Professor Michel Verstraete: Global Change Institute Visiting Professor
- Wits University
Professor Michel Verstraete is a Visiting Professor at the Global Change Institute at Wits with over 250 contributions published.
Professor Michel Verstraete was appointed as a Distinguished Scholar at Wits University in 2013 and is currently a Visiting Professor associated with the Global Change Institute at Wits. He concurrently served as the Chief Scientist of the South African National Space Agency from 2013 to 2016.
Verstraete graduated with an MSc in Meteorology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1978. He then joined the United Nations Environment Programme in Kenya until 1981, before returning to MIT to complete his DSc in Atmospheric Sciences, which he attained in 1985.
He worked at the National Center for Atmospheric Research from September 1981 to August 1990, and served as a Visiting Professor at the University of Michigan until July 1990. He then joined the European Commission's Joint Research Centre in Italy where he worked for 23 years.
He joined Wits in 2013 as a Distinguished Professor remains a Visiting Professor at this University.
Professor Verstraete is well-published with over 250 contributions, has edited various books and participated in numerous conferences, some of which he organised, around the world and in South Africa. He is also a member of the Steering Committee of the Global Climate Observing System and has occupied many editorial positions at prestigious academic journals.