Nominees for the WDS Scientific Committee 2024-2027
Per Article 4, section 4 of the WDS Constitution, it is mandated that a minimum of one-third of the World Data System Scientific Committee (WDS-SC) members must also hold executive leadership roles within WDS Member Organizations. At present, we have just three WDS-SC members who fulfill this criterion:
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- Mamoru Ishii: Director at the World Data Center for Ionosphere and Space Weather and Deputy Director with the International Space Environment Service.
- Maggie Levenstein: Director at the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research.
- Juanle Wang: Director of the World Data Center for Renewable Resources and Environment.
Given this situation, it’s essential that one executive lead from a WDS Member Organization be elected to occupy one of the currently available seats on the committee in order to meet our constitutional requirements. To facilitate this, please see the two lists of candidates below:
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- Candidates who are Executive Leads of a WDS Member Organization
- General Candidates
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SC Voting Process
Past Links
Candidates who are Executive Leads of a WDS Member Organization
Hernan Garcia
Director, World Data Service for Oceanography hosted at NCEI, WDS Member
Country: United States
Statement of Interest: “20+ years of international expertise in helping integrate ocean science and open data access for and by all countries with equity.”
Academic Background:
Ph.D. (1996): Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR. Major: chemical/physical Oceanography; Minors: Integrated and Statistics.
M.Sc. (1989): Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR. Major: Oceanography (marine resource management)
B.Sc. (1985): Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA. Major: Oceanography; Minors: Math and Physics
Postdoctoral researcher: Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California
Positions Held:
Research oceanographer
Lead, World Data Service for Oceanography, World Data System
U.S. Federal data management representative to the International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (IODE) of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC)
Lead, IODE Global Oceanographic Data Archeology and Rescue Project
NOAA detail, Director National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science
NOAA interim Regional Climate Services Director (RCSD), Alaska Region
NOAA Acting Deputy Director Weather Program Office (WPO)
Expertise:
“Data Coordination Group (DCG) of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030)
Historical global ocean FAIR data integration, quality control, and data synthesis (world ocean database and climatology data products)”
Johnathan Kool
Director, Australian Antarctic Data Centre, WDS Member
Country: Australia
Statement of Interest: “Johnathan has strong existing ties to the WDS as Director of the Australian Antarctic Data Centre – a long-term WDS member, and has served as the International Advisory Committee Chair for the International Symposium on Data Science held in Tokyo in December 2023. He has worked closely with Scientific Committee members David Castle and Juanle Wang, and is currently working within Australia to progress development of an Asia-Pacific data network.”
Academic Background:
B.Sc (Ag) – McGill University – Wildlife Biology
Master of Environmental Management – Duke University – Coastal Environmental Management
Ph.D – University of Miami – Marine Biology and Fisheries
Positions Held:
Director, Australian Antarctic Data Centre
Analysis Ready Data Section Lead – Geoscience Australia
Data Collections Manager – Geoscience Australia
Marine Ecologist – Geoscience Australia
Postdoctoral Researcher – James Cook University and Australian Institute of Marine Science
GIS Lab Manager – World Resources Institute
GIS Analyst – Appalachian Mountain Club
Expertise: “Data science; statistics and analytics; spatial analysis/GIS; complexity, population genetics, coral reef biology; Antarctica; Australian government; cloud infrastructure; high-performance computing”.
Ryan Perry
Deputy Director, The Australian Data Archive, WDS Member
Country: Australia
Statement of Interest: “Dr Perry is particularly suited as a multi-discipline researcher with over 10 years experience in both social science research and infrastructure, understanding the needs and expectations of both. He is a strong geographic representative as Deputy Director of the pre-eminent social science data archive in Australia, including considerable data collections from the Asia-Pacific region: New Zealand, Hong Kong, Phillipines, and Indonesia.”
