About

Oren Pizmony-Levy (he/him) is the Director of the Center for Sustainable Futures (formerly Working Group on Environmental and Sustainability Education). Pizmony-Levy is an Associate Professor in the Department of International and Transcultural Studies at Teachers College, Columbia University. His scholarship explores the intersection of global social movements and education including environmental and sustainability education. Pizmony-Levy earned his Ph.D. in sociology and comparative and international education from Indiana University, Bloomington. Prior to graduate school in the US, Pizmony-Levy worked in the Education Department of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (NGO) and was involved in the development of new environmental education curriculum and professional development for K-12 schools.

Pamela Koch is an Associate Director of the Center for Sustainable Futures (formerly Working Group on Environmental and Sustainability Education). She is also Mary Swartz Rose Associate Professor of Nutrition Education. Koch’s research is at the intersection of food and nutrition education, sustainable food system, and school meals. She has been the lead curriculum writer for many school-based curricula on food and nutrition. She has also been the PI on numerous evaluation studies on the effectiveness of food and nutrition educational programming, (e.g., cooking and gardening), and initiatives to improve school meals. Koch received her EdD from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Ann E. Rivet is an Associate Director of the Center for Sustainable Futures. She is also the Assistant Dean for Research at Teachers College Columbia University, and an associate professor of science education in the Mathematics, Science and Technology Department. Between 2016-2019 Dr. Rivet served as a program officer in the Division for Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings at the National Science Foundation. Dr. Rivet’s research has a dual focus on student learning of core disciplinary concepts and practices, and the effective design of strategies, models and curricula that foster understandings for all learners, in particular those underrepresented in STEM. Currently, her work examines the interrelationships between students’ understandings of core scientific concepts and broader conceptions such as systems and scale, and the design of classroom instructional strategies that support students’ situated learning of full scale Earth systems. Dr. Rivet is actively involved with current efforts to support the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) at both the policy and practitioner levels, including the development of open source high quality science curriculum materials. Her work has been published in leading journals including Science, the Journal of Research in Science Teaching and the American Education Research Journal, and she has presented her work in multiple national and international settings. She holds a bachelor's degree in physics from Brown University, and a doctoral degree in science education from the University of Michigan.

BrightFlame (she/they) is Strategist for Regenerative Earth Practices at the Center for Sustainable Futures, which features her nonfiction writing and workshops. She is known worldwide for her teaching and writing that blend spirituality, science and activism towards a just, regenerative world. Her key focus is helping people connect with the Earth and develop a de-centered relationship with Nature and all beings. The Working, her debut solarpunk novel, launched in 2024: a modern coven must thwart a looming eco-cataclysm and find the key to the bright future we need. Her short climate fiction appears in Solarpunk Creatures, Solarpunk Magazine, Optopia, and Bioluminescent. With her partner, she tends a native plant sanctuary of forest and meadow. Her musings and doodles: https://brightflame.com. Her articles: https://www.tc.columbia.edu/sustainability/news/stories/solarpunk/

Christina Torres (she/her/hers) is a doctoral candidate in Science Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is a research associate and the center coordinator at the Center for Sustainable Futures, with a research interest in climate change education. Christina is also an adjunct professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology (SUNY), where she teaches an Ecology and Environmental Problems course to students pursuing sustainable fashion. She is dedicated to promoting sustainability within university campuses as the co-president of the Sustainability Task Force at Teachers College and the faculty advisor of the Ethics and Sustainability student initiative at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Carine Verschueren is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of International and Transcultural Studies at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her scholarship sits at the intersection of education policy, the politics of education, and sustainability. Dr. Verschueren explores environmental and sustainability education policies in K-12 education systems worldwide. She is particularly interested in urban schools, and the implications of urban politics around sustainability for these schools. Her doctoral dissertation examined actors and factors in environmental and sustainability education policies at the school district level in the United States. She was also instrumental in 2018-2019 in launching, coordinating and moderating the sustainability webinar series: “Thinking Global, Educating Local” for the Center for Sustainable Futures. She holds a Ph.D. in International and Comparative Education from Columbia University and trained as an environmental educator at the Sheldrake Environmental Center in Larchmont, NY.

Darren Rabinowitz (he/him) is interested studying the impacts of education and human well-being on climate change. Specifically, how is human behavior and activities, which are seen to be the main cause of climate change, influenced by education and an individual's well-being? I am interested in exploring how education can curtail human behaviors that contribute to climate change and, in turn, support countries' sustainable development efforts toward greener economies, political structures and societies.

Noa Urbach (she/her) is a social entrepreneur, climate advocate, and a master's student in the International Education and Development program at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is a Research Associate at the TC Center for Sustainable Futures, and Columbia Learning the Earth with Artificial Intelligence and Physics. Before joining TC, Noa co-founded Helpi, a non-profit online platform based in Israel, that connects thousands of people in need with those who can support them through micro-volunteering opportunities. She is also the co-founder of Pendulum, a creative agency that produces workshops, films, and campaigns for social causes. Thanks to these efforts, Noa was shortlisted for Forbes 30 under 30 in 2020. Currently, Noa resides in New York City with her husband and two children.

