Dr Andrew D. Noble is Head of IWMI-SEA and Principal Research Scientist with a strong background in agronomy and soil science. Prior to joining IWMI in 2002, he was a Principal research Scientist with CSIRO Land and Water based in Townsville, far north Queensland, Australia, where he worked in both the wet and semi-arid tropics on issues associated with land degradation including soil acidification and the potential role of clay based materials in rehabilitating degraded soils. He has held Lecturing positions (1982 – 1989) at the University of KwaZulu Natal South Africa and Project Leader and Principal Research Scientist with the Institute for Commercial Forestry Research (1989 – 1992) working in the area of commercial plantation forestry. He has over 108 peer reviewed journal articles and book chapters and over 100 conference proceedings. He has supervised several MSc and PhD thesis and is on the editorial board of several international journals.

Dr. Chu Thai Hoanh is a Senior Water Resources Specialist having joined the Institute in 2003. He has 34 years of experience in research and management with a strong focus in GIS and modeling for land and water management. In 2001, he was awarded a medal by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam in recognition of his contribution to Agriculture and Rural Development. He holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural and Environmental Sciences from the International Institute for Aerospace and Earth Sciences (ITC) and Wageningen University in The Netherlands.

Dr Christian Valentin is Project Leader for the Management of Soil Erosion Consortium that operates in four countries of Southeast Asia, through a programme between IWMI and IRD (Institut de Recherche pour le Développement). He is member of the IRD board and head of the IRD Research Unit on Soils, Land Uses, Degradation, and Rehabilitation. He is currently heads of the IRD-IWMI office in the National Agricultural and Forestry Research Institute, Vientiane, Laos. He is an agronomy engineer (Institut National Agronomique Paris-Grignon), holds a PhD in soil science and a habilitation to supervise PhD from the University of Paris.

Dr. Olivier Ribolzi has 10 years experience in the field of hydrochemistry. The overall aim of his research is to contribute to an interdisciplinary understanding of the hydrological and biogeochemical functioning of catchment systems and the hydroecology of associated river networks. Olivier is a Research Scientist of IRD (Institut de Recherche pour le Développement), seconded to IWMI (International Water Management Institut) for MSEC ( Management of Soil Erosion Consortium) project. He is currently based at the National Agricultural and Forestry Research Institute, Vientiane, Laos.

Dr Alain Pierret has 10 years experience in the field of soil biophysics and has specialized in the study of the interactions between plant roots and soil structure. Alain joined IRD in December 2004 and is posted in NAFRI, Vientiane, Lao PDR, since early April 2005. His current activities include (i) investigating the links between land use, root growth dynamics and soil erosion in the mountain environments of Northern Lao PDR and (ii) identifying potential root-related causal agents of rubber tree bark necrosis syndrome in Northeast Thailand.

Mr Jean-Pierre Thiebaux is a hydrologist engineer of IRD, posted at the National Agricultural and Forestry Research Institute (NAFRI) in Vientiane, Laos, seconded to IWMI to work on the MSEC project. He has 30 years of experience in tropical hydrology, watershed management, erosion and chemical river water fluxes. He has also experience in coastal erosion, urban hydrology, mass movements, wind erosion and rainfall simulation. Jean-Pierre has authored or co-authored several field and expertise reports.

Mr. Emmanuel Bourdon is a soil scientist with IRD, posted at the National Agricultural and Forestry Research Institute (NAFRI) in Vientiane, Laos, seconded to IWMI for the MSEC project. He has 25 years experience in tropical soil and agriculture management. Prior to his posting in Laos, he conducted agronomic experiments and soil moisture monitoring in a salt-affected region of Northeast Thailand.

Mr. Guillaume Lestrelin is a PhD student in Geography at the University of Durham (UK). Since 2002, he has been conducting research in Laos and Thailand with the French Institute of Research for Development (IRD), seconded to the International Water Management Institute (IWMI). Guillaume area of specialization is in the area of human geography and development studies. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Ecology from the University of Marseille, France and a Master’s degree in Development and Environment from the University of Orléans, France.

Dr. Didier Orange is a Research Scientist at the National Institute for Soils and Fertilizers (NISF) in Hanoi, Vietnam and has led the in country team for the MSEC program. Didier is a hydrologist and geochemist seconded to IWMI from the French research institute IRD, he has over 20 years of experience in tropical hydrology, watershed management, erosion and chemical river water fluxes, data collection and analysis, modeling and capacity building. In Vietnam, Didier is studying the surface runoff on steep slopes using hydrological and geochemical modelling with lumped and distributed models. He leads with CIRAD-NIAH and NISF research program on fodder cropping for livestock development in mountainous regions of South East Asia.

E-mail:pascal.jouquet@ird.fr

Dr. Pascal Jouquet is a soil ecologist working at the Institute for Soils and Fertilizers (ISF) in Hanoi, Vietnam. He has 8 years of experience in soil ecology under the tropics. His work focuses on the impact of soil engineers (earthworms, termites and ants) on soil properties and ecosystem functioning. His current activities in Vietnam include the study of (i) the effect of land use change on soil macrofauna diversity, (ii) the consequences for soil physical and chemical properties, and (iii) water infiltration and soil erosion (Dong Cao Watershed, MSEC Program).