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Institute of Advanced Study
External shot of Institute of Advanced study at Cosin's Hall

Yuyun Yunia Ismawati

IAS Fellow at Hatfield College, January-March 2027

Contact DetailsHeadshot of Yuyun Yunia Ismawati_IAS Fellow 2026/27

  • Home Institution email: yuyun@nexus3foundation.org  
  • Durham email: TBC
  • Durham Tel: TBC

Yuyun Yunia Ismawati is a co-founder of Nexus3 Foundation and currently the Cochair of the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN). She is the Senior Advisor at her NGO, based in Indonesia, and is affiliated with several global NGO networks as a Steering Committee or Board Advisory Committee member.

For over twenty years, Yuyun Ismawati’s research has focused on the intersection of development, environment and health. Her work covers five main areas:

  1. Multilateralism in environmental agreements.
  2. Empower civil society and communities to generate data.
  3. Advocate for policy changes to protect human health and the environment.
  4. Address injustice and social inequalities as the impact of development in communities.
  5. Promote and advocate for transparent pollution control and toxic trades.

Yuyun’s contributions are framed by a multidisciplinary, multi-stakeholder approach that integrates data generation; hazardous substances and wastes; laboratory analysis and interpretation; technical aspects; health risks; and the policy and regulatory framework. Most of her works are grounded in Indonesia and are also shared and replicated in other countries to generate findings that can be advocated globally through legally binding instruments and negotiations.

In the last 15 years, she has raised over USD 5,000,000 and led numerous funded projects and action research. Her works combine research methodologies, fieldwork, and multistakeholder dialogue.

In addition to publishing technical reports, Yuyun actively contributes to science through publications in international journals. Since 2010, she has published more than 30 papers in leading journals and contributed two book chapters.

Yuyun is globally recognised with academic and NGO networks in Europe, the UK, the USA, Africa and Latin America. She has presented over 20 papers at international conferences and frequently collaborates with colleagues and networks worldwide. She also participates in and actively contributes to the chemicals and waste convention negotiation meetings, including the ongoing plastic treaty negotiations. 

As an IAS Fellow, she will work with Professor Gavin Bridge (Geography) and Professor Chris Greenwell (Earth Sciences) on a project exploring Circulatory Materials. The project aims to explore ideas on circulatory materials and the roles of materials in all sectors to support sustainable consumption and production of finite resources. The project will contribute to research capacity in academia and the wider scientific community. This work will involve organising interdisciplinary seminars and workshops, working with colleagues from different departments and schools to explore knowledge production and its global implications. She also plans to engage with non-academic communities to apply research to address local challenges. Through international research initiatives and partnerships, she aims to extend the project's reach by leveraging Durham's global networks.

Events

TBC