We are excited to announce that three new people have joined the ranks of the Secretariat of the Water and Climate Coalition this month. Without further ado, let’s introduce our new team members.
Nicolas Franke
“Hello, my name is Nicolas Franke and I joined the Secretariat of the Water and Climate Coalition as Coordinator and Programme Officer. I have a background in Biology and specialized myself in Limnology, the study of inland aquatic ecosystems. For the past 7 years I have been working at the United Nations to support solving our planet’s water crises and ensuring sustainable development for all.
In our globalized world we all drink from the same well. Products we buy or produce are having an impact on water resources around the world, depleting and contaminating our vital resource. Climate change has put additional pressure, with 40 percent of the world’s population affected by water scarcity, and increased incidences of floods causing widespread damage and taking the lives of too many people. Through the Water and Climate Coalition we will have a unique opportunity to raise the political ambition of world leaders to ensure a resilient future for all by integrating the water and climate agendas.”
Sulagna Mishra
“Hello, I am Sulagna Mishra and I started as a scientific officer at WMO – water and cryosphere coordination team in Sept 2021. I have 8+ years of experience in environmental engineering, specializing in hydrological, water quality modeling, and water resource management. I have worked at international organizations, private sector companies, and research labs/universities in Europe, the USA, and India. I have published several peer-reviewed articles and developed open-source modeling software. For my doctoral research at TU Dresden (2016-2021), I developed model-based solutions to serve as hydrological and water quality monitoring and planning tools. These will assist watershed managers in ensuring optimal water quality in rivers during extreme events like floods and droughts.
Hailing from the banks of river Mahanadi in coastal India, I have experienced frequent cyclones, floods, and extreme droughts resulting in a lack of potable lifeline water. Therefore, right from childhood, topics related to hydrological monitoring and forecasting, especially pertaining to the impacts of climate change and human activities on water availability and its quality, have been highly intriguing for me. I am grateful for getting this opportunity to work at WMO. Here I will be a part of the water and climate coalition, focusing on implementing HydroSOS. I am looking forward to scientifically contributing to a field that is not just my profession but my passion.”
Maria Kosonen
“Hi there! My name is Maria Kosonen, and I joined the Secretariat of the Water and Climate Coalition to build and support our members’ network. I have a background in Water and Environmental Engineering with some experience in communications and stakeholder management. I come from Finland, but I have also lived in Australia and I have a wide range of work experience from startups to research and water network design.
I believe that many of the impacts of climate change can be felt through water such as floods, droughts and other extreme weather events. The ones who suffer the most are people with low resilience to these events. I believe that by working on increased adaptation to water risks and climate change I am supporting equal human rights, which is why I am excited to be a part of this movement!”
