Portrait of Narek Ohanyan

About

Narek Ohanyan

Climate & Environmental Researcher Expert Educator Activist

Narek Ohanyan is an interdisciplinary environmental researcher and global climate youth leader with over 10 years of dedicated experience in climate & environmental resilience and literacy, biodiversity conservation, and environmental policy. Bridging the gap between computational ecological modeling and climate policy, he translates complex planetary data into actionable, on-the-ground strategies.

Currently serving as a Climate & Environmental Researcher at the AUA Acopian Center for the Environment and as a Guest Scientist alongside the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), Narek builds validated machine learning pipelines to forecast climate-driven structural vulnerabilities. Beyond the data, he is a formidable voice in international policy. Having served as the UN Youth & Children High-Level Climate Champion and the Executive Lead Organizer for LCOY Armenia, he ensures that localized ecosystem adaptation and youth leadership are permanently institutionalized on the global diplomatic stage.

He is the author of the independent research monograph The Overshoot: Life After the 1.5°C Limit, and a certified trainer who has architected over 50 projects and delivered hundreds of capacity-building workshops to democratize environmental intelligence.

The narrative timeline

A decade, descending

  1. Narek as a child at a local eco-club gathering

    The Catalyst

    My entry into environmental science was an immediate response to ecological vulnerability. At age eleven, I confronted the advancing threat of desertification in my home region of Ararat and joined my first local eco-club. This early exposure to localized climate threats laid the permanent groundwork for a career dedicated to sustainability.

  2. Field work with the Armenia Tree Project eco-club

    Expanding the Foundation

    Theoretical understanding quickly transitioned into active stewardship. I expanded my involvement to the Armenia Tree Project (ATP) eco-club and other regional environmental initiatives, focusing on biodiversity conservation and community-level ecosystem defense.

  3. Narek presenting his first independent community project

    First Community Project

    Leadership requires execution. By the age of fifteen, I transitioned from a participant to an organizer, launching my first independent community project, “Strong Community — Strong Country”. This marked the beginning of my operational project management experience, focusing on actionable, on-the-ground environmental problem-solving.

  4. UNICEF Green Campaign artwork

    UNICEF Green Campaign

    Local actions scale through global frameworks. I initiated my first major institutional collaboration by partnering with UNICEF for a national Green Campaign. This engagement bridged the gap between grassroots youth mobilization and international organizational standards.

    Read the UNICEF story
  5. A Climapolis board game session with participants

    Founding Climapolis

    To address the critical lack of localized environmental education, I co-founded the Climapolis startup project within the framework of the GenU project of UNICEF in Armenia. By authoring an interactive educational board game, I pioneered the use of gamification to teach complex climate science and adaptation strategies to young demographics.

  6. Narek as a youth delegate at COP27 in Egypt

    Global Diplomacy at COP27

    My advocacy scaled to the highest levels of international climate diplomacy. I was appointed as the UN Youth & Children High-Level Climate Champion for Central Asia and Europe, and represented Armenia’s youth voice at the UNFCCC COP27 in Egypt, negotiating directly with global decision-makers.

  7. Narek on the American University of Armenia campus

    Academic Integration at AUA

    Recognizing that effective policy requires robust data, I pursued a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science with a minor in Environmental Studies at the American University of Armenia (AUA). This interdisciplinary focus allowed me to integrate advanced computational logic, algorithms, and GIS with critical climate science.

  8. The SUSI programme at Shippensburg University, Pennsylvania

    U.S. State Department SUSI Exchange

    Selected as a U.S. Government alumnus, I completed the elite Study of the U.S. Institutes (SUSI) program on Environmental Issues at Shippensburg University. This intensive academic residency solidified my expertise in international sustainability governance, cross-border environmental policy, and strategic leadership.

  9. Narek presenting research at the AUA Acopian Center

    Entering the AUA Acopian Center

    I formalized my research career by joining the AUA Acopian Center for the Environment as a Junior Expert. Here, I began synthesizing regional environmental data, co-architecting bilingual citizen science toolkits, and translating complex mitigation data into actionable youth curricula. Today I am already a researcher, leading teams and projects.

