About us
SDCI History
The Science Diplomacy Center, Inc. (SDCI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in the United States that was incorporated in Massachusetts on 28 June 2022. SDCI emerged in Boston because of its unique science, technology and innovation ecosystem that is well-positioned to become a global science diplomacy hub with world-class academic institutions, vibrant international business community, and an exceptional diplomatic presence involving nearly 70 nations.
The origins of SDCI go back to 2016 and the Science Diplomacy Doctoral Dissertation Enhancement Workshop series that was initiated by Paul Arthur Berkman (who was then with Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University as the first Professor of the Practice in Science Diplomacy) and Larry Susskind (Ford Professor of Urban and Environmental Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology). This workshop series extended to Boston University, Harvard University and the University of Massachusetts Boston with active involvement of the Science & Technology Diplomatic Circle (S&TDC) of Boston. In 2021, this workshop series became global with the United Nations Institute of Training and Research (UNITAR) hosting an Executive Summer Programme on Innovations in Science Diplomacy in Boston with the above universities and Swissnex, which created the S&TDC network.
SDCI was founded by Professors Berkman and Susskind among the six Founding Directors, all of whom were in the United States. The initial Board of Directors established a formal relationship with UNITAR through a Memorandum of Understanding and with the University of the Arctic (UArctic) as a member among nearly 200 institutions. The initial SDCI Board of Directors also ensured proper administrative and financial operations of this new nonprofit, enabling successful handover to a new Board of Directors with Professors Berkman and Susskind providing continuity to expand the Board internationally.
The expanded Board of Directors began with: Professor Maria Ivanova with Northeastern University (who had been among the faculty with the above workshop series and UNITAR programme); Tan Sri Professor Zakri Abdul Hamid from Malaysia (who started the International Institute of Science Diplomacy and Sustainability (IISDS) at UCSI University and Professor Saleem Ali with the University of Delaware. SDCI is honoured to welcome new Directors: Prof. Ana María Cetto at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; Dr. Kilaparti Ramakrishna at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute; Dr. Hayat Sindi from Saudi Arabia; and Prof. Temitope Sogbanmu with the University of Lagos in Nigeria. The current SDCI Officers are: President (Professor Susskind), Treasurer (Professor Ali) and Clerk (Professor Ivanova).
The methods, skills and theory being trained and applied by SDCI already are contributing globally, as illustrated already by the Global Indigenous Youth Summit on Climate Change (GIYSCC) that has involved nearly 3000 registrants from 140 nations representing 355 languages in just the first three years. The scope for SDCI sustainability is accelerating with such initiatives, which currently include development of a Science Diplomacy MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) for the benefit of the Global South and with the 5th International Polar Year in 2032-2033 as the next step in the “oldest continuous climate research program created by humanity” going back the late 19th century.
With hope and inspiration into the 22nd century and beyond – across a ‘continuum of urgencies’ that requires common-interest building and informed decisionmaking – SDCI is actively contributing with science diplomacy for the benefit of all on Earth across generations.