Academic Background: “Dr. Perry is a multi-discipline academic, his research examines interactions between traits and social environments shaping attitudinal outcomes including prejudice and political ideology. He has published widely, applying these complex dynamics to prejudice, political attitudes and voting behaviour, health outcomes, and wellbeing. Dr Perry has helped to develop and maintain national social science cohort studies including the New Zealand Attitudes and Values Survey, and he works closely with a number of key cohort study management teams in Australian Government agencies to faciliate secure storage and secondary usage of those data assets. His research contributions also include developing novel processes and web applications for data deidentification and harmonisation.”
Positions Held: “Dr Perry is a Senior Lecturer at the Australian National University with considerable research experience across psychology, management, and public health. Dr Perry is also Deputy Director of the Australian Data Archive. Dr Perry was previously a lecturer in the Department of Managment and Marketing at the University of Melbourne, and recipient of the McKenzie Research Fellowship while at the University of Melbourne’s School of Population & Global Health. He received his PhD in Social Psychology from the University of Auckland, New Zealand, in 2013.”
Expertise: “Dr Perry is an expert in social science research methodology. His own research experience and academic training includes a wide range of sophisticated quantitative analysis techniques including strucutral equation modelling, longitudinal data analysis, and meta-analysis. Dr Perry currently teaches graduate-level and executive education courses at The Australian National University on quantitative analysis, mixed-methods, and data governance. His expertise includes research data archival practises and research infrastructure. Specific areas of expertise here include developing techniques and tools for assessing data privacy risk, data integration and harmonisation, as well as coordinated data access managment.”
Kostiantyn Yefremov
Director, World Data Center for Geoinformatics and Sustainable Development, WDS Member
Country: Ukraine
Statement of Interest: “Prof. Kostiantyn Yefremov possesses extensive expertise in information technologies and data integration, serving as a leading figure in the Laboratory of Situational Analysis and Scenario Modeling at the National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Instituteâ€. His research endeavors encompass the development of models, methods, and tools for analyzing and predicting the behavior of complex systems. Notably, his recent work includes studies on food and nutritional security, energy security, and predictive modeling of the COVID-19 pandemic’s spread.
As the leader of the ISC WDS World Data Center for Geoinformatics and Sustainable Development (Ukraine), Prof. Yefremov coordinates interdisciplinary scientific research on a national scale, facilitating data access and processing services. His contributions extend to the development of information systems for monitoring and predicting land cover changes, significantly impacting crisis event modeling and damage assessment in various sectors.
Prof. Yefremov’s accolades, including the Award of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, underscore his innovative contributions to crisis management and national security.”
Academic Background: “Kostiantyn Yefremov boasts a robust academic background, holding a Ph.D. in Information Technologies from the National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute” (2021), complemented by M.Sc. degrees in Public Administration (2010) and Computer Systems and Networks (2003). His diverse interests encompass problem-oriented databases, web-based systems, multi-agent systems, and sustainable development. Dr. Yefremov’s expertise in data analysis and integration, coupled with his leadership roles in numerous (over 20) national and international projects, underscores his commitment to advancing research and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration. With over 80 scientific works, he continues to make significant contributions to the field of data analysis and integration, as well as the design and development of information systems and tools to support decision-making processes. Recognizing his exceptional contributions, Dr. Yefremov has also been invited as an expert by the US National Science Foundation, UNDP, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, and others. He shares his wealth of knowledge by teaching various university courses related to different types of databases and data processing tools.”
Positions Held:
Director, ISC WDS World Data Center for Geoinformatics and Sustainable Development, Kyiv, Ukraine;
Associate Professor, Department of Artificial Intelligence, the National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, Kyiv, Ukraine;
Head of the Laboratory of Situational Analysis and Scenario Modeling, the National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, Kyiv, Ukraine;
Senior Researcher, Research Department of System Mathematics, the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.”
