David Kanter is an Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at New York University and the Chair of the International Nitrogen Initiative. His research examines new policy options for addressing nutrient pollution and how to manage the transition to a global agri-food system consistent with the Sustainable Development Goals.

Prior to his current position, David was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at The Earth Institute at Columbia University. He received his BSc in Chemistry and Law from the University of Bristol in the UK and his MA and PhD in Science, Technology and Environmental Policy from Princeton University.

Peter M. Groffman (he/him/his) is a Professor at the City University of New York Advanced Science Research Center and the Earth and Environmental Sciences Program at the Graduate Center, and Brooklyn College Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences.  He is also a Senior Research Fellow at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies. His research focuses on climate effects on ecosystem biogeochemical processes related to carbon and nitrogen cycles. Groffman was a Convening Lead Author for the 2013 U.S. National Climate Assessment Chapter on Ecosystems, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, a lead author for the Second (Wetlands) and Third (North America) Assessment Reports of the Intergovernmental Program on Climate Change (IPCC):

Publications | Citations 63,324 | H-index 131

Xin Zhang is a Professor at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES), the Director of the Global Nitrogen Innovation Center for Clean Energy and the Environment (NICCEE), and an Editor at Earth’s Future. Xin’s research aims to unravel the complex dynamics between human and natural systems, guiding policies and actions toward sustainability using data-driven and transdisciplinary approaches. Xin has published over 60 peer-reviewed papers, and has received several awards, including the prestigious CAREER Award (NSF, 2021), the President’s Award for Excellence in Application of Science (UMCES, 2022), and the Global Environmental Change Early Career Award (AGU, 2022).

Xin received a B.S. in Environmental Science and a B.S. in Computer Science from Ocean University of China (OUC), an M.A. in Environmental Science from Peking University (2007), and a Ph.D. from Yale University (2013). She has also completed internships and projects at national and international organizations, including the United Nations.

William San Martín is an Assistant Professor of Global Environmental Science, Technology, and Governance in the Department of Integrative & Global Studies at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He is also an Affiliated Scholar with Brown University’s Climate Social Science Network and a Research Fellow at the Earth System Governance Project at Utrecht University.

An interdisciplinary scholar trained in environmental history and science and technology studies (STS), San Martín examines the intersections of nitrogen’s biochemistry, knowledge systems, and policy. Through historical and participatory methodologies, his research addresses environmental inequalities, with a focus on sustainable development in the Global South.

San Martín is a contributing author in the forthcoming International Nitrogen Assessment and Co-PI on the NSF-funded project, “Co-Producing Knowledge, Biotechnologies, and Practices to Enhance Biological Nitrogen Fixation for Sustainable Agriculture.”

Carson Ross (she/her) is a program manager for environment and social impact projects through her consultancy Green Hand Projects. She has managed international research projects in the US, EU, and Africa.

Carson specializes in food security, community development, and regenerative agriculture, with expertise in policy compliance, program management, and graphic design.

Carson holds a BA in International Development and International Agriculture from McGill University (2013) and an MPA in Environmental Science and Policy from Columbia University (2021). She is also a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, having served in Senegal from 2013 to 2016.

Margaux Alfare is a researcher in the Environmental Studies Department at New York University, specializing in climate and land-use data analysis. She uses high-level programming languages and software (i.e. Matlab, Python) to analyze multi-dimensional geospatial datasets, perform statistical analyses, and create visuals for scientific publications. 

Margaux also serves as the Data Manager for the In-Net project, where she is developing a publicly accessible data platform to deliver national nitrogen profiles. This platform aims to support policymakers, researchers, and other stakeholders in designing and evaluating effective national action plans.

Prior to joining NYU, she received her MA in Climate and Society from Columbia University’s Climate School in 2023.

Edin Thornton is an operations and policy specialist with expertise in environmental sustainability, strategic alignment, and stakeholder collaboration.

With a background in environmental studies and political organizing, she focuses on building partnerships, fostering youth empowerment, and advancing impactful solutions at the intersection of science and policy.

Edin also leads Thornton Peak, a firm dedicated to innovative approaches to sustainability and social change.

Kelly Perry is a Thai American community builder and scholar of environmental science and policy, originally from Chiang Mai, Thailand, and is currently pursuing her PhD at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment. She tackles environmental health inequities associated with disproportionate exposure to environmental hazards. She aims to quantify the adverse mental and physical health impacts of exposure to harmful pollutants particularly in disenfranchised, vulnerable communities to inform public health communication, disaster preparedness and response strategies, and environmental health policy. Her work focuses on critical dimensions of nitrogen governance, including environmental justice, public health, and gender—particularly at the intersection of pollution, environmental exposures, and climate change.

Yushu Xia is a Lamont Assistant Research Professor at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University and is also affiliated with Columbia's Data Science Institute. Her research team leverages multi-source datasets (field, lab, survey/literature, infrared spectroscopy, remote sensing) along with both empirical and process-based models to improve the evaluation of soil health and its associated ecosystem service outcomes, such as carbon sequestration, greenhouse gas emissions, water dynamics, and ecosystem productivity across croplands, grasslands, and forest ecosystems.

Before joining Columbia, Yushu was a postdoctoral researcher at the Woodwell Climate Research Center, where she led the development of a Rangeland Carbon Tracking and Monitoring system. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she studied soil organic carbon, nitrous oxide emissions, and soil moisture across diverse cropland management systems and spatial scales. 

Tom Nickson is a Climate Campaigner at the Environmental Investigation Agency, whose work focusses on global efforts to reduce emissions of super pollutants including nitrous oxide (N2O), HFCs and ozone-depleting substances.

Tom is engaged across several multilateral treaties and processes, including the Montreal Protocol, United Nations Environment Assembly and the UNEP Nitrogen Working Group, while also pursuing domestic action on nitrogen and F-gases in the United Kingdom and European Union.

Tom studied law at the University of York & the University of Hong Kong, before completing his master’s degree in public policy and management at the City University of Hong Kong. He has a professional background in social research, policy evaluation and environmental campaigning.

Mihai Constantinescu has more than 18 years of experience in developing and implementing agricultural and rural development strategies and financing programmes at the national and international level, working for the Romanian Ministry for Agriculture, European Commission, and Danish International Development Agency.

Mihai joined the Romanian Ministry of Environment in 2017 and, with financial support from GEF and the World Bank, prepared and implemented national policies on nitrogen management for the prevention and reduction of the pollution with nitrates and ammonia emission. He serves as the Director of the Management Unit for the Prevention and Reduction of Pollution in Rural Areas at the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests of Romania, and as Co-chair of the UNEP Working Group on Nitrogen.

Anke Kwast is the VP of Regenerative Agriculture - Climate Framework at Yara International, where she has worked for 31 years in Crop Nutrition and Environment & Managing Product Development and Horticulture and Fertigation Research.

She has led an international and interdisciplinary research team of 80 employees with a budget of ~$10 million USD at different locations in Europe, Brazil and Africa to develop profitable and sustainable solutions for nutrient and water management in agriculture.

Since 2020 she has been supporting the transformation to a Nature Positive Food Future including the decarbonization of the Food Chain; providing strategic and technical support for Yara’s Climate Transition Plan and the development of science-based targets for Yara’s scope 3 downstream (fertilizer use by farmers); contributing to global initiatives with multi-stakeholder organizations like WEF and in collaboration with IFA (Ambassador), UN-GPNM (SteerCo) and TNFD.

She’s been engaged in the co-creation and standardization of regenerative agriculture frameworks with leading multi-stakeholder organizations like WBCSD, OP2B, SMI and SAI platform.