  10. Narek facilitating a capacity-building workshop

    Educator & Certified Trainer

    Effective climate adaptation requires widespread environmental literacy. As a Certified Trainer in Non-Formal Education by the European Schoolnet and local NGOs, I architected and delivered over 100 interactive capacity-building workshops. Utilizing advanced pedagogical frameworks and the SHUTTLE methodology, I trained educators, NGOs, and youth workers across the region in climate & environmental sciences, environmental conflict transformation, sustainable waste management, and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).

  11. Narek moderating a panel at LCOY Armenia 2025

    Executive Leadership at LCOY

    Operating at the intersection of logistics and policy, I served as the Lead Executive Organizer for the Local Conference of Youth (LCOY) Armenia 2025. I managed comprehensive national agendas, mobilized hundreds of young stakeholders, and synthesized Armenia's official youth policy demands for the UNFCCC.

  12. Narek co-hosting a UNICEF event

    UNICEF Inclusion Consultant

    True climate resilience requires radical inclusivity. I joined UNICEF as a Consultant focusing on Children and Youth Inclusion. I worked to map organizations of persons with disabilities and advocated for integrated social protection policies, ensuring marginalized voices are fundamentally included in climate strategies.

  13. Cover of The Overshoot: Life After the 1.5°C Limit

    Publishing The Overshoot

    I published my independent research monograph, The Overshoot, synthesizing climate reality and the systemic implications of crossing thermal thresholds. The work critiques traditional mitigation frameworks and establishes a rigorous, data-driven resilience model for navigating a post-1.5°C world.

  14. Narek in a research and project management setting

    Climate Researcher & Project Lead

    Advancing my role at the AUA Acopian Center for the Environment, I now operate as a full-time Climate & Environmental Researcher. I actively design and direct the full lifecycle of complex environmental interventions, bridging computational ecosystem analysis with the strategic execution of community resilience programs.

  15. The LCOY Armenia 2026 conference hall

    Directing LCOY for the Second Year

    Entrusted with the national youth climate mandate for a second consecutive year, I reprised my role as Executive Lead Organizer for LCOY Armenia 2026. I continued to refine the institutional architecture required to elevate evidence-based youth adaptation demands to the global stage.

  16. Spatial mapping data from the WSL forest dieback research

    Guest Scientist at WSL, Switzerland

    In direct partnership with the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), I work on a validated machine learning pipeline to forecast climate-driven forest dieback. Manipulating multi-terabyte datasets and satellite imagery, this pioneering research models a multivariate Forest Vulnerability Score to map structural resilience out to the year 2100.

  17. Narek featured on a COP17 public awareness billboard

    The Face of COP17

    As Armenia prepares to host the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17), my decade-long trajectory in environmental science and diplomacy has culminated in being featured as one of the primary faces of the COP17 public awareness campaign. Across billboards, urban infrastructure, and cinematic features, my mission remains unchanged: demanding rigorous, data-backed ecosystem restoration and adaptation.

Training & credentials

Education

A degree built deliberately across two faculties, two state-funded residencies abroad, and eighteen professional certifications — the formal scaffolding underneath the fieldwork.

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science

Minor in Environmental Studies

American University of Armenia

Yerevan, Armenia

  • Integrated computational logic with environmental science, creating a unique interdisciplinary specialization in climate informatics and systems thinking.
  • Applied advanced algorithms and data structures to model environmental challenges, leveraging technical proficiency in Python, GIS, and System Design to analyze complex ecological datasets.
  • Bridged the gap between code and policy through a dedicated Minor in Environmental Studies, focusing on sustainability practices and the socio-technical dimensions of climate resilience.

