Page - 28 - in options, Volume winter 2017/2018

Institute news 28 www.iiasa.ac.at news at iiasa options ◼ winter 2017/18 In September IIASA Council welcomed the distinguished scientist and science diplomat Michael Clegg as its new chair. At the June 2017 Council meeting, Don Saari stepped down as both Council chair, and Council member for the US National Member Organization, having served on the Council from June 2013 and as chair since November 2014. On 4 August Marcia McNutt, President of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) appointed Clegg as the new US representative to the IIASA Council, a decision unanimously endorsed by the US National Member Organization for IIASA. Subsequently Clegg was appointed as chair of the Council, following an election by its members. Clegg brings an extensive track record of experience and proven international leadership success. He has served three terms as NAS Foreign Secretary and two terms as co-chair of the Inter-American Network of Academies of Sciences, and he is the current Vice President for External Affairs at the International Council for Science. In addition, he chaired the Institutional Review Panel for IIASA. The role of chair is to lead the IIASA Council, working in collaboration with Council members and the IIASA Directorate to ensure that business matters move forward, as well as presiding over meetings and approving agenda items. The chair serves for a term of three years. “I am personally grateful that Dr. Clegg has graciously agreed to take on this post as the US representative to IIASA. His prior contribution as chair of the IIASA External Review Committee gives him distinctive insights into the challenges facing IIASA, as well as their potential solutions,” said McNutt. “This knowledge should enable him to quickly contribute to IIASA and help the organization move forward to accomplish its goals.” IIASA Director General Pavel Kabat added, “I would like to thank Don Saari again for his service to IIASA both as US Council member and as the Council chair. Micheal Clegg was the chair of the Institutional Review Panel, and we are thrilled to have him on board at this exciting time in the institute’s development. I would also like to thank Alexei Gvishiani, who was acting Council chair during the summer months.” PB In 2016, the governing body of IIASA—the Council—commissioned an institutional review by an independent panel of experts to provide a comprehensive evaluation of IIASA, including all structures, processes, and activities. The review aimed to answer the overarching questions of whether the general mission and ambitions; organizational structure and governance; and scientific programs and their policy-relevant implications are fit-for-purpose and future-proof. The review panel gathered a huge amount of evidence through online surveys, site visits, document analysis, and interviews. They presented their findings and recommendations in a report to the Council in June 2017. Among the key findings the report recommended that IIASA: • Continue its legacy and contribution to excellence in science, • Reflect on and refine its vision and mission, • Revisit and clarify the value proposition for member countries, • Focus on governance and leadership reform, • Modernize internal systems, • Appoint a task force to support an institutional renewal process. The IIASA Council and management are very grateful to the review panel for their recommendations to further strengthen the unique strength and global reach of IIASA. The Council and the Director General are currently working on a strategy to implement the review recommendations. This will include establishing a taskforce under Council’s leadership to take forward the review recommendations. The taskforce is expected to begin work in the first quarter of 2018. PB Institutional review Further info www.iiasa.ac.at/review-17 IIASA Council The IIASA Council is the governing body of the institute, comprised of one permanent representative from each of the National Member Organizations. More details and a complete list of Council members: www.iiasa.ac.at/CouncilMembers. Panel members Professor Michael Clegg, Chair Emeritus Donald Bren Professor of Biological Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine Past Foreign Secretary, US National Academy of Sciences Professor Dr. Tyseer Aboulnsar Former Professor of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science, University of British Colombia, Canada Visiting Professor at Nile University in Cairo Dr. Heide Hackman Executive Director, International Council for Science Professor Erkki Leppävuori Former President and CEO VTT Technical Research Centre, Helsinki, Finland Professor Dr. Dirk Messner Director of the German Development Institute Research Co Director: Centre for Advanced Studies on Global Cooperation Research Co-Chair: German Advisory Council on Global Change Professor Abdul Hamid Zakri Professor Emeritus Science Advisor to the Prime Minister of Malaysia Founding Chair of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Professor Linxiu Zhang Professor and Deputy Director Center for Chinese Agricultural Policy IGSNRR, Chinese Academy of Sciences Review panel secretariat: Dr. Melody Mentz Council Chair