Academic background, including as Professor, University of California at Berkeley and Researcher, Berkeley's Center on the Economics and Demography of Aging. With the United Nations Population Division: 2005-07, Chief, Mortality Section; current Director, Department of Economic and Social Affairs. 2009-12, consultancy positions, World Bank and World Health Organization; lead consultant for the development of new maternal mortality estimates, used for the monitoring of MDG 5. Has served as member of several expert panels. Author or co-author of more than 50 scientific papers on various aspects of population dynamics.