Institute for Environment and Sanitation Studies at the University of Ghana
and CDKN Country Engagement Lead, Ghana

Prof. Chris Gordon is a former director of the Institute for Environment and Sanitation Studies at the University of Ghana. He has over thirty-five years of experience in teaching, research, and outreach in the areas of Limnology, Aquatic Resource Management, Coastal wetlands, Climate Change, Environmental Science, and Sustainability. He has led the development of documents for the Ghana Government, such as the Climate Change Policy, Biodiversity Policy and the State of the Environment Report 2016. Chris Gordon has won several awards including the Field medal for Conservation Biology (USA)  and the Order of the Volta, awarded for service in the area of Development, Education and Research.

His research interests are in Biodiversity, Earth System Governance, Sustainability Science, Ecotoxicology, Climate Change Adaptation and Environmental Policy. Chris’s current interests are in the barriers and enablers that link academia and policymakers in decision making. Additionally, Chris is interested in research and training for the delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals. He recent research includes ‘Managing small-scale mining: Assessing the potential for a more environmentally-sustainable and socially-inclusive small-scale gold mining industry in Ghana’ and ‘Nano and microscale plastics in coastal Ghana: the implication for global food safety and ecosystem functioning’.

Prof Gordon has consulted for organisations, such as ministries related to science and natural resources, as well as FAO, JICA, UNEP, USAID. He is a member of the Earth Commission, UN Environment – World Adaptation Science Programme, and the chairman of ISO 14015 Environmental Due Diligence review team. He has authored more than one hundred publications comprising books, book chapters, journal articles, reports and conference proceedings, including Coordinating Lead Author for Chapter 3 of the Africa IPBES report.

Chris Gordon has a doctorate degree in Human Environmental Science from King’s College, University of London, and a Masters degree in Freshwater Zoology from the University of Ghana.