Team

Alexander Müller

Founder & Managing Director

Alexander is a former FAO Assistant Director-General (2006-2013), and State Secretary for Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture, Germany (2001 -2005). He has vast experience in global sustainability governance, as inter alia: Chair of the UN Standing Committee on Nutrition; member of the UN Environmental Management Group; and Lead, Voluntary Guidelines for Responsible Governance of Land, and TEEBAgriFood.

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Andrea Richter

Senior Project Officer - Finance

Andrea manages accounting and financial monitoring, and provides administrative management support for diverse TMG projects. She has more than 20 years’ experiences in finance reporting, and corporate finance risk management systems. Andrea has a passion for sustainability, and especially the “regreening” of urban areas.

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Andreas Buth

Senior Financial Advisor

Andreas leads TMG’s finance and accounting activities and supports the organisation’s development. With a background in business administration, he has vast experience in advising diverse organisations in corporate development, business valuation and restructuring, and balance sheet planning.

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Anna Kramer

Programme Lead - Land Governance

Anna leads TMG’s work on land governance, including the Global Soil Week and the human rights-based land governance monitoring project in Malawi. With 10 years of experience in development cooperation and project management, her thematic interests evolve around inclusive development processes and rights-based approaches to the governance of land and natural resources.

Ben Boteler

Senior Research Fellow

Ben Boteler’s work at TMG covers regional ocean governance for the high seas. His research focuses on the socioeconomic uses and benefits of the marine environment, and facilitating the development of comprehensive, cross-sectoral approaches for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity.

Bruno St-Jacques

Junior Research Associate

Trained as a policy and data analyst, Bruno supports the SEWOH Lab project, where he explores how to leverage carbon sequestration initiatives to fulfil food security objectives. Next to his research activities, he oversees the online presence of the organisation, working on communications and web development.

Charles Tamou

Junior Research Associate

Charles has several years of experience as a rural development agent with several state projects and NGOs, working on sustainability and poverty alleviation initiatives, as well as working for four years as a field coordinator in a forest restoration project. Before joining TMG, he was a business advisor at TechnoServe Benin, where he trained stakeholders from SMEs in various sectors. He has a PhD in animal production systems from Wageningen University, in which he focused on pastoralism in its changing environment.

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Cristina Arias-Navarro

Research Associate

Cristina supports the SEWOH Lab project team as Soil Organic Carbon Research Associate. She has extensive work experience coordinating international multi-institutional projects in the field of sustainable soil management, climate change and international cooperation, with track record in Africa. Cristina holds a PhD in Natural Resources by the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg. She is contributing author to the IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Land.

Edouard Sango

Junior Research Associate

As a journalist and communications consultant, Edouard's passion is reporting on successful young agripreneurs to attract more young people to agriculture. He has produced written and audiovisual content for diverse development organisations and media agencies. Edouard contributes to the Youth in Soil team, a TMG Research initiative launched at the Global Soil Week in 2019. He provides support to the Urban Agriculture research team in Ouagadogou, Burkina Faso.

Elena Lazutkaite

Research Associate

Dr Elena Lazutkaitė is an interdisciplinary researcher focussing on agriculture, environmental sustainability, pest control, and governance. Elena obtained a BSc in Veterinary Science, MSc in Animal Welfare and Conservation and a PhD in Critical Theory and Cultural Studies. Elena coordinates the implementation of TMG’s workstream on desert locusts as foreseen under the project Strengthening Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture.

Elena Müller

Junior Research Associate

Elena provides support for diverse TMG research projects focusing on issues of land governance, and land rights. She just finished her Bachelor's degree in Economics, Politics and Social Thought, at Bard College, Berlin. Elena has a strong interest in competitive debating, including participating in the European University Debating Championships.

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Frederike Klümper

Research Associate

Frederike's work with the Land Governance team focuses on human rights-based land governance monitoring in Malawi. Her thematic interests include the governance of natural resources, social accountability tools, and participatory development approaches. She has previously worked as a researcher and adviser with diverse organisations in Africa, Europe and Central Asia. Frederike obtained a PhD from the Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies for her work on water and land governance in Tajikistan.

Harry Stopes

Junior Research Associate - Communications

Harry joined TMG in March 2021 to assist with communications. He enjoys telling stories, and is interested in the relationship between knowledge and ideas, and social and political change. Prior to joining TMG, Harry worked in academia. He is also a freelance journalist, writing regularly for publications including the London Review of Books and the Guardian. He holds a PhD in modern history from University College London.

Inviolata Lusweti

Junior Research Associate

Inviolata supports the Urban Nutrition Hub workstream under the SEWOH Lab food security project and the Strengthening Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture project in Kenya. She has background in agricultural sciences and she is currently pursuing her PhD in Soil Science at the University of Nairobi. Her thematic research interests include food security, natural resource management and Land governance.

