Hans Bruyninckx is the Executive Director of the European Environment Agency since 1 June, 2013. In 1996 Dr Bruyninckx completed a PhD in international environmental politics at Colorado State University. Until his appointment at the EEA, he was professor of environmental politics and director of the HIVA Research Institute in Belgium, a policy-oriented research institute associated with the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. Over the last 20 years, he has conducted research in areas including environmental politics, climate change and sustainable development. He has taught global environmental politics and global environmental governance in relation to the European Union (EU), publishing extensively on EU environmental policies and its role as an actor in global environmental governance. Throughout his career Dr Bruyninckx has worked with governmental agencies, civil society and businesses, often in an advisory role.