Scientific Committee

The WSL Scientific Committee is composed of members of high scientific standing in sufficiency. Each member serves in an independent scientific capacity and does not represent countries or similar interests.

The Scientific Committee assists the WSL Founders in providing scientific advice and opinions on any scientific matter in the areas of work undertaken by the lab.

The Scientific Committee has three major tasks:

To deliver an opinion on the WSL multiannual and annual work programme;
To give an opinion to the founders for the purposes of recruitment of the lab's scientific staff;
To provide advice and/or opinion on any scientific matter concerning the lab's activity, which the founders may submit to it.

To deliver on the above, and to discuss topics of mutual interest to support the work of the WSL, the Scientific Committee meets three times per year (online).

For the period 2024-2028, members of the Scientific Committee include:

Dr. Mashael Yazdanie is a Group Leader of Macro-Energy Systems at the Urban Energy Systems Laboratory, Empa - external link, Switzerland. With a background in engineering from the University of Waterloo, Canada (Systems Design Engineering) and ETH Zurich - external link, Switzerland (Energy Science and Technology), she specializes in sustainable energy systems modeling and analysis. Her work includes applications in solar, ocean, wind, and biogas energy, electric mobility, carbon capture, decentralized generation, and urban energy systems planning – the latter two being the focus of her award-winning doctoral research at ETH Zurich.

Dr. Yazdanie has collaborated with diverse international organizations and research institutes on climate resilience and sustainability issues, addressing energy challenges within multidisciplinary teams across the Global North (Switzerland, Canada, and Germany) and Global South (Ghana, Pakistan, and China). Her recent transdisciplinary partnership with researchers in West Africa focused on advancing energy system planning models to enhance urban climate resilience in low- and middle-income countries. Mashael is a dedicated advocate for holistic, multifaceted approaches to tackling the climate crisis through multidisciplinary and international collaboration to co-create resilient, equitable, and sustainable societies.

Dr. Wladmir Motta is a professor at CEFET-RJ’s Graduate Program in Regional Development and Productive Systems (PPDSP) and the Department of Production Engineering, where he leads the Research Center in Eco-economics, Eco-innovation, and Regional Development (NEED/CEFET-RJ). He transitioned to academia in 2008, following a career in management roles at major corporations, and has since served as Head of Department, Director of Research and Graduate Studies, Course Coordinator and Professor. Dr. Motta has authored over 100 publications and holds a Post-Doctorate in Information Science (IBICT), a PhD in Information Science (UFRJ/IBICT), a Master’s in Production Engineering (UFF), and degrees in Production Engineering and Economic Sciences.

In addition to his work at CEFET-RJ, Dr. Motta is a visiting professor at COPPE/UFRJ, teaching MBA courses in Environment and Energy. He leads the ECCOA research group and is a member of the ABNT technical committee for ISO/TC 353 on circular economy standards. His research focuses on eco-economics, life cycle thinking, circular business models, socio and eco-innovation, public policies, reverse logistics, and sustainable supply chains. Internationally, Dr. Motta was a coach in the UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative LCM CMM Pilot Project and contributed as a stakeholder in O-LCA project.

Dr. Bianka Shoai-Tehrani is a senior energy economist at RTE - external link (The French Electricity Transmission System Operator).

After graduating as an engineer from CentraleSupelec in 2010, Bianka Shoai-Tehrani pursued a PhD in energy economics at FrenchAlternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission - external link(CEA). She worked for several years as a researcher in climate and energy economics at the Research Institute of Technology for the Earth (RITE) in Kyoto, Japan and was a secondee in the World Energy Outlook team at the International Energy Agency - external link in 2017.

She joined the French Electricity Transmission System Operator, RTE, in 2018 as a senior energy economist. From September 2024, she joined RTE’s Research and Development Division as a senior expert. Her field of expertise includes long-term scenarios on energy decarbonization, low carbon investments, energy consumption and energy systems modelling.