Expertise: “Prof. Kostiantyn Yefremov possesses extensive expertise in information technologies and data integration, serving as a leading figure in the Laboratory of Situational Analysis and Scenario Modeling at the National Technical University of Ukraine “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. His research endeavors encompass the development of models, methods, and tools for analyzing and predicting the behavior of complex systems. Notably, his recent work includes studies on food and nutritional security, energy security, and predictive modeling of the COVID-19 pandemic’s spread.
As the leader of the ISC WDS World Data Center for Geoinformatics and Sustainable Development (Ukraine), Prof. Yefremov coordinates interdisciplinary scientific research on a national scale, facilitating data access and processing services. His contributions extend to the development of information systems for monitoring and predicting land cover changes, significantly impacting crisis event modeling and damage assessment in various sectors.
Prof. Yefremov’s accolades, including the Award of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, underscore his innovative contributions to crisis management and national security.”
General Candidates
Estrella Diaz
Professor of Marketing at the University of Castilla-La Mancha
Country: Spain
Statement of Interest: “She is recognised as an international consultant on smart tourism and collaborates as an expert with the State Research Agency. She is a partner of the Science in Parliament and the International Science Council, where she carries out advisory and science diplomacy activities.”
Academic Background: “Dr. Díaz works as Professor of Marketing at the UCLM. She is full member of the prestigious Young Academy of Spain and Global Young Academy. The candidate is one of the 250 most proficient international experts in business intelligence by ESOMAR and one of the most influential tourism professionals in Spain. She was 1 of the 10 European experts that participated in the Smart Tourism Destination project of the European Commission. The candidate contributes as a specialist with the University of Abu Dhabi and Pact for Skills with the European Commission. She collaborates with relevant researchers based in the UK, Italy, USA, South Korea and China. Dr. Díaz has carried out research stays at Bournemouth University (UK), The University of Richmond (USA), San Diego State University (USA) and the European Travel Commission (Belgium). She has received more than 16 awards.”
Positions Held:
“Employing entity: European Commission. Professional category: Expert in smart tourism and data analytics. Start date: 01/02/2022 Employing entity: University of Castilla-La Mancha;
Professional category: Distinguished researcher. Marie Sklodowska-Curie Senior Global Fellow. Principal investigator of the European Project “Smart Tourism Challenges: The Effects of Digital Revolution on Consumer Experience and Business Competitiveness” (SMARTOURISM). The project was carried out between United States and Europe. This project analyzes the effect of smart technologies in the field of tourism from two perspectives: consumers and organizations. This research is a pioneer in the field of Social Sciences, incorporating disciplines of great relevance today, such as technology, tourism, SMEs, consumers and society.”
Expertise: “The candidate’s research stands out in the field of smart tourism, where she has made important contributions to the creation of smart tourism ecosystems for destinations. Her work focuses on the development of innovative models that integrate smart technologies with other dimensions to improve the experience of both tourists and businesses in the sector. One of her most significant contributions has been the design and implementation of a pioneering smart tourism ecosystem specifically tailored to European destinations. This system not only incorporates cutting-edge technologies, but also focuses on measuring their impact and effectiveness in improving the competitiveness of destinations. The candidate has a track record of innovative, rigorous and exhaustive research into the concept of smart tourism.”
Perihan Elif Ekmekci
Head of History of Medicine and Ethics Department, TOBB ETU School of Medicine, Deputy Dean, and Head of IRB
Country: Turkey
Statement of Interest: “The vast developments in technology highlight the growing need for responsible and trustworthy approaches to the whole process of science and development and deployment of AI technology together with processes involving data. The disruptive nature of AI (particularly generative AI) and the big data requires a global perspective to address ethical issues they present. I believe my expertise in AI ethics and data ethics data and my experience from working with a wide range of colleagues from various backgrounds and cultures can provide broad insights to the WDS to tackle ethical issues and dilemmas related to the field.”
