The Team
Professor Katharine Rietig
Katharine is Principal Investigator of this project and Professor of Sustainability and International Politics at Newcastle University, UK. She is an expert in global climate change negotiations, climate change policies and transitions to low carbon societies. Her research examines how negotiation deadlocks can be resolved through learning, non-state actors and multilevel governance dynamics between countries and the United Nations, and how these dynamics facilitate policy change for more effective environmental governance. She has been participating regularly as academic observer in the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change negotiations since November 2009 and conducted various research projects on the UNFCCC negotiations focusing on the influence of non-national actors, negotiation strategies and the role of leadership by state and non-state actors.
She holds a PhD and MSc in Environmental Policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science and an M.A. in Political Science, International Law and Economics from the University of Munich. Her research and impact activities have been funded by the UK Research and Innovation Council/ Economic and Social Research Council, the British Academy, the Wolfson Foundation and the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research. Her work has appeared in leading peer-reviewed journals including International Affairs, Global Governance, the Journal of European Public Policy, Policy Studies Journal, Policy Sciences, Public Administration, Environmental Politics, International Environmental Agreements, as well as Environmental Policy and Governance.
Jecel is the Lead for Climate Action of Insights North East, a regional partnership in the North East of England which bridges policymaking and research. She is also a research fellow at the Northumbria University’s Faculty of Engineering and Environment. She holds a PhD in Sustainability and Global Politics at Newcastle University with a focus on Sustainable Development and Public Policy. She is a member of the Earth Systems Governance, Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment, and Environment and Politics Research Group.
Prior to taking a doctorate, Jecel worked for 10 years with governments, international organisations, non-government organisations and the private sector providing support on project design, management and monitoring and evaluation. She has worked with the Asian Development Bank in Manila, Philippines supporting social projects related to education, financial inclusion, jobs and poverty reduction. She was a training consultant with Friedrich Ebert-Stiftung in its Energy Training for Young Professionals and with Kindernothilfe Luxembourg in its Post-Disaster Recovery Project to which she now serves as a board member. Jecel was one of the youngest managers of the Affiliated Network for Social Accountability in East Asia and the Pacific handling the Checkmyschool project, a project that aims to improve public education service delivery in six countries.
Jecel holds a Masters in Public Administration, a Diploma in Public Management and a Bachelor of Psychology, all from the University of the Philippines. She was an Asian Future Leaders Scholar of Korea University, a Global Changemaker, and a Clinton Global Fellow of the Clinton Institute in Northern Ireland. For more information about Jecel’s background and engagements, visit www.jecelcensoro.me.
Siyuan Wang
Siyuan is the knowledge coordinator for the Better Climate Governance Project. She is also a postgraduate researcher and teaching assistant at Newcastle University, UK. In this project, Siyuan is committed to facilitating the learning and collaboration between governments, non-governmental organisations, and academia under the Better Climate Governance network.
She has worked with the UNCRD (United Nations Centre for Regional Development) and has actively engaged in multiple UNFCCC negotiations. Representing Newcastle University at the UNFCCC SB62 and SB64 negotiations in Bonn, Germany, her work focused on the implementation of climate adaptation policies across multiple governance levels. Alongside her engagement in international climate negotiations, she is also committed to teaching at Newcastle University, where she leads undergraduate seminars in Politics. She is open to collaboration with academics and environmental non-state actors in the fields of climate change and sustainability.
Siyuan holds a Master of Environmental Laws from Nagoya University. Her PhD studies are currently partially funded by the Newcastle University Overseas Research Scholarship. Her current research project focuses on the implementation of water adaptation policies at the national and subnational levels and how civil society influences the implementation.
Murni Kemala Dewi
Before commencing her PhD, Murni built more than a decade of professional experience in Indonesia’s public sector, specialising in climate communication, international cooperation, and stakeholder engagement. Since joining BMKG in 2015, she has held roles in both Public Relations and the Cooperation Division. Her work has included drafting and negotiating international agreements, representing BMKG in regional and international meetings, and strengthening collaboration with national and international partners in meteorology, climatology, and geophysics. She was part of the team that developed Indonesia’s position paper for COP28, supported the country’s engagement with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and participated in initiatives addressing non-military security threats through intergovernmental collaboration.
Earlier in her career, Murni worked in public communication and education, including as a radio broadcaster and educator. These experiences strengthened her ability to communicate complex issues to diverse audiences and continue to inform her work in climate communication and public engagement. She has also been actively involved in organising numerous international conferences and workshops on climate, meteorology, disaster risk reduction, and environmental governance.
Murni holds a Master of Science in International Relations from the University of Indonesia, completed with distinction through the Indonesian Government’s LPDP Scholarship. Her master’s research examined climate change securitization at the United Nations Security Council and led to a peer-reviewed publication on its failure within the Council. She also holds a Bachelor of International Relations from the University of Riau. She expects to complete her PhD in 2028 and is committed to advancing research and policy that strengthen global climate governance and international cooperation in addressing climate-related security challenges.
Christine Peringer JD (on leave)
Christine is Co-Investigator on this project and is an expert in multi-stakeholder planning and problem-solving facilitation, working in sectors including environment, sustainable development, justice and health. Clients have included the Government of Mexico (Guidelines for Mexico’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory), Canadian Environmental Law Association (Great Lakes Summit), Federation of Canadian Municipalities (Country Strategy for Vietnam-Canada collaborative projects) and Quaker International Affairs Project (Dialogue Process on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights).
Christine holds a law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, Toronto, Ontario (1985) and is the author of “How We Work for Peace” Peace Research Institute – Dundas (1997). She is an active member of the Climate Change Project of Mediators Beyond Borders International (MBBI) and has been a member of the MBBI observer delegation at the UNFCCC negotiations since 2019. Since 1985 she has been a member of the World Federalist Movement – Canada and currently serves as Senior Advisor on Climate Governance.
Christine has served for twenty years as a principal in her consultancy firm, Group Facilitation and Mediation Services. For more information see www.peringer.ca