MS. ANGELIKA S. NAMDAR was appointed Coordinator of the CARICOM Regional Universities Network (RUN) on April 16th, 2021 for a period of one year. The RUN is established as a ‘network of excellence’ for research and education on sustainable energy and includes the participation of the national and the regional universities to enhance the engagement of the Network, with each other and with external stakeholders, by providing a space for the exchange of ideas and facilitate collaborative dialogue. Ms. Namdar was nominated by the Anton de Kom University (AdeKUS) for this position, where she currently serves as the Director of the Faculty of Technology.

As Coordinator, Ms. Namdar will support the Steering Committee of the RUN in managing the Network’s operations and will also work closely with the Dr. Devon Gardner, Programme Manager of the CARICOM Energy Unit, to implement the RUN workplan and other important measures in line with the CARICOM Energy Programme.

After earning her first degree in Infrastructure Engineering, specialising in Land and Water Management from the AdeKUS, Ms. Namdar went on to complete an Advanced Master’s of Science in Transport and Maritime Management from the University of Antwerp (UA). With 25 years of experience as a Spatial Planner, over various fields of work, Ms. Namdar has accumulated a wealth of knowledge in research and planning, strategic planning, policy development, project development, implementation, and monitoring and management.

Over the last 12 years Ms. Namdar served as the Senior Lecturer in Spatial and Urban Planning at the AdeKUS where she coordinated scientific and applied research and management in the local and regional context in the field of urban and spatial planning and other interdisciplinary related fields. She also served as the Programme Coordinator of the joint Master of Science programmes in Renewable Energy Technology (RET) implemented at the University of Suriname and the University of Guyana.

Before her career in academia, Ms. Namdar worked in the public sector for six years, where she led the Planning Department at the Ministry of Public Works and subsequently as a Policy Advisor in Spatial and Urban Planning and Environment at the Ministry of Spatial Planning, Land and Forest Management.

Ms. Namdar serves as President of the Spatial Planners Association Suriname (SPASU), Advisory Board Member of the Caribbean Network for Urban and Land Management (CNULM) of the University of the West Indies Chair of the Association of Scientists of the University of Suriname (VWPU), Secretary of the Caribbean Planners Association (CPA), and is an active member of the Regional Organization Committee of the Caribbean Urban Forum (CUF) and the Coordination Team of the Association of Technologists in Suriname (VST) in establishment. Ms. Namdar’s contributions as a Board Member of both academic and professional associations in Suriname and the larger Caribbean region, her participation in different civil society groups, in addition to management experience acquired over the course of her career make her an exceptional candidate for the position of RUN Coordinator.