The secretariat has been based in Vienna, Austria and is provided by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) since 1974. The Secretariat organizes and services the annual sessions of the Scientific Committee and manages the preparation of documents for the Committee's scrutiny.
Mr. Egerton brings 30 years of experience in geoscience, science policy, program management, and diplomacy at national, European, and international levels.
He began his career as a Higher Scientific Officer at the British Geological Survey, conducting confidential surveys of UK continental and overseas territories, including the identification of radiation, radionuclides, and nuclear materials from natural sources and post-conflict weapon residues, as well as assessing their environmental impact. Subsequently, he joined the Natural Environment Research Council as a Science Programmes Coordinator, facilitating collaboration between UK government ministries, the private sector, and research universities.
Mr. Egerton also served for over a decade at the European Science Foundation and the European Commission in Strasbourg and Brussels, holding roles as Head of Life, Earth, and Environmental Sciences and Executive/Political Director of a $1 billion research infrastructure consortium involving government ministries.
In 2012, he was appointed WMO Representative to the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Over the next seven years, he provided policy advice on early warning systems, climate, and natural sciences to the UN Secretary-General’s Office and the UN Crisis and Operations Centre and liaised with senior officials (USGs) and bodies such as UNGA committees, ECOSOC, and the UN Security Council.
In 2019, Mr. Egerton became Director of Cabinet (Chef de Cabinet) to the WMO Secretary-General in Geneva, overseeing nearly 40 staff members across External Relations, Strategic Communications, Risk Management, and the New York and Brussels Offices. Later promoted to Senior Director, he coordinated the WMO Board of Directors, served as Sherpa to the CEB, and supported the WMO Secretary-General in managing the Secretariat while providing strategic science-policy and political advice. During this time, he engaged closely with major UN conventions and entities, including UNFCCC and the IPCC. In 2023, he managed the WMO Congress elections for the new Secretary-General and President, ensuring a smooth leadership transition.
Mr. Egerton holds a doctorate in Geophysics/Geology from the University of Leeds and a BSc (Hons) in Geology/Geophysics from the University of Manchester. He was a postdoctoral research associate at the Energy and Geoscience Research Institute, University of Utah, and is an elected Fellow of the Geological Society of London and the Royal Geographical Society.
Mr Tiberio Cabianca is a physicist by training, holding an MSc in Radiation Physic from University College London. Since October 2024, he is the Deputy Secretary and Senior Scientific Officer of the UNSCEAR secretariat. He has more than 30 years of technical expertise in radiation science and protection, particularly in the area of assessment of radiological consequences from radioactivity in the environment. He spent most of his career at the National Radiological Protection Board (now UK Health Security Agency) in the UK; between 1999 and 2005 he was a staff member with the Nuclear Safety Department of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Mr Ferid Shannoun is a medical physicist by training, holding a PhD in Public Health and two master’s degrees from German Universities. Since August 2021, he is the Deputy Secretary and Senior Scientific Officer of the UNSCEAR secretariat, which he joined as Scientific Officer in March 2011. He has 25 years of technical expertise in radiation science and protection, including four years with the World Health Organization, where he worked as Scientist at the Department of Public Health and Environment and nine years as Medical Physics Expert at the Radiation Protection Department of the Ministry of Health in Luxembourg. He is member of the German Medical Physics and Radiation Protection Societies.
Former Secretaries of UNSCEAR were:
