Tim O’Riordan

Emeritus Professor at the University of East Anglia, UK

"I am Emeritus Professor of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, a Deputy Lieutenant of the County of Norfolk, a former Sheriff of the City of Norwich, and a Fellow of the British Academy. In 2010 I was honoured with the Order of the British Empire (OBE). My work has been for long in the realm of sustainability science research and I have been associated with governments, business, and community organisations all over the world, but most especially in the EU. I have chaired two previous advisory boards involving the Drift team and many others, and love all I do. I am proud to chair the International Advisory Board to TRANSIT. This distinguished body supports the research  programme, offers advice and guidance, and provides avenues for access to key stakeholders across the globe. Its evolving role is indispensable to the full research team as it offers assurance and continuity to the whole programme over its lifetime." 

Gilda Farrell

Former Head of the Division on Social Cohesion Research and Early Warning at the Council of Europe

"I was for 14 years the Head of the Social Cohesion, Research and Early Warning Division at the Council of Europe and before, for 5 years, the Vice-director of the technical assistance office to the EU LEADER Initiative promoting innovation in rural Europe. As a European public servant I was always engaged in providing support to innovative approaches in several fields." 

Edina Vadovics

Professional director of GreenDependent Institute and president of GreenDependent Association

Edina Vadovics (M.Sc., M.Ed., M.Phil.) is professional director of GreenDependent Institute and president of GreenDependent Association, non-profit sister organizations, both with the mission to promote and research sustainable lifestyles, with a strong focus on enabling small groups and communities. A unique feature of the organizations is that they are involved in both research and practice projects as they would like to encourage "discussion" and feedback cycles between these sectors. While managing GreenDependent’s work in European/International research projects, Edina is also involved in on the ground action projects (e.g. a local low-carbon club, food network, transition town initiatives). Earlier, she worked in corporate environmental and sustainability management, and taught related courses as an assistant professor, among others, for the University of San Francisco. She also worked as an external expert to the EEA and UNEP, and contributed to the GEO-4 and Belgrade Reports.

"I'm honoured to be part of TRANSIT as I believe it deals with a very relevant, and at the same time very exciting topic. I like and value the fact that it mixes theory and practice in its research approach, the way the consortium is built up as well as the other stakeholders it wants to communicate with during the project."

Ariel Gordon

Adjunct Professor at Quilmes National University, Argentina Former Coordinator of the National Program on Technology and Social Innovation at the Ministry of Science and Technology, Argentina

Science, technology and innovation policies specialist. Ariel Gordon has been working on science, technology and innovation policy as a researcher, consultant, in the public administration and the business sector for the last 10 years, working in Latin America, South Africa and Spain. From 2012 until July 2014 he held the position of Coordinator of the National Program on Technology and Social Innovation at Argentina´s Ministry of Science and Technology. He is Adjunct Professor at the Quilmes National University in the Department of Economy and Administration. He is currently Coordinator of Institutional Affairs at YPF, Argentina´s leading energy company. He holds a Degree (Licenciatura) in Political Science from the University of Buenos Aires, Master (DEA) in Science and Technology Management from the University of the Basque Country (UPV / EHU), Spain, and Strategic Marketing Graduate Module, Master in International Technology Management, Warwick University, UK. PhD candidate in Social Sciences from the University of Buenos Aires. He has served as consultant to various international and national organizations, such as IDB, IDRC, OEI, RICYT, Basque Government and CSIC from Spain, NRF from South Africa, ANPCYT, MINCYT, CONICET, UBACyT, UNQ from Argentina. 

Frances Westley

Director of the Waterloo Institute of Social Innovation and Resilience, University of Waterloo, Canada

Frances Westley is the Director of the Waterloo Institute for Social Innovation and Resilience (WISIR) and the J.W. McConnell Chair in Social Innovation at the University of Waterloo.  She is a principle lead in the Canada-wide Social Innovation Generation (SiG) partnership, which aims to identify and change system dynamics that create and perpetuate complex problems within broader economic, cultural and policy contexts. Co-author of Getting to Maybe (2006), Westley is an internationally renowned scholar and consultant in social innovation, sustainable development, strategic change, visionary leadership, and inter-organizational collaboration.