Dr Flavia Schlegel has a distinguished international career, which includes positions as a Science Diplomat in Washington DC, USA and Shanghai, China.

At UNESCO, Dr Schlegel held the position of Assistant Director General for the Natural Sciences. 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, a trans-disciplinary institution supported by public and private funding.

As Vice-Director at the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health, she was responsible for pandemic preparation, prevention of communicable and non-communicable diseases and bioethics.

Dr Schlegel also served as the International Science Council’s first Special Envoy for Science in Global Policy. Other mandates in a senior advisory role included science engagement for HEALTH AI (formerly I-DAIR), 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, One Health and Planetary 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.