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UNU-ONY Staff
Jean-Marc Coicaud, DirectorS. Chidambaranathan "Nathan", Special Advisor to the Rector
Ramon Ray, Administrative Officer
Jin Zhang, Programme Manager
Na Yan
Junior Professionals
Allison BryanAlexey Dorofeev
Renato Giacon
Amira Hassanein
Ravi Singh
Naiyi ZHU
Former Junior Professionals
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UNU-ONY Staff
Jean-Marc Coicaud, Director, oversees the daily work of UNU-ONY and its development in the service of UNU
Dr. Jean-Marc Coicaud is the Director of the United Nations University (UNU) Office at the United Nations in New York. He was Senior Academic Officer at the UNU in Tokyo from 1996 to 2003. Before joining UNU, he served in the Executive Office of the United Nations Secretary-General as a speechwriter for Dr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali (1992-1996). A former fellow at Harvard University (Center for International Affairs, Department of Philosophy and Harvard Law School, from 1986 to 1992), Coicaud has held appointments such as Cultural Attaché with the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Legislative Aide with the European Parliament (Financial Committee), Associate Professor at the University of Paris, and Visiting Professor at the Ecole Normale Supérieure-Ulm in Paris. He has also taught at the New School for Social Research (New York). He has been a Senior Fellow at the United States Institute of Peace (Washington, D.C.) and a Global Research Fellow at New York University School of Law. Coicaud holds a Ph.D. in political science-law from the Sorbonne and a Doctorat d'Etat in philosophy from the Institut d'Etudes Politiques of Paris. In addition, he holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in literature and linguistics.
Jean-Marc Coicaud is the author of the following single-authored books: L’introuvable démocratie autoritaire (L’Harmattan, 1996), Légitimité et Politique (Presses Universitaires de France, 1997), Politics and Legitimacy: A Contribution to the Study of Political Right and Political Responsibility (Cambridge University Press, 2002, also available in Spanish, Japanese, Chinese and Arabic), Beyond the National Interest (United States Institute of Peace Press, 2007), in Japanese, Limits of the UN/Future of the UN (Fujiwara Shoten, 2007), and in Chinese, Mai Xiang Guo Ji Fa Zhi (Towards the International Rule of Law) (Sanlian Shudian, 2008). He co-authored (with Charles A. Kupchan, Emmanuel Adler, and Yuen Foong Khong) Power in Transition: The Peaceful Change of International Order (United Nations University Press, 2001). He co-edited, with Daniel Warner, Ethics and International Affairs: Extent and Limits (UNU Press, 2001), with Veijo Heiskanen, The Legitimacy of International Organizations (UNU Press, 2001), with Michael W. Doyle and Anne-Marie Gardner, The Globalization of Human Rights (UNU Press, 2003), with Daniel A. Bell, Ethics in Action: The Ethical Challenges of International Human Rights Nongovernmental Organizations (Cambridge University Press, 2007), with Nicholas J. Wheeler, National Interest and International Solidarity: Particular and Universal Ethics in International Life (UNU Press, 2008) and, with Mark Gibney, Rhoda E. Howard-Hassmann and Niklaus Steiner, The Age of Apology: Facing Up to the Past (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2008). In 2009 he is publishing a co-edited volume with Hilary Charlesworth, Fault Lines of International Legitimacy (Cambridge University Press). Jean-Marc Coicaud is now finishing two new single-authored books, Kissing War Goodbye, and Knowledge and International Institutions.
Jean-Marc Coicaud is a member of the Advisory Board of Carnegie Council's Global Policy Innovations (New York). He also serves as an adviser for the Fondation pour l’Innovation Politique (Paris).
Ramon Ray, is primarily responsible for administrative matters in conjunction with UNU Centre; he is also responsible for the various aspects of the communication activities of UNU-ONY. [Marketing and Fund Raising teams]
Ramon Ray, Administrative Officer, is responsible for the overall financial, personnel and administrative functions of the office. Working closely with UNU Headquarters in Tokyo and and UNU Centre's around the world, he ensures the smooth flow of information between UNU System and UN Headquarters in New York. Mr. Ray coordinates UNU-ONY's communication and marketing activities including seminars, briefings, and other outreach opportunities. He also ensures that UNU-ONY's technology infrastructure (web site, wired/wireless networks, computers, etc) is running smoothly.
