Dr Flavia Schlegel

Dr Flavia Schlegel has a distinguished international career, which includes positions as a Science Diplomat in Washington DC, the USA, and Shanghai, China. At UNESCO, Dr Schlegel held the position of Assistant Director General for the Natural Sciences sector. During her tenure, 2014 – 2019, she oversaw UNESCO’s response to multilateral development agendas such as the 2030 Agenda or the Paris Agreement. In Shanghai, Dr Schlegel established swissnex China – the Swiss House for Science, Technology, Innovation, and Culture – a trans-disciplinary institution supported by public and private funding. She also served as Vice-Director at the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health, responsible for pandemic preparation, prevention of communicable and non-communicable diseases, and bioethics. From April 2019 to December 2020, Dr Schlegel served as the International Science Council’s first Special Envoy for Science in Global Policy. Current mandates in a senior advisory role include science engagement for I-DAIR, the recently created International Digital Health & Artificial Intelligence Research Collaborative (a follow-up initiative to the UN High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation), SDG alignment of a multilateral development bank, and support to the COVID-19 task force of the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health. Her areas of expertise are public health, international science cooperation for sustainable development, and multi-actor governance. She benefits from a global network covering science/science-policy interface/science diplomacy, governmental and non-governmental organizations, and the private sector. Dr Schlegel holds a Medical Doctorate and a Master’s Degree in Organizational Development.