Claire Janisch (clairesa)

Claire is a sustainability & innovation advisor and biomimicry professional. She is among the fifteen international graduates of the first cohort of the Biomimicry Institute's two-year professionals program and currently heads up the biomimicry activities and projects in South Africa. She is a co-trainer for the next two year professionals program starting 2011. Claire works in the areas of strategy, technology & training. She is also the co-creator of the Genius Lab in South Africa, an experiential learning organisation inspiring innovation and future thinking for organisations and individuals. She has an MSc.Chem-Eng in the field of Environmental Process Engineering. She has worked across Africa as an independent consultant in: Environmental Technology, Sustainable Energy & Climate Change, Cleaner Production, Sustainable Urban Design, Integrated Waste Management, Sustainable Agricultural Practices, Eco-labeling, Environmental Management & Environmental Education. 

Claire proactively spreads the biomimicry meme in South Africa across different disciplines and levels (schools, universities, professionals) through both education & practice. She has initiated the Johannesburg Zoo Biomimicry Project and the Cape Town Two Oceans Aquarium Biomimicry Project. She has given biomimicry presentations across South Africa, runs workshops with local schools & universities and, together with staff from the Biomimicry Guild, has completed biomimicry research for the Council for Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR, South Africa) and is currently doing biomimicry research on water treatment for the Water Research Commission in South Africa. Claire regularly organises, coordinates & runs biomimicry workshops in South Africa. Her team thesis for the biomimicry professionals program researched how nature can inspire clean energy storage solutions.