Academic Background: “My educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in business administration, a medical degree from Ankara University Faculty of Medicine, and a Ph.D. in Medical Ethics and History of Medicine from Ankara University. I have pursued additional academic training, such as a fellowship at Imperial College of London Business School on the decentralization of health systems and the effects of it on health service quality, and a fellowship at the National Public Health Institute of the Netherlands on “Public Health Problems in the EU Countries.” As part of my academic journey, I was awarded the Fogarty International Fellow Master’s Certification in Research Ethics program. This fellowship was based at the Boston Children’s Hospital in the Division of Developmental Medicine and Harvard University School of Public Health. Further enhancing my expertise in research ethics I was a post-doctoral fellow at Western Institutional Review Board, USA.”
Positions Held:
“With an M.D. and a Ph.D. in Bioethics, I’ve pursued extensive post-doctoral studies, including fellowships at Imperial College London Business School, the National Public Health Institute of the Netherlands, and Harvard University School of Public Health. I’ve also served as a post-doctoral fellow at the Western Institutional Review Board in the USA. My career has seen pivotal roles as an advisor to the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health, Turkey, and later as the Head of the European Union Department of the Ministry of Health, Turkey. Currently, I chair the History of Medicine and Ethics Department, Deputy Dean at TOBB University Medical Faculty, and Head of the International Chair in Bioethics/WMA Cooperation Center. Additionally, I’m deeply engaged in professional societies and committees, including the World Association for Medical Law and the European Network of Research Ethics Committees, and the RDA. I co-chair significant working groups such as the AI DV Working Group, CoARA ERIP WG. I am member of International Data Policy Committee of CODATA and an associate member of EUREC.”
Expertise: “As a medical doctor and a professor of bioethics my main area of work is data ethics, research ethics and ethics of AI. My expertise in this field is manifested with projects I co-chair and actively engage in with the RDA and CoARA. My post-doctoral studies at esteemed institutions like Harvard University School of Public Health and WIRB have broadened my understanding of complex ethical issues associated with responsible conduct of research and the relevance of data ethics and AI ethics with open science and trust in science, particularly at crises times. My recent work focuses on the role and responsibilities of ethics committees in the field of AI, open science and data ethics, and their intertwined impact on responsible conduct of research and scientific publications. I am actively engaging with professional societies and committees to develop global perspectives of ethics in AI and data, responsible conduct of research and open science with cultural sensitivities and respect for diversity.”
Grant Evans
Scientist at the Kathmandu Institute of Applied Sciences (KIAS) and Head at the Center for Water and Atmospheric Research
Country: New Zealand
Statement of Interest: “Scion is a world leader in forest research employing over 350 staff from all the World, and Data Science is a domain that is growing exponentially within New Zealand (and worldwide). Data Science from scientific standpoint is different to a purely commercial lens as we are using data science principles with wider scientific principles to help answer big questions.”
Academic Background: “Currently holding a Bachelor of Architecture as well as Post Graduate Diploma in Software Engineering.”
Positions Held:
2023 – Portfolio Leader responsible for all technology, automation and AI research within Scion
2021 – 2023 Data Engineer and team leader of the Data and Computational Sciences Team within Scion.
2004 – 2019 Owned a medium sized software development company that specialised in SaaS. (Successfully sold business to a Global Consulting Company).
1998 – 2004 Architect, specialised in writing code to extend CAD software capabilities.
Expertise: “Extensive experience in compute services, from Data Engineering to data visualisation but my time within Scion has allowed me to develop into synthetics data use for data science purposes. Training CNN and other Deep Learning models as well as Machine Learning models with the integration of synthetic data with real data has helped Scion to lead this domain in Forestry in the Southern Hemisphere.”
