Dr. Kyriacos Koupparis, PhD - Head of the Hunger Monitoring Unit, United Nations World Food Program

Dr. Kyriacos M. Koupparis, Ph.D. is the Head of the Hunger Monitoring Unit at the United Nations World Food Program ( WFP - https://www.wfp.org/ ) where he leads a dynamic team of software engineers, data scientists, and food security analysts utilizing real-time data, predictive analytics, and artificial intelligence to track food security globally, to support WFP’s fight against hunger. In his previous role at the WFP Innovation Accelerator ( https://innovation.wfp.org/ ), Dr. Koupparis led a team that explored how emerging technologies – such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, and robotics – could be applied to catalyze impact within the context of humanitarian assistance and food security. Dr. Koupparis has devoted the last 15 years working at the nexus between science, technology, innovation and international development – first as a biomedical researcher working on drug discovery for neglected tropical diseases and further on in his career by pioneering innovation programs to advance human and planetary prosperity across the globe. He has worked in more than 20 countries throughout Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa, Asia and sub-Saharan Africa through his various roles with the U.S. Department of State, USAID, and the United Nations. Dr. Koupparis holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Biomedical Sciences from the University of California, San Francisco. He is a graduate of the Management of Technology program at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and holds a B.A. in Chemistry from Wayne State University. 

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