Relevant coursework

Mathematics for modeling

  • Calculus I–III
  • Linear Algebra
  • Probability & Statistics
  • Numerical Analysis
  • Optimization

Computational tools

  • GIS & Remote Sensing
  • Image Processing
  • Database Systems
  • Game Development
  • Data Structures

Environmental science & policy

  • Waste in Circular Economy
  • Development Policy
  • Public Advocacy
  • Environmental Sciences
  • Climate Change Science & Politics
  • Disasters & Resilience Management
  • Sustainable Cities

Academic scholarships

  • Jack Munushian Charitable Trust CSE Scholarship
  • Vicken and Sossy Aharonian Scholarship
  • Isabelle Aranosian Hodgson Foundation Scholarship

Fellowships & academic residencies

  1. Arlington, United States

    U.S. Department of State

    South Caucasus Study Visit: Promoting Regional Stability and Peace

    George Mason University — Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution

    • Selected for a competitive, U.S. Department of State-funded residency at the Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution.
    • Analyzed the nexus of climate scarcity and regional security by applying Conflict Analysis and Narrative methodologies to map how environmental stressors drive geopolitical instability in the South Caucasus.
    • Developed high-level advocacy strategies for Conflict Resolution in a Multipolar World, positioning climate action as a critical tool for diplomatic resilience and regional cooperation.

  2. Pennsylvania, United States

    U.S. Department of State

    Study of the U.S. Institutes (SUSI) for Student Leaders on Environmental Issues

    Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania

    • Awarded a fully funded academic fellowship by the U.S. Department of State, selected as one of 20 global student leaders.
    • Conducted comparative analysis of sustainability models through site visits to Pennsylvania state government agencies, NGOs, organic farms, and foundations, studying the interplay between legislative policy and local conservation efforts.
    • Engaged in community service and volunteerism, collaborating with local stakeholders to address food security and environmental maintenance.
    • Designed and piloted a Community Action Project to address environmental challenges in Armenia, applying learned skills to architect a solution that later evolved into the grant-funded Earth Champions Academy.
    • Conducted ecological field observations across diverse biomes to analyze the impact of climate change on natural resources.

Professional certifications

22 credentials, 2022–2026

  • Education & advocacy

    Gender-Transformative Approaches to Adolescent Girls Programming

    UNICEF

  • Safeguarding & ethics

    Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) Recertification

    UNICEF

  • Safeguarding & ethics

    Ethical Principles and Standards for Evidence Activities Involving People

    UNICEF

  • Safeguarding & ethics

    Fraud Awareness

    UNICEF

  • AI & technology

    Generative AI Leader Certification

    Google Cloud Skills Boost

  • Leadership & management

    Google People Management Essentials

    Google

  • Climate & environment

    Modeling and Predicting Climate Anomalies Specialization

    University of Colorado Boulder

  • Climate & environment

    Natural Disaster and Climate Change Risk Assessment

    Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo

    Credential ID 1QFZLIVQL90H

  • Leadership & management

    IBM Project Manager Professional Certificate

    IBM

  • Climate & environment

    The Materiality of ESG Factors Specialization

    University of Pennsylvania

  • Climate & environment

    GIS, Mapping, and Spatial Analysis Specialization

    University of Toronto

  • AI & technology

    Google AI Professional

    Google

  • Safeguarding & ethics

    Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA)

    UNICEF

  • Safeguarding & ethics

    Prevention of Sexual Harassment and Abuse of Authority

    UNICEF

  • Safeguarding & ethics

    Preventing and Addressing Sexual Harassment at UNICEF

    UNICEF

  • Safeguarding & ethics

    Ethics and Integrity at UNICEF

    UNICEF

  • Education & advocacy

    Young Disability Leaders Training on Policy Negotiation, Advocacy, Awareness Raising and Strengthening a Youth-Led Movement

    UNICEF

  • Education & advocacy

    Certified Trainer in Non-Formal Education

    Armenian Progressive Youth

  • Leadership & management

    Google Project Management Professional Certificate

    Google

  • AI & technology

    CyberOps Associate

    Cisco

  • AI & technology

    Security Foundations

    Dell Technologies

  • Leadership & management

    Project Management Foundations

    Project Management Institute

Where this leads

The work itself

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