IBI Board and Advisory Committee
In June 2008, members of the IBI established roles for the organization--including staff and board duties. Due to funding from the Packard Foundation for year 2009, IBI has established a Board of Directors as well as a staff of six; clarified the organization's mission and focus; and has expanded its programs. IBI also has a dedicated Advisory Committee consisting of 39 members from 13 different countries around the world with 5 sub-committees that focus on Policy, Biochar Production/Technology/Classification, Utilization in Soils, Commercialization, and Socio-Economic Evaluation.
IBI Board Members include (click on a name for more information):
- Johannes Lehmann, Chairman of the Board, NY, USA
- Stephen Joseph, Vice-Chairman of the Board and Technical Director, NSW, Australia
- Ellen Baum, Treasurer, MA, USA
- David Wayne, UK
Johannes Lehmann, associate professor of soil biogeochemistry and soil fertility management at Cornell University, received his graduate degrees in Soil Science at the University of Bayreuth, Germany. Prior to his appointment at Cornell, he coordinated a research project on nutrient and carbon management in the central Amazon where he started work on Terra Preta soils. During the past 10 years, he has focused on nano-scale investigations of soil organic matter, the biogeochemistry of black carbon and the development of biochar and bioenergy systems. Dr. Lehmann is co-founder and Chair of the Board of the International Biochar Initiative, and member of the editorial boards of Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems and Plant and Soil.
Stephen Joseph holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Metallurgical Engineering and a doctorate in Architecture and Applied Anthropology. He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Energy, a chartered engineer and has been a senior adviser to commercial, government and non government organizations, in renewable energy, biofuels, and sustainable agriculture and forestry. Dr. Joseph has extensive experience world wide developing processes and technologies that convert waste into energy and value added products. These include biodiesel, and other biofuels, oil from algae, biomass combustion, pyrolysis and gasification plant, biochar, plastic wood composite, additives for high strength concretes. He has also developed combustion devices to burn very dilute combustible gases. He has also been involved in multi-country market research into areas of waste recycling and renewable energy. He has written over 100 books and articles and lectured and trained other engineers throughout the world. He is vice chairman of the international Biochar Initiative and co-editor with Dr Johannes Lehmann of the first major publication on biochar. He is now a visiting professor at the University of NSW and director of a number of companies involved in bioenergy and bio sequestration. He is also managing director of Anthroterra Pty Ltd.
Ellen Baum, a founding member of the International Biochar Initiative, is a senior scientist with the Clean Air Task Force, a nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing atmospheric pollution through research, advocacy, and private sector collaboration. In recent years, Baum’s work has focused on air pollution and climate, with a special emphasis on carbonaceous aerosol science and policy and long-range transport to vulnerable ecosystems, such as the Arctic. She received BA from Antioch College and Masters in Forest Science and Public Health from Yale University.
David Wayne was born in the UK, obtained his school education and bachelor's degree (in chemistry) in Johannesburg, South Africa, continuing studies in Chemical Physics at Queen's University Ontario and Cambridge, England. After short spells of postdoctoral research in Southampton, the Smithsonian Institution in Massachusetts and the Herzberg Institute in Ottawa, he joined Shell Research, working on various topics including flame radiation, transport properties in liquids, lubrication and finally, biochar.