U.N. Climate Change Negotiations Practicum - Participants

Anna-Paden Carson is a fifth-year Ph.D. candidate in romance studies at Duke University. Her research lies at the intersection of environmental humanities and disaster studies, focusing on how communities in colonial Latin America—particularly in the Andean region—interpreted and narrated the natural world and its potentially destructive forces. She examines how nature was imagined as both generative and destructive in accounts of earthquakes, storms, and other hazards, revealing how vulnerability, resilience, and adaptation have long shaped human–environment relations. She graduated from Washington and Lee University with a B.A. in Spanish, holds an M.A. in teaching and an M.A. in romance studies (Hispanic and Latin American literatures and cultures), and is also pursuing graduate certificates in Latin American and Caribbean studies and college teaching at Duke. At COP30, she looks forward to contributing a historical, humanities-based perspective to contemporary, global conversations on climate adaptation and resilience.

Christian Ezealigo is an M.B.A. candidate at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business with a focus on energy, finance, and social impact. He is deeply passionate about advancing clean energy access, driving climate finance solutions, and shaping a just transition toward sustainable energy systems. His commitment is fueled by a belief that innovative financing, renewable technologies, and responsible corporate practices are essential to addressing the world’s most pressing climate challenges.

Professionally, Christian began his career at GE Renewable Energy, where he supported over $100 million in renewable energy and grid transition projects across more than 25 sub-Saharan African countries. A highlight was contributing to a $47 million grid solutions that expanded electricity access and improved livelihoods in underserved African communities.

Christian’s current research interests lie at the intersection of artificial intelligence, data centers, and energy systems, with a particular focus on how the rapid growth of AI-driven infrastructure is reshaping global energy demand, financing strategies, and opportunities in climate technology investing. This builds on his experience at ServiceNow and Pinterest, where he partnered with data center and cloud infrastructure teams to transition operations to renewable energy.

Christian holds a master’s degree in quantitative management & business analytics from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. At Fuqua, his capstone project leveraged data analytics to measure carbon removal in partnership with African farmers. He is also an active member of the Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE) and the Center for Energy, Development, and the Global Environment (EDGE), where he continues to pursue his passion for energy, climate, and impact investing.

Hannah Ford T’25 is a neuroscience major with a certificate in philosophy, politics & economics. Beginning in Duke’s Pratt School of Engineering, she built a strong foundation in systems engineering before shifting to interdisciplinary research on decision-making, AI ethics, and climate adaptation. She served as a senator on the Duke Student Government Academic Affairs Committee, directed the Duke Impact Investment Group, and was a DTech Scholar. Her research interests include work in the Motivated Cognition & Aging Brain Lab on decision-making, and applying perceptual control theory to AI systems. She contributes to engineering projects on earthquake early warning in Nepal, recently presenting original research at an international symposium. She also co-founded HER (Her Education is Her Right), a nonprofit expanding educational access for 25,000 students globally. Hannah’s professional goals lie in climate finance and sustainable development, specifically mobilizing private capital to support the global energy transition. She is passionate about bridging neuroscience and finance to create innovative, ethical solutions that address both human and environmental needs.

Rasa Kerelis is a third year J.D. candidate at the Duke University School of Law. There, she is the managing editor of the Alaska Law Review serving legal practitioners of the Alaska Bar Association. Prior to law school, Rasa worked as an ESG analyst at Morningstar rating US-based asset managers and authoring ESG thought leadership on pension funds and gender bias in financial management. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University majoring in political science with a classics minor. Rasa’s interest in international relations and policy have influenced her work on her undergraduate thesis focused on the 2015 Migration Crisis, as well as her time spent working at the EU in Lithuania and on the Hill in Washington, DC for a US senator. She has spent her past two summers in Washington, DC working at both the SEC and a major law firm where she worked on impact fund, financial regulatory and infrastructure finance projects.

Melissa Monge is a master of international development policy student at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy. She is a social entrepreneur with over 12 years of experience in cross-sectoral social innovation and capacity building. Melissa holds a degree in communications with a specialization in public relations from the University of Costa Rica. At Duke, her research has focused on the intersection of gender and environmental governance, and volunteered with the Wildlife Conservation Society at the 2025 UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France. Melissa was part of the Inter-American Development Bank’s Emerging Leaders program, and participated in the US State Department’s Hidden No More initiative in 2022. A Fulbright Scholar, she is passionate about fostering collaboration to advance social impact on a global scale.

