PhD in Genetics, with a focus on conservation biology, University of California, Davis. Formerly: held several academic posts addressing a range of environmental and development issues; with the non-governmental sector on hunger eradication and sustainable development programs in South Asia and Africa. 1992, joined UNDP; formerly managed the Global Environment Facility (GEF) work throughout Africa; then responsible for UNDP-GEF global policy and programming. Senior Policy Adviser, Environment & Energy Group (EEG), UNDP's Bureau for Development Policy, responsible for policy coherence, partnerships, strategic initiatives and advocacy related to biodiversity and ecosystems, climate change, sustainable energy, land and water management, and other areas. In the context of the UN Secretary-General's 'Climate Summit' on 23 September 2014, responsible for organizing the Forest action area, one of the main elements of the Summit, by coordinating a global multilateral team of countries, companies and civil society organizations to contribute major announcements for the Summit on reducing deforestation and increasing restoration. 2007, co-founded UN-REDD Programme.