Erasmus is a scientist studying global food systems. He is based at UCLouvain and since 2018 has been working with the Trase research team to map commodity supply chains and analyse data for priority agendas. Erasmus is a qualified veterinarian and has a PhD on sustainable livestock farming, focusing on the impacts of the cattle ranching and animal feed sectors. Erasmus holds degrees from the University of Cambridge in Veterinary Medicine (MA VetMB, 2013), Food Security (MRes 2014), and Sustainable Livestock Production (PhD, 2018).

Erasmus zu Ermgassen

Business & finance

Traceability is not a silver bullet for reducing deforestation

André Vasconcelos

Yuan Zhang 

Brazil

How Brazil and China can use data for a more sustainable cattle sector

James Richens

Valentin Guye

Cocoa traders fall short on supplier disclosure in Ghana

Tiago Reis

Osvaldo Pereira

Brazilian beef exports and deforestation

Action needed to address indirect sourcing 'blindspot'

Chocolate companies face deforestation risks from unknown cocoa supplies

Mapping cocoa exports from Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana

Coronavirus drives US beef imports from Amazon

Université catholique de Louvain

Chris is a research scientist with expertise in ecology, supply chain modelling, and private sector engagement. He joined Trase in 2018 and works in the impact and research teams, leading engagement with the corporate sector. Chris has helped develop models, tools and associated projects at SEI that explore the role of consumption and supply chain activities on environmental degradation and sustainable development. Chris holds a degree in Ecology, Conservation and the Environment (BSc, 2005) and Ecology (PhD, 2010) from the University of York. He works part-time on Trase.

Simon Croft

Jolene Tan

Chris West

Policy & regulation

To deliver on sustainable consumption targets, countries must measure their footprints

Reports & case studies

Approaches to assessing commodity-driven deforestation

Mark Titley

Assessing Germany’s soy deforestation risk

Michael Lathuillière

Trase enhances life cycle assessment with ‘commodity supply mix’

Stockholm Environment Institute

Supply chain mapping

Engagement

Clement is an Earth scientist and software developer who joined Trase in 2015. He is a co-founder of Trase and leads the development team behind Trase's data systems. He developed the first prototype of the Trase Earth platform. Before joining Trase, Clement was a researcher in planetary geophysics. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he developed tools to study the magnetism of extraterrestrial rocks, including lunar samples from the Apollo missions and meteorites. Clement holds degrees in geosciences from Grenoble University (MSc, 2005) and Aix-Marseille University (PhD, 2009).

Data

Jason is a geospatial data specialist and researcher. He started collaborating with Trase in 2018 and works on Indonesian supply chains. Previously, Jason was the Data Analytics and Visualization lead at The Forest Trust (now Earthworm Foundation) focusing on geo-data management, supply chain mapping, and data collection support for field assessments and smallholder engagement. He has broad experience in geospatial data analysis working in the private sector and non-profits in Malaysia and Australia. Jason holds a degree in Remote Sensing from the University of Technology Malaysia (BSc, 2004).

Jason Jon Benedict

Robert Heilmayr

Indonesia

Indonesian palm oil exports and deforestation

Indonesia makes progress towards zero palm oil deforestation

University of California, Santa Barbara

Spatial intelligence

Jonathan is a conservation scientist and joined Trase in 2018. Jonathan works across Trase's impact and research teams mapping commodity supply chains and analysing Trase data for priority agendas. Before joining Trase, Jonathan investigated the ecological impacts of coastal land conversion, worked closely with business and sustainability managers, and researched the impacts of agricultural commodity consumption on biodiversity. Jonathan holds degrees in Zoology from the University of St Andrews (BSc, 2007) and the University of Cambridge (PhD, 2012). Jonathan works part-time on Trase.