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Irene Fabricci

Junior Research Associate

Irene provides support to TMG’s work on Urban Agriculture and Urban Food Systems. Her previous work with NGOs in Ecuador and Turkey, and a development consultancy in the UK, focusing on the broad areas of rural development and migration. Irene holds an MPhil in Development Studies from the University of Oxford and a BA in International Relations and International Organisation from the University of Groningen.

Jael Omumani Omunyangoli

Administrative Assistant

Jael provides administrative support to TMG's team in Nairobi. Prior to joining TMG she worked as an Administrative Assistant with the United Nations office in Somalia. She has also supported TMG in western Kenya in monitoring the uptake of community-developed land lease guidelines.

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Jes Weigelt

Head of Programmes

Jes is responsible for co-steering TMG’s programmes, and overall strategic development. He has more than 10 years’ experience in providing science-based policy advice in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. Jes' thematic interests span natural resources governance, transitions to sustainability, co-creation of knowledge, and social innovation.

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Kader Baba

Research Associate / Country Programme Manager - Benin

Kader manages TMG’s work programme in Benin, building on over 15 years of experience in development cooperation. His research focuses on innovative knowledge sharing approaches such as the Tem Sesiabun Gorado model, a farmer-led approach for sharing knowledge on good agricultural practices.

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Kai Siong Chong

Student Assistant - Design

Originally from Singapore, Kai is a communication design student at UE Berlin and provides support to the Communications team. He has a keen interest in sustainability, which he works to apply to the design process as well as in his daily life. Kai is an avid photographer and traveller, and gains inspiration from his travels, learning from various cultures globally.

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Karina Meier

Project Officer - Finance

Karina supports TMG projects by taking care of finance and administration. Through managing TMG grants, she is involved in various projects which reflect her own interests and previous experiences. As a project manager for the German-Ukrainian exchange she worked on topics of green urban development, raising awareness of active civil society organisations in Eastern Europe.

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Katrin Wlucka

Junior Research Associate

Katrin provides project management support to diverse TMG projects, building on her experiences in communication and administration, and academic background in agricultural policy and management. She is passionate about photography, arts, organic agriculture, and ethno-pharmacy.

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Larissa Stiem-Bhatia

Programme Lead - Nature-based Solutions

Larissa leads TMG’s work on nature-based solutions to climate change. With a background in environmental and sustainability science, her research experience revolves around transdisciplinary research methods, sustainable land management, and ecosystem-based adaptation.

Louisa Nelle

Research Associate

Louisa supports the SEWOH Lab food security project and the Strengthening Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture project at TMG, with a focus on building climate-resilient urban food systems through digitalization. Her research interests include critical political ecology, the water-food-energy security nexus, rural-urban linkages, and climate justice.

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Marai El Fassi

Research Associate / Country Programme Manager - Guatemala

Marai manages the Guatemala country programme of the Climate-SDG Integration Project. With a background in international development, her thematic interest evolves around natural resource governance. Her current research focuses on the effectiveness of ecosystem-based adaptation, and its relevance in multilateral processes.

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Marie Le Rouzic

Intern

Marie supports TMG’s Strengthening Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture project. She is a creative designer and researcher. In 2020 she graduated with a Masters degree in Architecture, from KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. Her thesis explored scenarios under which Sweden's food infrastructures could be transformed to adapt to future climatic change. She aims to use her skills as a designer and researcher to help create fairer and more sustainable food systems.

Nele Siegmund

Student Assistant - Administration

Nele Siegmund is involved in accounting, finances, and administrative matters at TMG Research. She is currently pursuing a Double Degree in International Business at the “Berlin School of Economics and Law” and the “Rennes School of Business”. Before joining TMG, Nele volunteered at the Saartjie Baartman Centre, a shelter for abused Woman and Children in Cape Town, South Africa.

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Nicole Paganini

Regional Lead - Urban Food Futures

Nicole is responsible for urban food systems research in Nairobi, Ougadougou and Cape Town, with a focus on rethinking cities to enhance just and resilient food systems and related governance processes. Her thematic interests include the right to food, co-creation of knowledge and feminist research approaches. Nicole obtained a PhD from Hohenheim University for her work on a food justice perspective on urban agriculture.

Nina Rismal

Programme Lead - Urban Food Futures

Nina leads TMG’s work on urban food futures, with a research focus on desirable future cities. Her interests include utopian thinking, social change theories and ecology. Prior to joining TMG, Nina worked for a sustainability think tank based in Hamburg. She has a PhD in political theory from Cambridge University.

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Olivia Riemer

Research Associate

With a background in agricultural science, and food economics, Olivia manages the True Cost Initiative at TMG. Her research focuses on true cost accounting, and sustainable food system transformation. Olivia is currently co-developing guidelines for the food sector that integrate externalities into business reporting.

