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YOUNG SCIENTISTS SUMMER PROGRAM 2020 LUTZ RECEIVES HONORARY DOCTORAL DEGREE IN LIBERAL ARTS WAGNER APPOINTED EDITOR- IN-CHIEF OF SPRINGER NATURE SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL During the summer, IIASA hosted 25 doctoral students from around the world in its Young Scientists Summer Program. The initiative offers early-career researchers an opportunity to advance their research and contribute to the institute’s scientific agenda. This year, the program was held in a virtual format due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. www.iiasa.ac.at/yssp The Chulalongkorn University (CHULA) Council, Thailand, awarded IIASA World Population Program Director Wolfgang Lutz an Honorary Doctoral Degree in Liberal Arts (Honoris Causa) as proposed by the College of Population Studies (CPS) at CHULA, for his profound contribution to the progress of human society and academic research. IIASA and the CPS have a long tradition of collaboration, particularly in the research fields of aging and climate change adaptation with a focus on Asia. www.iiasa.ac.at/awards/CHULA-20 IIASA researcher Fabian Wagner joined Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, a Springer Nature journal, as the new Editor-in- Chief. Wagner, who is part of the IIASA Air Quality and Greenhouse Gases Program, is also the IIASA Capacity Development and Academic Training Dean – both roles that he will continue in addition to his new appointment. www.iiasa.ac.at/awards/Wagner-20 Jordan joins IIASA as a prospective member The Royal Scientific Society of Jordan (RSS) and IIASA are jointly exploring the value of full Jordanian membership of the institute until June 2022. Specifically, they will identify areas of mutual research interest that will benefit Jordan, the wider Middle East region, and IIASA; mechanisms that will facilitate collaborative research activities; and ways to overcome any barriers to such research collaboration. Situated at the heart of the Middle East, Jordan plays a pivotal role in the geopolitics and international relations of the region. Jordanian researchers have collaborated with colleagues at IIASA for several years, and this new partnership heralds the beginning of a more formal commitment between IIASA and the RSS. A Memorandum of Understanding signed between IIASA and Jordan in 2015 was followed up by a more comprehensive document signed with the RSS at the 8th World Science Forum in November 2017. This second agreement has already led to several successful research projects including: • A four-year collaborative study into participatory governance of energy transitions in the Middle East and North Africa by researchers from IIASA, Jordan, and Sweden funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. • A joint publication in Nature Sustainability on the Sustainable Development Goals and sustainability science by researchers from IIASA, the RSS, and other countries. • A collaboration between IIASA researchers and colleagues in Finland and Jordan on how modeling can accurately estimate a deposited dose of aerosol particles in the respiratory system. “IIASA provides the convening power to build multinational teams of researchers and apply their expertise to complex challenges that cross international boundaries,” said Ambassador Leena Al-Hadid, Jordan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other international organizations in Vienna. Further info: www.iiasa.ac.at/news/Jordan-20 INSTITUTE NEWS By Bettina Greenwell 28 Options www.iiasa.ac.atWinter 2020 IIASA corner