Jin Zhang, coordinates the various event programmes of UNU-ONY, including the Africa Series; she also assists in overall UNU-ONY activities. [Fund Raising team]
Jin Zhang, Programme Assistant, assists UNU-ONY in organizing events, fundraising and various administrative tasks. She holds a Master of Public Policy degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She earned her BA in History and Economics from Peking University. Her interests focus on social and sustainable development, gender equality and nonprofit management. Before working with UNU, she acquired work experience at the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) in New York and Amnesty International, International Secretariat in London, UK. She also worked with local nonprofit organizations in both Michigan and Beijing and conducted field research on Chinese women's organizations. Jin speaks English, Mandarin and the dialect in the city of Nanchang, where she was born and raised.
S. Chidambaranathan "Nathan", contributes from UNU-ONY to the Rector's office in UNU's institutional development
S. Chidambaranathan "Nathan" has served as Special Advisor to the Rector focusing on institutional development since 1992. He is currently engaged in the development of the UNU Biotechnology Programme for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNU-BIOLAC) in Caracas as an International Center for Biotechnology (UNU-ICB). He had primary responsibility for the establishment in 1996 of a new center, the UNU International Network on Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
In 1976, Mr. Chidambaranathan joined the United Nations University in Tokyo as Senior Governmental and Institutional Relations Officer in the Planning and Development Division. Earlier he participated, as an observer, in the 1973 Paris meeting of the UN/UNESCO Founding Committee that drew up the draft Charter of UNU. In 1981 he was appointed as Executive Officer in the Office of the Rector and advised and assisted the Rector in the executive management and growth of UNU. In 1989 he became Director of the UNU Office at the United Nations, Mr. Chidambaranathan holds a B.Sc(Hons), M.Sc of the University of Madras, India.
Na Yan, UNU-ONY On-line Community Developer (UNU Experts Database). Na is responsible for gathering academic information of distinguished experts in various fields all around the world.
She was a fellow on integrated knowledge & information management and sharing at the World Association of Former United Nations Internes and Fellows (WAFUNIF). Na assisted the initiation of a Diabetes Academic Program in the Third World. Before joining the UN family, she served in the Fresh Air Fund (New York) as a program coordinator. Na was a former assistant project officer at the Development Research Center of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China. She participated in design, development and performing international academic exchange programs. Na holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Baltimore in Maryland. Na is fluent in English and Chinese. Na is interested in sustainable development and projects related to China.
Junior Professional Fellows
Internships Main Page | Past JPFs
Allison Bryan, Junior Professional Fellow, is a Canadian who holds a Masters of Arts in Sociology from Memorial University in Newfoundland. Her research focused on the co-management of natural resources and how the dynamics of power in social relations play out in the way that decisions are made. She holds a BA from the University of Guelph where she majored in International Development and minored in Philosophy. She has enjoyed working for organizations that take community engagement seriously such as One Sky (The Canadian Institute of Sustainable Living) and Katimavik. She has also been active as a volunteer with organizations such as the Red Cross, ADRA, distress centers, and student unions. She has worked and traveled abroad to such places as Mali, Burkina Faso, India and parts of Western Europe. Her ambition is to help in addressing power inequalities by opening pathways by which the experiences and knowledge of marginalized populations can be meaningfully integrated into global and local decision making.
Alexey Dorofeev, Junior Professional Fellow, is originally from Murmansk, in northwestern Russia, and is currently pursuing his Masters in Public Administration at Park University in Kansas City, Missouri with an emphasis on Global Economics Strategy. In December of 2008, he graduated from Missouri State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Political Science. As a part of his senior economics project, Alexey sought to determine factors responsible for rising housing prices in the U.S. prior to 2007. Another one of his notable projects focused on political implications of Turkey’s prospective accession to the European Union. Currently, Alexey is working on multiple research projects on public-private partnerships worldwide. Specifically, he is studying the role of public-private partnerships in fostering economic growth and the administrative barriers to such synergies.
During his college career, Alexey was actively involved in the Debate Team and the Model United Nations club. He also volunteered as a facilitator for People to People Ambassador Programs and interned with Junior Achievement, the world’s largest non-profit organization dedicated to educating students about entrepreneurship and financial literacy. Some other highlights of his undergraduate experience include the National Student Exchange Program fellowship at Boise State University and summer school in Germany. At Park University’s Office of International Affairs and Education, Alexey oversaw the international outreach programs and assisted with development, marketing and implementation of joint degree programs with Park University’s partner foreign institutions. Alexey is fluent in English and Russian, and is advancing his Finnish speaking skills.
Renato Giacon, Junior Professional Fellow, is an Italian citizen and has recently earned a Research Master’s degree in International Economics from GEM-Sciences Po Paris. Written in French, his master’s thesis focused on studying the impact of the effective exchange rate of the Euro currency on French trade performance.
