Assistant for the Penn State Department of Geography and the Penn State Institutes of Energy and the Environment, where her research investigated the utility of seasonal climate forecasts for agricultural decision-making.
Email: cseipt@start.org

Kathleen Landauer, Program Associate
Kathleen manages the overall budgets for START’s research and capacity-building programs and is project coordinator for START’s GOFC/GOLD activities. Previously she has developed research and training projects in the natural resources program of the United Nations University, managed an overseas trade program for U.S. hardwoods at the National Forest Products Association, and served as a consultant to several organizations on natural resource projects. She holds a Master of Science in natural resources from the University of Michigan, and a Bachelor of Science in biology from the University of Illinois.
Email: klandauer@start.org

Charles “Skip” Kauffman, Program Associate
Skip came to START in May 2006 after working at The Accokeek Foundation and Rodale Institute in the research and management of sustainable agriculture projects. He has participated in interinstitutional projects to promote intensive local food production in the Northeastern US in cooperation with USDA and the University of Maryland, and served as a reviewer of international projects on dryland agriculture with the US National Academy of Sciences. He holds a Master of Science in Horticultural Science from North Carolina State University and a Bachelor of Science from The Pennsylvania State University.
Email: cskauffman@start.org

Jyoti Kulkarni, Program Associate
Jyoti joined START in May 2006 and is primarily responsible for assisting with the management and coordination of START’s activities related to climate change vulnerability and adaptation, including the AIACC and ACCCA projects. She holds a Master of Science Degree in Environmental Science from the University of Pune, India and is presently pursuing a Ph.D. program in Energy and Environmental Policy at the University of Delaware. Prior to joining START she has held research associate positions at the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy, University of Delaware and at the National Chemical Laboratory, India.
Email: jkulkarni@start.org

Fareeha Y. Iqbal, Program Associate
Fareeha joined START in 2009 and works on projects that help developing counties reduce the risks posed by climate change and climate-related disasters. Prior to joining START, Fareeha worked with the World Bank on integrating climate risk concerns within development projects; with the Inter-American Development Bank to conduct an overview of potential vulnerability to climate change in Latin America and the Caribbean; and with the Sustainable Development Policy Institute, in Pakistan. Fareeha holds a Master’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (focusing on Environmental Policy & International Development) and was awarded a Britannia Chevening Scholarship for her B.Sc. (Hons) studies at the University of Stirling, UK. In addition to her focus on climate change issues, Fareeha has worked with Harvard University and the UN MDG Task Force 10 to research factors assisting in the rise of high-tech industry in the developing world.
Email: fiqbal@start.org

Lauren Gibbons, Program Assistant
Lauren joined START in July 2008 after graduating from the College of Charleston, with a Bachelor of Science in International Business and a French minor. Prior to START she worked with an Advertising and Graphic Design group in Montreal, Canada. Lauren is currently pursuing a MFA in Design + Technology from Parsons New School for Design. Lauren is primarily responsible for website design, print publications, information graphics, video production, communications, logistics and coordination for START Committee Meetings.
Email: lgibbons@start.org

Lora Stoyanova, Program Assistant
Lora originally joined START as Administrative Assistant from August 2006 – May 2007. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies/Political Science from the University of Maine, Presque Isle and a recently completed Master of Science degree in International Affairs (with a regional focus on Africa) from Florida State University. Lora’s graduate research focuses on education for poverty reduction in Ghana, project planning in LDCs and the role of race and ethnicity in the national unity of Mozambique, among other topics. She rejoined START in August 2009 and currently assists with the implementation of START’s research and related capacity building activities in Africa.
Email: lstoyanova@start.org

Roger Kasperson, Scholar in Residence
Professor Roger E. Kasperson received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1966. He has taught at the University of Connecticut, Michigan State University, and Clark University. He has chaired the International Geographical Union Commission on Critical Situations/Regions in Global Environmental Change and was elected as Director of the Stockholm Research Institute in 1999 – 2002. He also serves on the Human Dimensions of Global Change of the National Research Council, and on the Science Advisory Board of the Environmental Protection Agency. He has written widely on issues connected with risk analysis, risk communication, global environmental change, risk and ethics, and environmental policy.
Email: rkasperson@start.org

Gergana Mouteva, Intern
Gergana joined START in September 2009 after graduating with a B.A. from Colgate University with a double major in Physics/Astronomy and Mathematics. Her main field of interest is global environmental change, particularly with respect to climate and marine ecosystems. Before coming to START she completed a sustainability internship at the Upstate Institute at Colgate, which aimed to offset Colgate’s Carbon Footprint. She is currently working with Skip Kauffman on the ACCFP and START Grants for GEC in Africa reports and proposals, as well as managing our databases.
Email: gmouteva@start.org

Robert Gibbons, Intern
Robert is the latest member to join the International START Secretariat office in Washington DC. He joined START in June 2010 as a summer intern. Outside of his internship, he is currently completing his undergraduate studies in Business Administration at McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. His main assignments at START evolve around web page design, implementation of the START digital library, working with the database of the ACRE network, and assisting on Photoshop assignments.
Email: rfgibbons@start.org

Jasmine Rajbhandary, Intern
Jasmine joined START in August, 2010 as an intern. She recently graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Science and Biology from Wesleyan College. Her main interests are in Conservation Biology, particularly the impact of environmental problems, such as climate change, on biodiversity. Currently, she is helping to update the START website and manage the projects database.
Email: jrajbhandary@start.org