Executive Board

Prof. Hasan Mandal holds a bachelor’s degree in Metallurgical Engineering from Middle East Technical University and a PhD. from Newcastle University in the UK. He completed post-doctoral studies at Newcastle and Karlsruhe Universities.

Prof. Mandal is a professor of Materials Science and Engineering and has over 140 published studies. He holds 6 international patents and has received national and international awards, including TÜBITAK Science Award. He served as Director of Research and Graduate Policies and Vice Rector of Sabancı University. He also held positions as President of Global Engineering Deans Council, President of European Ceramic Society, and Dean of Faculty of Engineering and Architecture at Anadolu University and was elected as a member of the ANSO Executive Board in 2022.

Prof. Mandal has been a member of YÖK Executive Board, and Deputy Chairman until January 2018 and is currently a member of YÖK Council. He served as Deputy Rector of Sabancı University from January to February 2018. He was President of TÜBITAK 2018 -2024. Currently he is Counsellor of TÜBITAK and Rector of İstanbul Technical University (İTÜ). He was elected as President of WAITRO for 2023-2024.

Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal

Mr. Hans-Erich Schulz has over twenty-five (25) years of senior management and project management experience in a range of industries including mining, manufacturing, transportation, technical services and sustainable development in both the public and private sector.

He has also managed climate change and environmental projects with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) including the Low Emission Capacity Building (LECB) Programme and Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) Support Programme for Trinidad and Tobago, as well as the formulation of the Persistent Organic Pollutants National Implementation Plan for Trinidad and Tobago.

Mr. Schulz holds a Bachelor of Science (BSc.) degree in Biochemistry and Master of Science (MSc.) degrees in Chemistry and Environmental Management, as well as an MBA in Marketing Management and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).  He has been the Chief Executive Officer of the Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (CARIRI) since 2022.

Hans-Erich Schulz

Dirk Saseta Krieg is on Leitat’s Executive Board as Director of Promotion and International Affairs. He manages both international and national operations for public fund raising, private sales, and project management at Leitat. Dirk represents Leitat at institutional level and is active in RTO associations WAITRO, EARTO, and FEDIT. He has 17 years of experience in public and private RTOs in Europe and the USA, including work as a project manager at the Meadowlands Environmental Research Institute from 2006-2008.

Dirk joined Leitat in 2009 as a Project Manager in environmental technology and renewable energy, and was named Director of International Affairs in 2013. He holds a Bachelor’s in Environmental Science from Fairleigh Dickinson University, a M.Sc. in Environmental Audits and Management Systems, specializing in Renewable Energies from Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, and an MBA from ESADE Business School. He has also completed courses in ISO quality, environmental audits, and project management and has served as a professor, lecturer, and speaker in Project Management and EU proposal writing.

Dirk Saseta Krieg

Prof. Paul Pinnock Bosu joined CSIR as a national service person in 1994 and became a full-time Assistant Research Scientist in 1995. He rose through the ranks and became Chief Research Scientist in 2018. In addition to being a full-time research scientist, he teaches part-time and trains students in Ghana and abroad. In 2017, he was awarded Associate Professor in Entomology by the CSIR College of Science and Technology. He served in various positions at CSIR-FORIG, including Head of Entomology and Head of Training and Consultancy Section. He was also Editor-in-Chief of the Ghana Journal of Forestry and Chair of the CSIR-FORIG Staff Fund.

Prof. Bosu served as Deputy Director-General from 2019 to 2022 and is now the Director General. He serves on several national committees and boards, including the Executive Committee of the MAG program and the Advisory Board of the College of Basic and Applied Sciences. He has authored/co-authored over 100 scientific publications and attracted significant research funds to CSIR-FORIG. He has trained over two thousand Ghanaians in snail farming and beekeeping. He was recognized with awards such as the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Northern Arizona University and the National Best Agricultural Researcher Award. He has a Bachelor of Science, Master of Philosophy, and PhD. in Biological Sciences and Forest Entomology. He is an alumni of KNUST and NAU.

Prof. Paul Pinnock Bosu

David Tveit is Executive Vice President at the Danish Technological Institute (DTI) with experience in leading Research and Technology Organizations (RTOs) and a background in energy. He is responsible for DTI strategy, customer relations, government liaison, and major R&D programs. David is in charge of the Energy & Climate division, which implements Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency, and Smart Grid technologies in Denmark. He holds a Master of Science in Energy Technology and Indoor Climate and a degree in Economics, specializing in foreign trade of energy products, and is a member of the Danish Academy of Technical Sciences.

David worked extensively with Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency after graduation in 1990 and has focused on leadership and management in RTOs for the past 17 years. He was 2nd Vice President of WAITRO from 2019 to 2022 and has held various positions in international organizations, including JRC-TTO and EARTO. He was a founding member of the Global Research Alliance (2001-2018) and gives presentations on Energy and Technology Transfer at international forums.

David Tveit

María Eugenia Suárez is an accomplished expert in international cooperation, holding a degree in International Relations from the University of El Salvador. With extensive postgraduate studies, including a Master’s Degree and a Specialization in International Cooperation from the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Martín, she excels in fostering international relationships. She has undertaken technical missions and scholarship programs abroad, gaining valuable insights and expertise in cooperation projects with various countries and organizations.

Currently serving as the Deputy Manager of Institutional Relations at the National Institute of Industrial Technology (INTI) since January 2019, María Eugenia excels in coordinating relationships with international institutes and managing projects with a focus on cooperation and development. Her experience includes engaging with prominent entities such as the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the European Union, the IDB, the FAO, and UNIDO. She is also actively involved in promoting scholarships abroad for professionals and facilitating collaboration with foreign experts. In addition to her professional endeavours, María Eugenia has contributed to academia through teaching roles and has been involved in notable publications in the domain of international cooperation.

Lic. María Eugenia Suárez

Abeer Arafat is a mechanical engineer with a focus on materials, who graduated from The American University in Cairo. She began her career in 1995 as a lab engineer at the Mechanical Design & Technology Center (MDTC) at the Royal Scientific Society (RSS). During her time at MDTC, she worked on research to minimize the import of spare parts to local industries through the introduction of heat treatment technologies and served as an expert witness in court for exploded butane gas cylinders.

In 2005, the Royal Scientific Society recognized Arafat’s outstanding achievements and appointed her as Head of R&D. She drafted the first R&D Policy for RSS and, since 2010, has held the position of Cooperative Development Officer – External Affairs, with the goal of strengthening the society’s international relations and raising funds.

Abeer Arafat

Theresia Ningsi Astuti was elected as the Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific in September 2021. With over 20 years of experience at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) and 7 years in technology transfer and business innovation, she now holds the role of Coordinator of Research and Innovation Infrastructure Partnership Development at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN). Theresia is responsible for business and partnership development, research infrastructure facilitation, and promoting cross-institutional relations and research collaboration.

Theresia is passionate about using her experience to strengthen the relationship between RTOs, industries, start-ups, SMEs, communities, and research consumers through WAITRO. She aims to integrate Asia and the Pacific into the rest of the world for the benefit of all, and promote WAITRO as the Global Innovation Family. With her dedication and experience, she is poised to turbo-charge the growth of technology transfer in the region.

Theresia Ningsi Astuti