Devika Pandurang Madalli
Director INFLIBNET, UGC-IUC
Country: India
Statement of Interest: “Dr. Madalli has extensive experience in data repositories and was involved in high-level policy, implementation, and evaluation committees in countries across the world. She served on capacity-building programs on data policies, curation, standards, and open data sharing internationally, collaborating with UNESCO, CODATA, RDA, and several others. She has worked with UNESCO and Redalyc on issues of Global South and especially issues equitable access to knowledge. She has served at a high level of governance and advisory boards, as a member of RDA TAB, Indian National Mission for Libraries and Karnataka Evaluation Authority.”
Academic Background: “Devika Madalli has a Ph.D. in applications of AI to information Organisation, awarded in 2001, Prior to doctoral she has masters in Documentation and Information Sciences from Indian Statistical Institute awarded in 1994. She earned Bachelor of Library and Information Science in 1991 and also earned her under-graduation in Maths, Physics and electronics from Bangalore university India in 1989.”
Positions Held:
Director, INFLIBNET, UGC-IUC, INDIA (present from Dec 2023)
Professor, Documentation Research and Training Centre, Indian Statistical Institute, Bangalore (from 1996 – Dec 2023)
Adjunct Faculty, DISI, University of Trento (2011-2019)
RDA:
Member, Technical Advisory Board (2016-2021)
Co-Chair. Global Research Commons Interest Group (till Mar 2023)
Co-Chair. RDA for UNSDGs Interest Group (ongoing)
Co-Chair. Evaluation of Research Interest Group
Consultant to UNESCO, UNFAO, EC, OECD (various assignments)
Expertise: “Dr.Devika Madalli is the Director INFLIBNET a University Grants Commission Inter-University Centre, INDIA. She served as a Professor at Documentation Research and Training Centre, Indian Statistical Institute and Adjunct faculty, DISI, University of Trento, Italy. Prof.Madalli is a founding member of and served as the co-chair of the Agriculture Data Interest Group [IGAD], RDA[2013-2016]. She has visited about 40 countries on professional assignments. Her interest lies in the area of Open Data Repositories and Data Management, Information Infrastructures, Agrisemantics, Digital Libraries, Semantic Web technologies, multilingual information services. She served as a member of a high level evaluation committee of UNFAO’s statistical database and information services, FAOSTAT and CGIAR data policy implementation. She contributed to UNESCO’s Global Open Access Portal (GOAP)”
Pedro Luiz Pizzigatti Corrêa
Associate Professor at Escola Politécnica of Universidade de São Paulo (EPUSP) – Department of Computer and Digital Systems
Country: Brazil
Statement of Interest: “I will be able to contribute to the Scientific Committee in actions that promote the training and qualification of researchers in scientific data management, especially in South America, through the preparation of reference curricula and the preparation of workshops. It is expected in the preparation and preparation of sessions at events promoted by RDA and CODATA.”
Academic Background: “He graduated in Bachelor of Computer Science (University of São Paulo, 1987), with PhD in Electrical Engineering (University of São Paulo, 2002 ). Post-doctorate at University of Tennessee of Knoxville (UTk) – School of Information Science, Climate Change Science Institute of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (CCSI/ORNL) and United States Geological Survey (USGS) (UTk, 2015).”
Positions Held:
“Associate Professor at Escola Politécnica of Universidade de São Paulo (EPUSP) – Department of Computer and Digital Systems since 2003. He was fellow of the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, CNPq, Brazil. He was a consultant on Integration of Information Systems and Data Base of the Ministry of Environment (MMA, 2012-2013). He was responsible to the development of Brazil Biodiversity Data Portal (portaldabiodiversidade.icmbio.gov.br). He was fellow of UNDP (United Nations Development Programme BRA/97/001) in Modernization Program – Coordinator of Information Systems in São Paulo State Finance (UNDP 1998-2002).”
Expertise: “Has experience in the area of Computer Science, with an emphasis on distributed databases, working mainly on the following topics: data science, scientific data management, machine learning, computational systems modeling, distributed systems architecture, computing and biodiversity, information systems and electronic government.”
