David Dodman appointed as new General Director of IHS

Dr David Dodman is an experienced urban leader, who has held positions in universities and policy research institutions and has worked in partnership with international organisations, local and national governments, and civil society organisations. In his current role as Director of the Human Settlements Research Group at the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), he has developed and implemented a wide-ranging programme of research on urban adaptation to climate change, has overseen a significant transition in staffing and strategy for a major research group, has led institutional processes on research ethics and research strategy, and has helped to shape organisational initiatives on financial management. Besides that, he works on a part-time basis at the University College London, delivering Masters-level modules and PhD supervision on these topics. He has spoken extensively at major international conferences, was a Lead Author on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report, and is a Coordinating Lead Author on 'Cities, Settlements and Key Infrastructure' for the IPCC Sixth Assessment.

Willem Verschoor, Chair of the Supervisory Board, commented: "David is an experienced leader in the field of urban development research. We are confident that he is the right person to take our institute to the next step in its development. We wish David every success and express the expectation that he will be a good fit for our institute and the challenges we face."

Kees van Rooijen, who has been the acting director since 2010, will step back from the 1st of September, 2022. IHS thanks him for his impressive effort and leadership during his mandate, a period during which the institute has gone through significant evolution and has become more firmly embedded in the academic community of Erasmus University Rotterdam.