Across Islands and Alps

My path in science and educational diplomacy

by Dr. Jenny Lind Elmaco, Austria

Dr. Jenny Lind Elmaco is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and an alumna of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions and Erasmus Mundus. Her work has been recognised with the Global Exemplary Education Double Gold Award, the Global Exemplary Innovative Leadership Diamond Award from GlobalWIN (UK), and the Marie Curie Social Impact Award. She is a proud Mom to Gabrielle Sofia, now 13, who can proudly speak Visayan and understand Tagalog and eager to contribute to changemaking in her own way. We asked Dr. Elmaco to share some reflections on how she reached this admirable point in her career. 

Beginnings in Dumaguete

I was born in Dumaguete City, where I learned early that leadership is service. At Silliman University I was Student Council President, graduated magna cum laude, and was deeply honored to receive three of the Philippines’ top student distinctions: Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines, Ayala Young Leaders, and the Jose Rizal Model Student of the Philippines. The honors carried a responsibility and a promise — to learn from the world and to give back to it, to step beyond national borders and join the work of addressing our shared challenges.

First doors opening

While on an exchange year at International Christian University in Tokyo, I interned at the United Nations Information Centre—my first real taste of multilateral work. Back home, my first job was as Project Director for Youth Affairs and Presidential Staff VI at the Office of the President of the Philippines. It was baptism by fire: policy, decision making, governance and a front-row seat to the power of institutions when they remember the people they serve. I have been blessed to have met incredible Filipinos working in public service and I have learned a lot from them.

Austria, and learning diplomacy by doing

Austria gave me my first European experience and sharpened my skills in diplomacy and international development. I worked with Women Without Borders and the Austrian Foundation for World Population and International Development, and I spent an Erasmus year in Vienna as part of a Masters degree in Global Studies funded by the European Commission. Vienna is a city I adore and continue to still frequent today, now as the main NGO Representative to UN Vienna of the International Federation of Business and Professional Women. In Vienna I learned the rhythm of change—ideas moving from corridors to conference rooms to communities—and the discipline of intersectional action, where culture, politics, and human rights are inseparable.

Coming home to serve, deepening diplomacy

When I returned to Manila for some years, I served as Senior Officer at the Austrian Embassy, working across human rights, politics, and cultural cooperation. My deep thanks to the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the trust placed in the work that we did. I was honored to learn from Austria’s principled diplomacy and culture-led dialogue and to help translate those values into cooperation that strengthened Philippines–Austria ties. I was especially pleased with the Embassy’s Leadership Excellence Award for Girls, a meaningful nod to cultivating the next generation of women leaders.

Strategy with purpose

Across these chapters, I’ve tried to use whatever leverage I held—policy design, convening and lobbying power, teaching and mentoring skills, strategic communication and coalition-building—to create practical pathways for people who might otherwise be left out. The through-line is intentional: use my strengths where they matter most, and keep learning so I can contribute more.

Putting it all to work—policy, mobility, inclusion

As I write this, I serve as Key Expert on the European Commission–funded Centralised Support for Erasmus+ National Focal Points—delivered by PRACSIS as the contracted service provider—translating the EU’s flagship education and training programme into accessible opportunities for Sub Saharan Africa, Asia, Caribbean, Latin America, the Middle East and the Pacific. I also sit on the Advisory Board of the MSCA GLOPOL project, an EU initiative under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, where PRACSIS likewise serves as service provider, strengthening global research ecosystems, and I am also as National Contact Point for MSCA, the European Research Council, and Research Infrastructures for the Philippines.

Scholar–practitioner

My work sits at the intersection of peace and security, global governance, and evidence-based programme design. I bring a research-driven lens to real-world delivery—from building policy architectures and M&E frameworks to leading multi-sector teams and teaching. This bridge between theory and practice is where I have devoted my career: government, international development, future proofing education, AI and Big Data, working with UN agencies, embassies, and civil society—designing, implementing, and evaluating initiatives across Europe and many parts of the world.

Shaping a world where my daughter can belong, learn, and lead.

Why I keep going

Each step, from Dumaguete’s shores to Vienna’s halls, reminds me to serve by shaping a world where my daughter can belong, learn, and lead. Policies into possibilities, principles into practice—the next generation’s future. The work ahead—on mobility, equity, peace, and sustainability—demands humility, stamina, and collaboration across borders. My aim remains simple: to strategically use the strengths I have to help build a world that is more peaceful, more just, and more open to everyone.

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LinkedIn: Jenny Lind Elmaco, PhD