Dr Nicolas Lippolis is a political economist specialising in the intersection of energy transition and economic diversification in Africa and Latin America. He was previously a Postdoctoral Researcher at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy and Climate School. He holds a BA, MSc, and DPhil from the University of Oxford. His experience spans policy, international development, and finance, including work with the World Bank, African and Brazilian governments, and emerging-markets macroeconomic research at Goldman Sachs in London.
Aline Scherer is a journalist specialising in business, innovation and sustainability reporting, as well as strategic communications for ESG and climate action. She holds a degree in Social Communication from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS). She worked as a staff reporter for Exame magazine for five years and, over the past seven years, has contributed as a freelance journalist to publications including The Guardian, Valor Económico, and CNN Brasil, among others. She has also served as a strategic communications consultant on projects for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). At CEFD, she also hosts the Geoeconomics of Transition podcast.
Arthur Facini is an international relations specialist and political scientist specialising in international climate policy and climate obstruction. He is currently pursuing a Master’s degree at the Institute of Social and Political Studies (IESP-UERJ) and holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ). He is a member of the Interdisciplinary Observatory on Climate Change (OIMC) and the World Politics Analysis Laboratory (Labmundo). He has contributed to international research projects in collaboration with institutions including Brown University, Universidad Nacional de San Martín and De Montfort University, and has experience in political risk consultancy within the private sector.
Bianca Miranda holds a Master’s degree in Energy and Climate Change Law from Queen Mary University of London. With experience working with multilateral development banks and inter-American academic networks, she specialises in sustainable development, climate finance and human rights, particularly in the context of energy projects and natural resource extraction.
Mariana Malheiros is a researcher and communication professional specialising in the intersection of science, territory and social development in the Amazon. She is an undergraduate student in Environmental Sciences at the Federal University of Western Pará (UFOPA) and a Fellow of the Stanford LC Talent Network. She is a member of the interdisciplinary Gingar Kwasáwa Research Group (CNPq/UFOPA), where she is conducting research on hydropower plants operating without environmental operating licences in the Lower Amazon region. She works in institutional communications and content production, and serves as a consultant on socio-productive initiatives, supporting the development and mobilisation of socio-environmental and community-based projects.