[PWC-MEDIA] Persbericht Wageningen UR: Prof. Pavel Kabat gaat naar IIASA
- From: "Vos, Bouke de" <Bouke.deVos@xxxxxx>
- To: "'persbericht@xxxxxxxxxxxxx'" <persbericht@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2012 15:02:49 +0100
Persbericht Wageningen UR, 009wur, 1 februari 2012
http://www.wur.nl/NL/nieuwsagenda/nieuws/kabat20120201.htm
Prof. Pavel Kabat wordt directeur van het internationaal onderzoeksinstituut
IIASA
Prof.dr. Pavel Kabat, internationaal expert op het gebied van water en klimaat,
is benoemd tot directeur van het International Institute for Applied Systems
Analysis (IIASA). Dit internationale instituut dat beleidsgericht onderzoek
doet naar onder meer klimaatverandering, de wereldwijde beschikbaarheid van
energie en duurzame ontwikkeling, is gevestigd Laxenburg in de buurt van Wenen,
Oostenrijk.
Pavel Kabat gaf tot voor kort leiding aan de Earth System Science and Climate
Change Group van Wageningen UR (University & Research centre) en aan
Wageningen Climate Centre. Bovendien was hij wetenschappelijk directeur van het
nationale onderzoeksprogramma Kennis voor Klimaat.
Prof. Kabat blijft hoogleraar Earth System Science aan Wageningen University,
en directeur en bestuursvoorzitter van de Waddenacademie, onderdeel van de KNAW
(Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen.
Voor meer informatie zie het (Engelstalig) persbericht van het IIASA.
NOOT VOOR DE REDACTIE
Voor meer informatie kunt u contact opnemen met Bouke de Vos, Pers- en
wetenschapsvoorlichting Wageningen UR, tel. 0317 480 180, e-mail
bouke.devos@xxxxxx<mailto:bouke.devos@xxxxxx>.
Voor interviewverzoeken aan prof. Kabat kunt u contact opnemen met Leane Regan,
Communications Department IIASA, tel. Leane Regan, IIASA, tel. +43 2236 807 316
of +43 664 443 0368, e-mail regan@xxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:regan@xxxxxxxxxxx>.
Indien u geen prijs meer stelt op toezending van persberichten door Wageningen
UR, laat dat dan weten per e-mail naar
bouke.devos@xxxxxx<mailto:bouke.devos@xxxxxx> of
jac.niessen@xxxxxx<mailto:jac.niessen@xxxxxx>.
Wageningen UR (University & Research centre) heeft als missie ' To explore the
potential of nature to improve the quality of life'. Binnen Wageningen UR
bundelen negen gespecialiseerde en meer toegepaste onderzoeksinstituten,
Wageningen University en hogeschool Van Hall Larenstein hun krachten om bij te
dragen aan de oplossing van belangrijke vragen in het domein van gezonde
voeding en leefomgeving. Met ongeveer 40 vestigingen (in Nederland, Brazilië en
China), 6500 medewerkers en 10.000 studenten behoort Wageningen UR wereldwijd
tot de vooraanstaande kennisinstellingen binnen haar domein. De integrale
benadering van de vraagstukken en de samenwerking tussen
natuurwetenschappelijke, technologische en maatschappijwetenschappelijke
disciplines vormen het hart van de Wageningen-aanpak.
#
Read online at: http://www.iiasa.ac.at/Admin/INF/PR/2012/2012-02-01.html
Water and climate expert to lead global research institute
Laxenburg, Austria - 01 February 2012 Water and climate expert Professor Pavel
Kabat has been appointed Director of the International Institute for Applied
Systems Analysis (IIASA), Austria, effective today, February 1, 2012.
Professor Kabat joins IIASA following a distinguished career in scientific
research and research management. Most recently he was Chair of the Earth
System Science and Climate Change Group at Wageningen University and Research
Centre in the Netherlands, where he was also Chair of the Board of the
Wageningen Climate Centre, and Science Director and Council Chair of the Dutch
National Climate Research Program.
Professor Kabat remains a Professor of Earth System Science at Wageningen
University, and Director and Chair of the Royal Dutch Academy of Arts and
Sciences' Institute for Integrated Research on Wadden Sea Region.
The Netherlands, through the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research
(NWO), is a member of IIASA.
"Pavel Kabat has an impeccable record both as a scientist and a science
leader", says Professor Peter Lemke, Chairman of the IIASA Council. "He brings
to IIASA expertise in many aspects of global change, specifically the
interaction of humans with the natural environment - an interaction that is at
the heart of some of the most intangible issues facing science and policy
communities today, such as the sustainable management of food and water
resources, and energy access, areas that are of strategic research importance
to IIASA."
"IIASA's role as an international, interdisciplinary organization is to bring
nations together to better define and address these issues from a scientific
perspective, and importantly, to ensure these findings are accessible to
decision-makers in government and industry. In Prof. Kabat we have a leader
with the interdisciplinary knowledge, international perspectives, and the
management expertise to ensure IIASA is able to maintain and grow what is a
rather unique place in the international science community," says Lemke. "On
behalf of the IIASA Council, which represents the interests of the science
academies and research organizations in nearly 20 nations around the world, I
warmly welcome Prof. Kabat to IIASA."
