Dr. Joaquin Ruiz received his B.S. in Geology and Chemistry from the University of Miami and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Geology from the University of Michigan. He joined the University of Arizona Geosciences Department as Assistant Professor and was promoted to Associate Professor in 1989 and Professor in 1993, serving as head of the Department of Geosciences from 1995 to 2000. He served as Dean of the College of Science from 2000-2019, Executive Dean of the Colleges of Letters, Arts and Science from 2009-2018, and Vice President for Innovation from 2013-2019. He was appointed Vice President of Global Environmental Futures in 2019 and has served as the Thomas R. Brown Chair and Director of Biosphere 2 since 2013. Dr. Ruiz is a Mexican Academy of Sciences member and was named a National Researcher by the Mexican government in 2010, when he was recognized for his outstanding scientific contributions and efforts to enhance Mexico's scientific and technological capacity through collaborations with the UA and research institutions in Mexico. In 2018, the Mexican Secretary of State named Dr. Ruiz one of forty distinguished Mexican citizens living abroad who have brought distinction to the country. As a scientist with equal abilities in chemistry and in geology, Dr. Ruiz addresses many first-order problems in the Earth Sciences, such as the development of new isotope systems for studying ore deposits and the tectonic processes involved in the growth and evolution of Mexico. His research team addresses problems ranging from the origins of life to present-day climate change.

Email: jruiz@arizona.edu

Dr. Ferriere is a mathematical ecologist who studies a broad array of questions about life on Earth and off Earth. He is particularly interested in how ecological systems emerge and evolve, how they adapt to environmental challenges and how their adaptation reshapes the environment. He obtained his doctoral degree in mathematical ecology at Paris University and subsequently worked as a research associate at the University of Arizona and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in Laxenburg, Austria.

With collaborators in Austria and The Netherlands, Dr. Ferriere pioneered the field of eco-evolutionary mathematics, which he has been expanding ever since. As a professor at Ecole Normale Supérieure (ENS) in Paris, France, Dr. Ferriere was the founding director of the CNRS-ENS Ecotron IleDeFrance, a large research infrastructure to promote experiments on complex ecological systems under highly controlled environmental conditions. In 2012, Dr. Ferriere was appointed as an Associate Professor at the University of Arizona. With support from the Partner University Fund, he established a collaboration bridge through research and advanced training between UArizona and ENS, one of the elite schools of Paris Sciences & Lettres University (PSL). In 2017, he extended the cooperation program as he became director of the iGLOBES (Interdisciplinary and Global Environmental Studies) International Research Laboratory, a joint venture between UArizona, ENS, PSL University, and the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS).

 iGLOBES has been instrumental in the creation, in 2021, of the France-Arizona Institute for Global Grand Challenges, intended to foster existing and new collaborations between the French scientific community and UArizona in all disciplines. A strong advocate for respect, diversity, and inclusion in the scientific endeavor, Dr. Ferriere strives to nurture and promote the best talents and ideas to advance the science that can help solve the global grand challenges of our time.

Email: regisf@arizona.edu 

Sky Dominguez serves as the Associate Director of Engagement and Program Development for the France-Arizona Institute for Global Grand Challenges (FAI), at the University of Arizona, Tucson. The FAI is the home of the 1^st International Research Center (IRC) with France's National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS). Ms. Dominguez holds a master’s degree in environmental microbiology from the University of Arizona and a B.S. in Biology from San Diego State University. After her master’s degree she transitioned out of the lab and to the administrative side of research programs – combining her passion for science with her desire to play a critical role in envisioning and supporting education and research programs. After 11 years in international research development Sky joined the FAI in March 2022. Her key responsibilities include managing all FAI and the IRC multifaceted programing, initiatives, and infrastructure development, as well as developing and implementing international collaborations and partnerships including the UA partnership with France’s CNRS.  Sky is a proud Fulbright Scholar, receiving a Fulbright France International Research Administrator Award in 2024.

Email: skyd@arizona.edu