Dr. Nfamara K Dampha (he/him) is a Research Scientist in Natural Capital and Ecosystem Services at IonE. Dr. Dampha serves on the Natural Capital Project (NatCap) Leadership Team where he catalyzes the UMN/IonE community of faculty, staff, and students toward high-impact interdisciplinary research with the NatCap. Overall, he seeks to strengthen IonE and NatCap’s partnership with local and international stakeholders to advance natural capital accounting and ecosystem service assessment and valuation to inform decision-making for building a sustainable future – in which people and the planet prosper together.

Before joining IonE, Dr. Dampha has over 13 years of professional, academic, and leadership experience working with international organizations, government institutions, universities, and nonprofits. He served as a Climate Change Consultant for the World Bank Group and a Postdoctoral Associate for the University of Minnesota. He supports the Bank’s approach to integrating climate change, nature, and sustainable development in its programmatic and analytical operations. Dr. Dampha received his Ph.D. and conducted a Postdoc at UMN focused on climate change adaptation and ecosystem service assessment and valuation; his Masters degree was in International Development Practice from UMN’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs. His research interests focus on sustainability, climate risk analysis, nature-based approaches for disaster risk reduction, natural resource economics (i.e., ecosystem service modeling and valuation), and forced displacement. He enjoys GIS-based remote sensing applications for ecosystem services assessment, climate risk assessment, and hazard mapping.