Mark New

Mark New is the Pro-Vice Chancellor for Climate Change and Director of the African Climate and Development Initiative (ACDI) at the University of Cape Town (UCT). He also holds a joint appointment as Professor of International Development at the University of East Anglia in the UK. In his role as Pro-VC for Climate Change, he oversees the ACDI and coordinates innovative research and teaching focused on low carbon and climate-resilient development from an African perspective. In 2016, he was awarded the AXA Chair in African Climate Risk. His research program aims to quantify and understand the evolving risks of climate change on water and food security in southern Africa, integrating expertise from climate risk attribution, statistical sciences, hydrology, agriculture, and economics. This work includes assessing human influences on climate risk and system exposure, evaluating socio-economic damages, and analyzing the return on investment for strategies aimed at reducing vulnerability in water and food systems. Mark actively collaborates with public, private, and civil society organizations to maximize the societal impact of his research.