Chris is a research scientist with expertise in ecology, supply chain modelling, and private sector engagement. He joined Trase in 2018 and works in the impact and research teams, leading engagement with the corporate sector. Chris has helped develop models, tools and associated projects at SEI that explore the role of consumption and supply chain activities on environmental degradation and sustainable development. Chris holds a degree in Ecology, Conservation and the Environment (BSc, 2005) and Ecology (PhD, 2010) from the University of York. He works part-time on Trase.

Stockholm Environment Institute

André is the Global Engagement Lead at Trase, Global Canopy's supply chain mapping initiative in partnership with the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI). Based in Oxford, UK, André coordinates the team's engagement activities involving dialogue and solutions building with global actors to make agricultural commodity supply chains more sustainable. Over the last five years his work has focused on deforestation and supply chains, with a particular emphasis on the exposure of Chinese and European markets to deforestation and climate impacts.

Global Canopy

Engagement

Management

Clement is an Earth scientist and software developer who joined Trase in 2015. He is a co-founder of Trase and leads the development team behind Trase's data systems. He developed the first prototype of the Trase Earth platform. Before joining Trase, Clement was a researcher in planetary geophysics. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he developed tools to study the magnetism of extraterrestrial rocks, including lunar samples from the Apollo missions and meteorites. Clement holds degrees in geosciences from Grenoble University (MSc, 2005) and Aix-Marseille University (PhD, 2009).

Supply chain mapping

Data

Erasmus is a scientist studying global food systems. He is based at UCLouvain and since 2018 has been working with the Trase research team to map commodity supply chains and analyse data for priority agendas. Erasmus is a qualified veterinarian and has a PhD on sustainable livestock farming, focusing on the impacts of the cattle ranching and animal feed sectors. Erasmus holds degrees from the University of Cambridge in Veterinary Medicine (MA VetMB, 2013), Food Security (MRes 2014), and Sustainable Livestock Production (PhD, 2018).

Université catholique de Louvain

Jason is a geospatial data specialist and researcher. He started collaborating with Trase in 2018 and works on Indonesian supply chains. Previously, Jason was the Data Analytics and Visualization lead at The Forest Trust (now Earthworm Foundation) focusing on geo-data management, supply chain mapping, and data collection support for field assessments and smallholder engagement. He has broad experience in geospatial data analysis working in the private sector and non-profits in Malaysia and Australia. Jason holds a degree in Remote Sensing from the University of Technology Malaysia (BSc, 2004).

University of California, Santa Barbara

Spatial intelligence

Jonathan is a conservation scientist and joined Trase in 2018. Jonathan works across Trase's impact and research teams mapping commodity supply chains and analysing Trase data for priority agendas. Before joining Trase, Jonathan investigated the ecological impacts of coastal land conversion, worked closely with business and sustainability managers, and researched the impacts of agricultural commodity consumption on biodiversity. Jonathan holds degrees in Zoology from the University of St Andrews (BSc, 2007) and the University of Cambridge (PhD, 2012). Jonathan works part-time on Trase.

Research

Maria is a researcher specialising in commodity supply chains and their social and environmental impacts. She joined Trase in 2017. Maria works across Trase's impact and research teams mapping commodity supply chains and analysing data for key audiences in Latin America. Before joining Trase, she worked as a research assistant for a range of environmental NGOs and academic institutions and completed fieldwork in Brazil’s semi-arid zone. Maria holds degrees in Latin American studies from the University of Liverpool (BA, 2012) and Human Geography from the University of Cambridge (MPhil, 2014).

Mark is a conservation scientist and ecologist interested in the global drivers of biodiversity loss. He joined Trase in 2021, helping to map the international supply chains of commodities driving deforestation and assess their impacts on ecosystems. He also presents Trase at events, and helps companies, governments and financial institutions get the most out of our data. Before Trase, Mark completed a PhD exploring how the combination of land-use change and climate change shape global patterns of biodiversity loss (Durham University, 2022). He also holds degrees in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge (BA, 2016) and in Ecosystem and Environmental Change from Imperial College London (MRes, 2017).

Michael is an ecohydrologist and water footprint specialist who joined Trase in 2018. He leads Trase's supply-chain mapping team and research on priority agendas. Michael is a member of the Trase Management Team. Before joining Trase, he conducted research in Brazil and studied both water and carbon cycles in natural and agro-ecosystems. Michael holds degrees in Chemistry from the University of British Columbia (BSc, 2002) and Resources, Environment and Sustainability from the University of British Columbia (MSc, 2011; PhD, 2018).

