Group of Experts

Kwasi Appeaning Addo

Kwasi Appeaning Addo is a Professor in coastal processes at the University of Ghana, member of the Group of Experts of the High-Level Panel for Sustainable Ocean Economy, member of the International Working Group on Underwater Cultural Heritage/Marine Cultural Heritage of UNESCO, member of the Land Subsidence International Initiative (LaSII) of UNESCO, member of the Advisory Board of the African Marine Environment Sustainability Initiative, and Technical Advisor to the Scientific Committee of the West African Coast Observation Mission. His research has focused on shoreline dynamics and coastal erosion complex interactions; sea-level rise and subsidence interrelationships; nature-based solutions; and sargassum pathways. Through his research, Kwasi has emerged as one of the leading coastal geomorphologists in Africa today. His contribution to the field of coastal processes and shoreline dynamics has provided an understanding of the coastal systems in Ghana and the Bight of Benin. He is an author of several scientific publications.

Maria João Bebianno

Maria João da Anunciação Franco Bebianno graduated in Chemical Engineering from University of Lisbon, with a PhD in Marine Ecotoxicology from the University of Reading (United Kingdom) and in Oceanography from the University of Algarve. She is a Retired Full Professor at the University of Algarve, a member of the Center for Marine and Environmental Sciences at the University of Algarve, which she directed, and of the Associated Laboratory ARNET. She was a member  of the Portuguese Delegation to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and is a member of the Group of Experts of the Regular Process for the Assessment of the State of the Marine Environment including Socioeconomic Aspects since 2016, and deputy coordinator of the Portuguese Committee for the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.
 

Ian Butler    

Ian Butler is a marine ecologist and fisheries scientist with the Australian Government. He currently serves as Joint Coordinator (Developed Countries) for the fourth cycle of the United Nations Regular Process, contributing to the production of the World Ocean Assessment IV.

With over 35 years of experience, Ian has worked extensively in fisheries management, marine science research, consulting and climate change, with particular expertise in coral reef ecology, paleoecology, Indigenous fisheries, and fisheries science. He has held roles in natural resource management across Australia, the United States, Cambodia, and Papua New Guinea. Ian has a strong track record in science communication and the translation of scientific knowledge into policy. He has published in leading journals, including Nature, and has longstanding involvement in the UN Regular Process.

Donovan Campbell

Donovan Campbell is a Professor of Geography at the University of the West Indies, based in Montego Bay, Jamaica. He is a global science–policy leader whose work focuses on climate adaptation, ocean governance, disaster resilience, and sustainable development in Small Island Developing States. He serves as Co-Chair of the UN Ocean Decade Advisory Board (UNESCO-IOC) and is a member of the Group of Experts for the Third and Fourth Cycles of the United Nations World Ocean Assessment. Professor Campbell is a Lead Author for IPBES’s Second Global Assessment and previously served as a Lead Author for the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report, the IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Land, and the IPBES Nexus Assessment, as well as Coordinating Lead Author for UNEP’s Global Environment Outlook 7 (GEO-7). He has been a member of the Group of Experts of the Regular Process since the Third Cycle in 2021.
 

Neven Cukrov

Dr Neven Cukrov is a Senior Scientist at the Ruđer Bošković Institute, Croatia, and Head of the Martinska Marine Station near Šibenik. His work focuses on marine biogeochemistry and the effects of human activities on aquatic environments, including recent sedimentation and the behaviour of metals, natural and artificial radionuclides, and microplastics in aquatic systems, particularly sediments, as well as groundwater in karst systems. He has broad experience in marine environmental research, geochemical analysis, multidisciplinary project management, and the development of automatic systems for metal detection and biodiversity monitoring. He teaches at the University of Zadar and in the doctoral study of oceanology at the University of Zagreb. He also serves on the Supervisory Board of CoE MARBLE.
 

Rafael Gonzalez-Quiros

Rafael González-Quirós has more than ten years of science management responsibilities at the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO-CSIC), the research institution that provides scientific advice to the Spanish Government for ocean management and policies. He is currently the Director of the Oceanographic Centre of Gijón and the Head of the International Relations Unit at IEO. He served as Head of the Marine Environment Unit from 2015 to 2019 and as Deputy Director for Research from 2019 to 2020. He is the focal point of Spain at the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO and he was a Joint Coordinator of the Third Cycle of the Regular Process, among other roles of international representation for Spain or the IEO-CSIC. With more than 30 years of experience in ocean research, his scientific background has focused on plankton ecology and on the influence of ecosystem dynamics and the temporal variability of fish populations. He has always been involved in long-term systematic observing programmes as a fundamental data source for his research interests and scientific advice responsibilities.

