The Biodiversa+ Chairs Team (CT) is composed by three co-chairs, elected by the General Assembly (GA) to serve for three and a half years.
The Chairs Team guides the European Biodiversity Partnership’s strategic development and is responsible for monitoring its activities, taking action to ensure goal achievement, representing Biodiversa+, and engaging and developing strategic relations with relevant organisations.
Dr. Magnus Tannerfeldt has a PhD in zoology and a strong expertise in polar science and policy.
Magnus is currently based at the national research funding organisation FORMAS in Sweden, where he manages collaborations and funding for environmental, climate and sustainability research, and applied systems analysis.
He has more than 20 years of experience in management, international cooperation, polar research, and field work. His work includes leading and advisory positions at GRID-Arendal, Belmont Forum, SSEESS, Swedish Polar Research Secretariat, European Polar Board, Forum of Arctic Research Operators, ARICE Arctic Research Icebreaker Consortium for Europe, and SEFALO the European project for conservation and research for the endangered arctic fox.
Dr. Rainer Sodtke is a geo-ecologist with a PhD in natural sciences and 30 years of experience in the fields of biodiversity, ecology, agriculture and forestry as well as in environmental and agricultural policy, modelling and decision support.
Rainer is senior scientific officer and scientific programme manager at the DLR Project Management Agency (DLR-PT), Germany. He manages national and European research programmes in global change research, supports and advises German Federal Ministries (BMBF, BMUV), and represents the ministries in regional, national, and international committees.
He has been involved in the BiodivERsA network since 2008 and was managing biodiversity research funding on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). In 2018-2021 he developed and was the main contact point for BMBF’s Research Initiative for the Conservation of Biodiversity (FEdA). Furthermore, he is member of the German IPBES Coordination Office, where he is particularly active in the national review of IPBES assessment drafts as well as in matters related to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
Dr. Ron Winkler has a PhD in molecular biology and a strong background in industry and research coordination.
Ron is a senior program manager at The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) in The Hague, where his my main focus is on developing collaborations between scientists and stakeholders at national, EU and international levels.
He has more than 25 years of experience in biotechnology, the bio-based economy, water and environmental sciences, and the management of research collaborations.