I am an organizational and economic sociologist studying how institutions, organizations, and urban environments shape the emergence and diffusion of social innovations. I conduct research on civil society organizations, urban governance of crises, and institutional change. I am currently writing 'Cities in Action', a book about cities’ efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change (under contract with Columbia University Press).
Corinna Jenkins Tucker, Ph.D., C.F.L.E., is the Senior Project Director of the Sibling Aggression and Abuse Research and Advocacy Initiative (SAARA) at the Crimes Against Children Research Center and Professor Emerita, Human Development and Family Studies Department at the University of New Hampshire. Her primary research interests include sibling relationships, parenting, and mental health. She has a particular interest in sibling aggression and abuse experiences across the lifespan.
Associate Professor in Wood Science, University of Canterbury I am a trained wood scientist with a focus on molecular aspects of plant cell walls. My research includes fundamental and applied projects. At the fundamental end I am working on a better understanding of the supramolecular architecture of plant cell walls in particular the structure of cellulose fibrils and how this structure determines macroscopic wood properties. Most of my current external research funding is for applied research on wood quality. Particularly exciting is my involvement as science team leader of the NZDFI, which envisages New Zealand as a world-leader in breeding ground-durable eucalypts, and to be home to a valuable sustainable hardwood industry based on eucalypt forests, by 2050. As a biomaterial, wood is highly variable. This variability poses significant problems to the wood processing industry. My work is trying to reduce the variability of wood and by that gaining efficiency in the wood processing industry. The major factor restricting the incorporation of wood properties into tree breeding programmes is the lack of fast but robust analytical techniques. Therefore development of such assessments is a key part of the research, many of which are only available in this field at our world-leading NZ School of Forestry.
Lecturer, Graduate School of Business and Leadership, University of KwaZulu-Natal Cristy Leask is a transformation executive with extensive experience of creating purposeful strategies and delivering results that accelerate business growth. She is passionate about enabling leaders and executive teams to get to the future faster by co-creating the fit-for-purpose solutions of our time. Navigating the current world requires leaders to become authentic, shift mindsets, redefine models and place purpose at its heart.
Associate professor, Biology, Concordia University Carly Ziter is an assistant professor in the Biology Department of Concordia University, the Concordia University Research Chair in Urban Ecology and Sustainability, and a core faculty member of Concordia’s cluster for Smart, Sustainable, and Resilient Cities and Communities. As an urban landscape and ecosystem ecologist, her research focuses on how landscape structure, historical land-use, and biodiversity interact to shape the ways that nature benefits us in the cities where we live, work, and play. She leads a dynamic group of undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers, and collaborates frequently with colleagues across a wide range of disciplines, including designers, architects, engineers, and social scientists.
Associate Professor of Nursing, Southern Cross University Christina has held academic roles in undergraduate and postgraduate nursing programs at several Australian universities. Christina’s most recent projects have involved interdisciplinary research in collaboration with health care professionals from various fields of expertise. Christina is currently the Conjoint Academic with Northern NSW Local Health District.
