Björn Conrad

Björn Conrad is Associate Vice President for Research and Director of the Research Area on Innovation, Environment, Economy

Before joining MERICS, Björn Conrad served as Climate Change and Environment Officer at the Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), managing numerous environmental projects in China and its neighbouring countries. Prior to taking up this post, he worked for the Global Environment Facility at the World Bank in Washington, DC. In 2008 he initiated the Global Public Policy Institute’s China Programme, with a focus on climate policy. In 2014, Conrad was appointed member of the expert committee for formulating a China Strategy for the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

After completing his studies in Sinology, Political Science and Economics in Germany and China, Conrad moved to the US where he gained a Master in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School, specialising in environmental policy and economics.