Team
Dr. Heinz Schandl
- With a background in Sociology and Social and Economic Sciences, Dr Heinz Schandl investigates the co-evolution of social and ecological systems and their transition to sustainability. Areas of research expertise include social systems analysis and institutional analysis, co-evolution of social and ecological systems, measuring and modelling of sustainability, integrated analysis and assessment of sustainability, sustainable production and consumption, resource use governance and sustainability transitions.
Dr. Natthanij Soonsawad
- Dr. Soonsawad has extensive experience of conducting research in multi-disciplines related urban forestry, natural resource and environmental conservation, environmental governance and sustainability. She has the expertise in land use & environmental planning and urban ecosystem services. Her previous projects include assessments of urban trees’ ecosystem services; urban climate governance, species vulnerability to climate change impacts; environmental security; integrated environmental assessment; and environmental governance assessment.
Dr. Jim West
- Originally from a background in economic geology, working as both a mine and exploration geologist, after joining CSIRO in 2004 my work initially focussed on modelling and quantifying the physical inputs and outputs which characterise different systems of the physical economy. From 2008 on, my work broadened to include Economy Wide Material Flow Accounting (EW-MFA) and analysis of the efficiency with which different economies converted these underlying flows to national income. From 2013, the natural resources demand implicit in transitioning billions of people from agrarian societies to industrialized societies became my main research focus, securing a PhD on this theme in 2017. Within the EW-MFA field I have, had an additional focus on improving assessment and understanding of issues around minerals depletion and availability.
Dr. Nargessadat Emami
- Dr. Emami is a Research Technician at the CSIRO based in Canberra and a part time Postdoc researcher at the University of Iceland. She started her academic path by participating in a three year Bachelor’s degree program in Civil Engineering at ISEP in Porto, Portugal in 2012. She recieved her MSc in Civil Engineering, Specialization in Renewable Energy – Hydroelectric Engineering at the University of Iceland in 2016. She completed her PhD in Civil Engineering at the university of Iceland in 2021. Her PhD project was focused on Embodied Environmental Impacts from the Built Environment Development-focus on Buildings. Her professional experiences are in the area of Life-cycle assessment, and sustainability evaluation of built environment and MCDA.Nargessadat Emami is a Research Technician at the CSIRO based in Canberra and a part time Postdoc researcher at the University of Iceland. She started her academic path by participating in a three year Bachelor’s degree program in Civil Engineering at ISEP in Porto, Portugal in 2012. She recieved her MSc in Civil Engineering, Specialization in Renewable Energy – Hydroelectric Engineering at the University of Iceland in 2016. She completed her PhD in Civil Engineering at the university of Iceland in 2021. Her PhD project was focused on Embodied Environmental Impacts from the Built Environment Development-focus on Buildings. Her professional experiences are in the area of Life-cycle assessment, and sustainability evaluation of built environment and MCDA.
Dr. Ray Marcos Martinez
- Ray is an expert on agricultural and land use economics with more than 15 years of experience working in projects in Mexico, Australia, China and the U.S.A. He combines state-of-the-art economics and spatial data science methods to analyse policy-relevant issues related to the sustainable management of natural resources in rural and urban areas, and from local to global scales. His research supports policy and decision makers in decoupling resource needs from economic growth, societal progress, and sustainability. His work has been published in top, policy-oriented scientific journals such as Forest Policy and Economics, Land Use Policy, Energy Policy, Marine Policy, Environmental Science and Policy, and Ecosystem Services. Ray is actively engaged in the delivery of research, reports, and industry insights to Australian Federal and State Governments, international ONGs, and industry partners.