Anika Nicolaas Ponder leads IKEM’s Climate and Innovation Department and has over fifteen years of experience in research at the intersection of climate action, communication, diversity and gender equality. She specialises in the opportunities for social empowerment and engagement arising from the energy transition, as well as innovative formats for science communication.

The projects for which Anika has been responsible at IKEM include the annual IKEM Academy, the award-winning Infographic Energy Transition Coloring Book, as well as a project to visualise and disseminate the results of the WindNODE project. She also led the Baltic InteGrid project, which analysed the potential of a transnational offshore power grid in the Baltic Sea.

Anika studied at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences and completed a Master’s degree in Economics and Development at the Sorbonne, Paris. Her academic career is complemented by extensive professional experience in international organisations, such as the OSCE Mission in Kosovo and the United Nations, where she worked on topics linked to sustainable development, among others. She speaks four languages.