Catalina Jaime earns PhD and appointed Lead Author at IPCC

On August 25, 2025, Catalina Jaime defended her PhD thesis at the University of Twente’s ITC faculty, marking a significant milestone in her distinguished career at the intersection of climate, conflict, and humanitarian action. Simultaneously, she has been appointed as a Lead Author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Seventh Assessment Report, a prestigious role within the global climate science community.

Catalina Jaime is the Head of Climate and Conflict at the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre and leads anticipatory action in conflict settings at the Anticipation Hub. With over 20 years of experience in humanitarian action, she has focused on climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction in vulnerable contexts. She was a contributing author to the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report and has led the partnership with the International Committee of the Red Cross since 2021, integrating climate risk into global operations. Her PhD research at the University of Twente focused on early warning and early action in conflict-affected areas. Her work contributes to improving early warning systems that address not only hazards but also the vulnerabilities of affected communities.

My research was inspired by witnessing the double impacts of climate change and conflict around the world, and the urgent need to protect the most vulnerable by reducing disaster risks. I began my PhD at a crucial moment to build evidence on a critical question: how can Early Warning and Early Action operate and be improved in situations of armed conflict? Through this work, I have been able to shape further research, policy, and practice to advance the effective delivery of Early Warning and Early Action for communities enduring the horrors of war

Professor Maarten van Aalst, Catalina’s PhD supervisor at the University of Twente and Director General of KNMI notes: “I’m very proud of the scientific and societal contribution of this thesis, and the deep impact of Catalina’s leadership on climate action in conflict settings, in particular the provision of early warnings to some of the most vulnerable populations – a critical contribution to the UN Early Warnings for All initiative."

This thesis truly reflects the spirit of the Princess Margriet Chair, which I held when Catalina’s PhD track was initiated,  to make a difference with science for humanitarian action, and therefore also very appropriate that Professor van den Homberg, who currently holds the chair, was on the PhD committee during the defense.

Catalina Jaime during her PhD defence

Catalina Jaime and her two paranymphs durings her PhD defence ceremony

Catalina Jaime discusses the content of her PhD research

In addition to her academic work, Catalina is a guest lecturer at several universities and serves as a trustee at MapAction. She played a key role in the creation of the Anticipation Hub and has recently led the development of the Operational Procedures of the Climate Risk Early Warning Systems Initiative (CREWS) to enhance its delivery in contexts of Fragility, Conflict and Violence. Her appointment as Lead Author at the IPCC highlights her international recognition. In this role, she will contribute to the chapter on chapter 20 (Poverty, livelihoods, mobility and fragility), applying her expertise to analyze the impact of climate change on conflict-affected and vulnerable regions.