Prof Dr Lars Ribbe is the dean of the Faculty of Spatial Development and Infrastructure Systems, and professor for Integrated Land and Water Resources Management at ITT/TH Köln. He is a leading expert and authority on the water-energy-food-security nexus and it’s functionality. Prof Dr Ribbe’s research projects range around the world on subjects as varied as drought, the food-water-energy nexus, ecosystem management, tracking groundwater with gravimetric shifts, and advanced watershed management systems. Prof Dr Ribbe has a PhD in Hydroinformatics, from the Institute of Geography, Faculty of Chemistry and Earth Sciences at the University of Jena, a Masters of Engineering on “Technology in the Tropics” from TH Köln, and did postgraduate studies on Marine, Estuarine and Environmental Science (visiting postgraduate student) at the University of Maryland, along with a Chemistry (Dipl.Chem) degree from the University Bremen. His research focus is currently on integrated river basin monitoring, modeling, and management, along with strategies to cope with water scarcity, rainwater harvesting, drought management, the efficient use and reuse of water, access to water, flood management, and pollution from salt water intrusion, and diffuse sources.
Dr. Sudeh Dehnavi
Dr Sudeh Dehnavi is a researcher, lecturer and project coordinator at the Institute for Technology and Resources Management in the Tropics and Sub-tropics (ITT) at TH Köln (University of Applied Sciences) in Germany. She is currently the coordinator of the IWRM MENA program and the “Water Security in Jordan from Data to Decision” project at ITT.
She is an expert in sustainable development of food and water systems especially in the fields of natural resources and agricultural economics and Governance, and food and water security and sustainability entrepreneurship. Her experience is focused on strategic planning and scientific coordination of international development projects and networks, and the design and implementation of international scientific conferences, science-policy dialogue workshops, and educational programs and excursions.