Page - 29 - in options, Volume winter 2016/2017

institute news 29winter 2016/2017 + optionswww.iiasa.ac.at news at iiasa Top think tank The International Center for Climate Governance (ICCG) has again ranked IIASA third place in their global listing of top think  tanks for climate change economics and policy. This is the third consecutive year  IIASA has attained this position out of 240 non‑university affiliated think tanks in the field of climate economics and policy. www.iiasa.ac.at/news/ICCG-16 Austria honors Naki IIASA Deputy Director Nebojsa Nakicenovic was awarded the “Grand Decoration of Honor in Silver for Services to the Republic of Austria,” by the Austrian Federal President Heinz Fischer. One of the top honors in Austria, the award is intended to honor those who have provided an outstanding public benefit or excellent services to the Republic of Austria. www.iiasa.ac.at/news/Naki-16 Award for climate solutions Researcher in the Energy Program, Joeri Rogelj has been awarded the 2016 Piers Sellers Prize by the Priestley International Centre for Climate. Rogelj received the award for “world leading solutions‑focused climate research” for his work on low emission pathways and its contribution to the Paris agreement. www.iiasa.ac.at/news/Rogelj-16 A leader in ecological systems Brian Fath, a researcher in the Advanced Systems Analysis Program, has been awarded the 2016 Prigogine Medal. Fath  received the medal in recognition of his work that combines systems theory, network analysis, and thermodynamics, specifically, to investigate ecological goal functions that describe ecosystem growth and development. www.iiasa.ac.at/news/Fath-16 Groundbreaking population research World Population Program Director Wolfgang Lutz has recently received two  new honors: the European Association for Population Studies (EAPS) Award for Population Studies, and the 2016 prize for Humanities, Cultural Studies, Social Sciences and Law of the City of Vienna. Both of these awards recognize Lutz’s groundbreaking work in the field of demography and population studies. www.iiasa.ac.at/news/Lutz-EAPS-16 www.iiasa.ac.at/news/Lutz-VIE-16 Howard Raiffa 1924–2016 I t was with great sadness and respect that IIASA marked the death of Professor Howard Raiffa this year. Raiffa was the first director of IIASA and instrumental in its creation, and his passing was a profound loss to the institute, as well as for the entire field of decision analysis. In recognition of his unparalleled contribution, IIASA has launched a fellowship program in his name. As a pioneering Bayesian decision theorist, Raiffa made advances in behavioral decision  science, game theory, risk analysis, and negotiation analysis. His dedication to  furthering theory, however, was matched by his fervent desire to see it applied to help  solve problems in the real world, especially for vulnerable and struggling populations. This desire manifested itself in a fervent dedication to IIASA, an institute which was itself founded on the principles of using research to solve real‑world problems. Raiffa was involved in the negotiations for the creation of IIASA from the earliest stages, providing vision and drive in a time when political sensitivities necessitated the best  possible science diplomacy. Even long after his term as director, Raiffa maintained a keen  interest in the institute and in the systems analysis he had helped to define. To honor Raiffa’s vision of IIASA as a global center where creative use of decision science can help solve real‑world problems, the institute has established the Howard  Raiffa Fellows Program in Decision Science. The annual Raiffa Senior Fellowship will bring a distinguished decision scientist to IIASA to work on the global problems addressed by the institute’s research programs. The program will also include Raiffa  Associate Fellows who will use their expertise from academia, business, and government to advance the theory and practice of decision science. IIASA invites contributions to support the Raiffa Fellows Program that will preserve Professor Raiffa’s legacy and inspire future  generations of scientists. DB www.iiasa.ac.at/news/Raiffa‑16 www.iiasa.ac.at/raiffafellows