Contributors

Lesego Khomo

Senior Lecturer: Department of Environmental Science, University of South Africa

Senior Lecturer: Department of Environmental Science, University of South Africa

Laura Bullon-Cassis

Chercheuse post-doctorale, Graduate Institute – Institut de hautes études internationales et du développement (IHEID)

Chercheuse post-doctorale, Graduate Institute – Institut de hautes études internationales et du développement (IHEID) Laura Bullon-Cassis is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy. She is interested in how we can organise and prepare for the great challenges of our time -- including climate change and AI -- with a focus on the role of language and meaning in transforming our societies. Laura received her Ph.D. (with Distinction) from the Department of Media, Culture, and Communication at New York University in 2022. Her dissertation explored the sociocultural category of 'youth' in UN climate summitry, with a particular focus on how framings of youth and the politics of attention impact the lived experiences of young people. As part of her fieldwork, she conducted three years of participant observation with youth advocates and activists in United Nations climate summits in New York, Madrid and Glasgow. Her current research projects look at, respectively, democratic innovations as a response to youth demands, and the role of Artificial Intelligence in democracy. Laura has taught interdisciplinary courses on topics related to sustainability, youth, and media studies at Pratt Institute and New York University. As a Team Leader and Writer for the International Institute for Sustainable Development’s (IISD) Reporting Services, Laura regularly attends UN environmental conferences worldwide. She sat on the Board of the Children and Youth Interest Group of the American Anthropological Association and served as Assistant Editor for the leading academic journal Public Culture, co-hosted by Columbia University and New York University's Institute for Public Knowledge. In 2023, she was a Visiting Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk at Cambridge University and a Research Affiliate with the Institute for Data, Democracy & Politics (IDDP) at George Washington University. Prior to her graduate studies, Laura worked for the United Nations in Tokyo, Geneva, New York City, and Haiti. She has held roles, among others, at the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III), and the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). She has published her work in academic and media outlets, including the Journal of Youth Studies, Global Policy Journal, NEOS, and OpenDemocracy. Laura holds an MSc in Global Politics and a BSc in Sociology from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

Lambis Dionysopoulos

PhD candidate in FinTech, University of Reading

PhD candidate in FinTech, University of Reading I am a PhD candidate and associate lecturer at the ICMA Centre, Henley Business School, University of Reading. I hold a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the Athens University of Economics and Business and a Master's degree in Blockchain and Digital Currency from the University of Nicosia. I am also adjunct faculty for the Institute for the Future at the University of Nicosia and the research lead for the EU Blockchain Observatory and Forum. My research and teaching focus on blockchain technologies, cryptocurrencies, and decentralised finance.

Luke Brown

Head of Policy and Engagement, Climateworks Centre

Head of Policy and Engagement, Climateworks Centre Luke Brown is Head of Policy and Engagement at Climateworks, overseeing teams in Australia, Indonesia and South East Asia. Prior to joining Climateworks, Luke spent 15 years in Government, including 12 years at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), completing diplomatic assignments in Indonesia, Samoa, and Fiji. Most recently, Luke ran the Public Affairs team at Australia’s largest embassy in Jakarta. Luke also worked in economic research at the Reserve Bank and in renewables investment generation at the Australian Trade Commission in San Francisco.

Lee Hutt

Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences, University of Plymouth

Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences, University of Plymouth I have 12 years of experience in the fields of environmental and medical microbiology, parasitology and biochemistry. My PhD thesis examined the role inorganic sulfur oxidation had on bacterial physiology, biochemistry and biogeochemistry. I have been a lecturer in Biomedical Sciences for 4 years where I teach foundation to maters level, predominately in the fields of microbiology and parasitology. My research interests include novel antimicrobial discovery from hot springs and the biology and pathology of the intestinal parasite Giardia intestinalis. I am currently collaborating with The Roman Baths (Bath, UK) studying the microbiology and antimicrobial potential of this unique site, with a PhD student starting on this project in October 2024.

Louis Kotzé

Researcher at the Research Institute for Sustainability Helmholtz Center, Potsdam and Research Professor of Law at the Faculty of Law, North-West University

Researcher at the Research Institute for Sustainability Helmholtz Center, Potsdam and Research Professor of Law at the Faculty of Law, North-West University Louis Kotzé is research professor of law at the Faculty of Law, North-West University, South Africa, where he teaches international and African regional environmental law in the structured LLM programme. In 2022 he was Klaus Töpfer Sustainability Fellow at the Research Institute for Sustainability Helmholtz Center in Potsdam. He is also senior professorial fellow in Earth system law at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom. His research broadly encompasses three interrelated themes that he approaches from a transnational perspective: human rights, socio-ecological justice and environmental constitutionalism; law and the Anthropocene; and Earth system law. He has over 150 publications on these themes. Recent books include: Research Handbook on Human Rights and the Environment (with Anna Grear-Edward Elgar, 2015); Global Environmental Constitutionalism in the Anthropocene (Hart, 2016); Environmental Law and Governance for the Anthropocene (Hart, 2017); Sustainable Development Goals: Law, Theory and Implementation (with Duncan French-Edward Elgar, 2018); Research Handbook on Law, Governance and Planetary Boundaries (with Duncan French-Edward Elgar, forthcoming). He is assistant editor of Earth System Governance. In 2016 he obtained a second PhD at Tilburg University, Netherlands, and he was awarded a European Commission Horizon 2020 Marie Curie Fellowship to lead a research project at the University of Lincoln titled: Global Ecological Custodianship-Innovative International Environmental Law for the Anthropocene (GLEC-LAW).