Michaela is a Data and Policy Analyst at the European Forest Institute (EFI) who joined Trase in 2021. She analyzes Trase data in support of EFI’s work to promote transparency in forest-risk commodity supply chains. Prior to joining EFI, Michaela completed a PhD at Yale University on the impacts of natural resource policies on land use change. She holds degrees in Forestry and Environmental Studies from Yale University (PhD, 2021; MPhil, 2017), Natural Resources from North Carolina State University (MS, 2015), and Environmental Science and Policy from Duke University (BA, 2013). She works part-time on Trase.

European Forest Institute

Osvaldo is a geographic information systems specialist who joined Trase in 2021. He works on mapping supply chains and analysing data for key audiences in South America and China. Before joining Trase, Osvaldo worked at The Nature Conservancy Brazil as the technical coordinator of the Agroideal decision support system, with a focus on soy and beef production chains in Amazon, Cerrado and Chaco biomes. Osvaldo holds degrees in Geography from the State University of São Paulo (BA, 2008), and Agronomy from the University of São Paulo (MA, 2011) and the University of Toulon-Var (PhD, 2014).

Paula is the South America Engagement Lead at Trase, with special focus in Brazil, since 2024. Based in Rio de Janeiro, Paula promotes engagement activities involving dialogue and solutions building with Brazilian actors to make agricultural commodity supply chains more sustainable. With over 15 years of experience on land use and deforestation, she has worked at civil society and philanthropy organizations and participated in networks and multistakeholder coalitions.

Paula holds degrees in Environmental Management from University of Sao Paulo (BA, 2007) and in Economic Development from University of Campinas (MSc, 2013).

Rhian is a project coordinator who joined Trase in 2021. She works in the engagement team, working on trader and multiplier strategy development. Prior to joining Trase, Rhian has worked in a number of project coordinator roles in a range of fields, including wildlife conservation, climate change and social services. She holds a degree in Natural Sciences: Biology and Earth Sciences from Durham University (BSc, 2012) and Sustainable Cities from the University of Leeds (MSc, 2019). Rhian works part time on Trase.

Robert is an interdisciplinary land system scientist with expertise in environmental economics and remote sensing who started collaborating with Trase in 2018. Robert works on supply chain mapping and sustainability research on the Indonesian palm oil and wood pulp sectors and is also a member of the Trase Scientific Advisory Committee. Robert holds a degree in environment, economics and politics from Claremont McKenna College (BA, 2006) and degrees in economics (MA, 2015) and environment and resources (PhD, 2016) from Stanford University.

Simon is a mathematician and modeller who joined Trase in 2018. He works across Trase's data and research teams mapping commodity supply chains and analysing Trase data for priority agendas and target users. Before joining Trase, Simon worked on global supply chain mapping and consumption based models. He has experience developing and applying methods for quantifying the flows of goods and their associated impacts. Simon holds degrees in Mathematics and Theoretical Ecology from the University of York (MMath, 2006; PhD, 2012). He works part-time on Trase.

Thomas is a land-use governance expert who started collaborating with Trase in 2015. Thomas is the Trase lead at the European Forests Institute. His work focuses on target users in Europe, Indonesia and West Africa. Before joining EFI, Thomas worked on programs to address drivers of deforestation at the UN Environment Programme in Kenya, the World Bank in the United States, and for philanthropic foundations. Thomas holds degrees in Environmental Policy from the University of Cambridge (MPhil, 2008) and Public Policy from the Paris Institute of Political Studies.

Valentin is an economist researcher who joined Trase in 2023 and works in the Supply Chain Mapping and Research teams. He is in charge with updating and developing the cocoa supply chain models, in Ivory Coast and Ghana. Before that, Valentin was a PhD student at MCC Berlin and PSAE paris, where he did research on Indonesian palm oil deforestation and on pan-tropical indirect land use change, using econometrics. Valentin holds degrees in economics from Université Paris-Saclay (BSc, 2015; MSc, 2017; PhD, 2022) and in geography from Humboldt Universität zu Berlin (cotutelle PhD, 2022).

Chris West

Other Team Members

André Vasconcelos

Clement Suavet

Erasmus zu Ermgassen

Jason Benedict

Jonathan Green

Maria Tyldesley

Mark Titley

Michael Lathuilliere

Michaela Foster

Osvaldo Jose Ribeiro Pereira

Paula Bernasconi

Rhian Ebrey

Robert Heilmayr

Simon Croft

Thomas Sembres

Valentin Guye