Dr. Sebastian J. König serves as the Chief Scientist in international affairs working at the interface of science and policy-making. He has recently been appointed IPCC and IPBES Focal Point for Switzerland. 

During his tenure as research and teaching fellow at the University of Massachusetts, USA he acquired a Ph.D. in Geosciences with a research focus on global climate, vegetation and ice sheet modeling. His research was published, among others, in Science magazine.

Dr König was an Isenberg School of Management fellow and worked in the field of entrepreneurship and climate risk. Upon successful completion of his training at Cornell University, USA, he obtained a post-graduate certificate in project management and leadership. 

Returning to Switzerland, he worked at the Federal Office for Meteorology and Climatology in international affairs as a science officer and project manager of large-scale capacity building projects at the global level. 

He joined the International Affairs Division of the Federal Office for the Environment in 2015, and served as the Swiss National Focal Point for UNEP and senior policy advisor. His field of responsibilities pertained to questions related to international environmental governance, international sustainable development, as well as to general environmental issues in the realm of the United Nations system. 

Dr König took on the role as Chief Scientist in September 2021.