Professor Conrad is an Associate Professor with the Division of Environmental Management and Planning within the Institute of Earth Systems of the University of Malta. She is a geographer and environmental management specialist by training and has worked professionally in these fields in both the public and private sectors. She also has experience in various international research and outreach initiatives, in subject areas including landscape management, biodiversity conservation, and sustainability. She is author/co-author of several publications in these fields. Prof Conrad is also a Member of the World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) and the Species Survival Commission of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Professor Spindel is a Professor of Integrated Science and Technology in the College of Integrated Science and Engineering at James Madison University. He has a Bachelors in Engineering, a Masters in Electrical Engineering, and Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering. His research interests include implantable devices (hearing), testing and treatment in vestibular and balance disorders including work in virtual and augmented reality, high altitude balloon flight, and small satellite technology. Dr. Spindel started his career with NASA Johnson Space Center and has been faculty at the University of Virginia, Thomas Jefferson University, and James Madison University where he has served in both teaching and university leadership roles.
Program teaching faculty come from both James Madison University and University of Malta. Faculty bring a wide range of knowledge, skills, and experience that cross the range of subjects that are part of the program including systems thinking, analytical approaches, data science, Earth system science, conservation, food security and agriculture, energy, waste, water systems, statistics, and science and technology, among others.