Team
Alexander Müller
Founder & Managing Director
Alexander is a former FAO Assistant Director-General (2006-2013), and State Secretary for Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture, Germany (2001 -2005). He has vast experience in global sustainability governance, as inter alia: Chair of the UN Standing Committee on Nutrition; member of the UN Environmental Management Group; and Lead, Voluntary Guidelines for Responsible Governance of Land, and TEEBAgriFood.
Ben Boteler
Senior Research Fellow
Ben Boteler’s work at TMG covers regional ocean governance for the high seas. His research focuses on the socioeconomic uses and benefits of the marine environment, and facilitating the development of comprehensive, cross-sectoral approaches for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity.
Charles Tamou
Junior Research Associate - Urban Food Futures
Charles is an expert in rural development, project management, and monitoring and evaluation. He has advised numerous state and NGO projects on how to advance sustainable development goals through entrepreneurship. Prior to joining TMG, he served as SME business advisor with TechnoServe in Benin. Charles holds a PhD in animal production systems from Wageningen University focusing on change dynamics in the pastoralism sector.
Christian Sonntag
Research Associate - Urban Food Futures
Christian has more than 10 years of research experience in human-environment relations and food systems, and previously worked on agricultural value chains and urban agriculture in Kenya and Tanzania. His educational background is in Geographical Development Studies and he holds a PhD in Economic Geography from Berlin's Humboldt University.
Daniel Montas
Student Assistant - Governance of Food Systems Transformation
Daniel's work focuses on the transformation of food systems. He is currently pursing a Master's degree in Global & Development Studies at Humboldt University, University of Pretoria and Chulalongkorn University. Daniel previously worked for the Organization of African, Pacific and Caribbean States as well as the European Union-Latin America and Caribbean Foundation.
David Betge
Research Associate - Land Governance
A specialist in land rights, David worked for five years as a land rights adviser for the Dutch-based international relief and recovery organization ZOA. Prior to that he worked in non-formal political education in Berlin. He has a PhD from the Free University Berlin. For his doctoral studies David conducted research on redistributive land reforms in India and South Africa.
Elena Lazutkaite
Research Associate
Dr Elena Lazutkaitė is an interdisciplinary researcher focussing on agriculture, environmental sustainability, pest control, and governance. Elena obtained a BSc in Veterinary Science, MSc in Animal Welfare and Conservation and a PhD in Critical Theory and Cultural Studies. Elena coordinates the implementation of TMG’s workstream on desert locusts under the Strengthening Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture project.
Emily Robertson
Intern - Land Tenure and Climate
After completing her Bachelor’s degree in Geography and International Studies at the University of Denver, Emily spent several years abroad working on various conservation and community development projects. Currently, she is pursuing a Master's degree in Sustainable Resource Management at the Technical University of Munich.
Frederike Klümper
Programme Lead - Land Governance
Frederike's thematic interests include the governance of natural resources, social accountability tools, and participatory development approaches. She has previously worked as a researcher and adviser with diverse organizations in Africa, Europe and Central Asia. Frederike obtained a PhD from the Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies for her work on water and land governance in Tajikistan.
Harry Hoffmann
Senior Research Associate - Governance of Food Systems Transformation
Harry's research interests are in food and nutrition security, natural resource management, bioenergy, and food systems transformation. He has previously worked as researcher and project leader with the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) and Welthungerhilfe, and independent consultant with IDOS and the World Bank, among other organizations. He holds a PhD in agriculture from Humboldt University Berlin.
Heike Perscheid
Project Officer - Finance
Heike supports implementation and accounting of projects. For the past 10 years, she has worked in the non-profit sector, supporting diverse third-party funded projects. Heike holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Studies from the Open University in London and has a strong interest in the fair and sustainable distribution of natural resources.
Ilse Pelkmans
Research Associate
llse has worked with diverse local and international organizations in East and West Africa, Central America and Europe, focusing on human rights, gender, social inclusion, and participatory planning, monitoring and evaluation. She holds a Master's degree in Cultural Anthropology and International Development Studies from Nijmegen University in the Netherlands.
Jes Weigelt
Head of Programmes
Jes is responsible for co-steering TMG’s programmes, and overall strategic development. He has more than 10 years’ experience in providing science-based policy advice in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. Jes' thematic interests span natural resources governance, transitions to sustainability, co-creation of knowledge, and social innovation.
Jule Kocherscheidt
Student Assistant, Administration
In addition to supporting TMG's administration team, Jule is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Language and Society, and Social and Cultural Anthropology at the Free University Berlin. Brought up on an organic farm, she has a deep connection to sustainability issues and is a member of Foodsharing, an organization that campaigns against food waste.
Jörg Schindler
Senior Adviser - Governance of Food Systems Transformation
Jörg is a seasoned communications professional, diplomat and policy expert working at the intersection of rural development, food security, and governance. Starting as a journalist with German print and broadcast media, he has held various positions in the public sector, including as Director GIZ-AgenZ Berlin and Senior Advisor Communication and Public Diplomacy for the BMZ Special Initiative One World - No Hunger (SEWOH).
Kader Baba
Research Associate / Country Programme Manager - Benin
Kader manages TMG’s work programme in Benin, building on over 15 years of experience in development cooperation. His research focuses on innovative knowledge sharing approaches such as the Tem Sesiabun Gorado model, a farmer-led approach for sharing knowledge on good agricultural practices.
