SHINJI KANEKO (Director)
Shinji Kaneko is the Executive Vice President for Global Initiatives and a Professor at the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Hiroshima University. He graduated from the School of Engineering at Kyushu University majoring in water engineering (Dr. of Engineering). Immediately after the completion of his doctoral program, he joined the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) in 1999 as a researcher and conducted research on urban climate policy in Asian megacities for three years. He also worked at global Change System for Analysis, Research and Training (START) as a Research Fellow for three years from 2005. In 2018, he was appointed as the Director of Network for Education and Research on Peace and Sustainability (NERPS) at Hiroshima University. He has conducted numerous policy research on natural resources, energy, and the environment in developing countries.
AYYOOB SHARIFI (Environment and Sustainability)
Ayyoob Sharifi is Professor at the IDEC Institute, Hiroshima University. His research is mainly at the interface of urbanism and climate change mitigation and adaptation. Ayyoob actively contributes to global change research programs such as the Future Earth and has served as a lead author for the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Before joining Hiroshima University, he was the Executive Director of the Global Carbon Project (GCP)-a Future Earth core project. There, he was leading the urban flagship activity of the project that is focused on conducting cutting-edge research for supporting climate change mitigation and adaptation in cities. He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering (Surveying), a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning, and a doctorate in Environmental Engineering. He has published extensively on issues related to urban environmental science and is interested in pursuing research at the interface of climate change and urban planning. The ultimate goal of his research is to provide further insights into how to develop sustainable, peaceful, just, and resilient urban communities.
DAHLIA SIMANGAN (Peace and Security)
Dahlia Simangan is Associate Professor at Hiroshima University’s The IDEC Institute and Graduate School of Humanities and Social Science. She holds a PhD in International, Political, and Strategic Studies from the Australian National University (2017), and a former Kanagawa University JSPS Postdoctoral Research Fellow (nominated by the United Nations University-Centre for Policy Research in Tokyo). She is the author of International Peacebuilding and Local Involvement: A Liberal Renaissance? (Routledge, 2019) and published her work in leading International Relations and Peace Studies journals. She is Associate Editor of the Review of International Studies, founding Associate Editor of Peace and Sustainability, Assistant Editor of Peacebuilding, and a member of the Planet Politics Institute. Personal website
MASAYUKI KONDO
Masayuki Kondo is an associate professor at the IDEC Institute, Hiroshima University. He has been a leading scientist in the greenhouse gas budget assessment study under the international project, REgional Carbon Cycle Assessment and Processes 2 (RECCAP2), since 2018.
With bachelor’s and master’s degrees in High Energy Particle Physics at the University of Texas at Dallas, Kondo pursued a brief career in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiment at Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire (CERN) before pursuing a career in Geophysical research. He earned a Ph.D. in Environmental Science from Hokkaido University, Japan.
His research aims to assess reliable greenhouse gas budgets at regional and global scales using terrestrial ecosystem models, atmospheric inversions, including GOSAT CO2/CH4 inversions, and empirical upscaling of greenhouse gas fluxes from eddy flux observations, and to provide insight into prospects of biogeochemical cycles of Earth. To date, Kondo has produced achievements, including identifying the significant sink-source change in the Southeast Asian CO2 budget between decades and the role of plant regrowth in the recent enhancement of terrestrial CO2 uptake.
Currently, his research focuses on filling a gap between carbon budgets from ‘top-down’ and ‘bottom-up’ approaches, particularly in tropical regions. Also, he is leading a synthesis of global and regional carbon budget assessments from multiple approaches and processes, aiming to contribute to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
LETÍCIA DOS MUCHANGOS
Letícia dos Muchangos is a Specially Appointed Associate Professor at the IDEC Institute and the Chief Sustainability Officer at Hiroshima University. Previously, she worked at the University of Tokyo and Osaka University. She was also a Postdoctoral Fellow at Keio University and the United Nations University, by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS-UNU). She holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from Osaka University. Her academic contributions and research interests have been focused on the sustainable, integrated and circular management of solid waste and other global supply chains, including agricultural and second-hand goods, primarily from a Global South perspective.
MASATOSHI SATO
Masatoshi Sato joined NERPS in February 2021 as Senior Assistant to the NERPS Director after retiring from the Japanese foreign service at the end of March 2020. His main duties include liaising between NERPS and higher education and other institutions NERPS works with.
ELHAM SABERI
Elham Saberi is an education and research coordinator at NERPS at Hiroshima University. A MEXT Ph.D. candidate scholar in education assessment at the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Hiroshima University. Holding a master’s degree in field of education from the University of Tehran and a second Master’s in World Studies specifically Japan and economics. In 2013, she was honored as a J.F. Scholar; reflecting the commitment to educational excellence and cross-cultural understanding. In 2024, an alumni traineeship at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Hiroshima Prosperity Division. Focusing on SDGs in fashion and environment has published articles in magazine. Enriched her academic writing and publishing skills through a specialized course at Goldsmiths, University of London, culminating in the official publication of a translated book in Iran.
Alumni of the International Network of Educational Institutions (INEI) from Beijing Normal University. Served on advisory boards at The Quarterly Scientific Journal of Human Resources & Capital Studies at the University of Tehran (Hureca).
Passionate about promoting peaceful education and sustainability, striving to raise awareness and activism for Future Earth and the SDGs, aiming for a more informed and sustainable world with positive changes.
VRAJESH RAWAL
Vrajesh Rawal is a dedicated advocate for peace and sustainability, currently serving as a Science & SDGs Communicator at NERPS. Having previously contributed as a student fellow, Vrajesh re-joins the NERPS team with renewed enthusiasm to promote SDG awareness through effective communication, advocacy, and outreach, both within Hiroshima University and beyond. A graduate of Hiroshima University’s International Peace and Coexistence Program, Vrajesh was recognized with the Hiroshima University Excellent Student Scholarship Award for his strong academic performance. His passion for peace and sustainability led him to establish the Positive Peace Society at Hiroshima University, Japan’s first peace club based on the concept of Positive Peace. In his current role at NERPS, Vrajesh is dedicated to raising awareness about the SDGs, communicating the university’s sustainability efforts, and making complex sustainability topics accessible to diverse audiences. His work bridges science communication with advocacy, aiming to foster greater engagement with global sustainability initiatives and contribute to a more sustainable and inclusive future.
Former Members
Tomomi Yamane – Researcher
Yujiro Tokumitsu – University Research Administrator
Mayumi Tokunaga – Administrative Assistant
Naho Ichikawa – Administrative Assistant
Chui Ying Lee – Postdoctoral Researcher
Saori Fukuoka – SDGs Coordinator
Sachi Asano – Science Communication Coordinator
Yoshiko Naribayashi – Administrative Assistant
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