Jonathan Green

Mapping the Indonesian shrimp supply chain

Research

Maria is a researcher specialising in commodity supply chains and their social and environmental impacts. She joined Trase in 2017. Maria works across Trase's impact and research teams mapping commodity supply chains and analysing data for key audiences in Latin America. Before joining Trase, she worked as a research assistant for a range of environmental NGOs and academic institutions and completed fieldwork in Brazil’s semi-arid zone. Maria holds degrees in Latin American studies from the University of Liverpool (BA, 2012) and Human Geography from the University of Cambridge (MPhil, 2014).

Maria Tyldesley

Stanislaw Czaplicki Cabezas

Deforestation and climate change threaten Bolivia’s soy sector

Soy expansion drives deforestation in Bolivia

High deforestation risk for beef from the Paraguayan Chaco

Soy deforestation risk in Paraguay continues despite decline

Global Canopy

Michael is an ecohydrologist and water footprint specialist who joined Trase in 2018. He leads Trase's supply-chain mapping team and research on priority agendas. Michael is a member of the Trase Management Team. Before joining Trase, he conducted research in Brazil and studied both water and carbon cycles in natural and agro-ecosystems. Michael holds degrees in Chemistry from the University of British Columbia (BSc, 2002) and Resources, Environment and Sustainability from the University of British Columbia (MSc, 2011; PhD, 2018).

Argentina: The overlooked hub of South American soy

Management

Robert is an interdisciplinary land system scientist with expertise in environmental economics and remote sensing who started collaborating with Trase in 2018. Robert works on supply chain mapping and sustainability research on the Indonesian palm oil and wood pulp sectors and is also a member of the Trase Scientific Advisory Committee. Robert holds a degree in environment, economics and politics from Claremont McKenna College (BA, 2006) and degrees in economics (MA, 2015) and environment and resources (PhD, 2016) from Stanford University.

Simon is a mathematician and modeller who joined Trase in 2018. He works across Trase's data and research teams mapping commodity supply chains and analysing Trase data for priority agendas and target users. Before joining Trase, Simon worked on global supply chain mapping and consumption based models. He has experience developing and applying methods for quantifying the flows of goods and their associated impacts. Simon holds degrees in Mathematics and Theoretical Ecology from the University of York (MMath, 2006; PhD, 2012). He works part-time on Trase.

Valentin is an economist researcher who joined Trase in 2023 and works in the Supply Chain Mapping and Research teams. He is in charge with updating and developing the cocoa supply chain models, in Ivory Coast and Ghana. Before that, Valentin was a PhD student at MCC Berlin and PSAE paris, where he did research on Indonesian palm oil deforestation and on pan-tropical indirect land use change, using econometrics. Valentin holds degrees in economics from Université Paris-Saclay (BSc, 2015; MSc, 2017; PhD, 2022) and in geography from Humboldt Universität zu Berlin (cotutelle PhD, 2022).

Smallholder cocoa farmers need support as EUDR compliance nears

Côte d'Ivoire cocoa exports and deforestation

Erasmus zu Ermgassen

Insights by Erasmus zu Ermgassen

Analysis
17 Apr 2024

Traceability is not a silver bullet for reducing deforestation

Analysis
4 Mar 2024

How Brazil and China can use data for a more sustainable cattle sector

Analysis
12 Dec 2023

Cocoa traders fall short on supplier disclosure in Ghana

Other Team Members

Chris West

Clement Suavet

Jason Jon Benedict

Jonathan Green

Maria Tyldesley

Michael Lathuilliere

Robert Heilmayr

Simon Croft

Valentin Guye

Erasmus zu Ermgassen

Insights by Erasmus zu Ermgassen

Analysis17 Apr 2024

Traceability is not a silver bullet for reducing deforestation

Analysis4 Mar 2024

How Brazil and China can use data for a more sustainable cattle sector

Analysis12 Dec 2023

Cocoa traders fall short on supplier disclosure in Ghana

Other Team Members

Chris West

Clement Suavet

Jason Jon Benedict

Jonathan Green

Maria Tyldesley

Michael Lathuilliere

Robert Heilmayr

Simon Croft

Valentin Guye

Analysis
17 Apr 2024

Analysis
4 Mar 2024

Analysis
12 Dec 2023