Larissa Stiem-Bhatia
Programme Lead - Nature-based Solutions
Larissa's work covers the broad area of ecosystem-based adaptation, food systems transformation, soil restoration and inclusive governance. With a background in environmental and sustainability science, she has vast research experience in Africa and India. Larissa previously worked with the Research Institute for Sustainability in Potsdam, and the African Forest Model Network, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Lena Bassermann
Programme Lead Agriculture
Lena has more than 12 years' experience as a researcher, policy advisor and campaigner focusing on, among other topics, agroecology, food justice, and international agricultural policy. She has previously worked with German NGOs Welthungerhilfe and INKOTA, and the German parliament. Lena holds a MA degree in Political Science and Communication Studies from the University of Mainz.
Luise von Pogrell
Research Associate - Ocean Governance
Luise's research contributes to the Marine Regions Forum and the Integrated Assessment of Atlantic Marine Ecosystems in Space and Time ([iAtlantic) projects. Prior to joining TMG, she worked at the Institute of Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) where she focused on deep seabed mining issues.
Nele Siegmund
Junior Project Officer - Finance
Nele Siegmund is involved in accounting, finances, and administrative matters at TMG Research. She is currently pursuing a Double Degree in International Business at the “Berlin School of Economics and Law” and the “Rennes School of Business”. Before joining TMG, Nele volunteered at the Saartjie Baartman Centre, a shelter for abused Woman and Children in Cape Town, South Africa.
Nicole Paganini
Programme Lead - Urban Food Futures
Nicole's research focuses on rethinking the urban-food nexus for more inclusive and resilient urban futures. Her specific interests include the right to food, co-creation of knowledge with local communities, and feminist research approaches. Nicole obtained a PhD from Hohenheim University for her work on a food justice perspective in urban agriculture.
Njokom Vashti Akuhro
Team Assistant - Land Governance & Urban Food Futures
Vashti holds a MA in Labour Policies and Globalization from the University of Kassel and the Berlin School of Economics and Law. With a professional interest in leveraging administrative technologies, she has previously provided technical and logistical support to various development programmes in Cameroon. Vashti is an avid lover of nature, cycling and therapeutic music.
Olivia Riemer
Programme Lead - Food Systems
With a background in agricultural science, and food economics, Olivia manages the True Cost Initiative at TMG. Her research focuses on true cost accounting, and sustainable food system transformation. Olivia has co-developed guidelines for the food sector that integrate externalities into business reporting.
Sanelisiwe Siyotula-Tschappe
Research Associate - Urban Food Futures
Sanelisiwe's research spans the themes of power, gender, disclosure, as well as social and environmental accountability. A communications and governance specialist, she has worked with diverse organizations in South Africa, Switzerland and Germany. Sanelisiwe is currently completing her PhD in a cooperative partnership exploring the transformative capacity of governance mechanisms.
Serah Kiragu-Wissler
Senior Research Associate / Country Programme Manager - Kenya
Serah Wambui Kiragu-Wissler is a social scientist with extensive experience in facilitation and management of research and development cooperation. She works as a Senior Research Associate leading the accompanying research on Social Innovations to Protect Soils and Empower People in Kenya and also works for the Urban Food Futures programme.
Siranush Ghukasyan
Data Research Associate - Food Systems
Siranush contributes to the PLAN'EAT project, part of the True Cost Initiative team at TMG. She has previously worked at the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Development in Transition Economies and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO). She is undertaking PhD studies at the Martin Luther University Halle on distributional aspects of agricultural subsidies. Siranush has a passion for travelling, international cuisine, and skiing.
Stefanie Wiese
Project Officer - Finance
Stefanie supports financial accounting and reporting at TMG. She previously worked in consumer protection, where she monitored the energy, digital, and financial market sectors. After a brief stint in e-commerce, she aims to align her career more closely with her personal beliefs in climate protection and sustainability.
Tavseef Mairaj Shah
Research Associate - Food Systems
Tavseef is an environmental process engineer specializing in agroecological cropping systems for food security, water conservation and soil regeneration. He holds a PhD from Hamburg University of Technology where he led interdisciplinary projects on the application of artificial intelligence and digitalization for agricultural sustainability and water security. Tavseef recently coordinated a Hamburg Open Online University e-learning project to promote soil health education.
Thembeka Sikobi
Student Assistant - Urban Food Futures
Thembeka is pursuing an MA in Social Sciences at Humboldt University and wouuld like to engage with feminist economics research in future. Her previous research experience covers informal employment and data analysis, early childhood development policy and industry research. Thembeka also holds a MPhil in Inclusive Innovation from the University of Cape Town and a BCom in Economics (Hons) from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Vanessa Venne
Human Resources & Office Management
With a passion for working in an international, multicultural environment and an academic background in humanities, Vanessa supports the team as Human Resources & Office Manager. Her interests revolve around sustainable living, holistic health and environmental protection.
Victoria Redmond
Head of Administration
Victoria leads the Administration Team, covering HR, bookkeeping, project finances & controlling and office management. She has extensive experience as finance and administration lead with diverse non-profit organisations and public bodies in Germany and Ireland. Prior to joining TMG, she worked as Head of Finance & Operations with the Coordination Hub for PlanAdapt, and Head of Global Finance for Climate Analytics.
Washe Kazungu
Research Associate - Land Goverance
Washe is a land governance specialist with more than ten years‘ experience in implementing projects to improve livelihoods through sustainable land and natural resource management. He has previously worked with the Kenya Country Office of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO). Washe regularly publishes articles in the Kenyan media focusing on land governance, sustainable development and social inclusion themes.
William Onura
Junior Research Associate - Land Governance
William works with TMG's partner civil society organizations in western Kenya to facilitate action research and co-design of social innovations, such as community-led land lease guidelines. With more than 10 years of experience in development work, his expertise includes conducting social science surveys and the analysis of qualitative and quantitative data. He has previously worked as an environmental and disaster risk reduction consultant with several Kenyan firms.
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