Dr Pia-Johanna Schweizer
Dr. Pia-Johanna Schweizer is a leading expert in systemic risk and sustainability governance. Since 2016, she has led the “Systemic Risks” research group at the Research Institute for Sustainability (RIFS, formerly IASS), where her work focuses on the intricate intersections of technology, society, and the environment. Her team explores the complex, uncertain, and ambiguous dimensions of systemic risks, such as those posed by climate change, identifying critical “trigger points” that can lead to cascading effects across societal subsystems. Their research informs innovative governance strategies designed to strengthen resilience and enhance decision-making in the face of uncertainty.
Dr. Schweizer holds a doctorate in sociology from the University of Stuttgart, where she investigated discursive risk regulation. Her academic journey includes studies in Sociology and English/American Studies at the University of Stuttgart and the University of Aberdeen (UK). She has held research positions at the Institute of Social Sciences and the Interdisciplinary Research Centre for Risk and Sustainable Technology Development (ZIRN) at the University of Stuttgart, as well as at DIALOGIK gGmbH. From 2013 to 2014, she was a Visiting Scholar at the Centre for Systems Integration and Sustainability (CSIS) at Michigan State University, USA.
Dr. Schweizer brings a systems-thinking approach to contemporary challenges, making her a vital voice in the global conversation on sustainable transitions and risk governance.
Professor Michael Plank
Michael Plank is a Professor in the School of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Canterbury and an Investigator at Te Pūnaha Matatini, New Zealand’s Centre of Research Excellence in Complex Systems and Data Analytics. Professor Plank’s research interests are in mathematical biology and infectious disease dynamics. His work aims to use mathematical techniques and modelling to help answer research questions in application areas and to support policymaking.
His research is interdisciplinary and he has worked in a range of application areas including ecological and social networks, population dynamics, infectious diseases, marine ecosystems and fisheries, collective cell behaviour, and intracellular dynamics. His work draws on numerous fields in applied mathematics and statistics including stochastic processes, integro and partial differential equations, dynamical systems, spatial moments, statistical modelling, and parameter inference.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Professor Plank led a group of researchers commissioned by the New Zealand Government to deliver mathematical modelling of Covid-19 in support of the pandemic response. He was a member of the team that won the 2020 Prime Minister’s Science Prize for this work. He was also awarded the 2021 E.O. Tuck Medal by ANZIAM for outstanding research and distinguished service to the field of Applied Mathematics and the 2023 New Zealand Mathematical Society Research Award.
Professor Andrew Robinson
Professor Andrew Robinson is a leading authority on biosecurity risk analysis and applied statistics, serving as CEO of the Centre of Excellence for Biosecurity Risk Analysis (CEBRA) and Professor of Applied Statistics at the University of Melbourne. With a rare ability to bridge rigorous statistical science and real-world application, Andrew’s work informs national and international strategies to protect ecological and economic systems from biosecurity threats.
Since joining the University of Melbourne in 2005 from the University of Idaho, where he was Associate Professor in Forest Inventory and Biometrics, Andrew has become a central figure in advancing risk-based decision-making for biosecurity. His research focuses on national border biosecurity, applying statistical tools to analyse inspection and interception data, design surveillance systems, and develop performance metrics for regulatory agencies. His clear, evidence-based insights regularly shape both policy and operational practice.
Andrew holds a PhD in Forestry and a Master’s in Statistics from the University of Minnesota. He has published over 90 peer-reviewed articles, authored four books, and delivered more than 50 technical reports through ACERA and CEBRA. He is also an elected member of the International Statistical Institute, reflecting his global standing in the field.
Known for his wit and clarity, Andrew brings both depth and levity to complex subjects, evident not only in his academic work but also in his proudest career moment: a guest appearance on Street Talk for The Footy Show in 2006.
