John Schneider Secretary General GEM Foundation

John joined GEM as Secretary General in 2016, serving previously on the Governing Board representing Australia (2010-2015) and as Chair from 2013-2015.  GEM is a global public-private partnership and non-profit foundation based in Pavia, Italy.  GEM develops and disseminates open data, models and tools to assess earthquake risk and promote earthquake resilience worldwide. GEM’s products are used widely by academics, the financial/insurance industry, engineers and governments for earthquake hazard and risk modelling applications, including via the Oasis LMF. 

John received a PhD in geophysics from the University of Wisconsin (USA) and conducted post-doctoral research at the Carnegie Institution in Washington, DC, specializing in analyzing plate tectonics and earthquakes in Colombia and Peru.  He then shifted to private industry to work on earthquake hazard and risk assessment for nuclear power safety and insurance risk applications.  John moved to Australia in 2000 to lead the development of a multi-hazard risk assessment capability for the Australian government, which led to a program on urban risk in Australia, and later to capacity building programs on natural hazard risk in southeast Asia and the Pacific.  He moved to Pavia in 2016 to join GEM.