Beforehand, his work experience involved international and regional organizations. He completed an internship at the Italian Permanent Delegation at the OECD in Paris, where he assisted various departments, including the Department of Finance and Economics. He also participated on a WTO seminar in partnership with HEI University in Geneva. His main contribution consisted of writing a working paper on the relationship between trade and development in Mexico after NAFTA’s implementation.
Additionally, he holds both a Master of Arts and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and International Relations from the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore di Milano (UCSC). He is fluent in English and French and is currently studying Spanish. His main interests are economic history, lobbying in the European Union system, international relations and diplomacy.
Amira Hassanein, Junior Professional Fellow, is a native of Egypt, from the city of Ismailia, which lies on the Suez Canal. Though she was schooled in English, she also developed a love for French. While in school, she played basketball, speed-ball and volleyball in addition to participating in some martial arts. A national level tennis player, she also competed in several tournaments in high school. Amira moved to Cairo in 2004 to attend the American University in Cairo (AUC), where she studied two of her passions: Computer Science and Art. She recently graduated in July of 2009.
At AUC, Amira was a part of the Leadership for Education and Development (LEAD) program, which selects top students throughout Egypt who exhibit high leadership potential as well as successful participation in extracurricular activities and good academic standing. The program aims to help develop future Egyptian leaders. As a participant in the LEAD program for five consecutive years, she has not only learned a tremendous amount about human and sustainable development, but also about the problems facing her country and each of its governorates. She organized annual conferences that covered pressing issues, met key figures from various fields from all over the world and discussed global and regional problems within the fields of education, gender equity, women and development, and developing countries. The LEAD program allowed Amira to explore her interests in global development as well as her goals of making a change in her country and developing countries. In 2005, she was awarded the Highest Performance in Leadership Honor by the LEAD program. A year later, she was selected for a semester abroad in Portland, Oregon. While on a trip to Washington, D.C.,she had the privilege of meeting with politicians and leaders.
Amira has a variety of work and internship experiences from her undergraduate years, varying from administrative work, project management, and web development. She also served as a resident advisor for 8 consecutive semesters. She held positions with AUC, the Youth4Life foundation of Egypt and the Microsoft Egypt headquarters. She volunteered for community service organizations, including Dance4Life Egypt, the Arab Youth Development Congress at AUC and various social clubs in her hometown. She hopes to be an agent of change for her country and for the rest of the world.
Ravi Singh, Junior Professional Fellow, is an American citizen and a native of Richmond, Virginia. He recently graduated from Columbia University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Hispanic Studies. While at Columbia, he was an active member of the student body. He served as a Program Coordinator of the Family Help Desk Program at Harlem Hospital, as part of a national non-profit public health organization, Project HEALTH. His experience staffing a volunteer resource center in an urban healthcare setting sparked a deep interest in health advocacy and public policy with a focus on social determinants of health outcomes. While at Columbia, he was also a performer and choreographer on a competitive North Indian folk dance team, representing the university at competitions in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Vancouver.
Ravi has a variety of past work experiences. He performed strategic and marketing consulting on behalf of the Scottish Enterprise for businesses in the greater Glasgow area. While in Scotland, he also constructed a social enterprise-based business plan for a multi-sports coaching and fitness program aimed at improving adolescent health in England. In addition, he has worked in the legal, health care, and public sectors. His experiences have led him to develop a strong interest in strategy and entrepreneurship with a focus on the application of business practices to the public and not-for-profit sectors. Similarly, he is fascinated by the application of socially minded practices within the business sector. In addition to developing his interest in social entrepreneurship, Ravi is also committed to expanding his interest in economic development and health and nutrition on a global scale. Beyond working in the United Kingdom, Ravi has spent time developing his Spanish language skills in Barcelona, Spain.
Naiyi ZHU (Nika), Junior Professional Fellow, is Chinese and joins the UNU-ONY after three years of study in Paris. She holds a Master’s degree in Comparative Politics with a focus on Asian Studies from the Institut d'Etudes Politiques in Paris. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Sciences and a Maitrise degree in International Relations from University of Pantheon-Sorbonne. Before studying in France, she was an undergraduate majoring in Business French from the Institute of Foreign Trade in Shanghai. Her interests have been focused on international cooperation in climate change, sustainable development in rural areas, and corporate social responsibility. During her experience in Paris, she participated in intercultural conferences and speeches, promoting mutual understanding between the French and Chinese peoples. She is fluent in French, English, Chinese and Shanghainese.
She spends her free time playing the piano, travelling and reading.
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Page last modified 2009.10.27.