Prof. Kabat is well acquainted with IIASA, having collaborated with the
Institute over a number of years, primarily on aspects of water, land and
climate interactions and through his role in various international initiatives
and assessments, such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
Assessment reports and the World Bank's Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. With
support from the European Commission and other large international agencies
such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Kabat also
pioneered large-scale research on global change that has provided the
foundation for a new generation of thinking in global change research.
"I look forward to working with IIASA staff and with the broad global network
of scientists and decision-makers that IIASA, through its National Member
Organizations and affiliations with the United Nations and other significant
international and national organizations, has developed.
"These strong networks and a global approach place IIASA in a unique position
to provide scientific leadership on very complex policy issues, such as global
environmental change and human sustainability issues. But also short-term
challenges such as food and water sustainability, or energy security - issues
that must be tackled urgently. IIASA's integrated systems approaches, linking
all these issues, offer fresh, new perspectives on how to resolve some of these
challenges," says Prof. Kabat."
One example of this approach is the Global Energy Assessment (GEA), initiated
and managed by IIASA, it is the largest and most integrated assessment of the
global energy system ever undertaken, linking all aspects of energy, water,
food, urban infrastructure, climate, land use, human health, to name just a
few. Such a complex task could only be conceived by an organization like IIASA.
The presentation by the President of the Czech Republic Václav
Klaus<http://www.klaus.cz/clanky/3022> at the IIASA organized meeting to
discuss economic transition in Central and Eastern Europe is another current
example of the breadth and depth of the work IIASA undertakes.
IIASA was established during the Cold War as a mechanism for building
scientific collaborations between the East and the West. Today this
collaboration also bridges North and South and IIASA membership now involves
all major regions of the world.
"I believe in the years ahead IIASA can build on this success by extending our
relationship to the Middle East and further strengthen our transboundary
scientific collaborations in South East Asia, Central Asia, South America and
Africa.
"I also believe that Global Change research is on the verge of a complete
transformation, one that will involve new methodological approaches and require
new organizational structures. IIASA is well positioned to play a key role in
this transformation, and invites world-leading research funding and
coordination agencies, such as the Belmont Group, to work together to enable
and manage this transformation.
"These are exciting times and I look forward to being a part of this very
dynamic organization and the opportunities that lie ahead," concluded Prof.
Kabat.
Commenting on the appointment the Governor of Lower Austria Dr Erwin Pröll
described IIASA as one of the leading research organizations in Austria.
"The Province of Lower Austria is aware of the significance of international
networks and is proud of its wide range of internationally recognized research
activities. One of the leading research organizations in this context is IIASA.
The Institute's focus on innovative, interdisciplinary research and
international collaboration serves as a platform for scientists and researchers
throughout the world. The close collaboration of IIASA with other Austrian
institutions and the international awareness of this Laxenburg-based Institute,
also profiles Lower Austria as an important base for science and research. I am
convinced that IIASA's new Director, Professor Pavel Kabat, will continue to
grow on this success."
Prof. Kabat replaces outgoing Director Detlof von Winterfeldt who returns to
the University of Southern California after leading IIASA over the past three
years.
"Prof. von Winterfeldt has made an enormous contribution to IIASA, leading the
organization through a strategic planning process, overseeing the initial
implementation of a new 10 year plan and building our international
memberships. On behalf of the IIASA Council I thank him for his valuable
contributions and wish him well in his return to the US," concluded Prof. Lemke.
Prof. Kabat becomes IIASA's tenth Director since it was established in 1972.
For interviews with Professor Pavel Kabat, contact:
Leane Regan, IIASA Phone: +43 2236 807 316 or +43 664 443 0368
More information:
Professor Pavel Kabat
<http://www.iiasa.ac.at/Admin/DI/docs/vonwinterfeldt_cv_web.pdf> (Link to
CV<http://www.iiasa.ac.at/Admin/DI/docs/PK-CV_feb12.pdf>) is the author or
co-author of over 200 refereed publications, including 8 books. He is on the
editorial board of several international journals and is a member of numerous
academies of sciences and learned societies. He is the recipient of various
scientific awards and was a co-recipient of the of the Zayed International
Prize for the Environment as one of the authors of the Millennium Ecosystem
Assessment (2006) and in 2007 was a co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize as
one of the lead Authors of the IPCC 4th Assessment Report. He is a review
editor for the forthcoming IPCC Fifth Assessment report (2010-2014). (Link to
image gallery<http://www.iiasa.ac.at/Admin/INF/PR/2012/2012-02-01-pics.html>).
About 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. Our findings provide valuable
options to policy makers to shape the future of our changing world.
IIASA is independent and funded by scientific institutions in Africa, the
Americas, Asia and Europe. www.iiasa.ac.at<http://www.iiasa.ac.at/>.
Leane Regan
Communications Department
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
Schlossplatz 1 A-2361
Laxenburg, Austria
Ph: +43 2236 807 316
Mob: +43 6644 430 368
www.iiasa.ac.at<http://www.iiasa.ac.at>
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