Lisa Vanderheyden

Lisa is a PhD student at UCLouvain, currently investigating the economics and policies of carbon farming and monitoring, reporting and verification systems. Her academic background includes a master's degree in bioengineering with a specialization in agronomy from the University of Brussels (2018) and certifications in environmental and resource management from Beijing Normal University (2019) and applied geomatics from UCLouvain (2022).

Prior to her PhD, Lisa worked for over two years as a research and development project manager at Reforest'Action, where she contributed to the construction of a forest information system. Her responsibilities included exploring protocols and technologies, including mobile applications and remote sensing, for monitoring forestry and agroforestry projects. Lisa worked closely with the team, identifying their needs and implementing the selected solutions. Her role enabled her to gain extensive knowledge of ecosystem restoration, digital monitoring and the voluntary carbon market. She also worked a year in academia on ecosystem services and their influence on human well-being. She enjoys working in a multicultural environment in the fields of sustainability and environment conservation.

Amare Molla Dinku

Amare has recently begun the ARES mobility PhD program at UCLouvain. His doctoral research focuses on  the role of urban agriculture in urban food systems. He earned his BA in Rural Development and MA in Development Studies (Rural Livelihood and Development) at Ambo and Addis Ababa universities of Ethiopia.

Since 2014, he has worked as an assistant professor in the Department of Rural Development and Agricultural Extension at Wollo University, Ethiopia. He established the Kelem-Meda Research Group, and has organized public lecture programs, weekly seminars and collaborative MSc student supervisions. His work mainly examines food and nutrition security, agricultural value chains, and pastoral livelihood diversification, and he has published in indexed journals, like the Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition, the Journal of Agriculture and Food Security, and Journal of Agricultural Extension . 

Steffi Dekegel

Steffi has recently started a joint-PhD at UCLouvain, the State University of Santa Cruz (Brazil) and the Antwerp Zoo Centre for Research and Conservation (CRC), focusing on sustainability in the cocoa sector. She obtained a Master’s degree in Biology: Biodiversity, Conservation and Restoration from the University of Antwerp (2018).

Prior to starting her PhD, Steffi worked for two years as a research assistant at the Antwerp Zoo Centre for Research and Conservation. Her role was to assess the potential impact of climate change on the distribution of an endangered primate species in Brazil, while evaluating the usefulness of the Copernicus Climate Change Service for Global Biodiversity. Steffi has field work experience in several countries, including Cameroon where she investigated the effects of anthropogenic activities on tropical forest mammals in different land-use types in and around the Dja Biosphere Reserve; and in South Africa where she provided technical assistance in evaluating mitigation strategies to address crop-raiding issues of primates on local farms. She has a particular interest in conducting research that can contribute to long-term conservation efforts and human-wildlife co-existence.

Omar Frikhat

Omar is presently working as an assistant at the faculty of bio-engineering and doing a PhD on international trade and food security. He obtained an engineer degree in Crop production management from the IAV HASSAN II institute in Morocco (2018), a master’s degree in Business Economics and Management from MAIch Institute in Greece (2021), and another master degree in Green Business and Sustainability at AEI international school, Paris XII University (2022).

Before starting his PhD, Omar worked for six months as a project manager assistant at Agro Energy consulting office, supporting investment projects for and with SMEs and farmers in the renewable energy, natural resources and environment sectors. Prior to that, he worked for one year in a research project with the collaboration of Technical University of Crete, Greece, addressing the evaluation of the economic and environmental efficiency of the agriculture sector in the EU countries using non-parametric modeling approaches. Omar prepared also an engineering thesis related to rural development. Integrated into the framework of the “Green Morocco Plan” and supervised by the Moroccan Ministry of Agriculture, his thesis subject was about the management of local products (produits de terroire) in the Moroccan Oriental region. As he had the chance to study and work in three different countries (Morocco, France and Greece), Omar is ready to bring his international experience and good energy vibes to our group.

Laura Enthoven

Laura was part of the team from 2019 till 2023 and conducted a PhD on local food systems. She obtained a master’s degree in Marine Systems and Policies from the University of Edinburgh (2018), and master’s degree in Environmental Bioengineering from UCLouvain (2015).

Before starting her PhD, Laura worked for six months as an officer at the Fisheries Areas Network (FARNET) Unit, providing technical assistance to DG Mare (European Commission), local authorities and Fisheries Local Action Groups to ensure the good implementation of community-led local development in EU Member States. Prior to that, she worked for 18 months for a marine consultancy company based in London (MRAG). As part of her job, she conducted several studies leading to advice in marine resources management (mainly in fisheries and aquaculture); and traceability audits in fisheries supply chains. Laura also spent about a year in Latin America, first as a research assistant for a stevia producing company in Peru (Stevia One), and second as a stakeholder consultation assistant – mostly with smallholder farmers – for a cocoa exporting company in Costa Rica (Nahua Chocolate). Laura is fluent in four different languages, namely French, English, Spanish and Dutch, and always eager to learn and adapt to new environments.