Amel Hamza-Chaffai

Amel Hamza-Chaffai, Ph.D., is currently Professor at Sfax University, and member of The Tunisian Academy of science. She is an expert in marine ecotoxicology, with over three decades of academic and policy-relevant experience. Her research focuses on early warning tools for pollution monitoring and studying the impact of pollution on marine organisms and on human health. She has coordinated 13 national and international research projects and authored more than 95 peer-reviewed scientific publications (HI =31). 

Her academic and capacity-development activities include teaching Marine Biology and Marine Ecotoxicology and developing innovative e-learning tools. She has served as an Invited Professor at international universities in Japan, Malaysia, Slovenia, and France. She currently serves as Chair of the IOC-UNESCO Task Force Africa, where she supports the co-design and implementation of Ocean Decade Actions, with a strong focus on capacity development, ocean literacy, blue skills, and blue entrepreneurship.

Annette Juinio-Menez

Marie Antonette is a Professor Emeritus of the University of the Philippines affiliated with the Marine Science Institute and a member of the National Academy of Science & Technology of the Philippines. She is a well-published scientist recognized for her contributions in tropical marine ecology and biodiversity conservation. Her research focuses culture, recruitment dynamics, population genetics; biophysical modelling and behavioural ecology of marine invertebrates and the management of nearshore ecosystems. She is engaged in transdisciplinary development and training programs on community-based coastal resources management, sustainable mariculture, stock restoration and environmental governance. 

She is involved in national and international expert groups on integrated coastal and ocean management, blue economy policy development. She participated in the UN BBNJ Prep Comm. She is currently the co-chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC), Sea cucumber Specialist Group and a member of the UN Group of Experts for the World Ocean Assessment cycle IV.
 

Viktor Komorin

Viktor Komorin is Deputy Director for Science at the Ukrainian Scientific Centre of Ecology of the Sea (UkrSCES), Ukraine, where he leads and coordinates scientific work in the fields of marine environmental monitoring, ecosystem assessment, and marine policy support. He has long-standing experience in oceanography, marine ecology, pollution assessment, environmental data management, and integrated analysis of marine ecosystems, with a particular focus on the Black Sea. His work combines scientific research with practical support to national and regional environmental governance, including the implementation of European and international marine assessment frameworks. He has contributed to numerous national and international initiatives on marine monitoring, pollution, biodiversity, and ocean data systems, and is actively engaged in strengthening Ukraine’s role in regional and global ocean assessment and reporting processes.
 

Jonne Kotta

Jonne Kotta, Ph.D., is Professor in Marine Ecology and Vice Director of the Estonian Marine Institute, University of Tartu, Estonia. He is a marine ecologist and senior expert with more than three decades of academic, applied and policy relevant experience in Baltic Sea ecology. His research connects field and experimental ecology with spatial analysis, mechanistic modelling and decision support. He works on benthic ecosystems, species interactions, non-native species, ecosystem functioning and services, climate related marine change, restoration, marine spatial planning, blue bioeconomy and sustainable low trophic aquaculture.

He has led and contributed to many Estonian and international research and development projects on mussel and seaweed farming, nutrient and carbon capture, cumulative impact assessment, environmental risk assessment, digital twins and online tools for marine management. His work translates ecological evidence into transparent, data driven methods that support sustainable use of marine resources by managers, policy makers and businesses. He has authored more than 230 research papers and has an h index of 54.
 

Nelson Andrés Pazmiño Manrique

Nelson Andrés PAZMIÑO Manrique served as Professor of Maritime Geography at the Naval War Academy in 2012; Professor of Geology at Universidad del Pacífico in 2011 and at Escuela Politécnica del Litoral in 2014; Professor of Oceanography at Universidad Espíritu Santo (UESS), Faculty of Environmental Sciences, from 2009 to 2010; and Professor of Software and Modelling for Civil Engineering at Universidad Espíritu Santo (UESS), Faculty of Sciences, from 2009 to 2010.

He also served as Technical Advisor to the National Commission on the Law of the Sea from 2005 to 2012; Technical Advisor to the State Attorney General’s Office on matters related to maritime delimitation from March 2011 to 2012; Technical Advisor to the Chilean Navy in the development of work on the Extended Continental Shelf from April 2010 to 2011; and Advisor on maritime delimitation and continental shelf matters to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador.
 

Felicia Chinwe Mogo

Dr. Mrs. Felicia Chinwe Mogo is a recognized expert in Environmental Science and Technology with nearly four decades of practice, focusing on marine and blue economy development. She retired as Director of Marine Environment Management at the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and is credited with advancing recognition of the blue economy as a national sustainability priority, contributing to the establishment of the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy. Her expertise spans marine policy, ocean governance, regulatory systems, environmental sustainability, and blue economy development. She is the Founder and President of the African Marine Environment Sustainability Initiative (AFMESI), a pan-African NGO promoting sustainable ocean governance. She engages with UNITAR, the African Union, and national governments, and collaborates with global institutions including the World Resources Institute, IMO, and the World Bank. She has authored numerous publications, including the first book on Blue Economy in Africa by an individual, and has received several professional awards.
 

Wisnique Panier

Wisnique Panier is a diplomat and researcher specializing in international communication and public international law. He serves as Minister Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of Haiti to the United Nations, where he participates in multilateral negotiations, particularly within the Sixth (Legal) Committee of the General Assembly. He holds a PhD in Public Communication from Université Laval and advanced degrees in international law and human rights. His work focuses on multilateral diplomacy, ocean governance, and global information dynamics. As a member of the Group of Experts for the Fourth Global Ocean Assessment, he contributes to international efforts aimed at strengthening the scientific and policy foundations for sustainable ocean governance. He is also the author of The Diplomatic Voice, a guide to communication in multilateral settings.
 

Nadia Pinardi

Nadia Pinardi earned her Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Harvard University and is currently Full Professor of Oceanography at the University of Bologna. Her research interests are diverse, covering ocean numerical modeling and predictions, data assimilation, numerical modeling of marine physical-biological interactions, and the dynamics of pollutants in marine environments. Among her notable achievements is the conceptualization and successful implementation of ocean forecasting systems used across various global regions.

She is a Member of the European Academy of Sciences and of the Scientific Council of the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe. She currently serves as Chair of the UN Decade of Ocean Science programme CoastPredict and as Director of the UN Decade Collaborative Centre for Coastal Resilience. Her contributions have been recognized with numerous international awards, including the Fridtjof Nansen Medal (EGU, 2007), the Roger Revelle Medal (UNESCO–IOC, 2008), the honorary title of Commendatore of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (2015), and a Doctorate honoris causa from the University of Liège (2017). In 2025, she received the Prince Albert I Medal, awarded at the IUGG General Assembly for her outstanding contributions to operational oceanography.
 

Roberto de Pinho

Roberto de Pinho has extensive science management and policy analysis responsibilities at the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI), providing expert technical advice for national and international STI policies. More recently, he served as the primary organizer for the 2026 All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance (AAORIA) Forum.  Technology and Innovation of the State of Bahia. He is a frequent collaborator with the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO and has served as a delegate to the OECD Working Party of National Experts on Science and Technology Indicators (NESTI). He was previously the Chief of Staff for the Secretariat of Science.

With a PhD in Computer Science and Computational Mathematics, his scientific background focuses on Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) indicators and data science applied to global assessments, including contributions to the Global Ocean Science Report 2020. He has consistently utilized bibliometrics and information visualization as fundamental tools for providing evidence-based scientific advice and monitoring research related to the Sustainable Development Goals. He is currently a member of the United Nations Group of Experts for the Fourth Cycle of the Regular Process for Global Reporting and Assessment of the State of the Marine Environment, having served as Joint Coordinator for a period during the previous cycle.
 

Mercedes Santos

Mercedes Santos, Ph.D, is a researcher at the Argentine Antarctic Institute, with expertise in avian biology, marine spatial planning, and Antarctic policy. Her research initially focused on penguin population dynamics and later expanded to the conservation of the Southern Oceans, with particular emphasis on marine spatial planning and socio-ecological systems. She serves as Argentina’s scientific representative to the Scientific Committee of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) and is one of the leading scientists involved in the proposal for a Marine Protected Area in the Western Antarctic Peninsula, jointly led by Argentina and Chile.

Dr. Santos co-chaired the Steering Committee of the SCAR Ant-ICON Scientific Research Programme (Integrated Science to Inform Antarctic and Southern Ocean Conservation). From 2020 to 2022, she served as Argentina’s National Director of Marine Protected Areas. She was also Co-Coordinator of the Pampa Azul Initiative, Argentina’s national interministerial program for marine research and conservation.
 

Karina Von Schuckmann

Karina von Schuckmann (Dr., HDR) is Senior Advisor, Ocean Science for Policy, at Mercator Ocean International in France. Her research focus lies in understanding the role of the ocean - and its interactions - in the Earth's climate system, its changes and the underlying processes involved. She is a specialist in the Earth's heat inventory. She is, amongst others, the director of the Copernicus Ocean State Report, lead author of the IPCC SROCC and AR6 and the upcoming AR7 report; she is an author for the WMO State of the Climate, World Ocean Assessment and the IOC-UNESCO Ocean Report. She is a member of several international expert groups on climate science. She is a member of the European Academy of Sciences and she received in 2023 the French Academy of Sciences Climate Prize and the Excellence Professorship of the Prof. Dr Werner Petersen Foundation in 2025.
 

Vasily Smolyanitsky

Vasily Smolyanitsky graduated from the Faculty of Geography of St. Petersburg State University with a degree in Geography and Oceanology in 1982 and received his PhD in oceanography from the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI), St. Petersburg, Russia. He is a leading scientist and head of the AARI laboratory, responsible for seasonal climate services in the Arctic and coordinating the development of in-situ marine observations. Since 2000, he has participated in several AARI field expeditions to the Arctic Ocean, including the North Pole drifting stations. Since 1992, he has been involved in a number of World Meteorological Organization (WMO) activities, including Expert Team on Sea Ice, the Year of Polar Prediction, and currently the Global Cryosphere Watch (GCW). Since 2021, he has been a member of the Group of Experts of the UN Regular Process for Assessment of the State of the Marine Environment, including Socio-Economic Aspects.
 

Karenne Tun

Dr Karenne Tun is the Group Director of the National Biodiversity Centre and Director of the Coastal and Marine Branch at National Parks Board. She joined NParks in 2013 following 18 years across academia, the non-profit sector and private environmental consultancy. Her work has centred on understanding and managing the impacts of human activities on coral reefs, including coordinating coral reef monitoring efforts across Southeast Asia. At NParks, she oversees conservation and management initiatives for Singapore’s terrestrial, coastal and marine ecosystems and their biodiversity. Her team spearheads a whole-of-government pilot to centralise Environmental Impact Assessments for development projects and manages Singapore’s first marine park, Sisters’ Islands Marine Park, while advancing conservation, research, outreach and education programmes with stakeholders and the wider community. She has been a member of the Group of Experts for the Regular Process for the Assessment of the State of the Marine Environment, including Socioeconomic Aspects, since 2021. Full CV: ResearchGate profile and ORCID profile.
 

Kazumi Wakita

Kazumi Wakita is a Professor at Tokai University and an Associate Member of the Science Council of Japan. She obtained a Ph.D. from the Graduate School of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the University of Tokyo. She has worked on integrated coastal management (ICM) and marine spatial planning (MSP), including project management for the Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) as a Programme Officer at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Based on her extensive scientific knowledge and practical experience in ICM and MSP, she has served internationally as an expert in ocean planning and management, including roles in the UNESCO/IOC Working Group on Sustainable Ocean Planning and Management (IOC/WG-SOPM) and the Expert Group on MSP of UNESCO/IOC-WESTPAC. She currently serves as Technical Session Co-Chair of the East Asian Seas Partnership Council of PEMSEA. Her research interests encompass social-ecological systems, including well-being and policy frameworks in ocean and coastal management.
 

Juying Wang

Wang has extensive experience in marine environmental quality benchmark/standards and the marine environmental monitoring assessment methodology. Over the years, she conducted the research on the quality criteria of marine sediments based on the theory of equilibrium distribution and seawater quality criteria based on species sensitivity distribution model, and provides the monitoring services such as bathing beach, marine litter, etc. As a senior scientist, she initiated and organized Marine Macro-Debris Monitoring Program in 2006, and Marine Micro-Plastics Monitoring Program in 2016 in China. As the member of Group of Expert appointed by the United Nations, she has been working actively for World Ocean Assessment in first cycle (2010-2015), second cycle (2016-2020) and third cycle (2021-2025).
 

Chang-Ik Zhang

Chang-Ik Zhang began his doctoral studies at the University of Washington in 1981, earning a PhD in marine fisheries. Since 1995, he has served as Professor of Marine Fisheries Ecology and Fisheries Management at Pukyong National University, where he also directed the Institute of Fisheries Science. His career includes service to the Korean government as a member of the Presidential Commission on Policy Planning, as well as international leadership as Chairman of the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna and as a member of the Marine Stewardship Council’s Technical Advisory Board. In 2005, Dr. Zhang was elected a Fellow of the Korean Academy of Science. He has authored 12 books and more than 200 papers, while also serving on the editorial boards of journals such as Fisheries Oceanography and acting as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the Korean Society of Fisheries Resources.
 

Tymon Zielinski

Professor Tymon Zielinski leads the CORE – Climate and Ocean Research and Education team at the Institute of Oceanology of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Tymon is a co-author of over 100 scientific articles and over 200 presentations. Since 2025, Tymon represents Eastern and Central-Europe in the United Nations Regular Process for Global Reporting and Assessment of the State of the Marine Environment. In 2024, Tymon became a Chair of the Steering Committee of the European Marine Board Communication Panel. 

Tymon participates in scientific and educational projects related to widely understood climate change and sustainability processes. In recognition of his scientific, organizational and educational achievements, Tymon became, in 2021, the ""face"" of the European action on Research Integrity and was also awarded a title of a Green Hero by BNP Paribas for climate research and education. Full CV is available at: https://old.iopan.pl/KlimatOceany/ZielinskiTymonCV.html.