Michael Balinga has joined CIFOR as a Regional Scientist, based in Labe, Guinea. He is attached to the Livelihood programme’s Landscape Management for Improved Livelihoods Project. Michael oversees the forestry inputs from their economic, community forestry and technical perspectives and is also handling biodiversity and landscape management issues.

Dhamar Adhibawono joins CIFOR as a Regional Office Operations Accountant responsible for financial and accounting support. Prior to CIFOR, Dhamar worked as a Senior and Grant Accountant for ‘Habitat for Humanity’ in Aceh, Indonesia. He holds a major in accounting from the University of Indonesia.

Nyanita Noviantina is CIFOR’s new Administration Manager responsible for a range of administrative functions, such as procurement, facility services and operations, and community liaison. Novi was previously a Manager at Chemonics International in Jakarta. She has a degree in English literature from the Foreign Language Institute, Bandung, Indonesia.

John Watts has joined CIFOR as a Research and Communications Officer with the CIFOR-ICRAF Biodiversity Platform project. John is assigned to CIFOR under the Australian Young Ambassador for Development (AYAD) program. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Sydney and is currently studying for a Master of Environmental Management.

Tim Cronin joins CIFOR under the Australian Young Ambassador for Development program. An experienced communications specialist, Tim is assisting ISG with writing, events management and media. Before arriving in Bogor, Tim was a Business Development Manager with Landcare Australia. He holds a degree in mass-communications from Macquarie University.

Davison Gumbo joins CIFOR’s Livelihoods programme as a Regional Scientist. Based in Zambia, he oversees research in Southern Africa and works with the CIFOR team in Ethiopia and Burkina Faso. He was previously an Ecoregion Leader with the Miombo Ecoregion Conservation Programme in Zimbabwe. Davison has a Ph.D. in Geography from Clarke University in the UK.