Page - 26 - in options, Volume winter 2018/2019

On 1 October, IIASA welcomed a new director general at its helm as Albert van Jaarsveld commenced his five- year term as chief executive officer of the institute. “We are delighted that Albert van Jaarsveld will become IIASA’s eleventh Director General,” said Michael Clegg, IIASA Council chair, on news of the appointment. “He brings wide-ranging experience in research management, administration, and scientific leadership to the institute.” Since 2015, Van Jaarsveld served as Vice Chancellor and Principal of the University of KwaZulu-Natal – one of the foremost research-intensive universities in South Africa. From 2009 to 2015, he was chief executive officer of South Africa’s National Research Foundation, where he doubled the budget from ZAR2bn to ZAR4bn (EUR 253m) and led the research funder’s drive for excellence and transformation across the South African national research landscape. “Leading IIASA into the next decade greatly motivates me,” explains Van Jaarsveld. “I am passionate about protecting the environment and using science as a force for positive change at the global level—both of which are central to IIASA’s work and mission. I look forward to working with IIASA staff, its National Member Organizations, and the institute’s large network of collaborators across the world for a better future.” Pavel Kabat, director general since 2012, left IIASA at the end of August to take up a new appointment at the World Meteorological Organization as its first chief scientist and research director. Clegg commented, “We congratulate Pavel on his appointment. We are very grateful for his leadership of IIASA over the last six years during which he guided IIASA through a period of exceptional growth.” www.iiasa.ac.at/news/Jaarsveld-18 IIASA welcomes eleventh director general Written by: Philippa Baumgartner I have been warmly welcomed by the IIASA community since joining in October and look forward to the challenges ahead. One of our first priorities will be to start the process of putting together the strategic plan for 2021 and beyond. This will be a consultative process with staff that captures the views of the institute as a whole, while enabling all staff to own the strategy. To do this we will evaluate IIASA’s core purpose – the ‘why?’, define values that we are all held accountable too – the ‘how we go about our business’, and then decide on what it is we are going to do at IIASA. As you can see from this issue of Options, IIASA continues to produce world class research across a wide range of areas. IIASA needs to be an institute of choice, not only for its staff and visitors, but also for funders, collaborators, and policymakers in terms of providing the scientific evidence needed to shape the future of our world, and producing world class fundamental research. While some of my focus will initially fall to internal issues and the implementation of some of the institutional review and taskforce recommendations, I also look forward to fostering collaborations with our National Member Organizations and key partners over the coming months. While based in a small town in Austria, the impressive IIASA network of alumni and collaborators has a truly global reach – something we aim to strengthen further. Message from the director IIASA CORNER ALBERT VAN JAARSVELD www.iiasa.ac.at26 Options Winter 2018/19