Paramdeep Singh
Additional Professor of Radiology at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bathinda
Country: India
Statement of Interest: “Dr. Singh is working at a Tertiary care Teaching Hospital in a Lower-middle-income country. He has the experience of working in resource-limited settings and is well versed with the barriers to collection and use of health data in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. The applicant would like to use the channels of WDS for building and reinforcing the data collection/sharing systems with the aim of uplifting and improving the healthcare systems in such regions.”
Academic Background: “Dr. Paramdeep Singh is the founder Head of Department of Radiology at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bathinda (Punjab). While maintaining a healthy balance between teaching, research and clinical service, Dr Singh have authored many peer-reviewed publications, apart from having more than numerous presentations at National and International scientific meetings. He has trained Radiology postgraduate students in India leading to the award of MD/DNB degrees. He has been the examiner for the Doctor of Medicine (MD) and Diplomate (DNB) Examination in India and an Editor/Editorial board member of peer-reviewed journals. He has also been appointed as an Assessor to start new postgraduate medical courses in India by National Board of Examinations (NBE).”
Positions Held: “Dr. Singh has been elected as a member of the Indian National Young Academy of Science [INYAS] (c/o Indian National Science Academy [INSA]), National Academy of Medical Sciences (NAMS, India) and Punjab Academy of Sciences (India). Dr. Singh has also been elected as fellow of the Indian College of Radiology (FICR) which is the academic wing of Indian Radiological and Imaging Association (IRIA). Dr. Singh has been appointed as a member of its Diagnostic Technical Advisory Group on Neglected Tropical diseases by the World Health Organization (WHO). He has been also appointed as a member of the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Collaborator Network by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington. Dr Singh is the Ambassador to the Asian Council of Science Editors and Chairperson of Institutional Ethical Committee (IEC) of Central University of Punjab.”
Expertise: “Dr. Singh is trained in clinical research, Global Health research, medical statistics and evidence synthesis (systematic reviews and meta-analysis). He is a Radiologist and a Global Health Specialist and has done fellowship in Neuroradiology from University of Freiburg (Germany) and certificate course in Global Health from Yale University (USA). He has over 14 years of experience in Teaching/Global Health Research/Clinical Medicine/Medical Imaging.”
Magdalena Stoeva
Additional Professor of Radiology at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bathinda
Country: Bulgaria
Statement of Interest: “Prof. Stoeva’s wealth of experience and passion for science make her an ideal candidate for the open position in the esteemed World Data System’s Scientific Committee. Her future contributions, combined with her past achievements, will further enrich the global mission of promoting science for the benefit of all.”
Academic Background: “Dr. Stoeva holds master’s degrees in Medical Physics, Medical Engineering, Computer Science and a PhD in Diagnostic Imaging with over 20 years professional experience in various academic institutions including the ICTP with responsibilities related to the various aspects of medical physics, engineering and healthcare.”
Positions Held: “Dr. Magdalena Stoeva is the Secretary General of the International Union for Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine (IUPESM), the International Organization for Medical Physics (IOMP) and the IUPAP AC4 International commission on medical physics.
Editor-in-chief of the Health and Technology journal, Spinger-IUPESM-WHO and an editor of the CRC Press Focus series on Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering.
Full professor in Diagnostic Imaging, Medical University of Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
Member of the ISC Outreach and engagement committee and a CODATA ambassador representing IUPESM.”
Expertise: “Prof. Stoeva has consistently displayed broad scientific leadership both internationally and regionally. She is currently the Secretary General of IUPESM, IOMP and IUPAP AC4. Her visionary approach and ability to inspire others have led to the initiation and successful execution of numerous initiatives including the IUPESM MEP workshops and the IOMP webinars with over 40k non-individual certifications.
Her major activities and contributions are directed towards the professional development of the physical and engineering sciences in medicine, educational strategies, gender and workplace balance promoting, supporting science for young professionals and the LMICs.”