Neil Potnis (he/him) is a PhD student in International and Comparative Education, serving as a Doctoral Fellow in the ICEd program and a Research Associate at the Center for Sustainable Futures. His research centers on climate change education and its translation into localized action. He holds an MS in Computational Design Practices from Columbia University GSAPP, where he combined his background in arts technology with climate education to develop a decarbonization simulator for building materials. Prior to joining the Center for Sustainable Futures, he held positions as a Design Fellow at Columbia Entrepreneurship and Program Instructor at Columbia World Projects leading diverse groups including the Obama Foundation Scholars and Social Impact Fellows through workshops on social and sustainability education. He also held research positions at Columbia’s Natural Materials Lab developing tools for climate education, Northeastern’s College of Arts, Media, and Design researching educational approaches to enhance constructive communication in online settings, and labr helping develop the first climate marketplace for direct action. His goal is to explore the broader role digital media plays in climate education and its influence on public movements worldwide. More at https://www.neilpotnis.net/about

Rashawn Khamari Merchant (he/him/his)  is a doctoral student at Teachers College, Columbia University studying Science Education. Rashawn is deeply passionate about climate change and environmental justice and aims to increase awareness especially toward non-scientists. Rashawn is a proud graduate of the University of Georgia's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and the Columbia Climate School. Rashawn's dedication to education has led him to several positions including as a lecturer at Columbia University's School of Professional Studies teaching Geographies of Environmental Justice & Sustainability and as an adjunct faculty member at John Jay College of Criminal Justice instructing Introduction to Environmental Science. Rashawn enjoys research and focuses on the intersection of climate education and public school systems, as he seeks to advance curriculum for lower income and marginalized students. 

Renda Sun (he/him/his) is a doctoral student in Science Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, with a focus on Climate Change Education and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). His previous academic background includes environmental policy, global affairs, environmental justice, and psychology. Renda is currently a Research Associate at the Center for Sustainable Futures (CSF) at Teachers College and a Graduate Intern in the Academic Affairs Office at the Columbia Climate School. Beyond Columbia, he serves as a Program Coordinator at the International Centre for UNESCO ASPnet (ICUA), where he promotes youth engagement in sustainable development across global communities. Previously, Renda contributed as a Course Coordinator and Teaching Assistant at Cornell’s Civic Ecology Lab, supporting large-scale MOOCs on climate change, environmental, and nature education, reaching hundreds of learners worldwide. He also has experience in curriculum development for Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) at the Central University of Finance and Economics and the China University of Petroleum.

Niklas Kei Nyblom (he/him/his) is a second-year student in the Psychology in Education (Clinical Psychology) M.A. Program at Teachers College, Columbia University. Born in Tokyo, Japan, Niklas was brought up in Stockholm, Sweden, in a multicultural household, including his Swedish father, Japanese mother, and two younger sisters. Niklas, therefore, brings a global perspective into his academic and professional work. A former professional swimmer and collegiate athlete at Keiser University, he earned his B.A. In psychology, human services concentration. Niklas's main area of interest lies at the boundary of the area between the mental spheres and questions on sustainability as reflected through motivation, obstacles, and emotions of a person contributing or developing different processes necessary for mitigation against changes in global conditions, specifically climate. He investigates the role interpersonal relationships, hope, and resilience play in creating collective efforts in acting toward a sustainable future. At the Center for Sustainable Futures, Niklas has also engaged on working with the public perception project and will present his group's work at AERA and CIES.  In his free time, Niklas proudly represents the Sustainability Task Force and hosts communal events to engage the student population in climate action. Following his Master's, he plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, continuing his research on an international level. He hopes to contribute to interdisciplinary efforts toward mental well-being and sustainability, helping communities to flourish in the face of complex environmental and social challenges.

Maja Dahms (she/her/hers) is a master’s student in International and Comparative Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. Previously, Maja studied Education Science and Philosophy at Humboldt University of Berlin, where she worked as a Research Assistant on interdisciplinary projects funded by the German Research Foundation and the SCRIPTS Cluster of Excellence. Her projects addressed topics such as the psychology of political parties, the academic socialization of postdocs, and issues of social justice in education, with a recent focus on how international organizations like the OECD and UNESCO negotiate the futures of education. Following her passion for education and innovation, she also facilitated student-led project seminars and organized a trip for teacher education students to some of Germany's most innovative schools. Maja is committed to studying the influence of international organizations in addressing climate change through educational governance, focusing on sustainable education policies and the responsibility of education in addressing the climate crisis.

Yixuan Yang (she/her/hers) is a master’s student in International and Comparative Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, focusing on educational equity and policy impact through quantitative research. Previously at Shanghai Normal University, she led a study applying Propensity Score Matching (PSM) to analyze systemic disparities in elite high school access, revealing how school choice reinforces the "Matthew Effect" in China’s educational resource distribution. Her work also examines family education anxiety under the "Double Reduction" policy, proposing collaborative strategies among schools, families, and communities. With multi-year front line teaching experience across secondary schools in Shanghai, Yang integrates academic rigor into the sociology of schooling and individual educational trajectories. Through classroom observations, student motivation analyses under policy shifts, and co-designed literacy interventions, she interrogates how structural inequities manifest in daily pedagogy while empowering learners to navigate systemic barriers. She aims to advance mixed-methods frameworks that center both policy-scale equity and lived educational experiences.