Hans Herren is an internationally recognized scientist who lived for 27 years in Kenya, Benin and Nigeria, and worked across Africa in agriculture, health and environmental research and capacity development. As Director of the Africa Biological Control Center of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Nigeria, he conceived and implemented the highly successful biological control program against the cassava mealy bug and the green mite that saved the cassava crop, the staple of 200 million Africans and averted Africa’s worst-ever food crisis. He thereafter led the International Center of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) in Nairobi, where he developed a new research and capacity development paradigm that integrates the key elements of human, plant, animal and environmental health into one development framework.

Hans’ interest in international development, in particular policy development issues, is based on the conviction that knowledge and science led sustainable development can only be achieved through empowerment that enables countries to make their own informed and evidence based development policy choices. As such, he advocates for holistic and multi-stakeholder approaches to development planning that take cognizance of the three dimensions of sustainability – economy, environment, society – and result from a shared vision of sustainability by all the key actors.

As Millennium Institute’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Hans’ priorities are to internationalize the Institute and develop its public sector component with new core and project funding. This funding will enable developing countries to implement MI’s Threshold 21 (T21) integrated planning model. Hans envisions regional training centers that promote the institutionalization of T21 at sub-national, country, and regional levels. At the global level, Hans promotes the use of T21 for assessments such as Global Environment Outlook, Africa Environment Outlook, Green Economy Assessments, and International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology.

Hans earned his Ph.D. at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland and completed a two years Post Doctoral research program at University of California in Berkeley. He is he recipient of numerous awards that recognize his distinguished and continuing achievements in original research for sustainable development, among them The Right Livelihood Award, which he received in 2013 and The World Food Prize, which he was awarded in 1995. He is also a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the Third World Academy of Sciences, and served as a Co-chair of the International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD).