Roland Kupers

Roland Kupers was always fascinated by how systems work. This interest has led to a coddiwompling career in both the private and public sector, as executive and academic, author of fiction as well as non-fiction. (Coddiwomple is an irreplaceable word that means to travel purposefully to an unknown destination).

Through writing, teaching and advisory work, he enthusiastically shares his observations and musings on how the complex networks that surrounds us, shape our world. These are Roland’s most recent three books:

Falling in Love, While Stuffing a Zebra— is a playful and light-hearted exploration of how these themes played out during the Enlightenment. (Greenleaf 2025)

Climate Policy Revolution: What the Science of Complexity Reveals about Saving the Planet—applies a non-fictional lens to our current climate conundrums. (Harvard University Press 2020)

Hester van Eeghen a World of Bags – is a tribute to the ubiquitous zest and limitless creativity of his wife who died in 2021. (nai010 2024)

Roland is an advisor on Complexity, Resilience and Energy Transition and Professor of Practice at Arizona State University. He is the Lead Architect of the United Nations’ International Methane Emissions Observatory. A theoretical physicist by training, Roland spent a decade each at AT&T and at Shell in various senior executive functions, including Group head for Sustainable Development and Vice President Global LNG. He has a long running interest in complexity theory and how this can reshape how we see the world.

Roland is a Dutch national; his travels have made him fluent in five languages. He sculpts, does a lot of yoga, and slowly learns to play the piano.