Ingrid Verstraeten

In her current capacity, Dr. Verstraeten is the primary USGS liaison with International Organizations and individual countries and overseas program related to natural resources including energy, minerals including raw materials, water, biology, geography, geospatial and engineering applications, natural hazards, and big natural resource data structures located in Europe, Eurasia, and Circum Arctic. She manages and overseas USGS programs in Europe, Russia, and Central Asia, coordinates bilateral and multilateral agreements, and coordinates USGS interaction with International Organizations.

She Co-Chaired three bilateral Science and Technology working groups coordinating selected science and technology activities for the US interagency with Kazakhstan, Italy, and France and led one bilateral Sub-Working Group with Uzbekistan. She also is the USGS Co-Chair of the USGS-INGV Executive Committee focused on bilateral cooperation in the area of natural hazards, earth observation applications, and environment. She was the US Representative and Vice Chair to the Working Party on Biodiversity, Water, and Environment, of the Environmental Policy Committee of OECD. She was a Vice Chair for the Marie Curie FP7 program. She participates in bilateral Joint Commission Meetings in science and technology in her region of responsibility, including, but not limited to, Russia, Nordic Countries, European Commission, Iceland, Italy, France, Germany, Poland, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. She coordinates science and technology activities with the US Government, including the National Science Foundation and coordinates activities with NGOs and Universities.

Previously, she acted as the Associate Chief/Physical Scientist of the USGS International Water Resources Branch, where she focused on water resources programs in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Middle East, Cape Verde, Mongolia, and Madagascar, as well as transboundary issues in Latin America. She also worked on issues pertaining to the UN and UNESCO, providing technical assistance to the US Department of State in its formulation of water policy and managing programs funded by the US Agency for International Development, the US State Department, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, and the World Bank in the Middle East, Africa, South America, and Asia. Technical assistance included activities rendered to those countries under the sponsorship of the Department of State, the Agency for International Development, the U.N. and its specialized agencies such as UNESCO and IHP, and other Federal agencies including USAID and MCC or host countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Madagascar, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Mongolia, Latin America, and northern Africa.