Our Team (Test)
Leadership
Prof. Mark Zeitoun
Director General
Prof Mark Zeitoun leads the Geneva Water Hub, and is a Professor of Water Diplomacy at the Graduate Institute in Geneva. He has led on multiple research and water supply projects, and supported water negotiations throughout Western Asia and Africa. His research focuses on international transboundary water conflict and cooperation, the influence of armed conflict on water services, and the links between water, war and health. He studied engineering at McGill University and human geography at King's College London. He is author of Power and Water: the Hidden Politics of the Palestinian-Israeli Water Conflict (IB Tauris 2008), Water Conflicts: Analysis for Transformation (OUP 2020, with Naho Mirumachi and Jeroen Warner), and Reflections: Understanding our use and abuse of water (OUP 2023).
Dr. Caroline Pellaton
Operations Director
Dr. Pellaton is the Operations Director for the Geneva Water Hub. As a member of the Steering Committee, she contributes to defining the overall strategy and of the Geneva Water Hub. Her responsibilities include overseeing the implementation of the Geneva Water Hub's programs and linking with key stakeholders. Additionally, she shares responsibility, alongside Dr. Mara Tignino, for defining and implementing the program on the protection of water in armed conflicts. From 2007 to 2018, Ms. Pellaton served as a coordinator for the Water and Habitat Unit of the International Committee of the Red Cross, working in diverse contexts such as Sri Lanka, Niger, the Republic of South Sudan, the Central African Republic, Yemen, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). She holds a doctorate in earth sciences from the University of Geneva.
Prof. Christian Bréthaut
Scientific Director
Christian Bréthaut is an Associate Professor in water governance at the Institute for Environmental Sciences (ISE) and at the Department of Geography and Environment at the University of Geneva. He is the Scientific Director of the Geneva Water Hub and he co-leads the UNESCO Chair on Hydropolitics alongside with Géraldine Pflieger. His areas of expertise are the analysis of water policies and the issues associated with the management of cross border rivers. Prof. Bréthaut's particular focus within the domain of water management is the capacity of institutions to adapt, the water-food-energy-ecosystems nexus and the exploration of the link between science and policy. Access his full biography on the dedicated University of Geneva webpage.