Uriel Pinho is a Ph.D. student at Duke University’s Department of Romance Studies (Portuguese and Spanish track). Originally from Belém, in the Brazilian Amazon, he has worked at the intersection of scholarship, filmmaking, and science communication. Broadly, Uriel’s research examines Latin American cinema, focusing on how documentary and experimental films represent Amazonian territories and ecological relations. He holds an M.A. in Cinema and Audiovisual Studies from Fluminense Federal University and a B.A. in Communication and Journalism from the Federal University of Pará, with additional study at the University of King’s College in Canada. As a researcher and filmmaker at the Emilio Goeldi Museum of Pará, the oldest scientific institution in the Amazon, Uriel examined audiovisual collections and produced multimedia content on indigenous knowledge, science, and culture. He also collaborated with the Brazilian National Health Foundation (FUNASA) as an environmental educator and filmmaker, directing a 16-episode documentary series on water and environmental health in rural Amazonian communities. With local partners, he has worked on media projects supporting quilombola and indigenous rights advocacy. He is also the creator of Curtas Amazônicos, an online database of short films from the Brazilian Amazon. At COP30, Uriel is interested in debates about climate justice, indigenous rights, and the role of cultural and scientific institutions in international climate governance. 

Lige Nie is a second-year M.B.A./master of forestry student at the Fuqua School of Business and the Nicholas School of the Environment. Born and raised in China, she is a first-generation college student who earned her undergraduate degree in finance, investment & banking from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her career goal is to scale nature-positive solutions through private-sector investment. At Duke, she led a student consulting team for Shell, evaluating investment opportunities in biodiversity credits and designing a staged roadmap to unlock corporate engagement. During her summer internship at JLL, she created strategies and specific initiatives for companies to measure and reduce biodiversity impacts across real estate projects and portfolios. She previously worked at McKinsey & Company as a management consultant, developing climate transition strategies for clients across energy, automotive, industrial, insurance, food, and consumer sectors. At COP30, she aims to deepen her understanding of international climate policy and innovative finance mechanisms that mobilize private investment in forests, oceans, and biodiversity.

Griffin Storm is a senior undergraduate from Norman, Oklahoma. At Duke, he is pursuing degrees in public policy and environmental science & policy. He is passionate about implementing solutions to the global freshwater crisis and has worked across the private, public, and philanthropic sectors to address water challenges. Griffin is also the co-founder of Water Clubs, a student advocacy movement empowering the next generation of leaders to advance universal access to clean and safe drinking water. Since coming to Duke, he has completed internships in Kenya, London, and Puerto Rico, and recently spent the summer researching debt-for-nature swaps as potential catalysts for investment in water projects. In his free time, Griffin enjoys outdoor adventures and is on the eternal search for the world’s best burrito. 

Catherine Suttah is a master of environmental management student at Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment. She holds a B.S. in administration with a major in accounting from the University of Ghana. Previously, she worked as a clean cooking officer at ENI Ghana Exploration & Production Ltd, leading clean cooking initiatives that reached over 3,000 individuals across 10 communities while establishing climate change clubs in schools to promote environmental sustainability education. Catherine is the founder and managing director of Africa Climate Futures, a Pan-African platform dedicated to accelerating the continent's sustainable energy transition and climate finance through innovative education, policy engagement, and community empowerment. Through this initiative, she facilitates webinars, masterclasses, fellowship programs, and policy dialogues that connect finance, policy, and energy sectors for scalable impact across Africa's 54 nations. Her extensive network includes prestigious fellowships and memberships with organizations such as YALI, SheChangesClimate, and Chatham House. She served as conference coordinator on the organizing team for LCOY Ghana towards COP27 and COP29, and contributed to the national youth climate statement that fed into the global youth climate statement. Her academic and professional interests focus on climate resilience, sustainable energy transitions,sustainable finance and community-driven environmental solutions. She is particularly passionate about building the next generation of African climate leaders and promoting women's inclusion in climate policy. She is especially focused on scaling community-driven environmental initiatives in Ghana while expanding Africa Climate Futures' continental reach to advance sustainable development across the African continent.