Oscar Schmidt

Research Associate

Oscar is part of TMG’s Land Governance team where he is responsible for leading the Global Soil Week (GSW) and the SEWOH Lab Gender and Land Rights work packages. Prior to joining TMG, Oscar worked in academia and as a consultant. His thematic interest includes agrarian change, development theory, sustainability discourses and environmental history. Oscar obtained a PhD from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin for his work on the political economy of agrarian change in Turkey.

Polina Korneeva

Intern

Polina supports the True Cost Accounting project focusing on valuation of externalities in eco-agri-food systems. Before that she was a part of TMG’s communications team, creating visual content for diverse projects and research groups. Her interests revolve around communication design, natural resource economics and land use management.

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Rawan Dagher

Project Finance Officer

Rawan Dagher has worked with diverse international NGOs, where she focused on providing financial and administrative support to local staff and partners. She obtained her Master’s degree in accounting and auditing from HWR Berlin as DAAD scholarship holder. She is an active volunteer supporting refugees and homeless people.

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Samuel Wairimu

Junior Research Associate

Samuel supports TMG’s work in Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture in Nairobi, Kenya. He is passionate about applying system thinking skills and interdisciplinary approach to solve ‘wicked’ problems such as poverty, food insecurity and climate change. He is also a blogger on agricultural policy and development with most of his articles published by newspapers in Kenya. Samuel holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Finance) from the University of Nairobi and an MSc. in Agriculture and Development from the University of Reading.

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Sarah Zitterbarth

Junior Research Associate

Sarah supports TMG’s scientific team as a student assistant. She is currently pursuing a Dual Master’s degree in International Development and Political Science. Her research interests include global resource governance, climate justice, and gender-responsive climate action.

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Sebastian Unger

Senior Research Fellow

Sebastian is involved in TMG’s work on ocean governance. Drawing on over 15 years of experience in international marine policy and governance, his research currently focuses on marine biodiversity, the implementation of SDG 14, and the governance of mineral resources in the deep sea.

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Serah Kiragu-Wissler

Senior Research Associate / Country Programme Manager - Kenya

Serah Wambui Kiragu-Wissler is a social scientist with extensive experience in facilitation and management of research and development cooperation. She works as a Senior Research Associate responsible for leading the Kenyan package of accompanying research on Social Innovations to Protect Soils and Empower People project.

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Stefanie Wiese

Project Officer - Finance

Stefanie supports financial accounting and reporting at TMG. She previously worked in consumer protection, where she monitored the energy, digital, and financial market sectors. After a brief stint in e-commerce, she aims to align her career more closely with her personal beliefs in climate protection and sustainability.

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Ulrike Ehling

Senior Research Associate

Ulrike is an expert on political processes and governance structures, focusing mainly on TMG's German projects. She has a longstanding interest in how to achieve sustainable transformation of our societies without losing social cohesion. Prior to joining TMG, Ulrike was a consultant at a strategic development agency, as well as programme manager in a sustainablitity think tank. She obtained a PhD in political science for her work on international negotiation processes.

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Vanessa Venne

Human Resources & Office Management

With a passion for working in an international, multicultural environment and an academic background in humanities, Vanessa supports the team as Human Resources & Office Manager. Her interests revolve around sustainable living, holistic health and environmental protection.

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Victoria Redmond

Head of Administration

Victoria leads the Administration Team, covering HR, bookkeeping, project finances & controlling and office management. She has extensive experience as finance and administration lead with diverse non-profit organisations and public bodies in Germany and Ireland. Prior to joining TMG, she worked as Head of Finance & Operations with the Coordination Hub for PlanAdapt, and Head of Global Finance for Climate Analytics.

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Wangu Mwangi

Senior Communications Associate

Wangu provides editorial and strategic communications support for TMG projects. She has more than 20 years experience as a journalist and development communications specialist, working at the interface of research, policy, and practice. Wangu is an avid organic farmer and environmentalist, and is currently working to set up a “farm-to-fork” eco-tourism enterprise in rural Kenya.

William Onura

Junior Research Associate

William supports Shibuye Community Health Workers, a grassroots women’s organisation that is co-implementing TMG’s ‘Innovations for Upscaling Soil Conservation’ project in western Kenya. He has previously worked as an environmental audit consultant with several Kenyan firms.

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Organisation

Programmes

Nature-based Solutions

Outreach

Legal

TMG Think Tank for Sustainability consists of TMG Research gGmbH, an independent, non-partisan, non-for-profit organisation registered in Berlin (District Court Charlottenburg, HRB 186018 B, USt.-ID: DE311653675) and TMG - Töpfer Müller Gaßner GmbH, a private company registered in Berlin (District Court Charlottenburg, HRB 186018 Bm USt.-ID: DE311653675).

Our main address is EUREF Campus 6-9, 10829 Berlin, Germany.