EUKN team

Martin Grisel

Director

Interest in local politics and wider societal challenges led Martin to switch careers and focus on urban development policy, founding the EUKN in 2005. He speaks native Dutch, fluent English, French and German, and advanced Spanish. 

Convinced that cities are one of mankind’s most fascinating creations, Martin is driven to create more sustainable urban futures through co-designing strategy with policy-makers and researchers. He enjoys working as a trusted strategic advisor to policy-makers from local to global level, and is proud to work with a team of highly dedicated colleagues. 

Currently working on:  

Martin provides strategic, financial and operational leadership, and oversees external relations and acquisition for the EUKN. A familiar face from moderating events organised by the EUKN and third parties, Martin also leads a strand of the EUKN’s work within the CONEXUS project.  

Lea Scheurer

Senior Policy and Project Officer

Lea holds a BA in Social Sciences from Düsseldorf University, an MA in Politics and Public Administration from the University of Konstanz, and an MSc in European Governance from Utrecht University. She joined the EUKN in 2016, and speaks German, English and Dutch. 

An avid writer, Lea is in her element crafting research-rich, engaging texts on the ever-evolving sphere of urban policy. She holds the European element of the EUKN’s work close to her heart: exchanging across borders and cultures, and finding commonalities in the urban community. From theory to street-level, she is fascinated by urbanity’s multifaceted impact on society. 

Currently working on:  

Lea prepares EUKN Policy Labs and supports EU Council Presidencies. 

Federica Risi

Senior Policy and Project Officer

Federica holds an MSc in Environment and Sustainable Development from University College London and a BA in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from LUISS Guido Carli. At the EUKN since 2019, she speaks native Italian, fluent English and Spanish, and intermediate Portuguese.

A natural connector and active practitioner, Federica sees her urban development expertise as a key entry point to unpacking and healing cities’ relationship with the natural world. Consistently evolving her approach, she’s found synergy with the EUKN’s culture of policy co-creation to craft sustainable urban transformations.

Currently working on:

Federica leads the EUKN’s work within the CONEXUS project, restoring urban ecosystems with nature-based solutions. As the team’s go-to for green transition topics, she strengthens the EUKN’s ties with fellow actors in the field, alongside developing EUKN Policy Labs.

Abigail Fields

Communications Intern

While currently pursuing her MA in Urban Resilience Design and Management from the International University of Catalonia, Abigail is able to combine her interests of urban green design with her experience in environmental health and development, stemming from her Bachelors in International Affairs and Environmental Studies from George Washington University. She is driven by the belief that sustainable urban development must be inclusive and equitable, actively seeking ways to integrate nature-based solutions into urban planning processes while maintaining a focus on social justice.

With experience encompassing a range of key areas, Abigail is joining the EUKN team as a Communications Intern remotely from Barcelona where she is finishing her Masters and writing her thesis on How to Measure the Impacts of Nature-Based Solutions on Urban Resiliency. She speaks native English and is taking both Spanish and Portuguese classes to improve her proficiency. Abigail is poised to contribute a new perspective to EUKN’s communication efforts and advance sustainable urban development agendas.

Caroline Faucher

Policy Research Intern

Motivated to cultivate climate-resilient cities for both present and future generations, Caroline is pursuing a MSc in Urban Management and Development to create tangible solutions for urban communities. Building on her BA in Political Science, she believes that policy has one of the greatest influences to achieve a sustainable reality for cities.

Caroline hopes to bring her life experience and academic knowledge to transform cities. Through living in Canada, the US, France and now The Netherlands, she sees how different political ideals translate into planning realities. Alongside her internship, she is writing her Master’s thesis on the equitability of urban green spaces for residents in Paris. Through spatial analysis, she is monitoring current greening policies, hoping to inform policy-making from a perspective of environmental justice.

Internationally oriented, she discovered her love of language as she grew up speaking English and French, leading her to pursue learning Spanish and Italian.

Caroline is joining the EUKN as an intern supporting the team through policy research and content through the organisation’s various activities.