Camber Vincent is a master of environmental management student studying coastal & marine systems and environmental analytics & modeling, with certificates in geospatial analysis and international development. He completed his undergraduate degree at the Georgetown University Walsh School of Foreign Service, studying science, technology, and international affairs. At Duke, Camber is a graduate research assistant for the Marine Geospatial Ecology Laboratory (MGEL) and Duke Center on Risk, studying the intersection of science and policy. He spent the summer with the MGEL team, working on geospatial analysis projects in support of the UN Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement’s development and implementation. He is especially interested in how international diplomacy works to establish governance frameworks for environmental and scientific affairs. At COP30, Camber is hoping to engage with novel aspects of climate diplomacy, especially in the growing field of geoengineering and carbon dioxide removal technologies.

Jacqueline Wittich is a third-year M.E.M./M.B.A. student at the Nicholas School of the Environment and Fuqua School of Business. A dual citizen of Taiwan and the Netherlands, she was raised in Taipei and earned her undergraduate degree at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. She worked for six years as an energy transition consultant for Fortune 500 corporations and government agencies within KPMG’s advisory practices in both London and New York. Since beginning her studies at Duke in 2023, her academic and professional interests have centered on climate adaptation solutions for coastal areas, with a particular focus on innovating our food systems to mitigate negative impacts to freshwater and coastal ecosystems. She has deepened her expertise through internships at KKR, Arcadis and Nomura Greentech. At Duke, Jacqueline serves as co-president of the Food & Agriculture Club at the Fuqua School of Business. She has also held multiple leadership roles with Oceans@Duke—a student and faculty community focused on the ocean economy—including serving one term as President and as a cabinet member going on three consecutive years. 

Aashish Yadav is a first-year master of environmental management (M.E.M.) student at the Nicholas School of the Environment, specializing in energy & environment and environmental economics & policy. Originally from Delhi, India, he holds an undergraduate degree in aerospace engineering. Prior to Duke, Aashish worked for two years in research & technology roles at Airbus, where he developed a strong interest in aviation sustainability and the energy transition. He also founded Maiti Labs, a student-led non-profit focused on climate awareness and reforestation. Through this work, he explored the potential of carbon credit transactions to support community engagement and climate justice. At COP30, Aashish hopes to deepen his understanding of how energy transition, climate finance, and carbon markets can drive sustainable development in underserved communities across the Global South.

Chloe Young is an undergraduate senior from Chicago majoring in environmental science & policy with a certificate in innovation & entrepreneurship. Chloe co-founded the nonprofit Eco Circle International, is the co-executive director at Energy Terminal, and is heavily involved in research at Duke, having worked for both the PlanetLab and Heat Policy Innovation Hub. She’s previously interned at Brighte, a solar-financing startup, and Baringa, an energy consultancy, where she helped a utility quantify grid asset risk and develop their climate adaptation plan. She has also spent time in rural Puerto Rico doing agricultural resilience work with small scale farmers and recently went on a transect in Nepal exploring the effect of climate change on human and ecological health. Through these experiences, Chloe has explored climate issues from multiple angles, but her interests fundamentally lie in helping communities strengthen disaster resilience by improving energy systems and implementing novel insurance/financing solutions.

Eilish Zembilci is a joint Ph.D. student in public policy and political science specializing in global environmental politics and environmental security with a particular emphasis on food security, human mobility, and energy and infrastructure in fragile contexts. Her research interests broadly include climate change adaptation, geopolitics of development and the energy transition, and the efficacy (and now absence) of US foreign assistance.

Eilish has produced policy analysis for prominent development and policy institutions such as the CSIS Global Food and Water Security Program, the World Food Program USA, the US Agency for International Development and US Department of State, the US Institute of Peace, the UN International Organization on Migration (IOM), as well as Duke University’s own Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment and Sustainability. 

Eilish received her master’s degree in public policy as a Carlucci Fellow of Security Studies from the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University and her bachelor’s degree in international affairs with a concentration in global public health and a minor in sustainability studies from the George Washington University.