Who we are

Professor Frank Biermann, Utrecht (Chair)

Frank Biermann is a research professor of Global Sustainability Governance with the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development at Utrecht University, The Netherlands. Frank Biermann pioneered the ‘earth system’ governance paradigm in global change research in 2005 and was the founder and first chair (2008-2018) of the Earth System Governance Project. He is an internationally leading scholar of global institutions and organizations in the sustainability domain.  Professor Biermann has authored or edited 20 books and published about 200 articles in peer-reviewed journals and chapters in academic books. He is frequently invited to participate in advisory and evaluation committees and has spoken in the United Nations General Assembly, the European Parliament and the European Economic and Social Committee.

Professor Bernd Siebenhüner, Oldenburg (treasurer)

Bernd Siebenhüner is a professor of Ecological Economics at Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Germany, where he coordinates the Master’s program in Sustainability Economics and Management. He has been a founding member of the first Scientific Steering Committee of the Earth System Governance Project, co-chair of conferences in Berlin and Oldenburg, and is a member of the Editorial Board of the Earth System Governance Journal. Professor Siebenhüner earned his degrees in Economics and Political Science from Freie Universität Berlin and his Ph.D. from the University of Halle-Wittenberg. He has held positions at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Harvard University, and Nelson Mandela University. Bernd Siebenhüner has led numerous transdisciplinary research projects in social learning, socio-ecological system dynamics, international organizations, global environmental governance, corporate sustainability strategies, climate adaptation, biodiversity governance, and the role of science in global environmental governance. 

Professor Oran R. Young, Santa Barbara.

Oran Young is a renowned expert in Arctic studies and international environmental governance. His work spans theoretical research on collective choice and social institutions and applied research on international environmental governance and the Arctic. Professor Young was the chair of research programmes that preceded the Earth System Governance Project, notably the International Human-Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change and of the Institutional Dimensions of Global Environmental Change Project. Professor Young has inspired and mentored numerous early career scholars, many now leaders in earth system governance research. The Oran R. Young Prize recognises his groundbreaking research and his dedication to supporting early-career researchers. He has authored over 20 books, including The Institutional Dimensions of Environmental Change, Governance in World Affairs, and Institutional Dynamics: Emergent Patterns in International Environmental Governance. His recent books include Governing Complex Systems: Social Capital for the Anthropocene (2017) and Grand Challenges of Planetary Governance: Global Order in Turbulent Times (2021). Professor Young has held leading roles in global change research, including as founding chair of the Committee on the Human Dimensions of Global Change (US National Academy of Sciences) and co-chair of the Global Carbon Project. 

Ms. Camille Thebaut 

Camille Thebaut was appointed Director of the Earth System Governance Foundation in 2024. In this role, she oversees administrative duties, communications, and fundraising efforts. Additionally, she is an active researcher focusing on cultural heritage and sustainability transformations. In 2024, she also began her PhD at the Erasmus School of History, Culture, and Communications in Rotterdam (Netherlands).

Previously, Camille served as Project and Events Coordinator for the International Project Office (IPO) of the Earth System Governance (ESG) Project. In this capacity, she coordinated the South-South initiative, together with a team of scholars based in/from the so-called ‘Global South’, to further foster the ESG network in the Global South, increase exchange between scholars and explore new relevant research themes.

Camille also has a background in the cultural sector, having previously worked with UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, as well as with various cultural organisations in France and the Netherlands.