Co-Chair – IPCC AR7 WGII
Lead Author- IPCC AR6 WGII
Lee Kong Chian Professor of Urban Climate
Singapore Management University
Singapore
Winston Chow is a Professor of Urban Climate and Lee Kong Chian Research Fellow based at Singapore Management University’s (SMU) College of Integrative Studies (CIS), and also is the research pillar lead for urban infrastructure at SMU’s Urban Institute. He has been a Principal Investigator for the multi-institute Cooling Singapore initiative since 2017, and currently leads inter-disciplinary research on how Singapore’s urban climate risks will change as its climate warms, as well as examining measures to reduce these risks. He teaches Undergraduate and Executive Development courses on climate change and urban sustainability at CIS, and is also mentoring CIS students interested in sustainability issues and also developing courses for SMU’s Master of Sustainability programme. In 2023, he was elected as Co-Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Working Group II on Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, and he will help lead the Seventh Assessment Cycle for the IPCC during a critical decade of global climate action. Read more…
Director
Deltares
Delft, The Netherlands
Title of talk: “Designing resilient futures: Deltares’ science for climate adaptation today and tomorrow.”
Dirk-Jan Walstra’s professional journey began in 1996 at Delft Hydraulics, a predecessor to Deltares. Over the course of more than two decades, he has contributed significantly to the field of coastal morphodynamics. His roles encompassed both consultancy and research aspects in numerous Dutch and international coastal projects.
Notable among his contributions are the diverse nearshore nourishment projects he has been involved in, spanning regions within the Netherlands and beyond. Dirk-Jan’s focus has centered on unraveling the intricacies of cross-shore morphology within these areas, particularly delving into the dynamics of nearshore profiles and sandbars. His comprehensive investigation of these topics formed the basis of his Ph.D. research.
One of Dirk-Jan’s significant roles was within the Mississippi Coastal Improvement Program, a support initiative in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in the United States. His involvement underscored his commitment to addressing critical coastal challenges.
Dirk Jan Walstra graduated as a Civil Engineer (Msc.) from Delft University of Technology in 1994 after which he spent two years working for CSIR in South Africa and undertaking coastal engineering consultancy projects related to coastal zone management, sand nourishments for the diamond mining industry in Namibia and harbour extensions in South Africa, Mozambique and the Middle East.
In 2014 he became department manager of the Applied Morphology department, part of the Sea and Coastal Systems unit at Deltares. Since 2005 he also holds a research associateship at Delft University of Technology and is an invited lecturer at Utrecht University (since 2004) and Twente University (since 2008). In 2019 Dirk-Jan became member of the Management Team of Deltares as Director Hydraulic Engineering.
Currently, Dirk-Jan Walstra serves as the Director of Deltares. Read more…
Expert in Climate Change Adaptation & Mitigation, Climate Risk Management, Forest Sustainability. Nature-based Solutions, Monitoring and Evaluation of Climate Projects, Loss & Damage
Chairperson of Centre for Climate Change Studies, Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal
Professor of Hydraulic and Water Resources Engineering Group, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Moratuwa
Centre Chair/Director – UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Centre for South Asia Water Management (UMCSAWM), University of Moratuwa
UNESCO Chairholder – UNESCO Chair on Sustainable Water Resources Management in South Asia at University of Moratuwa