Bio
Professor Maria Ivanova is the Director of the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs at Northeastern University. She focuses on international environmental institutions, environmental sustainability, and the science-policy interface. The author of The Untold Story of the World’s Leading Environmental Institution: UNEP at Fifty (MIT Press, 2021), she has published on global environmental governance, climate change, and the Sustainable Development Goals, among other topics. Her work has appeared in Nature, Sustainability, Ethics & International Affairs, Global Policy, Global Environmental Politics, Global Governance, and elsewhere.
Professor Ivanova’s scholarly focus encompasses the performance of international institutions, the implementation of international environmental agreements, and sustainability. Her current research examines national performance on international environmental conventions and the role of small states in environmental multilateralism. She actively collaborates with countries in East Africa.
Professor Ivanova served for 12 years at the University of Massachusetts Boston, where she co-created the PhD program in Global Governance and Human Security and launched the Center for Governance and Sustainability.
In June 2022, she was named one of 66 inaugural Foundation Fellows of the International Science Council, the highest honor awarded by the Council, in recognition of her remarkable contributions to the role of science in promoting the global public good. She has also received the Global Green Mentor Award for her contributions toward greening education for a sustainable future (2023 and 2024) and the Andrew Carnegie Fellowship (2015) for her pioneering research.
Professor Ivanova is a member of the Joint Scientific Committee of the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) and an Ambassador for Transparency International. She served on the UN Secretary-General’s Scientific Advisory Board under Ban Ki-moon (2014-2016), and she is a jury member for the Frontiers Planet Prize, which awards $1 million for breakthrough research with the greatest potential to stabilize the planet's ecosystem. She has also chaired the Jury for the $5 million New Shape Prize administered by the Global Challenges Foundation (2017-2018).
In addition to her academic and advisory roles, Professor Ivanova is a prominent voice in global media. She has appeared on multiple TV and radio programs and has been featured in various media outlets discussing global environmental governance and policy. She is working on bridging the fields of arts and policy, collaborating with international artists to raise awareness about environmental challenges.
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In 2022, Professor Ivanova served on the Rwandan delegation to the UN Environment Assembly, negotiating the resolution on a global treaty on eliminating plastic pollution. She continues to engage in the treaty negotiation process now as head of the delegation of Northeastern University.
Professor Ivanova holds a PhD from Yale University and Master’s degrees in International Relations and Environmental Management from Yale, as well as a BA from Mount Holyoke College.
As the Director of the School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs at Northeastern University, she fosters an inclusive, collaborative leadership style, committed to mentoring the next generation of change makers and bridging diverse perspectives. She is dedicated to addressing global challenges, particularly in climate action and plastics pollution, emphasizing international collaboration, community engagement, and actionable policy.
Originally from Bulgaria, Professor Ivanova brings a global perspective to her work, having lived and engaged with diverse communities worldwide. Early in her career, she worked at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris and at the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency in Stockholm. Looking ahead, she continues to advance environmental multilateralism and will co-chair the 2025 Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS) annual conference, which will take place in Nairobi and focus on environmental multilateralism.
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