Dr. Albert Berry is Professor Emeritus of Economics and Research Director of the Program on Latin America and the Caribbean at the Centre for International Studies at the University of Toronto. His research fields are economic development and international economics, with due focus on Latin American labor markets and income distribution, the economics of small and medium enterprises, and agrarian structure and policy. He has garnered extensive knowledge in his field by working in various national and international organizations including the Ford Foundation, the Colombian Planning Commission, and the World Bank. Dr. Berry has published more than 100 papers in renowned journals and edited or co-edited seven books.
Santa Man Rai, PhD
Research Member
Dr. Santa Man Rai, a graduate from Joseph Fourier University, France and a former professor of Geology in Tribhuvan University of Nepal, is passionate about climate change issue and its impact in global landscape, people’s life and biodiversity. His research in Joseph Fourier University focused on metamorphism and deformation, granite emplacement and tourmaline occurrence in the Himalayan region. In post-study period, he has witnessed the typical impact that the global warming leading to climate change has created in the landscape of the Himalayan region through his continued research work and field visits which he carried out in collaboration with experts from various renowned universities in the world. While continuing his research work on climate change issues, his recent research focus lies on the adverse effects that the climate change would have created in people’s livelihood in one of the world’s heavily populated regions downstream the Himalayan region (most of world’s poor also reside in this region). Beside research, Dr. Rai also possess a great deal of experience in administration which he acquired through serving in the capacity of Academic In-charge in United College, Tribhuvan University, Nepal for 10 years where he successfully implemented different academic and management programs for undergraduate and graduate students. In this role, he also implemented some programs aiming to support students from disadvantaged communities as well as enhancing awareness to the people of remote villages in the Himalayan region by sharing knowledge on climate change issues and its adverse effects in environmental quality and the society. He has published more than 50 research articles in peer-reviewed international journals, some text books of geology, and geology reference books of the Himalaya. He is also actively involved in editing journals and books.
Tara Nidhi Bhattarai, PhD
Research Member
Dr. Tara Nidhi Bhattarai is a Professor at the Department of Geology, Tri-Chandra Campus, Tribhuvan University, Nepal. He has served the institution as the Head of the Geology Department from November 2010 to November 2014. Currently he is serving as the Coordinator of M. Sc. Engineering Geology Program. He is also an Expert Member of the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) constituted by the Nepal Government to look after the reconstruction relating to the earthquake disaster in Nepal in 2015. He holds over 25 years of teaching and research experiences in the field of his expertise. He has published about 50 articles in technical journals, proceedings, and edited volumes. Besides editing books and journals, he has also contributed book chapters in several edited publications. He has served as a member of the Nepal Government’s delegation to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) conferences (COP 17 and COP 18) and other high level climate change meetings. His research interest on climate change issues includes its impact on environmental integrity of mountains, livelihood, and the exploration of best practices for climate change adaptation in rural communities. He has undertaken several international joint collaborative research initiatives in the field of geological processes, natural hazard management, solid waste management, water pollution, intercity transport, climate change and sustainable development. Dr. Bhattarai obtained his Master’s Degree in Geology from Tribhuvan University; a PG Diploma in Engineering Geology from ITC, the Netherlands; and a Ph. D. in Engineering Geology from Kyushu University, Japan.
Shankar Ghimire, PhD
Research Member
Dr. Shankar Ghimire completed a PhD in Applied Economics (with field specializations in development economics, international economics, and econometrics) from Western Michigan University in 2013. Prior to that, he completed a BA in Community Development with minor in Economics from Saint Cloud State University in 2007. Dr. Ghimire has been teaching Macroeconomics, Econometrics, Development Economics, International Trade, and Principles of Economics at Western Illinois University since August 2015. Before that, he also taught courses in Economics at Maryville College, Tennessee for two years. With published research in the fields of foreign aid effectiveness, microfinance, trade performance of developing countries, he is presently editor of the Journal of Development Innovations and serves as a research team member for KarmaQuest Research Center, Canada. His research portfolio includes peer-reviewed journal articles in Economics Bulletin, Applied Econometrics and International Development, and Journal of Development Innovations. Dr. Ghimire’s honors and awards include the competitive research grants to study the impact of microfinance in Nepal and Ecuador.
Birendra Sapkota, PhD
Research Member
Dr. Birendra Sapkota completed a Master in Applied Environmental Geoscience from Eberhard Karls Tuebingen University, Germany, and a Ph.D. in Earth Sciences, with specialization in Environmental Geophysics, from the University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada. He has more than 10 years of teaching and research experience in the field of environmental geosciences. Canadian experience includes working as an Environmental Scientist at WorleyParsons Canada Services Ltd., where most of the work was on environmental impact assessment and remediation on industrial sites. Currently, he is involved in a research project related to mine wastes and environmental risks associated with mine-waste disposal, and he specifically has carried out the mineralogical and geochemical characterization of mine wastes. He has published more than five peer-reviewed international journal articles and is actively engaged in reviewing journal articles from environmental geosciences.